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Mattia Debertolis, 29, an Italian Orienteer, collapsed and died during the World Games on Tuesday.
The athlete was found unconscious during an orienteering event on Friday, August 8, in Chengdu, where the temperature exceeded about 30°C with intense heat and humidity and after four days of being unconscious, he died on Tuesday.
According to a joint statement from the World Games organisers and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF), no details were given on the cause of his death.
“Despite receiving immediate expert medical care at one of China’s leading medical institutions, he passed away,” the statement read.
Debertolis was competing in the final of the men’s middle-distance event when he collapsed according to BBC Sport.
Switzerland’s Riccardo Rancan took gold in the men’s middle-distance final, completing the course in 45 minutes and 22 seconds.
Debertolis did not complete the race and was among 12 athletes marked “Did Not Finish” in the official results.
He was ranked 137th in the men’s Orienteering World Rankings and had competed on the international circuit since 2014, appearing at several World Championships and World Cups with the Italian national team, according to the IOF.
The World Games, now in its 12th edition, continues in Chengdu until August 17. In a joint statement, the organisers and the IOF pledged to “continue to support the family of Mattia Debertolis and the orienteering community in every possible way.”
The World Games is a quadrennial multisport event featuring disciplines not included in the Olympic programme.
Orienteering is a sport in which athletes navigate an unmarked course using a map and compass, checking in at designated points along the route in the shortest possible time.
