Olympic medallist Matthew Richardson banned from Australia for life after defection

Australian cycling has thrown the book at Olympic medallist Matthew Richardson, slamming the door shut after his shock defection.

AusCycling has slammed the door shut on Olympic medallist Matthew Richardson ever representing Australia again after he turned his back on the nation to defect to Great Britain.

The 25-year-old shocked Australia after claiming two silver medals in Kierin and Sprint events and a bronze in the Team Sprint in Paris, announcing he would be joining the nation of his birth.

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Richardson was born in Maidstone, England, to English parents but moved to Australia at the age of nine, beginning cycling in his early teens in Warwick, in Perth, Western Australia.

His entire development took place in Australia and he rose to become a world champion, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Olympic medallist.

But immediately following the Paris Olympics, Richardson announced that he had been working in the background to change his nationality to represent Great Britain.

The decision went down like a lead balloon in Australia with AusCycling reportedly seeking a two-year ban “as per UCI regulations”, which was ultimately rejected by the Union Cycliste Internationale.

But AusCycling have taken extraordinary moves against Richardson, banning him from ever wearing green and gold again.

This pic of Richardson and Matthew Glaetzer hits different now. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

A review into the circumstances of Richardson’s defection found he had delayed the official disclosure of his defection until after the Olympics, with the knowledge and backing of British Cycling, and withheld the news from AusCycling, his teammates and key stakeholders.

Richardson said at the time of his defection this was “purely because this is something I needed to deal with and I didn’t want to put that burden on anyone and distract from anyone’s Olympic prep”.

UPDATE: Defector’s salty reply to lifetime ban from Australia

The review also found that “after the Games, but before announcing his decision, Richardson asked to take AusCycling property including a custom bike, cockpit and Olympic race suit to Great Britain. This represented an unacceptable risk to AusCycling’s intellectual property”.

“Richardson will not be eligible to rejoin the Australian Cycling Team at any point in the future”, the governing body said in a statement.

Richardson will also be banned from using any resources relating to the Australian Cycling team or its partners, and will be ineligible for any AusCycling awards.

See ya never Matthew Richardson. Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP

In a statement shared by AusCycling, 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.”

While Richardson was forced to sit out the October World Championships and remains unable to represent Great Britain until next year, he was wearing the national team colours at the Track Champions League.

Richardson beat his great rival Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen, who denied him gold at the Olympics in all three of the events in Paris, but particularly the individual Sprint and Keirin events.

It was a great start to his time in GB colours. Photo: Instagram

Richardson's GB debut couldn't have gone better. Photo: Instagram

Racing in both the Sprint and Keirin races, Richardson triumphed, claiming a maximum 40 points on offer.

“To even get the opportunity to race a rider such as Harrie (Lavreysen), a 16-time UCI world champion, a phenomenal athlete, and to take wins away feels pretty sweet,” he said.

“Being in his home court next week is going to be an extra challenge, but if anything, it’ll make me want to win a little bit more.

“It’s amazing [racing and winning in GB colours]. I was really trying to soak in the experience, but 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.”

Let’s hope it stays that way for him because we will not see him in green and gold again.

Originally published as Olympic medallist Matthew Richardson banned from Australia for life after defection