In short:
Charlotte Dujardin pulled out of the Paris Olympics after footage showing her engaged in “conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare” emerged.
Dujardin said she was “deeply ashamed” of the the incident which happened four years ago.
What’s next?
Dujardin has pulled out of Paris 2024 and faces an investigation from the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin of Britain has withdrawn from the Paris Games after a video emerged that showed her “engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare”, according to the sport’s governing body.
Dujardin said in a statement that the video from four years ago “shows me making an error of judgement during a coaching session”.
It was not clear what video Dujardin referred to or what specifically it shows.
“What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils; however, there is no excuse,” Dujardin said in a statement on Instagram.
“I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment.
“I am sincerely sorry for my actions and devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors.”
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) said in a statement that it was investigating, and Dujardin had been provisionally suspended from all events under the body’s jurisdiction, pending results of the probe.
ABC Sport will be live blogging every day of the Paris Olympics from July 27
The British Equestrian Federation also has made Dujardin ineligible for national events.
The FEI said it received a video on Monday from a lawyer representing “an undisclosed complainant”, and it was filmed during a training session at a private stable.
The FEI said Dujardin had confirmed she was the individual shown in the video and requested her own provisional suspension.
“The FEI condemns any conduct contrary to the welfare of horses and has robust rules in place to address such behaviour,” the governing body said.
“Our commitment to ensuring the highest standards of equine welfare and sportsmanship remains unwavering.”
The 39-year-old Dujardin won gold at the 2012 London Olympics in team and individual dressage and won another individual gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
She took bronze in team and individual events at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and a silver in the team event in Rio.
Her six medals are tied for the most by a female British Olympian.
AP
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Posted 2h ago2 hours agoTue 23 Jul 2024 at 9:44pm, updated 2h ago2 hours agoTue 23 Jul 2024 at 9:45pm
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