Skeleton in Charlotte’s Closet
The famous British equestrian and Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin was caught abusing an animal. Four years ago, footage of her beating a horse with a whip 24 times in a row appeared in British media. The athlete wanted the animal to follow her commands and lift its legs.
It happened during a private lesson and the footage was filmed by a representative of a 19-year-old rider who was training with Dujardin. He also contacted the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). As the BBC reports, citing a lawyer for the prosecution, the plaintiff took a long time to come to this decision. And all because he was afraid of damaging the reputation of the famous athlete.
However, this was done exactly before the Paris Olympics.
Recently, a Russian woman was punished for cruelty to a horse:
Russian rider disqualified for cruelty to horse
“I am very embarrassed”
Dujardin will be forced to miss the 2024 Games. He had to make a special statement a few days before the opening ceremony.
“Four years ago, a video emerged showing me making an error of judgement during a training session. The FEI is currently conducting an investigation and while this process continues, I have decided to withdraw from all competitions, including the Paris Olympics. What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or my students, but there is no excuse for it. I am deeply ashamed of myself and should have set a better example at the time. I am truly sorry for my actions and devastated to have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors,” the athlete wrote on social media.
The Federation has suspended the athlete until the end of the investigation, but they hope to close the matter as soon as possible. The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) has also begun to learn the details of this story.
Charlotte Dujardin
Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images
I was sure it would go down in history.
Charlotte Dujardin has won three golds, one silver and two bronzes at the Olympic Games. She hoped to become a five-time Olympic champion in Paris 2024.
BBC journalist Laura Scott, who worked with Dujardin, responded to the situation this way:
“This shocking news took many people by surprise. This will no doubt take its toll on Team GB as the Games are about to begin.
When I visited Dujardin in Gloucestershire three weeks ago, she was confident she would make history in Paris and told me she wanted her little daughter to be proud of her mother. She was a gold contender in both the individual and team competitions. And now she won’t be at the Games at all.
But as well as the impact on the medal table, this story could have serious consequences for society’s attitude towards equestrian sport, because animal care is the subject of so much attention,” Scott told the BBC.
Charlotte will not have any medals or glory at the next Olympic Games. It seems that she now has to think about how to build a life after such a scandal.
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