Pentathlon in Olympia: investigation against Schleu stopped

NAfter the Olympic scandal surrounding the modern pentathlete Annika Schleu and national trainer Kim Raisner, the Potsdam public prosecutor’s office closed its investigation into animal cruelty. The accused only had a short-term effect on the riding horse at the summer games in Tokyo and were in an exceptional physical and psychological situation during the Olympic competition, according to a statement published on Tuesday on the authority’s website. “In addition, no injuries were inflicted on the competition horse.”

Schleu and Raisner have to pay a sum of money in favor of a charitable organization. The public prosecutor’s office did not want to provide any information about the amount for reasons of privacy and data protection. Only when the two have paid the money will the investigation be closed.

The horse drawn by Schleu had refused at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Raisner had asked the crying Berliner to use the whip with the words “Hit it right!”. The German Animal Welfare Association had filed a criminal complaint against Schleu and trainer Raisner after the incidents. The investigation was conducted because of the accused’s place of residence in Potsdam.

“In view of the low impact of the offense and against the background of the continued media reporting, it can be assumed that the preliminary proceedings will have had a sufficient impact on the accused who have not yet appeared under criminal law,” it said. “Therefore, and also because of the planned future staging of the modern pentathlon without equestrian sport, there is no risk of repetition.”