2 Italian Olympic swimmers who shoplifted at Changi Airport banned from re-entering S'pore

Two Italian swimmers who were caught on CCTV shoplifting three bottles of perfume from a duty-free shop at Changi Airport have been given a 12-month conditional warning.

They will be banned from re-entering Singapore.

Stole perfumes

Chiara Tarantino, 22, and Benedetta Pilato, 20, who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, were in Singapore to take part in the World Aquatics Championships.

Before boarding their flight back to Italy, they were arrested on Aug. 14 for shoplifting.

CCTV footage showed Tarantino placing the items inside Pilato's suitcase.

The Italian embassy in Singapore intervened, and with the assistance of a diplomat, the two women were released and taken to a hotel, which they were not allowed to leave.

Eventually on Aug. 19, they received a warning from the judge, and were allowed to return to Italy on Aug. 20.

In a statement, the Italian Swimming Federation condemned the incident, but added that it "reserves the right to carefully evaluate the matter".

It said it will open an investigation and refer the case to the federal court if any action is deemed necessary.

Conditional warning

In response to queries from Mothership, the police said on Sep. 4 that part of the standard procedure for cases involving foreigners arrested in Singapore is to inform the respective embassy.

As such, the police had informed the Embassy of Italy in Singapore of the case so that they could render consular assistance, if necessary.

After consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, and in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, the two women were administered a 12-month conditional warning on Aug. 19.

The pair have since left Singapore, and will be banned from re-entering.

Response from Pilato

On Aug. 29, Pilato took to Instagram to respond to the incident.

She highlighted that she "collaborated with local authorities from the very beginning", and "the incident ended within a few hours, without any implications, thanks to [her] maximum transparency with the Singapore airport authorities", as translated by AP.

She added that she "never intended to commit inappropriate gestures", and through this experience "learnt great lessons about prudence, individual responsibility and the value of the people around [her]".

Tarantino has deactivated her social media accounts following the incident.

Top photo from Olympics.com