Italian athlete dies after collapse during orienteering event at World Games in China

Italian orienteering athlete Mattia Debertolis, aged 29, died on August 12, after collapsing during a competition at the World Games in Chengdu, China. He was found unconscious on August 8 during the men's middle-distance event and passed away four days later despite receiving immediate expert medical care at a leading Chinese hospital. The cause of death has not been disclosed by the organisers.

The men’s middle-distance orienteering event involved a six-kilometre course with 20 control points and 180 metres of ascent. The competition was held about 50 kilometres outside central Chengdu, under intense heat and humidity, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. The event challenges athletes to navigate unmarked terrain using only a map and compass to reach designated points in the shortest time.

Debertolis was ranked 137th in the men’s Orienteering World Rankings and had been competing internationally since 2014. He was a member of the Italian national team and participated in multiple World Championships and World Cups, including a fifth-place finish with the Italian relay team at the 2022 World Cup Final. The World Games is a multi-sport event held every four years featuring disciplines not included in the Olympics.

In addition to his sporting career, Debertolis was pursuing a PhD in civil engineering at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where he lived and trained with the orienteering club IFK Lidingö. He was also involved in supporting his family’s local hotel business in his home region of Primiero, Italy.

The International Orienteering Federation President Tom Hollowell expressed condolences, stating, “I am not able to adequately describe in words the unfathomable depth of sadness in this tragic loss of life. Our thoughts are with all who mourn Mattia. I encourage the global orienteering community to honor his memory.” Organisers and the IOF pledged to support Debertolis’ family and the orienteering community in every possible way.