The two swimmers had been on vacation in Bali after the World Championships. They were released thanks to the intervention of the Ministry with a warning and after apologizing.

Benedetta Pilato and Chiara Tarantino’s return home from their post-World Championships vacation turned into a nightmare at Singapore airport a few days ago. The two Italian swimmers were stopped by the police after being caught on surveillance cameras before boarding their flight back to Italy: Tarantino had allegedly put stolen items into Pilato’s bag. The two Apulians were stopped by the officers, detained, deprived of their passports, interrogated, and accused of theft. They had to spend several hours in custody waiting for the case to be clarified.

The Italian embassy in Singapore was alerted and activated, and the president of the Italian Swimming Federation, Paolo Barelli, was informed. The issue was resolved by the Farnesina with the intervention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, who is politically very close to Barelli. These were tense hours, with the girls being taken to a hotel to wait for their flight, receiving special permission to board after explanations and probable apologies for what had happened. The two girls got off with a warning not to repeat the incident.

In Bali—  Tarantino and Pilato, after the conclusion of the World Championships in Singapore, had left for a vacation in Bali together with two teammates, Anita Bottazzo (who trains in Florida) and Sofia Morini (who trains with Tarantino in Verona), who were also questioned, searched, and prevented from leaving until the matter was clarified and the four swimmers were authorized to return to Italy. The Italian team was still in Singapore, having booked their return flight to Italy from the city that hosted the World Championships, which ended on August 3.