AusCycle has handed former Australian Olympic cyclist Matthew Richardson a lifetime ban, with the governing body coming down hard on the silver medalist after issuing a strongly worded statement.
On Monday, Australia’s cycling body released its “final review statement” following an investigation into the events that led to Richardson’s defection to join rivals Great Britain.
The review took stock of how the 25-year-old, who won two silver medals in Paris, acted in attempting to leave the Australian team, with AusCycling stating his actions had “conflicted with the values of AusCycling, the national team Australian and the cycling community in general.”
During its review process, AusCycling claims Richardson, who was born in Maidstone, Kent, had also requested that equipment and property belonging to the governing body be taken to Britain.
AusCycle stated that this presented an “unacceptable risk to AusCycling’s intellectual property”.
“After the Games (Paris 2024), but before announcing his decision, Richardson asked to take the AusCycling property, including a custom bike, cockpit and Olympic racing suit, to Great Britain,” reads a statement from AusCyling.
“This represented an unacceptable risk to AusCycling’s intellectual property.”
The organization also discovered that the cyclist had kept the news of his decision to leave the Australian team a secret from AusCycling and his teammates, after learning he would defect to GB before the games.
AusCycle subsequently imposed several sanctions on its former rider.
“Richardson will not be eligible to rejoin the Australian cycling team at any time in the future,” the body said.
‘You are also prohibited from using any resources associated with the Australian Cycling Team or its partners.
“Richardson will not be eligible for any AusCycling-related awards, effective immediately.”
The governing body had also attempted to impose a two-year non-compete clause on Richarson, but stated in the statement that such a ban would be “legally unenforceable.”
He remains unable to compete for Great Britain at the UCI Track World Championships until early next year.
“These decisions underline AusCycling’s adherence to the values of the Australian National Team and our broader commitment to the principle of winning well,” said Jesse Korf, AusCycling’s executive general manager of performance.
“Integrity, respect and trust are fundamental to our team and our organization, and we remain focused on fostering an environment that respects these standards.”
The governing body added: “AusCycling reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Australian cycling community and ensuring that all athletes, partners and stakeholders embody the values of fairness, respect and collaboration.”
In August it emerged that the Australian star, who is eligible to represent both the UK and Australia through dual citizenship, would defect to run for Great Britain, receiving widespread criticism for the move after previously running in a green and gold. t-shirt at the Tokyo 2020 Games and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
More to follow…