When Paola Egonu, born in Italy to Nigerian parents, won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic games volleyball tournament, a dormant discussion in Italian politics was reignited. Egonu only [became an Italian citizen at the age of 14], after her father naturalised as Italian. Now a national hero, many felt her story should have been different and that the pathway to Italian citizenship should be made easier for the children of immigrants.
After her win, a mural depicting Egonu performing her signature strike appeared outside the office of the Italian Olympic Committee. The artist gave it the title “Italianness”. Within 24 hours someone had painted over Paola’s skin with pink paint, leaving the title untouched. Such racist abuse hides a much harder question Italians have been grappling with for three decades: what makes someone Italian?
This is not the first time a sports event has forced Italians to confront Italy’s inadequate citizenship law. When, in 2020, 14-year-old Great Nnachi made the highest ever pole-vaulting jump in the under-16 female category in Italy, her record could not be registered. She was one of the nearly 800,000 children who were born in Italy, but who are not Italian citizens. The law requires them to wait until they are 18.
