British Cycling has withdrawn Matthew Richardson from their squad for the upcoming World Track Cycling Championships in Shanghai after misconduct allegations. The 27-year-old had been in China before the annual event, in which he won silver medals for Team GB in the sprint and team sprint last year in Santiago, Chile, with Harrie Lavreysen and his Netherlands team taking the golds.
Allegations and withdrawal
The Times reports that they have seen 'evidence of Richardson apparently making discriminatory remarks about people from minority backgrounds and even joking about his use of the N-word'.
A statement from British Cycling reads: "British Cycling can confirm that Matt Richardson has been withdrawn from the Great Britain Cycling Team squad for the upcoming 2026 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai, China."
Richardson had previously raced for Australia before switching his allegiance following the last Olympics. He is in a long-term relationship with fellow cyclist and Team GB star Emma Finucane.
Recent achievements and crash
At the European Championships in February, the former gymnast took gold in the keirin and sprint - exacting revenge on Lavreysen in both - but Britain missed out on a clean sweep after being beaten to the team sprint gold by France in Konya, Turkey.
The rider was caught up in a terrifying crash at the Keirin World Series in July, leaving the arena by ambulance after a serious collision with Kento Suzuki. He was left unable to walk for four days, having suffered a broken scapula and severely bruised hip.
Suzuki said at the time: "I'm sorry for disqualifying in Tachikawa. There are no excuses – it was simply down to my own lack of skill!"
Discussing the incident, Richardson stated: "We understood the risk as international racers coming in to race Japanese keirin, we knew it was argy-bargy. I think there is a difference between argy-bargy and intentionally taking a wider line to hit someone off their bike. I think it's just a shame that a rider has decided to put another person's safety at risk like that. Like I said, we do understand the risks, but I think that was probably a step too far."
He subsequently disclosed that Suzuki had offered no apology. He said: "I haven't spoken to him, don't intend to speak to him, and that's that.
"This was definitely the worst crash I've ever had," Richardson continued. "It's the first time that I've ever crashed and not basically gotten up and walked it off. I was just stuck to the floor. My whole right side just felt like it was on fire."
Regarding his injuries, he commented: "At the time I thought world championships was more likely to be a 'no-go,' but I really wanted to try and challenge myself. The rehab process has been longer than I expected... but I've been back to full sprinting, full riding, for many weeks now."
Olympic record and ban
Richardson claimed two silver medals and one bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was later handed a lifetime ban from representing Australia following his defection.
