Two Italian swimming stars arrested in Singapore for "mistakenly picking up" at the airport

(NLDO) – Chiara Tarantino and Benedetta Pilato, who attended the World Swimming Championships in Singapore, were detained for 6 days on suspicion of theft at Changi Airport.

The incident happened on August 14 before the swimmers' flight back to Italy. Chiara Tarantino and Benedetta Pilato attended the World Swimming Championships in Singapore from July 11 to August 3, then they went on vacation to Bali (Indonesia) with two other teammates before returning to Italy by flight from Changi Airport.

Chiara Tarantino and Benedetta Pilato

Airport security cameras captured Tarantino taking perfume from a duty-free shop and sneaking it into Pilato’s bag without paying. Police immediately stopped the two athletes, handcuffed them, and took them to the police station for questioning. They even searched their bodies and luggage on suspicion of carrying stolen goods. They also had sleeping pills in their luggage, which were initially mistaken for illegal substances.

Benedetta Pilato just won the bronze medal in the women's 50m breaststroke at the 2025 World Championships

Both were detained overnight in the police station and formally charged with theft, with their passports temporarily confiscated.

After the Italian Embassy in Singapore intervened, the two athletes were transferred to a hotel and remained under house arrest pending a decision from Singaporean authorities. On August 18, Tarantino and Pilato had their passports returned, were warned, and were allowed to leave Singapore.

The Italian Swimming Federation (FIN) confirmed on August 29 that an “incident” involving Tarantino and Pilato had occurred during the holiday period, outside the federation’s jurisdiction. FIN condemned the unprofessional behavior and said it would “carefully evaluate” it to decide what action to take.

Leaving the green track, both faced harsh reality.

Pilato – who recently won bronze in the women's 50m breaststroke at the World Championships in Singapore – has spoken out on Instagram, claiming that she was only "indirectly involved", has always cooperated with the authorities and sees this as a "great lesson in personal responsibility". In contrast, Tarantino has so far remained silent.

A long-time professional on the international stage, Pilato won the 100m breaststroke gold medal at the 2022 World Short Course Championships, while Tarantino has also won multiple relay medals at European competitions. Both are currently members of the Italian swimming team.

Pilato is part of the Italian military sports force.

The case is considered closed in Singapore, but in Italy, both could still face internal disciplinary action. In particular, Pilato belongs to the military sports force, so he will certainly be summoned to explain.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/hai-sao-boi-loi-y-bi-singapore-bat-giu-vi-cam-nham-o-san-bay-196250831072800178.htm