The titled Norwegian biathlete was found dead in Italy

27-year-old Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken was found dead in Italy. This is reported by NRK with reference to the Norwegian Biathlon Association.

"Sivert Guttorm Bakken (27 years old) He was found dead… The biathlete was found dead in his hotel room in Italy," the note says.

The cause of death is still unknown.

The acting Secretary General of the association, Emily Nordskar, told NRK that she could not tell anything about the death of the athlete yet.

"What we know for sure is that today Sivert was found dead in his hotel room... in Italy. Of course, we are in touch with the Italian police on the spot. They are working... and we are working closely with them. We don't know the cause of death. This will be decided by the police," Nordskar said.

The operator of the Carabinieri police operations center in Cavalese told NRK that they were "still working to understand what happened."

"It is extremely sad and unfair that you passed away at such a young age and so suddenly," commented Bakken's former national team colleague Johannes Boe.

Bakken went to Italy on Christmas together with World Cup leader Johan-Olav Botn after a week at the World Cup in Le Grand-Bornane, France. The biathlete took part in three races, showing the best result in the sprint — he took fifth place.

Bakken is a three—time European champion, won one race at the World Cup, and in the 2021/2022 season he won the overall World Cup in the mass start.