Italian orienteering athlete Mattia Debertolis has died after collapsing in the course of the World Video games in China.
The 29-year-old was taken to hospital after being discovered unconscious in the course of the males’s middle-distance competitors final Friday.
“Despite receiving immediate expert medical care at one of China’s leading medical institutions, he passed away on 12 August 2025,” a joint assertion from the Worldwide World Video games Affiliation, the native organising committee (LOC) and the Worldwide Orienteering Federation (IOF) stated.
“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 IWGA, LOC, and IOF will proceed to help the household of Mattia Debertolis and the orienteering group in each potential approach.”
The statement did not include details about the cause of death and why the athlete collapsed.
Orienteering is an outdoor navigation sport that sees participants use a map and compass to find their way across unfamiliar terrain at speed.
Debertolis had competed in several world championships and world cup events, the IOF said in a statement.
“Mattia was not solely an elite athlete, but additionally a extremely expert civil engineer, with research in progress for a PhD on the college in Stockholm, the place he lived and was a part of the orienteering membership IFK Lidingö,” it added.
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Town of Chengdu, in China’s southwestern Sichuan province, is internet hosting the twelfth multi-sport World Video games.
The occasion options fringe sports activities and disciplines not contested on the Olympics.
