Source:REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
[Saba Sports News] On March 25, devastating news came from the Vietnamese national badminton team: under-22 player Duc Hong Phuc NGUYEN was rushed to hospital after suddenly developing a high fever, but he did not survive, drawing strong attention from fans. Born on May 25, 2004, Duc Hong Phuc NGUYEN was two months shy of his 22nd birthday and competed in men’s doubles. According to information released by the Badminton World Federation, he had played only a small number of events. In 2022 he competed only at the Vietnam Open held at home; after defeating a teammate in the first round he lost in the round of 16 to the Indonesian pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani. In 2023 he entered three tournaments but did not record a win; in one of those he was defeated by the Chinese pair Xie Haonan and Zeng Weihan. In 2024 he again played only the Vietnam Open, where he was eliminated in the first round by a teammate. He had no opportunities to play in international competitions throughout last year. Duc Hong Phuc NGUYEN had originally appeared on the entry list for the China Ruichang Badminton Masters in mid-March, but ultimately did not compete; at that time fans were not yet aware that he had been hospitalized with illness.
The editor believes that training while feverish likely contributed to the worsening of his condition and to his death. Going forward, sports authorities should strengthen monitoring of professional athletes’ physical condition so they can arrange targeted training.