ROME:Italy’s 2022 world swimming champion Benedetta Pilato and fellow Italian swimmer Chiara Tarantino were handed 90-day bans on Thursday for stealing cosmetics at Singapore airport.
The two were caught red-handed upon their return from this year’s World Championships, where Pilato won a bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke.
“Given the facts revealed by the investigation and the cooperation of the two athletes, who acknowledged their responsibilities, the prosecutor of the Italian Swimming Federation has decided to suspend them for 90 days from all activities starting today,” the federation announced.
The suspension will prevent Pilato, 20, and Tarantino, 23, from taking part in the European Short Course Championships in December in Poland.
The pair were arrested by Singapore police on August 14 after stealing two cosmetic items from a duty-free shop at the airport. They were allowed to return to Italy on August 20 after Italian authorities intervened.
Pilato later said on social media that she had been “involved in this theft independently of [her] will.”
“From this experience, I have learned valuable lessons about prudence, personal responsibility, and the importance of the people around me,” wrote Pilato, who won world breaststroke gold in Budapest three years ago.
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