Germany’s modern pentathlon coach was disqualified from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after officials said she had been caught hurting a horse.
The Modern Pentathlon Federation announced on Saturday that Kim Raisner was removed for an incident a day earlier in which she punched the horse provided to German modern pentathlete Annika Schleu, who broke down in tears and dropped from first to 31st place when the horse refused to jump.
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“The UIPM Executive Board has given a black card to the Germany team coach Kim Raisner, disqualifying her from the remainder of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” the federation said. “The EB reviewed video footage that showed Ms Raisner appearing to strike the horse Saint Boy, ridden by Annika Schleu (GER), with her fist during the Riding discipline of the Women’s Modern Pentathlon competition.”
Raisner’s actions “were deemed to be in violation of the UIPM Competition Rules, which are applied to all recognised Modern Pentathlon competitions including the Olympic Games,” the UIPM added.
Clearly the horse is in distress as Annika Schleu of #GER in tears struggling to control him. Then her coach Kim Raisner violated the rules by punching the horse. Coach has now been disqualified from #Tokyo2020. Poor horse. #ModernPentathlon
— ????? ??????? (@ayshardzn) August 7, 2021
Athletes in the sport are assigned horses to compete with at random and are only given 20 minutes to bond with their horse before the competition begins.
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“Today’s competition in riding in the modern pentathlon was partially characterized by scenes that damaged the image of the sport,” said the German Olympic Committee in a statement, according to CNN. “Numerous recognizable excessive demands on the horse and rider combinations should be an urgent reason for the international association to amend the rules.
“It needs to be changed so that the horse and the rider are protected. The welfare of the animal and fair competition for the athletes needs to be the focus,” the group added.
