Olympian Matthew Richardson banned for life by Australia

Double Olympic silver medallist Matthew Richardson has been effectively banned for life from representing the Australia national squad, following his nationality swap this August.

The track sprinter, who represented Australia at the Paris Olympics this summer, switched his racing nationality to Great Britain following the Games. The 25-year-old was born in Maidstone, Kent, but moved to Australia with his family when he was nine years old.

Since his nationality swap announcement in August, Richardson has been under investigation by AusCycling, Australia’s national body. The country has now finalised its review, concluding the sprinter “acted in a way which conflicted with the values of AusCycling, the Australian National Team and the broader cycling community”, and banning him from ever rejoining the squad.

Richardson began talks with GB about switching nationality in February 2024, when he approached the squad’s head coach at a UCI Nations Cup round in Adelaide. He then kept the news secret from his Australian coaches and teammates, who found out moments before the official announcement was made on 19 August.

According to AusCycling, prior to the announcement, Richardson asked to take his custom race bike, cockpit and Olympic skinsuit to Great Britain. “This represented an unacceptable risk to AusCycling’s intellectual property,” the national body wrote in a statement, released today.

AusCycling has now imposed three sanctions on Richardson: he is not allowed to rejoin the Australian Cycling Team “at any point in the future”; he is “prohibited” from using any of the team’s, including its partners’, resources; and he is ineligible for AusCycling awards.

AusCycling also looked into imposing a two-year non-competition clause, but found it to be “legally unenforceable”. UCI rules stipulate that a rider cannot compete in the immediate World and Continental Championships after a nationality swap, meaning Richardson is eligible to represent GB following the European Championships in mid-February.

The track sprinter made his debut in GB colours, as an independent rider, at the UCI Track Champions League in Paris on Saturday night, where he won two events from two, and took the lead in the series. He is considered to be among the top two best track sprinters in the world, alongside the Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen.

“I was really trying to soak in the experience,” said Richardson of his debut race as a Brit. “When the announcer called my name representing Great Britain, it was such a special feeling. It’s a dream come true really and to win every single race tonight was more than I could have ever wished for.”

Commenting on today’s AusCycling ruling, the squad’s executive general manager of performance, Jesse Korf, said: “These decisions underscore AusCycling’s adherence to the values of the Australian National Team and our broader commitment to the principle of  Win Well.

“Integrity, respect and trust are foundational to our team and organisation, and we remain focused on fostering an environment that upholds these standards.”

Cycling Weekly contacted British Cycling for comment on this story, but the national body chose not to provide one.