Raygun did not cheat her way to the Olympics according to the Australian breaking organization
The Australian breaking organization AUSBreak is defending Olympic breaker Raygun from allegations that she cheated to land a spot at the 2024 Paris games https://t.co/IGmiCOeEM5
- Us Weekly (@usweekly) August 15, 2024
The Australian breaking organization AUSBreak is defending Olympic breaker Raygun from allegations that she cheated to land a spot at the 2024 Paris games.
Raygun, 36 - real name Rachael Gunn - sparked controversy after her performance at the Olympics earlier this month, where she lost her three breaking matches by 54-0.
In a statement released Tuesday, August 12, AUSBreak declared that the selection process for Australia’s breaking team aligned with International Olympic Committee standards to “ensure a fair and transparent outcome.”
Statement:
"The selection process for Australia's Breaking team heading to Paris was conducted over two days, and open to all interested participants in the Oceanic region. Adhering to World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) regulations, which align with International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards, the process aimed to ensure a fair and transparent outcome.
The Oceania Olympic selection event (The QMS 2023 WDSF Oceania Breaking Championships) in October 2023 brought together the top Breakers, both Bgirls and Bboys. A panel of 9 international adjudicators, a head judge and a chairperson who oversaw the competition, using the same judging system at the Paris Games and trained to uphold the highest standards of impartiality. These judges are all highly respected in their respective communities and in the international Breaking scene.
Ultimately, Rachael Gunn and Jeff Dunne emerged as the top performers in exactly the same process, securing their spots to represent Australia in Paris. Their selection was based solely on their performance in their battles on that day.
In the leadup to Paris, Raygun used her platform as the Australian Breaking representative to consistently advocate in the media for Breaking’s history, artistic and athletic values, and its cultural origins.
We condemn the global online harassment and bullying of Raygun. The pressure to perform on the Olympic stage is immense, especially against the opponents in her particular group. We stand in solidarity with Raygun."
This comes after a petition was created on Sunday, August 11 accusing Raygun and Anna Meares, Australia’s chef de mission, of rigging “the selection process to her own advantage. Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked,” the petition states. “The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers - a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage.”
The petition currently has 56K signatures.
Critics of Raygun are requesting that the Australian breaker be held accountable for her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics https://t.co/ON3iObgK7R
- Us Weekly (@usweekly) August 14, 2024
Sources: 1 | 2
