Jiang Tao (Mandarin: 江涛 2 September 1985 – 10 March 2004) was a Chinese footballer who played for Sinchi FC in the S.League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 September 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Jilin, China | ||
| Date of death | 10 March 2004 (aged 18) | ||
| Place of death | Jurong Stadium, Jurong, Singapore | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Number | 25[1] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| – | Jilin Institute of Physical Education | ||
| 2001–2004 | Sinchi FC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004 | Sinchi FC | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Raised in Antu County,[2] Jilin, Jiang Tao played basketball at an early age but always had a predilection to football, later entering the Jilin Institute of Physical Education and becoming one of coach Zhang Yuanqing's favorite players.[2] Competing in the Under-17 National Football Championship with his school, he steered them to a 9th-place finish out of 32 teams.[2] Jiang's father was a government official and his mother ran a grocery.[1][2] On November 16, 2001, the Jilin Institute of Physical education was visited by a deputation from Sinchi FC to recruit players.[2] Enticed by the idea of playing abroad and studying at the same time, Jiang agreed to go[1] and his family providentially had the wherewithal to pay for the stint, which costed over 100,000 yuan.[2]
Originally in the third team, the defender was promoted to the clubs Prime League and S.League teams by 2004, starting to feature in official matches.[1] On 10 March 2004, while in an evening training session Jiang was struck by lightning and collapsed.[3][4] The 18-year old was pronounced dead by medical personnel 10 minutes after the incident.[5][4] As a tribute, all the S.League fixtures that week were started with one minute's silence beforehand[6] and his family were given a solatium of 600000 yuan by the Football Association of Singapore.[1] The Singapore government also launched a fundraiser to support Jiang's parents and all the money generated from Sinchi FC's game tickets that week were given to them.[7]
The former player's body was cremated on 15 March 2004.[8]