'Thorough examination' after death of young badminton player

Badminton's governing body announced Tuesday a “thorough investigation” into the death of a promising Chinese teenager who collapsed during a match.

Zhang Zhijie, 17, was playing at the Asian Junior Championships in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta on Sunday when he suddenly fell to the ground.

The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) and Badminton Asia said he was rushed to hospital but died that night after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Questions have been raised, however, about the medical response at the scene. Footage showed it took 40 seconds from the moment Zhang collapsed until help arrived on the ground.

“We are taking all necessary steps to thoroughly review this matter in consultation with Badminton Asia and the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI),” governing body the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said in a statement.

A PBSI spokesman on Monday blamed the referee's hesitant response on the emergency services and said that as hosts they were only adhering to BWF rules.

“Once our review is complete, we will determine whether any specific aspects of these guidelines need to be amended,” the BWF added.

The organisation is also awaiting an official report from Badminton Asia and the local organising committee “to assess whether appropriate medical procedures were followed in assisting Zhang when he fell on the court”.

Badminton great Lee Chong Wei on Tuesday called for schedule changes to give players more time to recover.

Lee, a retired three-time Olympic silver medallist, told Malaysia's The Star newspaper that Zhang's surprise death should be a wake-up call for the sport.

He said medical teams needed to be “more vigilant” and called on the BWF to “review its match and tournament schedule”.

“He looked tired and it's sad to accept the reality that the future best player in China is gone,” Lee said.

Chinese state media also questioned the emergency response.

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