This is the question that the family of Mattia Debertolis has been asking for two months — and still, there has been no answer. Following their wish, we have agreed to publish this special newsletter, which you can also find on our website. Mattia was also a top athlete of the PWT Italy team.

Two months after the tragic loss of our athlete, the family has not yet received an official report explaining what happened on August 8, 2025, the day Mattia took part in the first race of the World Games in China.

Despite several requests sent to the International Orienteering Federation (IOF), no explanation has been provided. Why is that?

Going back

During the World Games, the weather conditions in China were extreme, with high temperatures raising serious safety concerns among the national teams.
In the days leading up to the pre-TOM meeting, the teams asked the organizers:

“Is there a heat/weather policy or any amendments being considered?”

The answer given was:

“As far as I know, there is one, but it has not been communicated to us. In case of heat, the easiest solution would be to have our competitions two hours earlier. We’ll keep in touch and inform you during the Team Officials’ Meeting on August 7th at the latest.”

However, no further information or action was communicated after that.

Team Officials’ Meeting presentation – now removed from the official website.

At 10:06, Mattia began his warm-up.
At 10:37, he started his race, equipped with two GPS devices, whose signals were publicly visible to organizers, coaches, and anyone monitoring the event.

By 11:00, after passing nine controls, Mattia made an unusual route choice, unexpected for an athlete ranked 30th in the world.
Just five minutes later, he made another questionable error, both clearly visible on the GPS trace.

At 11:10, his GPS signal stopped moving.

Mattia’s GPS track – also removed from the website.

From that moment, Mattia lay collapsed in a wooded area, just a few meters from a path, close enough for runners to pass nearby, but in a spot difficult to see.

For quite some time, no one noticed these inexplicable mistakes or the fact that his GPS had remained stationary. Why?

Only much later, someone decided to check what was happening, and it was only at 12:04 that the alarm was raised.
Mattia was then transported by ambulance at 12:21, arriving at the hospital after another half-hour of travel.

Unanswered questions

These are the questions now being asked:

  • What safety measures were in place to address the extreme heat, given that the heat index was around 45 °C?
  • Why did no one notice the strange mistakes he was making and the fact that his GPS had stopped?
  • Why, despite wearing a GPS device, did no one intervene earlier when it became evident that his signal had stopped?
  • Why did 56 minutes pass between Mattia’s collapse and the moment the alarm was raised?

Two months later and still no answers

The orienteering community, both in Italy and internationally, has shown deep solidarity and support for Mattia’s family. And for this reason, we turn to this community, hoping you can help us find answers to these questions:

  • Why has the family still not been informed about what exactly happened that day?
  • Two months after Mattia’s passing, what information can the IOF provide to his family?
  • Why was the report of the pre-TOM meeting immediately deleted from the website?
  • Why was Mattia’s GPS track immediately removed after the competition?
  • Why, once the organization realized that something was wrong, didn’t they immediately send out people experienced in understanding GPS data to look for Mattia?
  • And why, during the recent European Championships, did the IOF choose not to hold a minute of silence — despite the explicit request from the Italian federation and the presence of Mattia’s parents, who had traveled to Lier to attend the ceremony?

Two months have passed, but the pain remains with one simple question:
What happened to Mattia Debertolis at the World Games in China?