PARIS -- Animal rights group PETA has demanded that the IOC remove equestrian sports from the Olympics after six-time medalist Charlotte Dujardin was provisionally suspended for mistreating a horse in a leaked video days before Paris 2024.
Dujardin, who is Team Great Britain's most decorated female Olympian with six medals, withdrew from the Games just four days before the opening ceremony after a whistleblower submitted a video to competition organizers showing her repeatedly whipping a horse.
Dutch lawyer Stephan Wensing, who is representing the whistleblower, told the BBC the case was about "saving dressage."
"It's not fun to ruin a career. She's not celebrating; she doesn't feel like a hero," he said. "But she told me this morning this had to be done because she wants to save dressage."
However, PETA has said the video shows why the International Olympic Committee must drop the sport from future Games.
"The message to the International Olympic Committee should be clear by now: Remove equestrian events from the Olympic Games," PETA said in a post on X alongside video of the incident.
International Equestrian Federation president Ingmar de Vos said Thursday that he was "suprised and very upset" over the Dujardin footage but expressed confidence that equestrian events will be at the Los Angeles Games in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.
"I'm very confident because we've been doing so much for horse welfare. We will be on the program in Los Angeles, and we will also be in Brisbane," he said.
ESPN has reached out to the IOC for comment.
The incident has left Dujardin's career in tatters. UK Sport issued a statement earlier Wednesday saying it would no longer fund the rider, describing the video as disturbing and not in keeping with the high standards expected of British athletes.
Dujardin's withdrawal also means she will not have the opportunity to overtake Dame Laura Kenny and become the outright most successful British woman in Olympic history.
She had three gold medals and a silver split between London 2012 and Rio 2016 before adding two bronze medals in Tokyo.
Dujardin, 39, was scheduled to compete in the individual and team dressage events, although Team GB confirmed earlier Wednesday that she has been replaced by Becky Moody in the team event.
Reuters contributed to this report.