For hitting a horse during competition, a German modern pentathlon coach was ejected from the Tokyo Olympics.
Kim Raisner was attempting to help German athlete Annika Schleu handle Saint Boy before her show jumping round in the women’s event on Friday.
Before their round, athletes have only 20 minutes to interact with an unfamiliar horse, and Schleu, who had been leading the field, was in tears as she entered the ring.
Saint Boy, who had previously proven to be a difficult ride for his first athlete, bucked and refused to trot across the course, prompting a number of fans to express their displeasure with Schleu and Raisner’s handling of the horse on social media.
The UIPM, the world governing body for modern pentathlon, acknowledged the concerns ahead of Saturday’s men’s event and then revealed Raisner’s punishment in a statement.
“The UIPM Executive Board (EB) has issued a black card to Germany team coach Kim Raisner, disqualifying her from the remainder of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” according to the statement.
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“The EB went over the video footage.