CHENGDU, China (BN24) — Italian orienteering athlete Mattia Debertolis has died after collapsing during the men’s middle-distance competition at the World Games in China, officials said. He was 29.
Debertolis was found unconscious on Friday and rushed to a hospital, where he received treatment at one of China’s leading medical institutions. Despite what organizers described as “immediate expert medical care,” he died on Aug. 12, 2025, according to a joint statement from the International World Games Association, the local organizing committee and the International Orienteering Federation.
“The World Games family, the LOC and the IOF are struck by this tragedy and extend their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the athlete and the whole orienteering community,” the statement said. Officials pledged to continue supporting his family and the sport’s community.
No cause of death has been released, and officials have not said why the athlete collapsed.
Debertolis, a member of Sweden’s IFK Lidingö orienteering club, had competed in multiple world championships and world cup events. The IOF described him as “not only an elite athlete, but also a highly skilled civil engineer,” noting he was pursuing a PhD at a university in Stockholm.
Orienteering is an outdoor navigation sport in which participants race across unfamiliar terrain using only a map and compass.
Credit: Sky News
