Italian athlete dies during competition in China

• Matteo Debortoli died four days after being disqualified.
• He participated in the finals of the competition in Chengdu under high temperatures.
• The organizers expressed support for his family and community.

Italian athlete Matteo Debortoli died after being disqualified during the World Games in China.

The 29-year-old athlete was found unconscious by the organizers during the competition in Chengdu on Friday of the past week.

He died in the hospital four days after his incident.

“Regardless of the fact that he received timely medical assistance in one of the leading medical facilities in China, he died,” – it reads in the statement of the organizers of the World Games.

The cause of Debortoli's death is currently unknown.

The World Games is a multi-sport event held every four years for sports that are not included in the Olympic program.

Debortoli participated in the finals of the competition with a distance orientation in the middle distance, which took place at temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius when he was disqualified.

Italy was one of 12 athletes who were marked as "did not finish" in the official results.

He was a member of the national team of Italy and took 5th place in the finals of the World Cup 2022.

The organizers of the World Games announced that they will continue to support the family of Debortoli and the community of athletes in all possible forms.

Tags: China/Sport