Italian orienteering athlete Mattia Debertolis died on Tuesday, four days after being found unresponsive during competition at the World Games in Chengdu, organisers said.
The 29-year-old collapsed during the men’s middle-distance orienteering event on August 8 and was taken to a leading medical facility in China, but could not be saved, the World Games and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) said in a joint statement. No cause of death was disclosed.
The competition was held in sweltering conditions, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. Orienteering requires athletes to navigate an unmarked course using a map and compass, visiting all designated checkpoints in the fastest time.
Debertolis, from Primiero in eastern Italy, was contesting the six-kilometre final, featuring 180 metres of ascent and 20 control points, but did not finish. He was among 12 athletes unable to complete the course.
Ranked 137th in the men’s Orienteering World Rankings, Debertolis had represented Italy at multiple World Championships and World Cups since 2014. He was also pursuing a PhD at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
The president of the Italian Orienteering Federation, Alfio Giomi, invited the national team to wear black armbands during the World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships in Poland in his memory.
