Julia Ituma, an 18-year-old Italian volleyball player of Nigerian descent, died after falling from her hotel room window in Istanbul, Turkey.
Ituma died just hours after her club Igor Gorgonzola Novara lost to Turkish side Isasebasi Dinavit Istanbul in the Champions League semifinals.
Istanbul Police said in a statement that the volleyball star’s body was found outside the hotel on Thursday morning.
In security footage shared from inside the hotel, Ituma can be seen walking down the hallway and entering her hotel room “for the last time.”
The player also sat in the doorway of her hotel room for an hour “contemplative and thoughtful”.
In a statement, the Italian Volleyball Federation called Ituma’s death a “tragedy” affecting “Italian sport and the world of volleyball”.
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In its reaction, FC Igor Gorgonzola Novara said Ituma’s death was a “deep pain”.
“We are all dismayed by this tragedy which affects not only the volleyball world but all of Italian sport,” the statement reads.
“My first thought goes to Julia’s family, to whom I send my deepest condolences and guarantee that the Italian Volleyball Federation will provide maximum support.”
Igor Volleyball team expresses its condolences and shares the grief of Julia’s family and loved ones. The club and all of its members, heartbroken by the loss, will remain silent.
For their part, Champions League rivals Eczacıbaşı Dynavit, opponent to her team, extended their condolences to the Ituma family, the Novara family and the volleyball community.
