Three-time Olympic gold medalist dressage star Charlotte Dujardin has been banned for one year and fined for “excessively” whipping a horse.
Video went viral just days before the beginning of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Dujardin was seen repeatedly whipping a horse around its legs.
The British athlete withdrew from the Games due to the video, and she was accused of “engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare.”
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Charlotte Dujardin with Imhotep during the competition during the Team Grand Prix presented by Helgstrand Dressage Part 2 at the FEI European Championships Dressage 2023 on September 7, 2023, in Horstel, Germany. (Jenny Musall/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
The FEI, the world governing body of equestrian sports, dished out the international ban on Thursday, while also fining Dujardin 10,000 Swiss Francs.
The suspension is backdated to the beginning of her provisional suspension, making her eligible to compete again in July 2025.
“I fully respect the verdict issued by the Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), released today,” Dujardin said, per BBC.com.
“As the federation has recognized, my actions in the video do not reflect who I am, and I can only apologize again. I understand the responsibility that comes with my position in the sport, and I will forever aim to do better.”
Charlotte Dujardin poses with her horse Pete (Imhotep) during a Team GB Paris 2024 Olympic Games equestrian team announcement at Oakelbrook Mill on July 2, 2024, in Newent, England. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
At the time of the video surfacing, Dujardin said that it was “from four years ago . . . which shows me making an error of judgment during a coaching session.”
“Understandably, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) is investigating, and I have made the decision to withdraw from all competition — including the Paris Olympics — while this process takes place,” she said in a statement then.
Dujardin won two of her three gold medals in 2012, winning the team and individual dressage events. She would go on to win gold in the individual event in 2016 in Rio as well as a silver medal in the team event.
The rider Charlotte Dujardin from Great Britain on the horse “Imhotep” waves. (Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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In Toyko, Dujardin won bronze in both team and individual events.
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