Matthew Richardson has been withdrawn from the Great Britain squad for the World Championships in Shanghai as British Cycling investigates allegations that he used racist and discriminatory language.
The 27-year-old sprinter was sent home on Monday, with reports claiming that riders on the World Class Programme had described him as arrogant and said he had a “God complex”. The allegations have not been proven and the misconduct inquiry remains ongoing.
Richardson was expected to compete in the men’s sprint events alongside Harry Ledingham-Horn, Ed Lowe and Joe Truman. His withdrawal came as his partner and fellow British cyclist Emma Finucane remained in Shanghai and helped Britain win silver in the women’s team sprint.
Finucane, 23, shared the podium with Sophie Capewell and Rhianna Parris-Smith after China took gold and Germany claimed bronze. She is also due to compete in the individual sprint and keirin.
Richardson addressed his withdrawal in a statement posted on Instagram, saying he understood “the seriousness” of the reports and would co-operate with British Cycling’s procedures.
“I will co-operate fully with its processes,” he said. “I assure everyone that I will do so properly, and appropriately and with contrition for the feelings of anyone who might be affected.”
He added that he would not comment further while the process was under way, saying he was “deeply disappointed” to miss the World Championships and wishing the Great Britain team well.
British Cycling confirmed that Richardson had been withdrawn from the squad but said it would not comment further on the misconduct allegations at this stage.
Finucane’s brother Sean said the family had been shocked by the development. He said his parents had flown to Shanghai without knowing what had happened and described Richardson as “a lovely guy”.
Richardson and Finucane live together in Manchester and have been in a relationship since February 2024.
The withdrawal has also interrupted Richardson’s planned return to competition after he suffered a serious crash during the Keirin World Series in July. He was taken from the velodrome in an ambulance after being hit by Japanese rider Kento Suzuki and was later ruled out of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Richardson said last week that he was lucky to be walking after breaking his scapula and heavily bruising his hip. He had been expected to challenge for gold in Glasgow and had hoped to defend the title he won for Australia in 2022.
Born in Maidstone and raised in Perth from the age of nine, Richardson switched allegiance from Australia to Britain after the 2024 Paris Olympics. Earlier this year, he won European Championship gold in the men’s sprint and keirin, as well as silver in the team sprint.
