Dressage star Patrik Kittel condemns colleague Charlotte Dujardin's actions in the video clip that has shaken the sport.
What she did on the video is completely unacceptable, he says.
Kittel, the anchor of the Swedish team that begins the Olympic Games on Tuesday, has not seen the moving images himself, but has seen a still image and is informed about what happened.
In brief, this is what happened:
+ Four years ago, Dujardin was filmed while training a rider. She whipped the horse 24 times in one minute.
+ The video clip spread on social media last week and sparked outrage.
+ Dujardin has acknowledged and apologized.
+ She is provisionally suspended for six months by the International Equestrian Federation, FEI.
Weighing his words carefully
Kittel weighs his words carefully when commenting on the latest scandal in dressage.
Charlotte is extremely aware and extremely sorry about what happened. She is a fantastic rider. She has won many Olympic Games. I don't think she has ridden that way to get there.
I think what she did on the video is completely unacceptable. It doesn't need to be discussed. She is also a human being and human beings make mistakes. That's what I say without justifying what she did.
Without justifying the situation, it's not responsible of the one who filmed to release the video four years later. It feels strategic, so close to the Olympic Games. It's all extremely sad, for her and especially for the horse.
Kittel and his teammates Therese Nilshagen and Juliette Ramel shouldn't have anything to do with the medals, but things happen in sports. Great Britain, one of the favorites, is weakened after Dujardin's suspension.
I don't think that way. I don't think that one person's bread is another person's death. If someone gets sick or injured, I just think it's tragic, not that it might benefit me or us. Great Britain still has a good team.
"We know our standard"
In the individual competition, Kittel aims high.
I'm betting on gold. No, joking aside. If I'm just satisfied and happy with my horse, that's good. I know our standard, we're ranked second as a pair. That doesn't mean I'll take silver, but it's fun to know that you're in.
In the Versailles palace park, Kittel rides Touchdown, which he won the World Cup final on in April. That victory meant a lot to him.
It was the first time in my career I really thought I can win. It was no one who had tipped it. I handled the pressure that was. Every day when I give the horse a carrot, I pat him and say:
We have at least won the World Cup.
