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Italian orientation athlete Mattia Debertolis died Tuesday after collapsing during a competition in China on Friday, according to the event organizers. He was only 29 years old.
The International World Games Association (IWGA) has published a joint declaration alongside the local organizing committee (LOC) of the 2025 CHENGDU World Games and the International Orientation Federation (IOF) confirming the news of Debertolis on Tuesday.
The members of the Italian delegation agitate the national flag of their country while they participated in the athlete parade during the opening ceremony of the World Games in 2025 at the Tianfu International Convention Center in Chengdu, in the Chinese province of southwest Sichuan, on August 7, 2025. (Jade Gao / AFP via Getty Images)
“The family of the games of the world, the loc and the iOF are struck by this tragedy and present their sincere condolences to the family and friends of the athlete and on the whole Guidance Community. Our thoughts are with those affected by this event. “”
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According to the press release, Debertolis was in competition in the 12th edition of the World Games in Chengdu, China Friday, when it was discovered “unconscious” during the male competition of the average distance.
The organizers said they had received “expert medical care” in a region in the region, but he was declared dead on Tuesday.
The president of IOF, Tom Hollowll, published a separate declaration calling for Debertolis’s death a “tragic loss of life”.
“I am not able to adequately describe in words the unfathomable depth of sadness in this tragic loss of life. Our thoughts go to all those who cry Mattia. I encourage the global orientation community to honor his memory,” said the Hollowell declaration.
The silver medalists Team Sweden L, the gold medalists Team Switzerland C and the bronze medalists team up The Tchéque Republic poses during the victory ceremony for the final of the mixed sprint of the orientation event at the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, in the southwest of the Sichuan province in China, August 11, 2025. (Chen Cheng / Xinhua via Getty Images)
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No official death cause was given.
Debertolis was a member of the Italian team of the Orientation Federation of Orientation in Competition at World Games in 2025. He participated in the Italian national team in several World Championships and in the World Cup, including the final of the 2022 World Cup relay where he ranked fifth, according to the IOF declaration.
Orientation is an outdoor sport that obliges athletes to navigate between the control points using cards 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 Chengdu world games are seen during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, Southwestern China’s Sichuan Province, August 7, 2025. (Chen Bin / Xinhua via AP)
“During her years of childhood and youth, Mattia was active in orientation, cross -country skiing and football. His love for navigation and the search for control points has prioritized to her orientation and to pursue a career in the Orienting elite,” continued Hollowll.
“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 Lingö orientation club.
