Olympic medalist sparks probe after wearing mankini at Australian show jumping event
Australian Olympic equestrian Shane Rose has medaled three times in the Games in team eventing but has recently found himself in hot water over his attire for one competition.
Rose faced an investigation from Equestrian Australia after he wore a mankini, a gorilla costume and a “Simpsons”-inspired outfit during a show jumping meet near Sydney, according to The Telegraph. A video posted to social media showed Rose in the “Borat”-inspired outfit, which raised eyebrows.
Rose initially apologized for his costume in a message to his social media followers, but he deleted the post and told the Sydney Morning Herald he hoped everyone could laugh it off.
“With a bit of luck this will all be a bit of a laugh in a few days and we can all move on,” he told the outlet on Sunday. “I wore a costume which you could see at a theme park or a beach. Potentially no one has done it on [a] horse, but there you go.
“I think I am a good person and I do a lot for the sport, and for people in different situations. I don’t feel like I have done anything particularly bad. In hindsight, I should have re-thought what I did, but at the time I thought it was just a bit of fun.”
Rose was initially stood down from competition while the investigation was ongoing.
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On Monday, Equestrian Australia determined Rose “did not breach the code of conduct” at the event.
“Equestrian Australia has an obligation to look into any concerns of this nature that comes from the community,” CEO Darren Gocher said in a news release. “Having now thoroughly reviewed the incident and spoken to relevant parties, Equestrian Australia has confirmed that there was no breach of the code of conduct by Shane Rose.
“We take the recommendations on board and will move quickly to ensure the relevant actions are taken.”
Gocher said Rose apologized for the incident and “understands the high standards expected of everyone involved in our High Performance program.”
“With the matter now resolved, Shane and his teammates are now looking forward to continuing to focus their attention on qualifying for Paris,” Gocher added.
Rose, 50, won silver medals at the 2008 and 2020 Olympics. He won bronze in 2016.
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