Track-cycling defector Matthew Richardson competed in the Great Britain kit at the weekend despite being banned from officially representing the country — and it was a subtle detail in UCI regulations that allowed him to do so.

Regulations enforced by Union Cycliste Internationale, the governing body of world cycling, meant Richardson was barred from contesting the next editions of both the world and continental championships after he made a shock switch from Team Australia to Team Great Britain following the Paris Olympics.

Those regulations prevented the British-born Australian from contesting October’s world championships in Denmark and mean he won’t be allowed to compete at the European championships in Belgium in February, given athletes at those events officially represent the country with which they are aligned as a cyclist.

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On the contrary, athletes officially represent themselves, not their country, at the Track Champions League, despite being required to wear their national colours and despite the fact the tournament is also run by the UCI.

That’s why Richardson, who won two silver medals and a bronze for Australia at the Paris Olympics, was allowed to compete at the Track Champions League event in Paris at the weekend, where he took victory in the men’s sprint and keirin finals while decked out in red, white and blue.

The governing body of Great Britain cycling hyped up the high-profile recruit.

“Red, white and BLEW THEM AWAY!” British Cycling posted on Instagram. “Pure dominance from Matty Richardson as he wins his first race in British colours.”

The governing body of Australian cycling said in a statement on Monday that it had investigated the prospect of a two-year non-competition clause being enforced against Richardson, only to learn it was “legally unenforceable”.

Wide World of Sports understands AusCycling never intended to have Richardson banned from competing in the Track Champions League.

AusCycling revealed in Monday’s statement that Richardson was banned from competing for Australia, prohibited from using any of the governing body’s resources and ineligible for any AusCycling awards. All three sanctions are in place for life.

Richardson hit back during a Track Champions League press conference, comparing AusCycling’s ban to an employee leaving their job and later being told they’re sacked.

The 25-year-old speedster also said the statement released by AusCycling was “just words on a piece of paper” that “don’t hold any weight”.

Richardson was born in Maidstone, Kent but moved to Perth at the age of nine, before taking up cycling and developing in the sport under the guidance of Perth’s Midland Cycling Club, the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) and AusCycling.

“GB has always been something that’s kind of stuck with me since I was a kid [and] since I moved out to Australia, and then when I started racing for Australia it was always a thought in my mind that I could actually be racing for GB, so it stuck with me since then,” Richardson told SBS this week.

“Midway through my career now, I figured now’s probably a good time to do it if I was going to do it, and I thought I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t give it a crack and try to make the swap. So here I am.”

Rounds two and three of the Track Champions League will take place in the Netherlands on the weekend.