After Tirabocchi entered Italy from Switzerland on September 11, 1923, Italian customs officials at Domodossola confiscated a trophy he had been awarded for his Channel swim, saying that he needed to pay import duty on the item. The swimmer insisted that the cup was not an item for sale and successfully appealed to Benito Mussolini to retrieve the award.Staff. "Mussolini Aids Swimmer.; Recovers From Customs Officers Cup Tirabocchi Won In Channel.", The New York Times, September 12, 1923. Accessed April 2, 2020.
