Olympian Barred From Competition After Allegedly Shooting Trainee

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Olympian Michael Barisone is facing SafeSport sanctions after allegedly shooting one of his trainees in the chest at his Long Valley equestrian facility.

Barisone has been sanctioned with a "period of suspension," the SafeSport website says, after allegedly shooting dressage rider Lauren Kanarak. His suspension began on Friday, Aug. 9, two days after the shooting, with no end date listed. The reason for his suspension is "Criminal Disposition (Subject to Appeal)." He is currently ineligible to compete in dressage events.

It is a violation of SafeSport code to have any pending criminal procedures against an athlete. A SafeSport representative declined to comment on Barisone's arrest, citing policy. Barisone has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and two weapons charges (Kanarak's fiance broke his wrist during the shooting, but was not shot).

SafeSport is an independent agency that oversees abuse complaints in the national athletic federations that govern Olympic sports, such as the United States Equestrian Federation or USA Gymnastics. The agency has faced heavy criticism that it does not do enough to curb abuse following several high-profile scandals, most notably the widespread abuse by Larry Nassar within the gymnastics community.

• Read More: Olympian Charged With Attempted Murder In Long Valley: MCPO

Kanarak trained under Barisone at his Barisone Dressage facility, located on Hawthorne Farms in Long Valley.

A spokesperson for the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) also declined to comment, saying, "We don’t know the facts of the incident of the reported shooting and would not want to speculate on what occurred."

Both SafeSport and USEF declined to comment on if Kanarak filed any SafeSport complaints against Barisone. Kanarak had previously posted on her Facebook account about bullying she was facing, writing that this was the type of situation SafeSport was designed for.

Both Kanarak and Barisone are accomplished equestrians. Kanarak had won several national medals, and Barisone was a member of the 2008 United States Olympic team in Beijing. He also caused 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in dressage, Alison Brock.