Allegations of sexual abuse by young members of the German show jumping team have come to light just days before the start of the 2018 World Equestrian Games.
The German daily, Der Spiegel, has revealed that an investigation has been launched in the town of Koblenz, in central Germany, into claims that a group of young men on the national equestrian team “plied women with alcohol before sexually abusing them” at equestrian tournaments.
An unnamed 20-year-old is at the centre of the scandal. He is suspected of “sexually abusing, alone or with accomplices, young women during tournaments” in Germany and abroad, according to a statement from prosecutors. One victim was allegedly abused at the European championships in Samorin, Slovakia.