ROME (AP) — Rome’s mayor and a chorus of others have denounced the defacing of a street-art celebration of Paola Egonu, who helped lead Italy to its first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's volleyball in Paris and who has faced years of racist abuse at home. Egonu, who was born in Italy to parents of Nigerian origin, was named tournament MVP after she led Italy to beat the U.S.
defending champions on Sunday on the final day of the Games. The gold medal capped a dominant Olympic tournament in which the Italian women lost just one set. Hours after the Games ended, street artist Laika celebrated Egonu with a work of graffiti opposite the Rome headquarters of the Italian Olympic Committee.
Entitled “Italianness,” the graffiti showed Egonu, with her trademark long ponytail and wearing her Azzurri blue uniform, spiking a ball that had the words “Stop racism, hatred, xenophobia,” on it. It was a reference to the years of racist abuse Egonu has endured as a Black athlete in Italy, with prominent figures regularly questioning her citizenship and “Italianness.” Egonu is Italian and was even awarded one of the country’s highest civilian honors in 2021 by the Italian president.
A day after images of Laika's graffiti celebration began circulating, someone painted over the original work, turning Egonu’s dark skin pink and blurring out the words on the volleyball. Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri denounced the vandalism as a “vile, shameful insult” to both Egonu and Laik.