On Tuesday, the Norwegian Federation and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced that top ski hunter Sivert Guttorm Bakken had died at the age of just 27. After it recently became known that the Norwegian was found wearing a high-altitude mask, new details about the fatal accident have now come to light.
The Norwegian daily “VG”, citing “several independent sources familiar with the matter”, reports that the altitude mask found at Bakken was set at an altitude of 7,000 meters above sea level. This means that the air the athlete breathed in through the mask contained only a very small amount of oxygen.
According to its own statements, “VG” immediately forwarded the information provided to the newspaper to Elden Law Firm AS. The law firm was commissioned by the family of the deceased biathlete to investigate the incident. In an answer, legal counsel Bernt Heiberg referred to the ongoing investigation.
Biathlon: Did Bakken adjust the altitude mask himself?
“It is still too early to comment on this. The Italian police have routinely confiscated items and equipment from the room and will continue to investigate this,” he told the newspaper: “As soon as we have access to the police documents and the preliminary forensic investigation report, we will comment on this as it is something that the investigation was able to uncover.”
According to “VG”, it is still unclear whether Bakken himself adjusted the mask to the enormous height. Accordingly, it has not yet been possible to determine whether the low oxygen supply also occurred at the time of Bakken’s death. It is also said that there is also an alternative theory to be heard from investigative circles.
It cannot be ruled out that the first responders may have accidentally changed something on the Norwegian’s altitude mask after his death. A “chaotic moment” to save the life of the former super talent could have led to the height settings being adjusted, according to the “VG”. There are still no signs that “a criminal offense” has occurred.