Italian orienteer Mattia Debertolis has died after collapsing during the World Games in Chengdu, China. The 29-year-old was found unconscious during the men’s middle-distance final last Friday and passed away on Tuesday, four days later.
“Despite receiving immediate expert medical care at one of China’s leading medical institutions, he passed away,” World Games organisers confirmed in a statement.
Debertolis was competing in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius and was listed among 12 athletes who did not finish the event. His cause of death remains unknown.
Tom Hollowell, President of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF), said he was “not able to adequately describe the unfathomable depth of sadness in this tragic loss of life.”
Debertolis, a member of the Italian national team, had placed fifth at the 2022 World Cup final. Alongside his sporting achievements, he held a degree in civil engineering and was pursuing a PhD at a university in Stockholm, Sweden, where he resided.
The World Games, held every four years, feature non-Olympic sports such as orienteering — a challenging discipline that combines physical endurance with navigation skills.
Organisers of the event said they will “continue to support the family of Debertolis and the orienteering community in every possible way.”