Australia’s three-time Olympic medalist Shane Rose was banned from competition on Sunday for wearing a mankini swimsuit during a show jumping event after the Federation accused him of breaching the equestrian dress code, AFP reported.

Shane Rose has been banned from competition after a mankini challenge

Rose, who is preparing for her fourth Olympics, wore the fluorescent orange outfit popularized by the movie Borat at the event near Sydney last weekend, where jockeys were encouraged to wear “original costumes”.

One of the stars of the Australian equestrian world, Rose said on social media that he has been suspended from Equestrian Australia (EA), which began disciplinary proceedings against him after receiving complaints.

“I sincerely apologize if I offended anyone. I hope that the results of the EA test will allow me to return to competition and will not affect my preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris,” wrote 50-year-old Shane Rose on Facebook.

“Like any high-level athlete, Shane must adhere to a code of conduct as well as the athlete’s consent. Equestrian Australia is committed to responding to these concerns and is currently reviewing the matter.

To be clear, Shane was not suspended or fined. As is customary in such circumstances for all high-level athletes, he has been suspended from competition for several days while an investigation is completed,” the Australian federation said in a statement.

The racer, whose participation in the Paris Games is suspended pending this disciplinary procedure, has nevertheless received the support of other athletes and numerous netizens who are having fun posting montages with the Borat character as an illustration. There was even an online petition for the federation to comply.

Athlete Vicky Roycroft condemned the “overreaction”, while dressage expert Mary Hannah, who was a constant presence at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, pleaded with the Sydney Daily Telegraph: “Please EA, don’t do this to Shane”.

Rose won silver medals in team competitions at the Olympic Games in Beijing and Tokyo and a bronze medal at the Rio Games, writes News.ro.