Bizarre loophole means Matthew Richardson could face TWO-YEAR ban following ‘insane’ defection from Australia to Team GB that has left cycling in shock

Australia is investigating whether three-time Olympic medallist Matthew Richardson could be banned from international cycling for two years after he surprisingly defected to Britain.

Richardson has stunned AusCycling by deciding to race for Great Britain, announcing his move just days after winning three medals for Australia at the Paris Olympics.

Richardson entered the race in Paris but kept his decision to switch allegiances secret from the Australian hierarchy.

“There is disappointment in the decision and the process and the fact that we were not made aware of Matt’s circumstances,” AusCycling general manager of performance Jesse Korf said on Tuesday.

Korf said the possibility of a two-year non-compete clause being applied to Richardson is being explored.

“He will definitely not participate in the upcoming world championships (in October),” said Korf.

‘But the duration of the non-compete clause and the clauses, those are currently being investigated and examined together with the UCI and the ASC (Australian Sports Commission).’

Korf said it is “too early to say” whether AusCycling will seek a two-year non-compete agreement.

The Australian cyclist surprised officials by defecting to Britain

“That is something we need to discuss internally because we obviously have a big say in that and we need to look at that again,” he said.

‘Similarly, the AIS/ASC is a major stakeholder, as they provide much of the funding.

‘That should be a conversation to come to a collective decision, before we can share that and start a conversation with the UCI, Matt and British Cycling.’

Born in Maidstone, England, Richardson moved to Australia at the age of nine and stated that he had long had ambitions to race for his native country.

“He cited the idea of ​​pursuing a childhood dream,” Korf said.

British Cycling, which has a budget three times that of AusCycling, told Korf they had not “proactively reached out” to persuade Richardson.

Instead, the 25-year-old secretly contacted the British.

“There should have been discussions (with British Cycling) before Matt submitted his application to the UCI, which was completed at least three months ago,” Korf said.

‘It is very likely that there were discussions between February and April. But I am not aware of the nature of those discussions.’

Richardson was Australia’s most successful cyclist at the Paris Olympics, winning silver in the men’s keirin and sprint, and bronze in the men’s team sprint.

In interviews with British media, Richardson said possible implications for Olympic selection were a reason for keeping his participation secret from Australia.

AusCycling bosses could impose a two-year ban on the 25-year-old

When asked if there were any possible consequences, Korf said, “That’s a very difficult question to answer… I don’t know.

“We would certainly have taken into account the impact, the consequences and the opportunities for other riders,” he said.

‘Matt was on an exceptional trajectory in that same sense and performed exceptionally well during the Games.

‘So yes, all things would have been considered. I don’t know if there would have been any consequences.

‘That may or may not have been the case. It may have been on our part or it may have been on the part of the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee)’.