Less than 48 hours after the Olympic success celebrated by all Italians and all political parties, and approximately a day before the triumphant return of the Italian women’s Italvolley team to the homeland, another controversy has erupted. Vandals defaced the mural “Italianità” created by street artist Laika in front of the Coni headquarters in Rome. The mural depicted Paola Egonu, the leader of the Italian national team, with her face, legs, and arms altered and colored pink, while she was shown crushing a ball with the words “Stop racism” on it.
Many people, in response, condemned the act of vandalism, including government officials. Vice Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, expressed solidarity with Paola Egonu and denounced the act as a despicable display of racism. Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, and Tourism Minister, Daniela Santanchè also voiced their support for Egonu and opposition to racism, calling for it to be denounced and combated.
In the opposition, Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein emphasized the need to combat racism, stating that those born or raised in Italy are Italian and pledging to continue fighting for changes in citizenship laws. Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, labeled the vandalism of Paola Egonu’s mural as a disgrace and emphasized the importance of vigilance against such cowardly acts of racism. Despite the incident, Egonu remained silent, instead posting a photo on Instagram of her holding her gold medal with the caption “Olympic Champion,” receiving overwhelming support and encouragement from Italians.
In addition to the outpouring of support from ordinary citizens condemning the vandalism and standing in solidarity with Egonu, some individuals took action by going to the location and using a pen to erase the defaced mural. The captain of the Italian men’s Italvolley team, Simone Giannelli, denounced the vandals as heartless and lacking humanity, expressing admiration for Egonu’s achievements and Olympic success. The response to the vandalism reflected a strong sense of unity and support for Egonu and opposition to racism among many Italians.
