Truccano la gara.

Because Italian often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

Here, truccano is the 3rd person plural form, so it means they rig / they are rigging.
So the hidden subject is loro = they.

You could say Loro truccano la gara, but usually loro is unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Truccano is the present indicative of truccare.

It is conjugated like this:

• io trucco = I rig / I put makeup on
• tu trucchi = you rig
• lui/lei trucca = he/she rigs
• noi trucchiamo = we rig
• voi truccate = you all rig
• loro truccano = they rig

So in this sentence, truccano means they rig.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Italian simple present often covers both:

• they rig
• they are rigging

So Truccano la gara could mean:

• They rig the competition
• They are rigging the competition

If Italian wants to stress the ongoing action, it can also use:

• Stanno truccando la gara = They are rigging the competition

That is a very common question. Truccare has more than one meaning.

It can mean:

1. to put makeup on / to make up

   • Truccano l’attrice = They do the actress’s makeup

2. to rig / fix / tamper with / manipulate dishonestly

   • Truccano la gara = They rig the competition

So here it has the figurative meaning of dishonestly manipulating the result.

Gara usually means a race, competition, contest, or sometimes a match/event depending on context.

It is a fairly broad word. For example:

• a sports race
• a contest
• a competitive event
• in some contexts, even a tender or bidding process

So la gara here means the competition/race/event that is being dishonestly manipulated.

Because gara is being used as a specific noun, so Italian normally uses the definite article.

• la gara = the competition / the race

Italian uses articles more often than English does.
So even where English might sometimes sound natural without the, Italian often still wants il / la / i / le.

Because gara is the object, not the subject.

In Truccano la gara:

• truccano = they rig
• la gara = the competition (the thing being rigged)

The hidden subject is they, which is plural, so the verb is plural.

A native English speaker might first look at la gara and expect the verb to match it, but it does not because la gara is not doing the action.

Yes, absolutely.

Italian allows short complete sentences like this because:

• the verb gives the subject information
• the object is clearly stated

So Truccano la gara is a fully normal sentence meaning something like They rig the competition.

Yes. Truccano la gara is the most neutral order.

But Italian can change word order for emphasis, for example:

• La gara la truccano. = The competition, they rig it.
• Loro truccano la gara. = They are the ones who rig the competition.

The basic meaning stays similar, but the emphasis changes.

Yes. You can replace la gara with la, because gara is feminine singular.

So:

• Truccano la gara = They rig the competition
• La truccano = They rig it

That la is a direct object pronoun, not the article la before a noun.

It is fairly neutral in grammar, but the verb truccare in this sense is somewhat strong, because it implies cheating, fixing, or corruption.

So it is a normal sentence, but it expresses a serious accusation:

• the result is being manipulated
• the competition is not fair

It is pronounced roughly troo-KAH-noh.

A few useful points:

• tru- sounds like troo
• -cca- has a hard k sound: kah
• stress falls on -cca-: truc-CA-no

The double cc before a gives a hard k sound, just like in trucco.

Not necessarily.

It can be used for sports, but also for any situation where a contest or competitive process is being unfairly manipulated, depending on context.

For example, it could refer to:

• a race
• a tournament
• a contest
• a selection process
• sometimes even a bid/tender process

So the exact nuance depends on what gara refers to in the wider context.