At the Wallaby Hill Extravaganza showjumping event in Australia earlier this month, equestrian Shane Rose wore a mankini, the revealing swimsuit seen in the 2006 Borat movie, and it almost cost the three-time Olympic medalist his chance to compete in the Paris Olympics this summer. After the Feb. 11 event, the 50-year-old was temporarily suspended from competing by the sport's governing body in Australia for a possible breach of its code of conduct, USA Today reports. Equestrian Australia said Monday that Rose had apologized and been cleared of wrongdoing.
"Shane has reflected on the incident, has apologized and understands the high standards expected of everyone involved in our High Performance program," said Darren Goher, the governing body's CEO, per CNN. At the Wallaby Hill event, Rose also dressed up as a gorilla and as Duffman from The Simpsons. "It's a dress-up competition, and I thought it'd be funny to go in a mankini," Rose tells the New York Times. "That's what I was intending—just to have a laugh." He says he rode in the costume for 10 minutes, and it was not a comfortable experience. "I've never worn a G-string before, and I can't recommend it to anyone," he says.
Equestrian Australia said it had an "obligation" to investigate after "concerns were raised" about Rose's costume, though it's not clear what part of its code of conduct he was accused of breaking. After the suspension was announced last week, many Australians expressed support for Rose. Wallaby Hill sponsor Bowral Kubota, a farm machinery supplier, said all attendees next year will get free mankinis "to embrace Shane's sense of humor," the Times reports. (More equestrian stories.)
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