Mattia Debertolis, a 29-year-old Italian orienteering athlete, tragically passed away on August 12, 2025, following a collapse during competition at the World Games held in Chengdu, China.
He was found unconscious on August 8 while competing in the final of the men’s middle-distance orienteering event and, despite receiving immediate expert medical care at one of China’s top medical institutions, he succumbed four days later.
The World Games, a multi-sport event held every four years for disciplines not included in the Olympics, featured this orienteering event under intense heat and humidity with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86°F).
The competition required athletes to navigate a challenging 6-kilometer course with 180 meters of ascent across rural fields and villages, visiting 20 control points along the route.
Debertolis, originally from Primiero in eastern Italy, was listed as “Did Not Finish” in the official results. Ranked 137th in the men’s Orienteering World Rankings, he had been competing internationally since 2014 and participated in several World Championships and World Cups representing Italy.
Besides his athletic pursuits, Debertolis was a civil engineer pursuing a PhD at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where he lived and was active in the local orienteering community.
The International World Games Association (IWGA), the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of The World Games 2025 Chengdu, and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) jointly expressed their deepest condolences to Debertolis’ family, friends, and the wider orienteering community.
The President of the Italian Orienteering Federation, Alfio Giomi, announced that Italy’s national team would wear black armbands during the upcoming World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships in Poland in memory of Debertolis.
His family has also supported athletes participating in competitions in his name.
The 12th edition of the World Games continues through August 17, featuring approximately 4,000 athletes across 253 events.
This tragedy underscores the extreme physical demands of orienteering, particularly under challenging environmental conditions, and marks a sorrowful moment for the global sports community.
