Disgraced Olympian Charlotte Dujardin returns from ban after horse-whipping scandal

Triple Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin is free to return to the dressage stage as of today, with her one-year ban coming to an end. The 40-year-old was provisionally suspended on the eve of last year's Paris Olympics after a video surfaced of her whipping a horse 24 times, and she was handed her punishment in December.

There were further repercussions aside from the 12-month ban, as Dujardin also lost seven sponsorship deals and her funding from UK Sport. She was also being lined up for a damehood if she had won another gold at the Paris Games, which would have made her Team GB's most successful female Olympian of all time.

Dujardin released a statement at the time of the scandal, part of which read: "My actions in the video do not reflect who I am. I understand the responsibility that comes with my position in the sport and I will forever aim to do better. This has undoubtedly been one of the darkest and most difficult periods in my life."

According to The Times, Dujardin is expected to make a competitive comeback and she has been 'fuelled by fury' at the unidentified whistleblower who leaked the video at a time intended to cause maximum damage to her career and reputation.

It has been speculated in dressage circles that the individual who leaked the video was not one of Dujardin's rivals, but rather someone she fell out with in business.

The specifics of Dujardin's return to competition are not yet known. It is expected she will make her comeback at a smaller event, and some senior figures in the world of British dressage hope she will do so overseas in order to minimise attention, as there is sure to be scrutiny if the Brit puts even a foot wrong.

The European Dressage Championships in France next month is the next big event on the calendar, but the British team has already been selected and Dujardin does not feature.

The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) has reportedly been trying to get in contact with Dujardin in order to help with the process of her return to competitive action. Dujardin's camp say they have not been in touch but she will reach out next week.

Despite the significant damage done to her career, some feel that Dujardin was not given a harsh enough punishment as she spent most of her one-year ban pregnant with her second child, which would have prevented her from competing anyway.