Dujardin with one of her gold medals. © APA/afp / JOHN MACDOUGALL

Animal cruelty: Olympic champion banned for one year

The World Equestrian Federation FEI has banned three-time Olympic dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin from Great Britain for a total of one year following allegations of animal cruelty.

05 December 2024

From: dpa

According to the association, the 39-year-old was also fined 10.000 Swiss francs (about 10.700 euros). Dujardin said she would "fully respect" the verdict.

The case came to light a few months ago. A video about four years old showed Dujardin hitting a horse more than 24 times in one minute with a long whip during a training session. A lawyer from the Netherlands made the incident public on behalf of an unknown client. Dujardin herself admitted that she was the person in the video and that her behavior was inappropriate.

Ban lasts until July 2025

The gold medalist from 2012 (individual and team) and 2016 (individual) was provisionally banned on July 23, which meant that she could not compete in the Olympic Games in Paris.
As the FEI announced, the time of the provisional suspension will be taken into account. Therefore, Dujardin can start competing again at the end of July next year. In the meantime, she is prohibited from taking part in international and national competitions, training sessions and events.

In a statement to the British news agency PA, Dujardin apologized. "I understand the responsibility that comes with my position in the sport and I will always strive to do better. This has undoubtedly been one of the darkest and most difficult times of my life and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me during this time," it said.