27-year-old Matthew Richardson was expected to represent Great Britain in three events at the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai, China, from October 14 to 18. The Olympic silver medallist was among Britain’s biggest medal hopes, with expectations high after his record-breaking performances on the track. But just days before the championships, Richardson has been pulled from the national squad after British Cycling launched an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct.

According to The Times, the investigation centres on Richardson’s alleged behaviour towards fellow riders, including claims that he made discriminatory remarks about people from minority backgrounds and joked about using the N-word. The newspaper reported that it had seen evidence of the alleged remarks and that a complaint from another rider was believed to have prompted the investigation.

An athlete who spoke anonymously also raised concerns about Richardson’s conduct towards riders from minority backgrounds. The allegations have not been established as fact, and British Cycling has yet to announce any findings. However, British Cycling confirmed Richardson’s withdrawal on October 12, following the publication of the report.

In an earlier statement to The Times, the governing body said, “British Cycling takes any allegations of harassment, bullying or discrimination extremely seriously. Where concerns are raised, they are investigated thoroughly through our established procedures. Out of fairness to anyone involved in an investigation, we would not comment on any ongoing process.” The organisation did not publicly explain the reason for Richardson’s withdrawal in its announcement.

Richardson’s representatives at Rocket Sports declined to comment on his behalf, directing enquiries to British Cycling. The Times also reported that the cyclist was believed to be leaving China and was out of contact. As of October 13, no public response from Richardson addressing the claims had been reported.

His withdrawal comes at a difficult time for Great Britain, which had been counting on him to challenge for medals in the individual sprint, team sprint and keirin. Richardson had already missed the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after suffering a broken scapula and heavy bruising to his hip in a crash during a keirin race in Japan. The world championships were expected to mark his return to major international competition.

“I always expect a high level of myself, and I do truly believe that I stand a chance at winning world titles,” Matthew Richardson said days before his withdrawal from the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Interestingly, the development comes two years after Richardson made headlines for switching his sporting allegiance from Australia to Great Britain.

Matthew Richardson made a major career switch after Paris Olympics

Born in Maidstone, England, Richardson moved to Perth, Australia, with his family when he was nine. He grew up there and developed into one of Australia’s leading track cyclists, representing the country at major international competitions.

Richardson first made his mark on the world stage at the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, where he won bronze in the men’s team sprint. Later that year, he made his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, with Australia’s team sprint squad finishing fourth. His career continued to progress, and in 2022, he won gold in the men’s team sprint and silver in the individual sprint at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in France. At the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham that year, he added two gold medals in the individual sprint and team sprint, both while representing Australia.

His biggest Olympic breakthrough came in Paris in 2024, where he won silver in the men’s individual sprint and keirin, along with bronze in the team sprint. Despite that success, Richardson announced his decision to switch to Great Britain on August 19, 2024, just over a week after the Olympics ended. With British parents and a birthplace in England, he was eligible to make the move and planned to return to the UK to join the British sprint programme under coach Sir Jason Kenny.

The decision also sparked a dispute with AusCycling, Australia’s governing body, which later raised concerns about how Richardson had handled his departure and his requests to take Australian team equipment to Britain. In November 2024, AusCycling published the findings of a review into the switch and ruled that Richardson would not be eligible to rejoin the Australian Cycling Team or use its associated resources.

After a period of ineligibility following his nationality change, Richardson returned to the World Championships in British colours in 2025, winning silver medals in the individual sprint and team sprint. He also broke the world record in the men’s flying 200 metres, recording a time under nine seconds. In 2026, he continued his success by winning European titles in the individual sprint and keirin.

Now, instead of competing for another set of medals, Richardson faces questions about his conduct and his future with the British team.