17-year-old Chinese shuttler Zhang Zhi Jie died after collapsing in court

Zhang Zhi Jie, a 17-year-old Chinese shuttler, passed away at a hospital after he collapsed on the court during his team's Badminton Asia Junior Championships tie against Japan, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on Sunday night.

Zhang was playing against Japan's Kazuma Kawano. When the first game was tied at 11-11, Zhang collapsed on the court.

As he was unable to stand up, the tournament doctors rushed in and tried to help him recover, but the effort went in vain. He was immediately rushed to hospital where he was declared dead.

A joint statement issued by the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) and Badminton Asia stated, “China's Zhang Zhi Jie, a singles player, collapsed on the court during a match in the evening. The tournament doctor and medical team rushed to provide immediate assistance.”

"He was sent to hospital where he passed away at 11.20 pm local time yesterday (Sunday),” it added.

“The badminton world has lost a talented player,” the statement added further.

"Badminton Asia, PBSI, and the organising committee are immensely saddened and expressed their deepest condolences to Zhang's parents, family, and Chinese Badminton Association," the statement stated.

PV Sindhu expresses condolences 

As the news went viral on social media, India's star shuttler PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, took to X to express her condolences to Zhang.

“Truly heartbreaking news from the Asian Junior Badminton Championships regarding the death of a young player named Zhang Zhi Jie,” Sindhu wrote on X.

“I express my deepest condolences to Zhi Jie’s family during this sad time. The world has lost an extraordinary talent.”

Meanwhile, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) observed one minute of silence in honour of Zhang.