Vandals change skin colour in mural of Egonu.

A mural in Rome depicting the Italian Olympic volleyball champion Paola Egonu was vandalised on Monday night, just one day after it was unveiled by street artist Laika.

The mural depicts Egonu, who was born in Italy to Nigerian parents, as she jumps to hit a ball with the words "stop racism, hate, xenophobia, ignorance".

Vandals erased the ball from the mural, located in front of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) headquarters, and changed the colour of Egonu's skin from black to pink.

Titled Italianità, Laika's mural was a response to right-wing MEP General Roberto Vannacci's assertion in his bestselling book Il mondo al contrario that even though Egonu "is an Italian by citizenship, it is clear that her physical features do not represent Italianness".

Vannacci reiterated this controversial view on Sunday after the Italian women's volleyball team beat defending champions USA to win a first Olympic gold for Italy, with Egonu crowned as Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the women's Volleyball Nations League 2024.

"I congratulate all the athletes, also to Paola Egonu who is a very good Italian athlete" - Vannacci told AGI news agency - "I have never doubted her Italian nature, but I continue to reiterate that her physical features do not represent the majority of Italians."

Veteran television reporter Bruno Vespa also sparked controversy in a post on X in which he claimed that Paola "Enogu" was "an example of successful integration".

Vespa faced widespread criticism from those who pointed out that Egonu, 25, was born in Italy and has been an Italian citizen since the age of 14 after her father obtained an Italian passport.

Last year Egonu sparked a racism debate in Italy days before she appeared as a co-presenter at the Sanremo Music Festival, the nation's biggest song contest.

"If I ever have a child with black skin, he will face all the crap I went through" - Egonu said in an interview with Vanity Fair - "If he were to have mixed skin, worse again: they will make him feel too black for whites and too white for blacks. It is worth it, then, to give birth to a child and condemn him to unhappiness?"

Asked subsequently by reporters if Italy is racist, Egonu said: "Yes, but this does not mean that everyone is racist or that everyone is bad or that everyone is ignorant."

She then clarified: "In my opinion, it's a racist country but it is getting better. I don't want to play the victim, I just want to tell it like it is."

In October 2022 she made headlines after threatening to quit the national volleyball team over racist abuse on social media.

She took time out "to reflect on the situation" but not before receiving a wave of public support from Italian sporting figures and political leaders, including then prime minister Mario Draghi.