GB track sprinter Matt Richardson promises to cooperate with investigation into alleged misconduct towards teammates

British track sprinter Matt Richardson has said he will cooperate with a British Cycling investigation into allegations of misconduct after he withdrew from the UCI track World Championships in Shanghai.

A series of detailed reports by Matt Lawton in the Times have suggested the investigation was related to Richardson's behaviour towards other riders.

Richardson switched national allegiance after the 2024 Paris Olympics, leaving the Australian national team to ride for Great Britain. He won two silver medals and a bronze in Paris and hoped that Great Britain's performance structure could help him take on Dutch rival Harrie Lavreysen at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

27-year-old Richardson was expected to contend the sprint, individual sprint and keirin world titles in Shanghai this week as the Olympic qualification process began. Instead he travelled home and reacted to his withdrawal with a carefully worded message.

"I understand the seriousness of what has been raised in recent reports about my withdrawal from the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships," Richardson wrote on Instagram.

"British Cycling has said it looks into matters like this through its established procedures. I will cooperate fully with its processes. 

"I assure everyone that I will do so properly, and appropriately and with contrition for the feelings of anyone who might be affected. Out of fairness to everyone involved, and on advice, like British Cycling, I will not be commenting further until any process is complete."

Behaviour and team management processes at the Great Britain track team have long been scrutinised, with scandals and investigations of different kinds emerging, under the management of Dave Brailsford, Shane Sutton and current Head of Performance Stephen Park.

The Times reported that a recent rider and staff survey highlighted a fall in morale since 2024, with someone describing the atmosphere at the team’s Manchester base as “toxic” to the Times.

British Cycling told the Times it has developed an action plan to address the survey's findings. UK Sport, the body that funds Olympic sports in Britain, also monitoring the investigation into Richardson.

"It is important to recognise that others want to see improvements, and we are committed to listening and acting on this, while remaining a high-performance environment," British Cycling said.