Kim Raisner has been disqualified from the 2020 games following a review from the sport’s international governing body amid social media criticism.

The International Modern Pentathlon Union, known by the French acronym UIPM, issued Raisner with a black card on Saturday following the incident involving German pentathlete Annika Schleu and the horse named Saint Boy.

In the modern pentathlon’s riding discipline, athletes are given 20 minutes to become familiar with the horse they are competing with before the round begins.

Schleu struggled to control Saint Boy, who had previously proven difficult for Russian pentathlete Gulnaz Gubaydullina and had refused to jump for her.

Raisner, who had competed in the pentathlon at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, attempted to help Schleu when the alleged punching incident occurred.

UIPM issued a statement on Saturday before the men’s pentathlon event addressing Raisner’s behavior and explaining how she would be punished.

“The UIPM Executive Board (EB) has given a black card to the Germany team coach Kim Raisner, disqualifying her from the remainder of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” the statement.

“The EB reviewed video footage that showed Ms Raisner appearing to strike the horse Saint Boy, ridden by Annika Schleu, with her fist during the riding discipline of the women’s modern pentathlon competition.”

“Her actions were deemed to be in violation of the UIPM competition rules, which are applied to all recognized modern pentathlon competitions including the Olympic Games. The EB decision was made today at the Tokyo Stadium before the resumption of the men’s modern pentathlon competition,” UIPM said.

During the event on Friday, Schleu was in tears and repeatedly whipping Saint Boy as the horse walked backwards. Raisner shouted and attempted to assist her, during which time she appeared to strike the horse’s rear, and their actions led to criticism on social media.

Schleu had been ahead in the women’s modern pentathlon up until that point and looked a clear favorite to win. However, Saint Boy’s refusal to jump for her eventually forced her to withdraw from the event.

Because she recorded no score in the riding discipline, she finished without a medal having previously been on track for the gold.

The German Modern Pentathlon Union said Saint Boy had been “traumatized by the previous rider”—meaning Russian Gulnaz Gubaydullina—before Schleu’s round began.

The head of UIPM, Dr. Klaus Schormann, said on Friday that it was the riders and not the horses who were to blame for problems at the event.

“We tested them and they were well prepared, and there is no basis for athletes to complain. It is only because of the athletes themselves if they were not successful in some parts of the competition,” Schormann said.

Newsweek has asked the German National Olympic Committee for comment.