Australian Olympic cyclist Matthew Richardson hits out at critics after shock defection to Team GB
21 August 2024, 16:14
Australian Olympic cyclist Matthew Richardson has hit out at critics after his shock defection to Team GB.
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Matthew Richardson, 25, left sports fans furious after he announced that he would be leaving the Australian cycling team to join Team GB.
Richardson was born in Maidstone, Kent, but moved to Australia at the age of nine.
He has since been successful in his application to change nationalities so he can represent Team GB at the LA Olympics in 2028.
Australian officials are now looking into whether he can be banned from international cycling for two years.
But Richardson has defending his decision to defect - hitting out at critics on Wednesday.
"I obviously understood that there would be a bit of bitterness around this decision, but at the end of the day it's my career and it's my life," he told the ABC.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion. It's up to me whether I want to listen to it or not, and I've obviously chosen not to."
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When explaining why he made the decision, Richardson previously said: "When I grew up I was watching people like Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny win gold medals at the Olympic Games for GB, and those sort of memories really resonate with a kid.
"It kind of burnt itself in my brain, and that has just kind of stuck with me ever since."
Australian cyclist Katherine Bates has criticised Richardson, saying he "blindsided" the team and they feel "ripped off" as funding that went to him could have been used to support other athletes.
But Richardson said: "The investment that was put into me over the last few years in Australian cycling, I feel like I made a good return on that investment, winning two silver medals and a bronze medal at the Olympic Games for Australia."
He went on to say that he kept the switch a secret from his fellow cyclists and Aussie officials while at the Paris Games because he did not want them "to have the burden of having that and keeping that under wraps".
AusCycling's executive general manager, Jesse Korf, said: "There's disappointment around the decision and the process and not knowing around Matt's circumstances."
He added: "For sure he will not compete at the upcoming world championships [in October].
"But the non-competition duration and clauses, that is being interrogated and looked into at the moment together with the UCI and ASC [Australian Sports Commission]."
"That is something that we would have to discuss internally because we obviously have a big say in that and we need to review that," he said.
"On that same token the AIS-slash-ASC is a big stakeholder in that they provide a lot of the funding.
"So that would have to be a conversation to get to a joint decision before we can share that and start a conversation with UCI and Matt and British Cycling."
British Cycling told Korf they did not "proactively reach out" to Richardson, with him instead contacting them in secret.
