The global sporting community is reeling after the death of Italian orienteer Mattia Debertolis, who collapsed during the World Games in Chengdu, China, last Friday and passed away four days later.
The 29-year-old competitor was taking part in the men’s middle-distance final when he fell unconscious in searing heat exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. Event organisers quickly located him on the course and rushed him to one of China’s top medical facilities, but despite urgent and continued treatment, he died on Tuesday.
While the exact cause of his collapse remains unknown, official results list Debertolis among 12 athletes who did not finish the race. Orienteering, the sport in which he excelled, demands both intense physical stamina and advanced navigation skills, with participants racing between unmarked checkpoints using only a map.
Debertolis was a distinguished member of the Italian national team, having secured fifth place in the 2022 World Cup final. Beyond his sporting achievements, he was a qualified civil engineer living in Sweden, where he was pursuing a PhD at a Stockholm university.
The World Games, a multi-sport event held every four years for disciplines outside the Olympics, has pledged continued support to Debertolis’ family and the orienteering community as they come to terms with this loss.
