Tobias Sylvester
An 18-year-old Italian volleyball star of Nigerian descent, Julia Ituma has fallen to her death at a hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.
It was gathered that Julia Ituma fell from the window of her hotel room just hours after her team was knocked out of their Champions League semi-final clash.
The body of the volleyball player, who was staying on the sixth floor, was found motionless on the ground outside the Valley Hotel around 5.30 am on Thursday morning.
The 18-year-old was pronounced dead by paramedics and emergency responders who arrived at the scene a short while after her fall from the hotel’s sixth floor.
Local police confirmed that they have launched an investigation into the incident. Her body has since been sent for forensic examination to determine the cause of the tragic death.
Julia Ituma was representing her team Igor Gorgonzola Novara in their second-leg knockout match against Turkish side Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul, where she had scored two points despite their defeat.
Her club, Igor Gorgonzola Novara announced “with deep sorrow and emotion the untimely death of Italian volleyball player Julia Ituma.”
“The tragedy occurred in the early hours of the day and the specifics of the incident are being investigated by the Turkish police.
“We are all dismayed by this tragedy which affects not only the volleyball world but all of Italian sport,” Italian Volleyball Federation President Giuseppe Manfredi said in a statement.
“My first thought goes to Julia’s family, to whom I send my deepest condolences and I guarantee that the Italian Volleyball Federation will provide maximum support,” he added.
Ituma was born in 2001 in Milan to Nigerian parents and was regarded as one of Italy’s most promising volleyball players. She began playing volleyball when she was 11 years old.
She had joined Igor Gorgonzola Novara three seasons before, having transferred from Club Italia. Ituma had recently finished the season with Igor, finishing fifth in the national Serie A1 league.
Local police confirmed that an investigation into the incident has begun. Her body was later sent for forensic examination in order to determine the cause of her tragic death.
Ituma won a gold medal with the Under-19 Italian national team at the European Championship and the European Youth Olympic Festival last year. Prior to that, she was a runner-up with the Under-18 team following their 2021 defeat to Russia.
KanyiDaily had also reported how a young Nigerian disc jockey (DJ), Emmanuel İfeanyi Okonyia aka EmmyJay, was found tortured to dead in his apartment at Şişli Mecidiyeköy, In Turkey.
