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Italian orienteering competitor, Mattia Debertolis, has died after collapsing during competition at the ongoing World Games in Chengdu, China.
Mattia Debertolis, 29, was found unconscious on August 8 while competing in the men’s middle-distance final and passed away four days later, according to a joint statement from World Games organisers and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF).
“Despite receiving immediate expert medical care at one of China’s leading medical institutions, he passed away,” the statement read.
No details were given on the cause of death.
The tragedy occurred about 50 kilometres from central Chengdu, where athletes faced sweltering conditions with temperatures above 30°C and high humidity.
Orienteering, the sport in which Debertolis excelled, requires competitors to navigate an unmarked course using a map and compass, checking in at control points as quickly as possible.
Debertolis, who had represented Italy in multiple World Championships and World Cups since 2014, was ranked 137th in the men’s Orienteering World Rankings.
He was among 12 athletes, including himself, who did not complete the final. The event was eventually won by Switzerland’s Riccardo Rancan in 45 minutes and 22 seconds.
This marks the 12th edition of the World Games, a multi-sport competition held every four years for disciplines not featured in the Olympics. The event runs until August 17.
World Games organisers and the IOF pledged to “continue to support the family of Mattia Debertolis and the orienteering community in every possible way” as tributes pour in from around the sporting world.
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