Sivert Bakken death has prompted Norway’s elite-sport body Olympiatoppen to advise athletes to temporarily stop using “simulated altitude” equipment, after the 27-year-old biathlete was found dead in his hotel room during a training camp in Lavazè, northern Italy. Norwegian and Italian authorities are still investigating what happened, and an autopsy is expected to clarify the cause of death.
What is known about Sivert Bakken’s death in Italy
The Norwegian Biathlon Federation (Norges Skiskytterforbund) said Bakken was found dead on 23 December in his hotel room in Lavazè, a high-altitude training location in the Trentino region. The federation said Italian police and forensic authorities are working on the case, and asked media and the public to avoid speculation while the investigation continues.
Swedish broadcaster TV4 reported that Bakken had competed as recently as 19 December in the Biathlon World Cup in Annecy, France, and recalled his breakthrough win at Holmenkollen in the 2021–2022 season.
Why Olympiatoppen paused simulated altitude training
In the days after Bakken’s death, Olympiatoppen—the elite-sport unit within the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (Norges idrettsforbund, NIF)—issued a temporary advisory against the use of “simulated altitude” methods while the facts of the case are clarified.
The rationale, according to Olympiatoppen and Norwegian media reporting, is precautionary: officials have stressed that the cause of death has not been established and there is no confirmed link to any specific piece of equipment. The temporary recommendation aims to reduce uncertainty and avoid a situation where athletes continue to use tools that have become the subject of public speculation during an ongoing investigation.
What an altitude mask does, and why athletes use it
Bakken was reportedly found wearing an altitude mask—a device that covers the nose and mouth to restrict oxygen intake and mimic, to a limited extent, the stress of training at altitude. Such masks are marketed as a way to challenge the respiratory system and improve endurance, although sports scientists and coaches debate how closely they replicate the physiological effects of natural altitude exposure.
In endurance sports, “simulated altitude” can also refer to other methods such as altitude tents or oxygen-reduction systems used at sea level. Norway banned some forms of artificial altitude training for years, but elite use has been permitted since 2021.
The Norwegian Biathlon Federation’s stance on masks and simulated altitude
The Norwegian Biathlon Federation said the altitude mask Bakken was found with was not part of any organised training programme run by the federation. However, it acknowledged that “a few individual athletes” have acquired this type of equipment on their own. The federation said any use should follow Olympiatoppen’s guidelines and is not, in itself, against Norwegian sports regulations.
As an immediate precaution, the federation said it instructed all its athletes to stop any use of simulated altitude “until further notice.” It also said it did not yet know the circumstances around how Bakken acquired the mask or how it was used, and that it would try to establish the relevant facts in the coming days.
A lawyer engaged to assist the family and the federation has publicly urged caution, pointing to “rumours and unconfirmed information” circulating before Italian authorities and forensic investigators release their findings.
Bakken’s recent comeback and the open medical questions
Bakken was widely known in biathlon for his return to top-level competition after a long health-related break. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) said he was diagnosed with myocarditis in 2022 and returned to IBU competition in November 2024, 984 days after winning the final World Cup race of the 2021–2022 season in Oslo, where he also secured the Mass Start small Crystal Globe.
TV4, citing previous reporting and interviews, described his break as linked to pericarditis (inflammation around the heart) following COVID-19 vaccination, and noted that Bakken spoke publicly about the difficulty of the period and the significance of returning to win again. Different outlets have used different medical terms when summarising his earlier condition; there has been no official statement connecting that history to his death.
What happens next, and what it could mean for Norwegian sport
Italian police are investigating the death and an autopsy is expected in Italy before Bakken’s body can be returned to Norway. Until those results are available, both the federation and Olympiatoppen have emphasised that key questions remain unanswered, including whether any equipment played any role.
Beyond the immediate case, the episode is likely to intensify debate in Norway—one of the world’s leading biathlon powers—about where to draw lines between legitimate performance tools and athlete safety. In practice, many endurance athletes already train at real altitude in places such as the Alps, and simulated methods exist in a grey zone: legal in many countries, unevenly regulated, and often adopted privately rather than through national federations.
For now, Norway’s temporary pause signals a “do no harm” approach while forensic work continues. If investigators find no connection to simulated altitude, the advisory may be lifted with updated guidance. If concerns emerge, sports bodies could face pressure to tighten oversight—especially in winter sports where marginal gains can be decisive and training innovations spread quickly across borders.
