Scandal hits Italy's national swimming team as athletes caught shoplifting in duty free and suspended from competition
The Italian Swimming Federation has officially announced the temporary suspension of Benedetta Pilato and Chiara Tarantino from all national and international competitions. The swimmers have been handed a 90-day disqualification following a high-profile incident at Singapore airport.
Details: The reason behind the decision was an incident that took place in August—both athletes were accused of shoplifting perfume from a duty free store during a layover on their way back from Bali. Surveillance cameras captured Tarantino taking several bottles of perfume and hiding them in Pilato's bag. Both athletes were detained but were released shortly afterward with the assistance of the Italian embassy.
Pilato and Tarantino will miss the European Short Course Swimming Championships, set to take place December 2–7 in Lublin, Poland. When reviewing the case, the federation took into account that both swimmers admitted guilt and cooperated with the investigation, which helped mitigate their punishment.
Jan Novak
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