A scathing report has been published into Matthew Richardson, the three-time Olympic medal-winning cyclist who defected from Australia to Great Britain after the Paris Games.
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On Tuesday AusCycling, the sport’s governing body in Australia, released its review into the controversial incident which emerged in the days after Richardson won two silvers and a bronze in the green and gold.
Richardson, a dual citizen who moved from England to Australia at the age of nine and began cycling once based in Perth, has said he considers Britain “home”.
But the secretive nature of the defection – which saw Richardson ask the world cycling body to keep his decision secret until after the Olympics, supported by British Cycling – immediately came under fire.
The review has also found Richardson asked to take Australian cycling property “including a custom bike, cockpit, and Olympic race suit to Great Britain”.
It found “this represented an unacceptable risk to AusCycling’s intellectual property” and declared Richardson “acted in a way which conflicted with the values of AusCycling, the Australian National Team and the broader cycling community”.
AusCycling attempted to enforce a two-year non-competition clause found in Richardson’s membership agreement, which would have stopped him from riding for Britain, but will now review the clause after it was found this was “legally unenforceable”.
Richardson will instead begin riding for Britain early next year.
Sanctions have been handed down including:
– Richardson will not be eligible to rejoin the Australian Cycling Team at any point in the future;
– He is also prohibited from using any resources associated with the Australian Cycling Team or its partners;
– Richardson will be ineligible for any AusCycling-related awards, effective immediately.
“These decisions underscore AusCycling’s adherence to the values of the Australian National Team and our broader commitment to the principle of Win Well,” AusCycling Executive General Manager of Performance Jesse Korf said.
“Integrity, respect and trust are foundational to our team and organisation, and we remain focused on fostering an environment that upholds these standards.”
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