A correspondence in this week's Lancet starts:
'On July 2, 2024, a young Chinese player [age 17 years] died during the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia while on court. The live footage revealed a time lapse before paramedics were permitted entry onto the field following his sudden fall to the ground, and no immediate first aid was administered at the scene. The player was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Indonesia's badminton association reported that the cause of death was a sudden cardiac arrest. The high probability of medical personnel witnessing such incidents at sports events paradoxically underscores the tragedy: despite the presence of trained responders, the absence of an immediate and effective emergency response can lead to fatal outcomes...'
'This incident serves as a poignant reminder of the urgent need for sports organisations to develop efficient emergency response plans and training to minimise the waste of valuable time, ensure fairness in competitions, and avoid athlete mortality.'
Indeed, there was no lack of people at the event trained in resuscitation. The underlying problem was procedural policy. 'Under the current Badminton World Federation statutes, the protocol during a match-related injury or illness involves a structured response: the umpire initially assesses the severity of the incident and, if necessary, invites the referee onto the court. The decision to involve medical personnel rests with the referee.' As a result, there was a delay in attempts at resuscitation which probably contributed to the athlete's death.
HIFA promotes evidence-informed policy. This is needed at international, national, and local levels. All sports bodies should take note and ensure that their internal policies are evidence-informed and conducive to save lives.
Read online: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01610-6/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
