Team GB star and equestrian Charlotte Dujardin has pulled out of the 2024 Olympics in Paris after a video of her emerged on the eve of the games.
The clip shows her repeatedly whipping a horse, and Dujardin said that it shows her making “an error of judgement”.
Dujardin, 39, is the joint-most decorated female Olympian in British history alongside cyclist Dame Laura Kenny.
She has won six Olympic medals but she will not be taking part in this year’s games, which begin on Friday, after the footage led to her being provisionally banned by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) after an official complaint was made.
Stephan Wensing is a lawyer acting for the whistleblower. He spoke to the Telegraph and said that Dujardin gave a lesson to a student, during which she "took the long whip and she was beating the horse more than 24 times in one minute and really hard, really harsh, really tough.”
Dujardin addressed the video in a statement posted on Instagram.
"A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgement during a coaching session,” it read.
"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. I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment."
Dujardin also said "there is no excuse" for her behaviour and that she was "devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors".
The equestrian star won two gold medals at London 2012 - one for team dressage and one for individual dressage. She also won gold for individual dressage at Rio 2016, as well as silver in 2016 for team dressage and two bronze medals at Tokyo 2020.
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