Takeyesterday
British Cycling withdraws Matthew Richardson from Worlds squad
British Cycling withdrew Matthew Richardson from the Great Britain Cycling Team squad for the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai and gave no reason. The Times reported that Richardson is under internal investigation for serious misconduct, including alleged racial abuse. The federation said it would not comment on any ongoing process.
What this means
Great Britain goes to Shanghai without a rider who won silver in the individual sprint and team sprint at the 2025 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Harry Ledingham-Horn, Ed Lowe and Joe Truman carry the keirin, individual sprint and team sprint.
Richardson was named in the 20-rider squad for Shanghai on 2026-10-07. Five days later he was out, having already travelled to China. He was missing from the team sprint session on Monday, with Joe Truman stepping in. The Times said it viewed evidence of him apparently making discriminatory remarks about people from minority backgrounds, including joking about his use of the N-word. British Cycling declined to comment on The Times allegations, including whether the removal was due to a misconduct investigation. Richardson and his agency, Rocket Sports, had not commented at the time of publication. Harry Ledingham-Horn, Ed Lowe and Joe Truman remain to ride the keirin, individual sprint and team sprint.
Sources
GB sprinter Matt Richardson withdrawn from Track Cycling World Championships amid reports of misconduct investigationTrack star Richardson pulled from Worlds amid misconduct investigation'A line was crossed that day' – Matthew Richardson reveals details of shocking crash and rapid recoveryMatt Richardson: British Cycling withdraw Olympic medallist from squad for World Track Cycling Championships
Analysed 4 sources, written and summarised with AI · How we work