Orienteering at the 2025 World Games
| Orienteering at the 2025 World Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venue | Eastern New Area Orienteering Venue |
| Dates | 8-11 August 2025 |
| No. of events | 5 |
| Competitors | 80 from 24 nations |
The orienteering competition at the 2025 World Games took place from 8 to 11 August 2025, in Chengdu in China, at the Eastern New Area Orienteering Venue.[1][2] The discipline had seven events, three for men, three for women, and one mixed.
Qualification
A total of 80 athletes (40 men and 40 women) qualified for each event. Qualification was based on a point system, taking in consideration both the Orienteering World Ranking and the results from the 2024 World Orienteering Championships.[3]
Summary
The events started with a Middle Distance on 8 August 2025 in Gaota Village, with the terrain consisting mainly of orange groves and dense bushes.[4] The race was noted for it's heat and humidity, with a temperature of 37 degrees celsius recorded on the course.[5] The winners were Riccardo Rancan and Simona Aebersold, both from Switzerland. Vegard Jarvis Westergård attained Canada's first ever medal in any international orienteering competition with a Bronze, and Tereza Šmelíková won Slovakia's first ever international orienteering medal as well with her Silver in the Women's competition.[4] During the Middle Distance competition, Italian runner Mattia Debertolis collapsed on the course and was admitted to hospital. Debertolis died four days later, receiving international attention.[6][7]
Participating nations
Australia (4)
Austria (4).svg.png)
Belgium (2)
Brazil (4)
China (4)
Chinese Taipei (1)
Czech Republic (4)
Germany (4)
Great Britain (4)
Hong Kong (2)
Hungary (4)
Italy (4)
Japan (4)
Kazakhstan (2)
Latvia (4)
New Zealand (4)
Portugal (1)
Poland (4)
Romania (1)
Slovakia (2)
Spain (4)
Switzerland (4)
Sweden (4)
Ukraine (2)
Medal table
* Host nation (China)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2 | Belgium | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 5 | Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Slovakia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 | .svg.png){kind=small} Canada | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Hungary | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Spain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (9 entries) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | |
Medalists
Men
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint |
Yannick Michiels Belgium
|
Tomáš Křivda Czech Republic
|
Zoltán Bujdosó Hungary
|
| Middle distance |
Riccardo Rancan Switzerland
|
Francesco Mariani Italy
|
Vegard Westergard Canada
|
Women
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint |
Simona Aebersold Switzerland
|
Natalia Gemperle Switzerland
|
María Prieto Spain
|
| Middle distance |
Simona Aebersold Switzerland
|
Tereza Šmelíková Slovakia
|
Alva Sonesson Sweden
|
Mixed
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint relay |
Switzerland Natalia Gemperle Riccardo Rancan Tino Polsini Simona Aebersold |
Sweden Emma Bjessmo Jonatan Gustafsson August Mollén Alva Sonesson |
Czech Republic Denisa Králová Jakub Glonek Tomáš Křivda Tereza Rauturier |
References
- ^ "Qualifications for TWG 2025 by sport, Chengdu (CHN)". theworldgames. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ "Venues World Games 2025". theworldgames. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ "The World Games 2025 Qualification Rules for the Orienteering competitions". Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Slovensko má prvú medailu zo Svetových hier. Tereza Šmelíková získala historické striebro v orientačnom behu | TVNOVINY.sk". tvnoviny.sk (in Slovak). 8 August 2025. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
- ^ "Úspech v nečakanej disciplíne. Slovensko získalo na Svetových hrách prvú medailu". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
- ^ "Mattia Debertolis: Italian athlete dies after collapse at World Games". BBC Sport. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
- ^ Morse, Ben (12 August 2025). "Italian athlete Mattia Debertolis dies aged 29 after collapsing at World Games". CNN. Retrieved 12 August 2025.