Matt Richardson withdrawn from Britain squad for Shanghai Track Worlds
Matt Richardson has been withdrawn from Great Britain's squad for the 2026 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai, China.
British Cycling confirmed the 27-year-old is in the process of leaving the squad's base in China. It gave no reason for the decision, The Guardian reported on 12 October.
The Times reported that Richardson is the subject of an investigation by the governing body into allegations of misconduct. British Cycling has launched an investigation into alleged discriminatory posts and behaviour by Richardson, according to The Times.
The withdrawal removes one of Britain's leading medal hopes. Richardson had been expected to challenge for three medals in Shanghai: the team sprint, the individual sprint and the keirin. The team sprint is a three-rider race against the clock, the individual sprint is a one-on-one duel over three laps, and the keirin is a bunched sprint behind a pacing bike.
Richardson switched allegiance from Australia to Britain after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He won silver on his world championship debut for Britain in 2025, a result he described as "bittersweet", Reuters reported.
He had been named in Britain's sprint group alongside Joe Truman as teammates for sprint rider Harry Ledingham-Horn. His season had already been disrupted. He missed his England debut at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier in 2026 after crashing in a keirin race shortly before he was due to fly.
Richardson later described that crash as the worst of his career. He was also taken out by another rider while racing in Japan in the summer of 2026, an incident he said crossed a line.
