"Just words on a piece of paper": Olympian's blunt response to lifetime ban
<p>Olympic cycling medallist Matthew Richardson has responded to the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/olympian-slapped-with-lifetime-ban-after-defection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lifetime ban</a> he received as "just words on a piece of paper" that "don't carry much weight for me" following his defection to ride for Great Britain. </p>
<p>The 25-year-old Olympian received a lot of backlash after his post-Paris defection where he won three medals for Australia despite knowing that he was going to switch to represent his country of birth. </p>
<p>While Richardson was proud of his decision, he did express a bit of "shock" at the ban. </p>
<p>"I didn't know it was coming," Richardson said during a UCI Track Champions League press conference.</p>
<p>"I found it quite interesting. I guess they were just keen to get one last, final blow, one last, final word.</p>
<p>"But ultimately, I had left three months ago. I'm not sure where the confusion ... has come from, but I thought it was pretty obvious that, by wanting to ride for GB for the rest of my career, that would mean I didn't want to ride for Australia for the rest of my career. It's almost like you leave your job, and three months later, they go, 'Well, you're fired!'.</p>
<p>"It's just words on a piece of paper, really, and they don't really carry much weight for me."</p>
<p>In a statement on Monday, AusCycling said that it had investigated the prospect of a two-year non-compete clause being enforced, but discovered it was "legally unenforceable".</p>
<p>"The UCI can't enforce regulations on me that I haven't signed for," Richardson said.</p>
<p>"That was just words on a piece of paper that, again, don't hold any weight.</p>
<p>"As they also said in that review, they're going to have to go back and have a look at that clause, which basically just admits that they're going to have to change it or get rid of it, or whatever, because it clearly has no meaning."</p>
<p>Richardson was born in Maidstone, Kent but moved to Perth at the age of nine.</p>
<p>He took up cycling with Perth's Midland Cycling Club and not long after was riding with Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS).</p>
<p>Richardson brushed aside claims that he had threatened AusCycling’s intellectual property by asking to take his bike with him after the Paris Olympics, and said he'd "always been respectful to AusCycling" as well as "thankful for everything" the organisation had done for him.</p>
<p>"I really did think I repaid them with all the results, you know — the world championship, the three Olympic medals that I returned," Richardson added.</p>
<p>"Unfortunately, noise was created around the issue, but I sleep well at night knowing that noise didn't come from myself.</p>
<p>"Hopefully in the years to come, myself and AusCycling can come to some sort of understanding.</p>
<p>"But for now, there we go. They've had their final word.</p>
<p>"Hopefully we can just put it to bed and just enjoy riding in circles."</p>
<p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>
