Youmna Nasri

My name is Youmna Nasri, I’m 16 years old, and I was born in Rome, at San Camillo Hospital, so you really can’t get more Roman than that.
Yet, because my parents are Tunisian, even though they have lived most of their lives in Italy rather than in Tunisia, the Italian state does not recognize me as an Italian citizen.

I love this country, and I’ve tried to honor it through the discipline that has shaped my life since I was about five years old: Taekwondo. Even as a teenager, I’ve made countless sacrifices and spent endless hours training to reach what I dreamed of back when I was just a white belt. I have become a two-time Italian champion in the junior −44 kg category and I am now a 2nd-dan black belt.
But despite my dedication and the passion I put into earning these titles, I cannot represent Italy in European or World competitions—because I am not considered Italian. It feels absurd to be an Italian champion and yet be unable to carry my country’s flag abroad, simply because the country that raised me, and made me an athlete, does not recognize me.

All I want is to keep doing what I love and to fight for my country without feeling discriminated against by it.