- Matthew Richardson could be banned from cycling for two years
- An Australian cyclist has switched his allegiance to Britain
- AusCycling may consider imposing a two-year ban
Australia is considering whether triple Olympic medallist Matthew Richardson could be banned from international cycling for two years following his shock defection to Britain.
Richardson surprised AusCycling by deciding to race for Great Britain, announcing her decision just days after winning three medals for Australia at the Paris Olympics.
Richardson competed in Paris keeping his decision to switch sides a secret from the Australian hierarchy.
“There is disappointment around the decision and the process and not knowing Matt’s circumstances,” AusCycling executive general manager of performance Jesse Korf said on Tuesday.
Korf said an investigation was underway into whether a two-year non-compete clause could be applied to Richardson.
“He will definitely not compete at the next world championships (in October),” Korf said.
“However, the length of the non-competition and the clauses regarding it are currently being studied and analysed with the UCI and the ASC (Australian Sports Commission).”
Korf said it was “too early to say” whether AusCycling wanted to enforce any two-year non-compete clause.
Matthew Richardson could be banned from international cycling for two years
Australian cyclist shocked authorities by defecting to Britain
“That’s something we would have to discuss internally because we obviously have a lot of say in this and we need to review it,” he said.
‘In this same sense, the AIS (ASC) is an important player, since it provides a large part of the financing.
“So we would need to have a discussion to come to a joint decision before we can share it and start a conversation with the UCI, Matt and British Cycling.”
Richardson was born in Maidstone, England, moved to Australia at the age of nine and cited her long-standing ambition to compete for her native country for her move.
“He cited the argument of following a childhood dream,” Korf said.
British Cycling, which has three times the financial budget of AusCycling, told Korf it had not “proactively reached out” to attract Richardson.
Instead, the 25-year-old secretly contacted the British.
“There would have had to have been discussions (with British Cycling) before Matt submitted his case to the UCI, which was done at least three months ago,” Korf said.
“It is very likely that there were discussions between February and April, but I do not know their nature.”
Richardson was the most successful Australian cyclist at the Paris Olympics, winning silver medals in the keirin and men’s sprint, and a bronze in the men’s team sprint.
In interviews with British media, Richardson said the potential ramifications for her Olympic selection were a reason for keeping her secret away from Australia.
AusCycling bosses could consider imposing a two-year ban on the 25-year-old.
Asked if this would have had any potential ramifications, Korf said: “It’s a very difficult question to answer… I don’t know.
“We would certainly have considered the impact, the ramifications and the opportunities for other cyclists,” he said.
‘At the same time, Matt was on an exceptional trajectory and performed exceptionally well at the Games.
—Yes, all factors would have been taken into account. I don’t know if there would have been any consequences.
“It may or may not have been, and it could have been from our side or from the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) side.”
