Source:REUTERS/HASNOOR HUSSAIN
[Saba Sports News] A tragic incident occurred at the 2024 Asian Youth Badminton Championships in Indonesia. Zhang Zhijie, a 17-year-old player from the Chinese badminton team, suddenly collapsed during a game and tragically passed away at 23:20 on June 30, even after resuscitation attempts. This incident not only exposed shortcomings in on-site response but also shed light on systemic flaws, particularly the excessively packed badminton event calendar. According to the Badminton World Federation’s event schedule, there are a total of 37 events planned for 2024. From the 2nd to the 50th week, events are scheduled almost every week, resulting in little rest time for badminton players. In 2018, the Badminton World Federation revised the international badminton competition system, requiring the top 15 players in the world to participate in a certain number of Badminton World Tour events, including three Level 2 events, five Level 3 events, and four events at the 4th level. Based on this calculation, the top 15 players must participate in 12 international tour events per year. Some media refer to this regulation as the “mandatory entry system for top players.” When adding the Olympic Games, World Championships, Thomas and Uber Cup, and other international competitions, top players often face more than 16 or 17 competition tasks annually. Badminton star Lin Dan, due to his intense schedule, has been dubbed a “flying man” after traveling 60,000 kilometers in five months. Malaysian star Lee Chong Wei has also criticized the “devilish schedule” imposed by the Badminton World Federation, stating that even if he were fined, he could not compete so frequently within a year as mandated by the regulations.