Olympic equestrian rider Shane Rose has avoided suspension after initially being stood down by Equestrian Australia due to wearing a 'mankini' costume during a show jumping event in the Southern Highlands.
The revealing costume – made famous by the movie character Borat – prompted a complaint to the sport's governing body and Sports Integrity Australia (SIA).
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Shane Rose costume: Olympian wears 'mankini' at show jumping event
Participants were encouraged to wear fancy dress at the equestrian event in Wallaby Hill, New South Wales.
Rose sported three costumes during the day – a Simpsons Duffman outfit, a gorilla costume and a bright orange 'mankini'.
Rose has since apologised via Facebook, but later deleted the post to avoid escalating the situation further.
"I took part in this fancy dress competition with the aim of providing light-hearted entertainment for those in attendance," he wrote.
"If my costume/s offended anyone I am truly sorry as this was never my intention.
"I would like to apologise to anyone that I offended."
The complaints were made about his skimpy attire and the fact that minors were in attendance.
Chief executive Darren Gocher said EA has an 'obligation' to investigate the incident.
“There were concerns raised about it. Whether it is one [complaint] or 1000, we have an obligation to review it,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"We received a letter with concerns and it was also sent to SIA and the ASC (Australian Sports Commission) and we have an obligation under our code of conduct to review, if that happens.
"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."
Will Shane Rose compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Rose is one of Australia's top equestrian athletes, picking up Olympic silver medals in team eventing at the 2008 and 2020 Games, as well as a bronze medal in 2016.
It was feared a suspension could have impacted his chances of selection for the upcoming Games in Paris.
Riders are required to accumulate a certain amount of 'MERs', or 'minimum eligibility requirements', to qualify for selection.
However, the EA have now cleared Rose in their investigation, leaving him eligible for selection in Paris.
"The Equestrian Australia Review Panel met on Monday and found that Mr Rose did not breach the code of conduct at Wallaby Hill on 11 February," EA said in a statement.
"The panel took into account the community event that Mr Rose was competing at and that Mr Rose had already made a public apology."
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Rose had earlier revealed he did not know his outfit offended anyone until EA decided to stand him down.
“My phone went nuts [after the event] with people laughing and things," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"But I have been told there was one lady, and I think the words were she 'showed concern', not a formal complaint.
"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.
“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.
"Hopefully in a couple of days we can all move on and it will be behind us."
