Matt Richardson withdrawn from Britain's track world championships squad

British Cycling has withdrawn Matt Richardson from Great Britain's squad for the 2026 Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai, according to BBC Sport and the Guardian. The governing body confirmed the 27-year-old Olympic medallist's removal in a statement but did not explain the decision. The championships run from 14 to 18 October.

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The announcement follows reporting by the Times about an alleged misconduct investigation. BBC Sport said British Cycling declined to comment on those allegations when approached, while the Guardian reported that it would not provide further details. The confirmed development is Richardson's withdrawal; the governing body's announcement did not establish the allegations as fact or disclose an outcome to any investigation.

The Guardian reported that the Times had earlier received a general statement from British Cycling saying it takes allegations of harassment, bullying or discrimination seriously and investigates concerns through its established procedures. That statement also said the organisation would not discuss an ongoing process out of fairness to those involved. The Guardian could not reach Richardson for comment, and BBC Sport said it had approached his representatives.

Richardson had been named in Britain's squad the previous Wednesday. He was expected to challenge for medals in the team sprint, individual sprint and keirin, according to BBC Sport. The Guardian reported that he was in the process of leaving the team's training base in China following the withdrawal, ending his involvement in the squad before the Shanghai championships began.

His selection had followed a switch in international allegiance from Australia to Britain after the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he collected two silver medals and a bronze. Richardson was born in Maidstone and moved to Perth at the age of nine, the Guardian reported. He had been regarded as an important figure in Britain's plans for Shanghai and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Richardson also missed an anticipated England debut at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July. BBC Sport reported that he crashed during a keirin event in Japan before those Games. That earlier absence was injury-related; neither report supplied an official explanation from British Cycling for his removal from the world championships squad.