- Matthew Richardson represented Australia at the Paris Olympics
- Since declaring he is not concerned about AusCycling’s lifetime ban
- He now represents Great Britain and aims to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Former Australian Olympic cyclist Matthew Richardson has dismissed his life ban following his defection to ride for Great Britain, saying “just words written on a piece of paper (that) don’t carry much weight with me”.
Richardson has earned widespread scorn following his post-Paris defection following revelations that he ran for Australia at the Paris Olympics, where he won three medals, knowing he would switch allegiance to the country of his birth.
An investigation by AusCycling resulted in him being banned from traveling to Australia again and in heavy criticism for his actions.
While Richardson, who has already started riding in his new colors and expressed how good he feels, admitted a bit of “shock” at the ban, he brutally dismissed it with an insult during the night.
‘I didn’t know it was coming. “I guess they were just eager to get in one last blow, one last word,” he said.
“I thought it was pretty obvious that wanting to race for GB for the rest of my career would mean I didn’t want to race for Australia.
‘It’s almost like you quit your job and three months later they say, ‘Yeah, well, you’re fired.’ Well, I’m gone.’
“They were just words written on a piece of paper and they don’t hold much weight for me.”
Now: in his Great Britain uniform
Richardson dismissed allegations that he had threatened AusCycling’s intellectual property by asking him to take his bike after Paris.
He said he was never worried about a two-year global ban despite AusCycling pursuing it, as he knew it couldn’t be enforced.
The 25-year-old two-time Olympian said he had been “respectful” and “grateful” to AusCycling and had returned their investment with his results.
“I have always been respectful of AusCycling and am very grateful for everything they have done for me over the years,” he said.
‘And I really thought I had repaid them with results.
‘Unfortunately noise was created, but I sleep well at night knowing that noise is not coming from me.
“Hopefully in the next few years AusCycling and I will be able to come to some sort of understanding, but for now I hope they have had their last say, that we can drop everything and enjoy going around in circles.”
Richardson spoke as the initial leader of the UCI Track Champions League having beaten Dutch ace Harrie Lavreysen in the first round in both the sprint and keirin at the weekend, reversing the results from the Olympic Games on the same track in Paris.