 "Mattia Debertolis died after collapsing during an orienteering event at the World Games in China. Image: Mattia Debertolis on Instagram")
Mattia Debertolis, an Italian orienteer, died on Tuesday after collapsing during the World Games last week, the organisers said. As per the media statement from the World Games organiser, the 29-year-old Debertolis was found unconscious during an orienteering event last Friday in Chengdu, China.
Debertolis died four days after his collapse. The reason for his death is still unknown. “Despite receiving immediate expert medical care at one of China’s leading medical institutions, he passed away,” World Games organisers said in a statement.
Debertolis collapsed during event at World Games in China
Debertolis was competing in the final of the men’s middle-distance event when he collapsed. Reportedly, the temperatures in Chengdu at the time of the event were above 30 degrees.
The World Games organizers and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF), in a joint statement, said that they were “struck by this tragedy and extend their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the athlete and the whole orienteering community. Our thoughts are with those touched by this event.”
Orienteering is an outdoor sport in which athletes have to complete an unfamiliar designated course with the help of maps and a compass. They need to register their presence at various checkpoints, and the fastest to complete the course gets the gold medal.
The middle-distance event at the World Games in China was held around 50 kilometers outside of central Chengdu in a rural area. The middle-distance event at the World Games featured a six-kilometre course including 180 metres of ascent and 20 checkpoints.
Debertolis was one of 12 athletes who were marked as “Did Not Finish” in the official results.
He had finished fifth in the 2022 World Cup final.
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View AllThe Italian currently lived in Sweden, where he was also pursuing a PhD at a university in Stockholm.
The World Games is a multi-sport event that is hosted every four years for events that are not part of the Olympics.