Matt Richardson withdrawn from Great Britain squad for Track Cycling World Championships amid misconduct allegations
Matt Richardson has been withdrawn from the Great Britain squad for the Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai; the sprinter was entered in three events and no details of the allegations have been made public
Monday 12 October 2026 23:22, UK
Matt Richardson has been withdrawn from the Great Britain team for this week's World Cycling Championships in Shanghai amid allegations of misconduct.
British Cycling confirmed the 27-year-old is in the process of leaving the squad's base in China, without giving any reason for the decision.
- Sky Sports on WhatsApp: Breaking news, videos and analysis
- Download the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more
- Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW
The Times is reporting that Richardson is the subject of an investigation by the governing body into allegations of misconduct.
British Cycling's statement read: "British Cycling can confirm that Matt Richardson has been withdrawn from the Great Britain Cycling Team squad for the upcoming 2026 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai, China."
The sprint star, who switched allegiance from Australia after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, had been expected to win three medals in Shanghai in the team and individual sprints, and the keirin.
Richardson was forced out of his highly-anticipated England debut at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this year when he crashed in a keirin race shortly before he was due to fly to Glasgow.
Britain's medal events in Shanghai run from Wednesday to Sunday. Harry Ledingham-Horn, Ed Lowe and Joe Truman stay in the squad for the sprint events.
Great Britain losing track cycling's fastest-ever rider
Richardson is the fastest man ever to ride a track. He went under nine seconds for the flying 200m time trial in Turkey in August 2025, twice inside two days, finishing on 8.857.
He is the reigning European champion in both the sprint and the keirin, having beaten world champion Harrie Lavreysen in February.
At the last World Championships in Santiago he took silver in the individual sprint and silver in the team sprint.
He was born in Maidstone and moved to Australia at nine. He rode for Australia until August 2024 and won three medals for them at the Paris Olympics, silver in the sprint, silver in the keirin and bronze in the team sprint.
The switch to Great Britain was announced that August and he was racing in British colours by September.
A crash in a keirin event in Japan had already cost him his England debut at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year. That was also meant to mark his return to international racing.
