In the Paris 2024 women’s volleyball tournament, which took place on Sunday, August 11, Italian volleyball player Paola Egonu bagged the title of most valuable player, making herself a star of the show.
Well, her team, Italy, was flawless in volleyball at the Paris Olympics. On the final day of the Games, it defeated the defending champions, the USA, in straight sets to claim its first gold medal.
As Italy secured its win, Paola, 25, was credited the most for Italy’s achievements as she was one of the top scorers. She finished the game with 22 points and four blocks and powered the team to the gold medal.
Shortly after the win, during the media interaction, Paola Egonu, flaunting her big smile and big teeth, said, “Yes, let’s say that I found my peace of mind where I give 100 percent…It means a lot… being able to get back up and embark on another adventure with this team, this group.”
Paola Egonu’s career hung in a delicate spot, having quit the national team in 2022 after facing racial abuse!
Even though many people call Paola Egonu, Italy’s pride today, for the Olympic win, she was once harassed for her skin color, which made her quit the team.
In 2022, Italy’s women’s national volleyball team participated in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship. Despite being the 2018 champions, the team couldn’t make it to the finals, as they lost in the semi-final match.
Following the team’s semi-final exit, people targeted Paola Egonu, criticizing her looks and skin color and questioning her national identity.
In this regard, she was heard saying, “This is my last game with the national team. You can’t understand. They still ask me why I am Italian,” with her agents, Aljazeera reports. She then left the national team.
After her exit from the national volleyball team, the player made a statement: “Not everyone is racist and not everyone is bad, but Italy is a racist country.“
However, later, as several high-profile personalities, including Italy’s outgoing prime minister Mario Draghi, stood up for her solidarity, voicing their voices against racism, she appears to have returned to Italy’s national volleyball team.
Now, a lady once forced to leave the national team just for her physical appearance has left her critics stunned, making records as a high scorer for her country, Italy, in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Additional Information
- Paola was born in Cittadella, Italy, to Nigerian parents, father Ambrose Egnou and mother Angela Egonu.
- The player lived in Turkey for a year, playing for Turkish club VakifBank, before returning to Italy to play for Vero Volley Milano in 2023.
- Paola co-presented the Italian show Le Iene in its 2020–2021 season and the Sanremo Music Festival in 2023 with festival host Amadeus and singer Gianni Morandi.
