18-year-old Italian-Nigerian volleyball star, Julia Ituma falls from sixth floor hotel window, dies

An Italian volleyball player of Nigerian descent, Julia Ituma, has died after falling from a hotel window just hours after her team was eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals in Istanbul, Turkey.

The 18-year-old was discovered dead at her hotel in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday morning, April 13.

The Italian consulate in Turkey stated that they were working closely with Turkish officials and assisting Ituma’s family.

Ituma had been 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.

According to CNN, Ituma was discovered motionless on the ground outside the Valley Hotel at around 5.30 am on Thursday.

She was pronounced dead shortly after paramedics and emergency responders arrived at the scene.

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 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.