Swimming: Apulian swimmers Tarantino and Pilato interviewed by the sports justice system: the investigation into their Singapore theft continues.

Chiara Tarantino and Benedetta Pilato, the swimmers from Puglia involved in the theft at Singapore airport on August 14, were interviewed by the sports justice system. The two, aged 22 and 20, were able to obtain the return of their passports to return to Italy after being stopped at a duty-free shop: Tarantino allegedly placed two small-dollar bottles of essential oils in Pilato's bag, which was detected by security cameras.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office of the Italian Swimming Federation will now have to decide whether to refer the athletes to the sports justice bodies or close the case.

The two Italian athletes had remained on the Asian beaches for a brief vacation after the World Championships, which ended on August 3rd. They were accompanied by two other athletes, Anita Bottazzo and Sofia Morini, who were detained and immediately released after a review of security footage. Pilato from Taranto and Tarantino from Corato, however, had to wait a few days in a hotel room before being interviewed by the local police. After apologizing, they were granted the return of their passports and returned to Italy.

Ambassador Brandi, who was not present at the event and notified the Foreign Ministry, mediated the situation. Benedetta Pilato gave her version of events, claiming she had no involvement in the incident, having been "indirectly involved": "I never intended to commit inappropriate acts, and those who know me know how much I value the values ​​of sport, fairness, and personal honesty. From this experience, I have learned great lessons about prudence, individual responsibility, and the value of the people around me."

The Italian Swimming Federation emphasized that the incident occurred while the two swimmers were on vacation, not wearing the Italian national team, but "it condemns the incident and reserves the right to carefully evaluate the matter."