Who is Charlotte Dujardin and why has the Team GB gold medallist been banned from Paris 2024 Olympics?
CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN was all set to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics which gets underway today – but she has been BANNED for six months!
The Equestrian icon became the golden girl of the sport after rising from a sporting unknown to an Olympic champion in barely a year.
And with the world at her feet, the Team GB rider had been tipped to collect a few more medals in Paris this summer.
But on Tuesday, July 23, it was confirmed that she has been banned for six months.
SunSport can reveal the reason why below.
Why has Charlotte Dujardin been banned from Paris 2024 Olympics?
Charlotte Dujardin has been banned from the Paris Olympics in disgrace after a video emerged of her allegedly whipping a horse.
Britain’s greatest horsewoman said she was “deeply ashamed” by her “error of judgement” in a coaching session “from four years ago”.
The lawyer for the complainant has alleged that Dujardin hit the horse with a long whip more than 24 times in one minute during a lesson with a 19-year-old female student at her private stable.
The FEI, the sport’s governing body, has launched a probe into the incident and has issued the athlete with a provisional six-month ban.
And a horrifying video of Charlotte Dujardin whipping a horse which led to her Olympic exile has been shown on live TV.
What has been said?
In a statement, Dujardin, 39, said: “A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgement 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.
“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.
“I am sincerely sorry for my actions and devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors.
“I will cooperate fully with the FEI, British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigations, and will not be commenting further until the process is complete.”
Who is Charlotte Dujardin?
Born in and brought up in Bedfordshire, Dujardin first rode her sister’s charges back from the showjumping arena to the lorry for home.
By her mid-teens, Dujardin became a prolific winner at the prestigious Horse of the Year Show.
And in her early 20’s, Dujarding prospects took a new turn when she took a storm of the dressage world.
Dujardin, who had not travelled to France, withdrew three days before the Opening Ceremony along the Seine.
This ruins her chances of adding to her six Olympic medals, including three golds.
One more medal in Paris – which was more than likely to happen – would have made her Britain’s most decorated female Olympian ahead of cyclist Laura Kenny.