Italian orienteer Mattia Debertolis has died after collapsing at The World Games in Chengdu.
Debertolis, 29, was found unconscious during the men’s middle-distance orienteering competition on Friday, 8 August and passed away on Tuesday, 12 August.
His death was confirmed in a joint statement from the International World Games Association (IWGA), Local Organising Committee (LOC) of The World Games 2025 Chengdu and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF).
“I am not able to adequately describe in words the unfathomable depth of sadness in this tragic loss of life,” IOF president Tom Hollowell said.
“Our thoughts are with all who mourn Mattia. I encourage the global orienteering community to honour his memory.”
Debertolis was a keen cross-country skier and footballer as a child but pursued elite orienteering due to his love for navigating.
He was also a civil engineer, with studies in progress for a PhD at the university in Stockholm, where he lived and was part of the orienteering club IFK Lidingö.