Overview

• Airport surveillance reportedly showed Chiara Tarantino placing small perfumery items in Benedetta Pilato’s bag at a Singapore duty‑free shop.
• Police detained the two on 14 August, seized their passports and questioned them for hours, while teammates Anita Bottazzo and Sofia Morini were also searched.
• Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera report that Bottazzo was required to undress during a search, a detail not officially confirmed by authorities.
• A judge issued an admonition on 18 August that cleared paperwork for repatriation, and the athletes flew home on 20 August after embassy support.
• Benedetta Pilato said she was indirectly involved and denied intent in an Instagram post; the Italian federation condemned the episode and will assess the case, as accounts differ on whether the foreign minister or the ambassador drove the diplomatic effort.