Three-time Olympic medalist Matthew Richardson has defended his decision to switch from Australia to Team GB despite facing the potential of a two-year ban from competing.
The cycling star won silvers in the individual sprint and keirin as well as bronze in the team sprint at the Paris Olympics but shocked teammates shortly after the Games when announcing his intention to switch nationality and ride for Great Britain going forward.
Richardson was born in Maidstone, England and moved to Australia at the age of nine but has faced huge criticism for the decision, most notably from former Commonwealth champion Katherine Bates.
‘There’s a lot of people who just can’t believe it and some who are feeling, personally, quite let down because they were blindsided by it,’ Bates said.
‘Others who are feeling a little bit ripped off because supporting him over the years has come at the direct cost of supporting other athletes.
‘I think the tie to your country is very strong but, in saying that, if there is that tie, then I’m not really sure why he wouldn’t have made this leap years ago.’
However, Richardson, who is in a relationship with Team GB cycling star Emma Finucane, has now addressed his controversy and said he feels no remorse over the decision.
‘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 ABC News.
‘Everyone’s 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.
‘It’s a free world, and they can do and say what they like. I’m happy with the decision I’ve made.’
Responding directing to Bates’ suggestion that Australian cycling had been ‘ripped off’ by his departure, the 25-year-old 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.’
Richardson will not be able to compete at the next World Championships in October following the switch but the cyclist could yet be hit with further punishment by his former employers after AusCycling chief Jesse Korf confirmed they may seek to impose a two-year non-competition ban on Richardson.
‘There’s disappointment around the decision and the process and not knowing around Matt’s circumstances,’ Korf, AusCycling’s executive general manager of performance, said
‘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 (Union Cycliste Internationale) 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.’
Any decision to impose a two-year ban lies with the UCI and not AusCycling.
‘Missing big international competitions isn’t obviously ideal, but I think that’s why I had to do it when I did it, so I missed the least amount of them possible,’ Richardson said.