Overview
- The Norwegian biathlete was found dead on December 23 in a Lavazè hotel room with an altitude-simulation mask reportedly set to about 7,000 meters, a device several athletes say they had never seen used in their sport.
- Italian authorities have performed an autopsy and seized items from the room, and the case is being handled as procedurally suspicious pending determination of cause.
- The family’s lawyer says conclusive forensic findings are unlikely before early March, with a March 7 deadline cited for expert reports.
- Norway’s Olympiatoppen has advised athletes to halt use of simulated-altitude devices until investigators clarify the circumstances.
- Teammates and colleagues publicly mourned, with Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen urging an end to speculation about the mask or prior myocarditis, and Juni Arnekleiv competing in Gelsenkirchen to honor Bakken.