Italian Swimmers Suspended After Airport theft
Italian swimmers Benedetta Pilato and Chiara Tarantino have been suspended for 90 days by the Italian Swimming Federation following a theft incident at Singapore‘s airport after the World Cup.
The Federation stated the decision, effective promptly, was made after investigating the facts and considering the athletes’ cooperation and admission of duty.
The suspension rules Pilato, 20, and Tarantino, 23, out of the European Short Course Championships in Lublin, December 2-7. Both swimmers were briefly detained by Singaporean police on August 14th and returned to Italy on August 20th with assistance from authorities.
Pilato, a bronze medalist in the 50m breaststroke at the Singapore event and a fourth-place finisher in the 100m in Paris, released a statement claiming her involvement in the theft was unintentional, stating she “learned valuable lessons about prudence, individual responsibility and the value of the people around me.”
The suspension impacts all Federation activities, including international competitions, and will disrupt their readiness for the upcoming short course season.
Note: I removed the irrelevant video link and streamlined the language for clarity and conciseness. I focused on the core facts of the story.
