Shane Rose at the 2022 World Championships. Image: Michelle Terlato.
Three time Olympian Shane Rose has been stood down whilst an official review is conducted into his Mankini fancy dress costume.
Shane Rose, one of Australia’s top eventers and Paris 2024 Olympic hopeful, has today announced on social media that he has been stood down from competition as he awaits the verdict of an Equestrian Australia review into complaints made about his costume at the Wallaby Hill Extravaganza on February 11th.
Shane shared to media the below:
“Apology from Shane Rose:
Last weekend (11 February 2024) I attended the Wallaby Hill Extravaganza and participated in a fancy dress competition. I wore three different costumes in the class, Equestrian Australia (EA) has advised me that they have received a complaint regarding my attire.
I took part in this fancy dress competition with the aim of providing light-hearted entertainment for those in attendance. 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. I will no longer take part in these types of events to ensure I do not cause similar issues in the future.
I have been advised by Equestrian Australia that I have been suspended from all EA competitions and all EA-related events while they conduct a review of the incident.”
Shane and Virgil at the Tokyo Olympics. Image by Dirk Caremans – Hippo Foto.
“Again, I am truly sorry if I have offended anyone. I hope that the result of the EA review allows me to return to competition and not affect my campaign towards the Paris Olympic Games.”
In response to the matter, which was quick to gain significant attention from both the Equestrian community and mainstream media, Equestrian Australia shared the below statement emphasising that Shane has been ‘stood down’, not suspended or sanctioned:
“Concerns were raised to Equestrian Australia and the Government sporting agencies regarding Shane Rose’s attire at a recent closed event at Wallaby Hill, images of which were subsequently shared on social media. As with any high performance athlete, Shane is bound by the High Performance and Equestrian Australia Codes of Conduct and Athlete Agreement. Equestrian Australia has an obligation to address these concerns and is currently reviewing the matter.
To be clear, Shane has not been suspended or sanctioned. As is usual in these circumstances for all high performance athletes, he has been stood down from competition for several days while the review is carried out. This does not affect his ability to train or otherwise participate in the sport.”
At the time of this article, over 6,000 equestrians have signed a petition to show their support for Shane.
Olympic Qualifying Process:
With the Eventing season beginning to get under way in Australia, Shane will be looking to solidify his chance at the Paris Olympics with Virgil and Easy Turn. Currently the top combination in the Paris Leaderboard with the lowest penalties at a 5* event, Shane Rose and Virgil are looking like a promising combination to be chosen carrying 28.5 penalties from Adelaide CCI5*L on 20 April, 2023.
Shane Rose and Easy Turn in the CCI4*S at Quirindi Eventing in 2021. Image: Britt Grovenor Photography.
National Integrity Framework
Equestrian Australia work closely with Sport Integrity Australia, the agency that was established to protect sport against integrity threats, when complaints are made to the body.
According to the Equestrian Australia website, threats to sports integrity “include competition-manipulation, doping, and behaviours that impact people’s positive experience of sport, such as discrimination or abuse.”
Full access to the Equestrian Australia complaints process can be found below, with the outcome of the review set to be in the coming days: https://www.equestrian.org.au/content/report-concern
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