Rachael Gunn participated, last week, in the Paris 2024 Olympic Gameswhere he represented Australia in the Breakdance category. After his criticized performance, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) On Thursday, the US condemned an online petition demanding an investigation into the selection of the break dancer..
Gunn, 36, entered the competition and was ridiculed on the internet after losing all her matches, with a performance that left steps of dubious quality. The request of the dancer’s detractors reached 45,000 signatures.
The petition demanding an investigation into the Australian dancer
Last weekend, the Breakdance debuted on the Olympic programme for the first time in history. However, all attention was diverted from the winning athletes and focused on Gunn – better known as “Raygun” – for its dubious performance.
The 36-year-old Australian dancer entered the competition with a routine with poor quality steps, which received zero points from the judges. Thus, the competitor lost her three initial round fights by a combined score of 54-0.
The steps quickly turned viral on the Internet where the athlete was ridiculed. But the criticism did not stop there: different people started a petition on change.org to investigate Gunn’s selection as Australia’s representative.
The request also demands an apology by the dancer, as well as the head of the Australian Olympic Mission, Anna Meares. The petition included 45,000 signatures this Thursday morning.
The executive director of the COA, Matt Carrollstated that the request was “vexatious, deceptive and intimidating“. Furthermore, the head of the Australian committee assured that this request “incited public hatred without any objective basis“.
“No athlete who has represented his country at the Olympic Games should be treated this way and we are supporting Dr. Gunn and Anna Meares at this time,” Carroll added. The COA made the decision to contact the change.org platform demanding that immediately withdraw the petition.
Internet Reviews
One of the main criticisms leveled against Gunn was the suggestion that the Oceania qualifying tournamentheld in Sydney in October 2023, It was designed to flatter the Australian dancer.. Along these lines, social media users strongly questioned the judges who allowed the university professor to participate in the Olympics.
In response to these accusations, the COA indicated that the Oceania qualifying tournament was held under the system determined by the governing body, the World Dance Sport Federationand was approved by the International Olympic CommitteeThe Australian organisation added that the panel of judges for the competition was chosen by the Federation and was made up of nine international and independent members.
But the response on social media was not long in coming. Without citing sources, various comments from Internet users speculated on the hypothesis that Gunn and her husband – fellow breaker Samuel Free – held positions in the organisations of this sport in Australia.
Faced with this new accusation, the Australian committee stated that “Rachael Gunn has no positions with AUSBreaking or the Australian Dance Sport Federation in any capacity“She is simply an athlete who competed in the qualifying event and won it,” the authorities said.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
