Italian swimming has been plunged into international disgrace following a theft scandal involving two of its athletes in Singapore. While Benedetta Pilato has publicly commented on the incident, her teammate, Chiara Tarantino, has gone silent, deactivating her social media profiles and becoming unreachable. As a member of the Guardia di Finanza police force, Tarantino now also faces potential disciplinary action from her sports group.
The two swimmers were detained and subsequently released at an Asian airport on theft charges following a vacation in Bali. They were accused of stealing essential oils without paying. Initial video reconstructions reportedly show Tarantino hiding the stolen goods in her teammate’s bag without Pilato’s knowledge.
The Italian swimming federation (Federnuoto) has so far declined to comment. However, the Fin prosecutor’s office will open an investigation to clarify the events, with any potential disciplinary measures to be determined by a federal tribunal.
New details have emerged from the tense hours of detention, revealing two other Italian athletes were present: Anita Bottazzo and Sofia Morini. Bottazzo was reportedly stopped and strip-searched by agents who found nothing, leading to both her and Morini’s immediate release. This allowed them to contact the Italian Embassy in Singapore, headed by Ambassador Dante Brandi. Despite being on vacation, Brandi coordinated the response through Fabio Conte, Secretary of the Legation.
Sources from the Italian Foreign Ministry (Farnesina) emphasized that no direct intervention from Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was necessary, as the situation was resolved within “2-3 hours.” The foreign minister’s cabinet and the general directorate for Italians abroad were kept informed.
The affair concluded with all athletes released and returning to Italy—except Bottazzo, who returned to the U.S. The federal prosecutor will now investigate what is an unpleasant episode between national teammates that indirectly also involved star swimmer Thomas Ceccon. In an attempt to lighten the mood, Ceccon posted a photo of Pilato with his swim cap, joking “she stole that one too.” He later deleted the post after it triggered a social media storm that also targeted Tarantino, who has since blocked comments on her Instagram profile.
The Pilato-Tarantino case is not the first instance of athletes caught stealing. A long list includes famous names like French swimmer Laure Manaudou, who committed a theft at Disneyland Paris, and tennis player Jennifer Capriati, arrested in 1993 for stealing a ring from a Florida jewelry store. These precedents, however, do little to mitigate the current embarrassment for Italian swimming.
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