Italian athlete Mattia Debertolis dies aged 29 after collapsing at World Games

Mattia Debertolis competes in men's middle distance qualification race at the 2025 World Orienteering Championship in Tahko, Finland. (Aron Broman/Bildbyran/Sipa USA via CNN Newsource)

Italian orienteering athlete Mattia Debertolis has died after collapsing at the World Games, organizers said on Tuesday.

In a joint statement from the International World Games Association, the local organizing committee (LOC) and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF), the World Games said that the 29-year-old was found unconscious during the men’s middle-distance race in the orienteering competition on August 8 in Chengdu, China.

Although the Italian was rushed to hospital where he received immediate medical care, he passed away on Tuesday.

The World Games statement said that they are “struck by this tragedy and extend their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the athlete and the whole Orienteering Community. Our thoughts are with those touched by this event.”

The statement did not give a cause of death.

Debertolis was part of the Italian Orienteering Federation’s (FISO) team at the 2025 World Games.

Orienteering is a sport where athletes race across an unfamiliar terrain with the use of a map and a compass. The sport challenges participants’ ability to problem solve and navigate outdoor challenges, all against the clock.

The IOF separately expressed their condolences to Debertolis’ family and friends.

“I am not able to adequately describe in words the unfathomable dept of sadness in this tragic loss of life. Our thoughts are with all who mourn Mattia. I encourage the global orienteering community to honor his memory,” IOF president Tom Hollowell said.

According to FISO, the mountain bike orienteering races being held in Poland will see the awards ceremony with flags at half-mast to honor Debertolis.

Debertolis had been a mainstay in Italy’s national orienteering team for years, competing in multiple World Championships and World Cups.

Participating in Italy’s fifth-place finish at the World Cup Final 2022 Relay is one of Debertolis’ career achievements on the international circuit.

Born in the Primiero valley in Italy, Debertolis participated in orienteering, cross-country skiing and soccer as a youth, but his love for navigating meant he chose to compete in elite orienteering.

Away from competing, Debertolis was also trained as a civil engineer. He was studying for a PhD at the University of Stockholm, where he lived.

By Ben Morse, CNN