Duty-free shoplifting: Pilate and Tarantino admit guilt before sports judges, receiving 90-day suspensions.
After the controversy and accusations, the two Italian swimmers have the same responsibility and the same sanctionPer restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
Same responsibility, same punishment : this is how the story of Benedetta Pilato and Chiara Tarantino ended, with an admission of guilt from both of them and a ninety-day ban from swimming.
The two Italian swimmers were stopped at Singapore airport on August 14th for a duty-free theft, and returned to Italy a few days later thanks to the intervention of the Italian embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two national teammates, who were together at the World Championships, together on their subsequent Asian holiday, and also together in duty-free shopping, have reached a plea bargain before the Italian Swimming Federation . The 90-day sentence, proposed by the federal prosecutor and accepted by the CONI general prosecutor, entails suspension "from social and federal activities" starting today : Pilato and Tarantino will therefore miss the European Short Course Championships, starting in Poland on December 2nd .
Like Sinner, who pleaded guilty to the CAS, they won't be able to train in federal pools either; to stay in shape, they'll have to swim alone, in private.
The Italian swimming team's embarrassment, which so irritated the Italian Swimming Federation that it opened an investigation as soon as the matter emerged publicly, had indeed given rise to a back-and-forth of accusations. And it was Pilato who pointed the finger: without ever naming Tarantino, the twenty-year-old breaststroker from Tarantino had placed the blame for what had happened on her. According to her, her national teammate had taken two bottles of essential oils and, without her knowledge, slipped them into her personal bag.
Then came the security cameras, the police arrival, the interrogation, the recovery of the stolen property, and the forced stay in a hotel room for several days. Tarantino didn't respond, but swimming circles immediately began to suspect that a single person was responsible for this unforgivable prank.
Now, before the federal courts, both Pilato and Tarantino (who still has to face the sanction of his team, the Fiamme Gialle) have "collaborated" and admitted their responsibilities . And they will serve identical suspensions.
(Unioneonline)