The Australian Olympic Committee strongly criticized an online petition attacking Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, known by her stage name “Raygun,” following her controversial performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The petition, which accuses Gunn of manipulating the qualification process, had garnered nearly 55,000 signatures as of Thursday, but the AOC labeled it as “vexatious, misleading and bullying.”
Rachael Gunn, a 36-year-old university professor from Sydney, made headlines last weekend during the Olympic debut of breaking, a sport derived from breakdancing. Gunn’s performance, which included a so-called “kangaroo dance,” failed to impress the judges, resulting in a score of zero points. The routine quickly went viral, attracting both ridicule and criticism, including a parody on a U.S. late-night television show. The backlash intensified online, culminating in the anonymous petition that questions Gunn’s Olympic qualifications and the legitimacy of her selection.
In response, the AOC took a firm stand against the petition. Matt Carroll, the Chief Executive Officer of the AOC, announced that the organization had written to change.org, the platform hosting the petition, demanding its immediate removal. Carroll condemned the petition as containing “numerous falsehoods designed to engender hatred against an athlete who was selected in the Australian Olympic team through a transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process,” via The Associated Press.
Carroll further criticized the petition, stating, “It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way. It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory. We are demanding that it be removed from the site immediately. No athlete who has represented their country at the Olympic Games should be treated in this way.”
Raygun Olympic appearance for Australia raises questions
The controversy surrounding Gunn’s Olympic appearance has also raised questions about the Oceania qualifying event, which was held in Sydney in October. Some online critics have suggested that the event was rigged to favor Gunn and have questioned the integrity of the judging process. The AOC, however, firmly refuted the claims. According to the AOC, the Oceania qualifying event was conducted under the Olympic qualification system established by the World DanceSport Federation and approved by the International Olympic Committee. The judging panel, the AOC added, was composed of nine independent international judges selected by the WDSF.
In response to social media allegations that Gunn and her husband, Samuel Free, held positions within Australian breaking organizations, the AOC clarified that Gunn “holds no position with AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia in any capacity.”
The controversy has cast a shadow over what was already a challenging Olympic debut for breaking. With the sport not listed for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and its future inclusion in the 2032 Brisbane Games uncertain, breaking’s Olympic journey may be short-lived.
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