AUSTRALIAN three-time Olympic eventing medallist Shane Rose, who caused a stir when he wore a mankini in a charity competition recently, has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Rose is now free to continue his preparations for the Paris Olympics after apologising for the incident, which drew global attention, overwhelmingly in support of the rider.

Equestrian Australia (EA) stood Rose down pending a review after the outfit, worn at an event in Wallaby Hill near Sydney on February 11th, sparked a complaint.

Fancy dress was encouraged at the competition, with Rose also wearing a gorilla costume and a Duffman outfit from the Simpsons.

“Shane has reflected on the incident and has apologised,” said EA chief executive Darren Gocher. “With the matter now resolved, Shane and his team-mates are looking forward to continuing to focus their attention on qualifying for the Paris Olympics.”

“I took part in this fancy dress competition with the aim of providing light-hearted entertainment for those in attendance,” Rose wrote in a Facebook post, which was later deleted.

He then took to social media to thank people for the support that he had received.

“I’m pleased that the EA review has been completed and I have been reinstated and allowed to continue my campaign towards the Paris Olympic Games,” Rose said.

“Now it is time to focus on the job ahead and try to get Australian equestrian in the media for a more positive reason, an Olympic Gold Medal.”

The EA added that they would “work with clubs and stakeholders to assess minimum dress standards for future events”.

A sponsor of the Wallaby Hill event has also pledged to give a mankini to all spectators at next year’s edition and donate A$100 to men’s health for every spectator who wears it.

And, in an unexpected twist, EA board member and integrity committee chair Tim Palmer resigned during the week over the body’s handling of the incident.

“I’d like to make it clear I fully support Shane and don’t agree with the manner this trivial situation has been handled,” he said. “I believe we should work on the principle of innocent until proven guilty.

“And in relation to these specific allegations, I want to be clear: Shane wasn’t accused of anything serious – but rather a simple matter of decorum. I have no problem with the way he dressed during a fancy dress competition.”