German coach kicked out of Tokyo Olympics after punching horse in modern pentathlon
TOKYO – A German coach was kicked out of the Tokyo Games for punching a horse used Friday during the modern pentathlon.
Video footage showed the coach, Kim Raisner, striking the horse, Saint Boy, with her fist during the riding discipline of the competition, according to a news release issued Saturday by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
The BBC reported that the coach threw the apparent punch after the horse refused to jump or trot.
As German rider Annika Schleu struggled to control the horse during the showjumping round of the women’s event, the coach was heard on German TV urging the rider to "really hit" the horse, the BBC reported.
The modern pentathlon consists of five sports: running, swimming, fencing, shooting and horseback riding.
Before the horseback riding, the German rider was leading the event, according to the BBC.
The UIPM, governing body of the modern pentathlon, issued a statement that said of the German coach, “Her actions were deemed to be in violation of the UIPM competition rules, which are applied to all recognized modern pentathlon competitions including the Olympic Games.
"The UIPM Executive Board [EB] has given a black card to the Germany team coach Kim Raisner, disqualifying her from the remainder of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.’’