Australian Olympic Equestrian Medalist Blocked from Competing After Wearing ‘Mankini’ at Event

An Australian Olympic equestrian has been ordered to refrain from competition in the wake of a complaint after he wore a Borat-like “mankini” at a public event.

And the incident just might impact his spot for the 2024 Olympics.

Shane Rose, who is a three-time medalist for Australia, has been sidelined after at least one complaint was delivered to Equestrian Australia, the governing body for equestrians and Sports Integrity Australia, over the attire he says was meant to be a joke, according to The New York Post.

 

Darren Gocher, chief executive of Equestrian Australia, has acknowledged that they have received the complaints and are bound by the rules to investigate them.

“There were concerns raised about it. Whether it is one [complaint] or 1,000, we have an obligation to review it,” Gocher said.

“We received a letter with concerns, and it was also sent to Sports Integrity Australia and the ASC (Australian Sports Commission), and we have an obligation under our code of conduct to review if that happens,” Gocher added.

“He hasn’t been sanctioned, he hasn’t been suspended. He has been stood down from competition while we review, and we have committed to getting the review done this week,” he concluded.

If the Olympian is officially sanctioned, it could impact his place on Team Australia for the 2024 Paris Games.

Rose is under fire for the “mankini” stunt he perpetrated at the Wallaby Hill Extravaganza last Sunday, where he was also seen in a gorilla suit and a beer costume.

Still, Rose seems to be unrepentant.

He did post one of those “anyone that I offended” apologies on his social media, but he quickly deleted it and replaced it with a more defiant message.

“With a bit of luck, this will all be a bit of a laugh in a few days, and we can all move on. 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,” he wrote, the paper said.

“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,” he insisted. “In hindsight, I should have re-thought what I did, but at the time, I thought it was just a bit of fun. Hopefully, in a couple of days, we can all move on, and it will be behind us.”

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