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Italian Orientation athlete Mattia Debertolis died on Tuesday after collapsing during a competition in China on Friday, according to the organizers of the event. I was only 29 years old.
The International World Games Association (IWGA) issued a joint statement together with the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the 2025 Chengdu World Games and the International Orientation Federation (IF) confirming on Tuesday the news of the sudden approval of Debertolis.
The members of the Italian delegation greet the national flag of their country as they participate in the athletes parade during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Games at the Tianfu International Convention Center in Chengdu, in southwest China Sichuan Sichuan on August 7, 2025. Italian orientation athlete, Mattia Debertolis, during August 12, 2025 In the World Games in Chape, schools of the competition of Italian orientation. The organizers said. (Jade Gao/AFP through Getty Images)
“The World Games family, the LOC and the IAF are beaten by this tragedy and extend their most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the athlete and the whole Orientation Community. Our thoughts are with the headdresses by this event. “
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According to the statement, Debertolis was competing in the twelfth edition of the World Games in Chengdu, Porcelain On Friday, when “unconscious” was discovered during the male distance competition.
The organizers said he received “expert medical attention” in a hospital in the area, but on Tuesday he was declared dead.
The president of IFF, Tom Hollowell, issued a separate statement by calling the death of Debertolis a “tragic loss of lives.”
“I cannot adequately describe in words the unfathomable depth of sadness in this tragic loss of life. Our thoughts are with all those who cry to Mattia. I encourage the global orientation community to honor his memory,” said Hollowell’s statement.
Swedish Silver Medalist Team, Equipment of Swiss Gold Medalists C and Bronze Medalist Team. (Chen Cheng/Xinhua through Getty Images)
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There was no official cause of death.
Debertolis was a member of the Italian Orientation Federation team that competes in the 2025 World Games. He competed in the Italian National Team in several World Championships and World Cups, including the 2022 World Cup relay final, where he occupied the fifth place, according to the IOF statement.
Orientation is an outdoor sport that requires athletes to sail between control points using maps and compasses.
In this image provided by the Xinhua news agency, the Flag of the International Olympic Committee, the Flag of the International World Games Association, the Chinese National Flag and the Flag of the Organizing Committee of the 2025 World Games Chengdu are seen during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, Southwestern China Sichuan Province, on August 7, August 7, 2025. (Chen Bin/Xinhua through AP)
“In his years of childhood and youth, Mattia was active in the orientation, background skiing and football. His love for navigating and finding the control points made him prioritize guidance and follow a career within the elite orientation,” Hollowell’s statement continued.
“Mattia was not only an elite athlete, but also a highly qualified civil engineer, with studies in progress for a doctorate at the University of Stockholm, where he lived and was part of the IFK Landingö orientation club. In addition to this impressive combination with his career in the athlete, he supported his family with his local hotel in his first Valley.”
