- Australian star Richardson will be eligible to compete for Team GB at the 2028 Olympics
- The 25-year-old was born in Maidstone, Kent, but moved Down Under at the age of nine.
- Aus Cycling has described this extraordinary measure as “foolish” and “unprecedented”.
Track cycling star Matthew Richardson will be eligible to compete for Team GB at the next Olympics after controversially defecting from Australia.
The 25-year-old won three medals for Australia at the Paris Games earlier this month, with silvers in the sprint and keirin and a bronze in the team sprint.
But in an extraordinary move that has stunned the cycling world, Richardson has decided to represent rivals Great Britain at Los Angeles 2028 after successfully applying for a change of nationality.
Richardson was born in Maidstone, Kent, but moved to Australia at the age of nine and has represented Australia since youth level.
The process to change nationality has taken months to finalise, meaning Richardson, who is currently in a relationship with Team GB cycling star Emma Finucane, knew about his defection before he represented Australia in Paris.
Australian cycling star Matthew Richardson has made the incredible decision to defect to Britain.
The 25-year-old (left) won three medals for Australia at the Paris Games earlier this month, with silvers in the sprint and keirin and a bronze in the team sprint.
Richardson is currently in a relationship with Team GB cycling star Emma Finucane (pictured)
Aus Cycling boss Jess Korf admitted Richardson’s decision was “disappointing and came as a surprise”.
But Richardson said: ‘I’ve made the decision to pack up my whole life and move to the other side of the world to begin the next chapter in my cycling career.
‘It was a personal choice, made after careful consideration of my career and my future.
‘I have deep respect for Australia and the Australian cycling team and they will always be a part of who I am.
‘But this decision is about following my passion and pushing myself to reach new heights.
“It’s not about leaving something behind, but about embracing a new chapter in my journey and chasing a dream, a dream that is to compete for the county I was born in.”
The signing of Richardson is a huge boost to Great Britain’s medal prospects in track cycling in LA28 after a relatively disappointing Olympics in Paris where they won just one gold medal.
Richardson outpaced Team GB’s top male sprinter, Jack Carlin, who won a bronze in the sprint and crashed out in the keirin final.
While his presence will also greatly boost Britain’s hopes of winning the team sprint in Los Angeles after taking silver behind the Netherlands in Paris.
Richardson’s move has shocked senior cycling figures, with one telling Mail Sport it was “unheard of” and “crazy”.
But Richardson’s move has shocked senior cycling figures, with one telling Mail Sport it was “unheard of” and “madness” while criticising Britain for picking riders from rivals rather than developing their own talent.
Aus Cycling also took responses to their post announcing the news on X, tellingly.
“We are delighted to welcome Matt to the team and will support him as he transitions into the programme over the coming weeks and months,” said Stephen Park, British Cycling’s performance director.
‘We are incredibly proud of our sprint programme, which has delivered some fantastic results at the recent Olympic Games and continues to go from strength to strength.
“Matt will only add strength to this depth and I’m excited to see what his presence adds to the talent we already have as we begin to turn our attention to the new four-year cycle toward Los Angeles 2028.”
Under the rules of international cycling’s governing body, the UCI, Richardson is not eligible to compete at the World Championships in Denmark in October or the European Championships in February, but will be available in the run-up to LA28.
