A mural dedicated to Italian women's national volleyball team star Paola Egonu was defaced with racist graffiti by unknown perpetrators, Rome authorities said Tuesday, as quoted by DPA.

Paola Egonu is the leader of the Italian team that won gold medals at the Paris Olympic Games. The artwork in her honor was unveiled after the great Olympic success against the building of the Italian Olympic Committee and only hours later it was desecrated.

In the artwork, Egonu, who was born in Northern Italy to two Nigerian immigrants and has been an Italian citizen since 2014, is shown serving, surrounded by the colors of the Italian national flag and with the word "Italianità" next to her.

The vandals painted pink paint on Egonu's skin.

Egonu has faced racism in Italy many times; Italian Member of the European Parliament Roberto Vannacci recently sparked a debate in the country by stating that the athlete's "physical traits" do not match "Italianità."

Italian politicians reacted strongly against the act of vandalism. Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri called the act "a disgrace, a disgusting insult to a great Italian woman who brought the colors of our country to the world's top." He lamented that in 2024 there are still racists who live in ignorance.

Italy's Sports Minister Andrea Abodi also expressed solidarity with Egonu.