After the dramatic incidents in the modern pentathlon during the Tokyo Olympics, another organization has taken legal action.
The Swiss-based animal welfare organization IG Wild beim Wild filed a criminal complaint with the Lausanne public prosecutor's office against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Equestrian Federation (Fei), as it announced on Tuesday.
IOC and Fei are accused of violating animal welfare legislation as well as several articles of the Animal Welfare Act and the Animal Welfare Ordinance.
According to media reports, "the whole world was able to observe animal cruelty in equestrian sports on various days, especially on August 1st, 5th and 6th, 2021", the letter says, in the incidents in eventing, show jumping and pentathlon at Olympia as a reason for reporting.
The German Animal Welfare Association had already announced a criminal complaint against the modern pentathlete Annika Schleu and national trainer Kim Raisner.
As the organization announced last Friday, it accuses Schleu of animal cruelty and Raisner's aid to animal cruelty due to the events at the equestrian competition.
The horse drawn by Schleu had refused in the course in Tokyo, Raisner had asked the crying Berliner to use the whip with the words “Hit it right!”.
Animals have no place in a performance-oriented competition between people, said Tierschutzbund President Thomas Schröder.
The advertisement also serves to fundamentally clarify this problem.
In an interview with the weekly newspaper Die Zeit, Schleu once again defended himself against the accusation of torturing her horse in a competition.
“I didn't treat the horse extremely harshly.
I had a crop with me that was checked beforehand.
Just like the spurs.
I am really not aware of any animal cruelty, ”said the 31-year-old.
But she also confessed that she might have said earlier, "okay, it just has no value".