The inappropriate behavior of Olympic riders is shocking. Rider Arvi Martikainen condemns the actions, but also criticizes the whistleblower of Charlotte Dujardin’s old flogging video.
10:59•Updated 11:02
Dressage competitions started at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, but there has been enough talk around the sport all week in a boring way.
Britain’s medal favourite Charlotte Dujardin withdrew from the Games on Tuesday. The reason for this was a widely circulated video of him violently whipping his horse in a training situation.
The International Equestrian Federation FEI is investigating the incident and banned Dujardin from competition pending the investigation. Also the show jumper representing Austria Max Kühner accused of violating the German Animal Welfare Act. Kühner will participate in the Olympics as usual, but will face court after the Games.
Sports expert Arvi Martikainen visited ‘s Olympic studio and talked about his experiences related to the scandals.
– This was honestly quite shocking news for me. This video that has become public is something that I cannot accept from anyone, Martikainen said.
Martikainen emphasizes that bringing similar cases forward and talking about them is of paramount importance. On the other hand, he is surprised by the timing during the Olympics.
– I would like to highlight another issue, namely the whistleblower’s behavior. However, it’s a years old video, so why hasn’t it been addressed right away? Why wasn’t the animal welfare announcement made on the same day, why did it come just before the Olympics? Martikainen asks.
Martikainen, who is part of the cross-country riding national team, feels that, in addition to Dujardin, the whistleblower in the video has acted wrongly.
– I think this is starting to look more like the maximum destruction of another career than thinking about the horse’s well-being.
Dujardin is According to the BBC lost several sponsorship contracts due to the uproar. In addition, his position as an ambassador for the prestigious London International Horse Show was removed.
British Olympic team manager Mark England condemned Dujardin’s behavior but also spoke for him.
– Charlotte has made a mistake and she has difficult times ahead of her. As a member of the Olympic team and an Olympic champion, we must also protect him.
FEI President Ingmar de Vos expressed shock and disappointment after seeing Dujardin’s rant video. According to the BBC, the animal protection organization Peta has demanded the removal of equestrian sports from the Olympic program. In Paris, there are competitions in show jumping, school riding and field riding.
De Vos believes that riding will remain in the Olympic program in the future.
– I am confident because we have done a lot for the well-being of the horses. We will be involved in Los Angeles and also in Brisbane, de Vos said, referring to the 2028 and 2032 Olympics.