Sawt Falasteen - Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken found dead in hotel

The sports governing body said the athlete's death had been confirmed by Italian authorities.

"Our thoughts are first and foremost with Sivert’s family and with everyone close to him, both in Norway and abroad. We are cooperating with the Italian authorities on site," acting secretary general Emilie Nordskar said in a statement.

The association said crisis teams would follow up with fellow athletes and next of kin.

Bakken won his first World Cup race in the 15-kilometre mass start in Oslo Holmenkollen in 2022.

However, after his successful 2021-2022 season, his career was halted due to heart problems.

Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that Bakken had previously been open about contracting heart problems following his third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in 2022.

But after a long way back he has represented Norway in the Biathlon World Cup over the past few weekends.

Bakken competed in the World Cup event at Le Grand Bornand in France at the weekend and was 13th in this season's overall standings.

NRK said Bakken had travelled to Lavaze for a high-altitude training camp.

In a post to Instagram, teammate Sturla Holm Laegreid called Bakken "one of the toughest".

"You had the ability to work your way out of the worst situations. Where everyone else would have given up, you pushed on. Sivert, you were a role model, an inspiration, with a determination that the rest of us could only dream of," Laegreid said.

In an interview published by the Norwegian Biathlon Association earlier in December, Bakken said he was happy he had "stuck with it" and put in the work to come back.

"For me, quitting before I had given it a real try was never an option. This, combined with the fact that I really enjoy my daily training routine as a biathlete, has meant that I have always been motivated."

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST