Because the controversy surrounding Olympic breakdancer Raygun continues, her unorthodox strikes went viral this week, elevating questions on how she was allowed to compete within the first place.
Raygun, also referred to as Dr Rachael Gunn, is a 36-year-old lecturer within the Division of Media, Communication, Artistic Arts, Languages and Literature at Macquarie College in Sydney, Australia. She research and teaches break dancing and hip-hop.
Here is how Raygun will qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
How did Raygun qualify for the Olympics?
The drama surrounding Raygun started on August 10 throughout her breakdancing efficiency on the 2024 Paris Olympics. Dealing with opponents from the USA, France and Lithuania.
Regan carried out a collection of weird strikes, together with a kangaroo soar, and spent a lot of the time mendacity or spinning on the ground. Consequently, the efficiency was met with each roars of laughter and intense on-line hate. Memes are slowly disappearing from social media. Folks additionally posted tweets mocking her with “these meals do not work!” and “*quarter-hour later*” evaluating Raygun’s actions to the results of medicine on the physique. Many questioned how she might probably qualify for the Olympics.
Issues received worse when a petition began going viral on Sunday (August 11) accusing the athlete of “unethical habits.” The Change.org petition has since been taken down, however previously few days it has over 29,000 energetic signatures. The submit was created by a consumer named “Corruption Hate” who accused Raygun and Australian Olympic Committee president Anna Meares of manipulating the Olympic choice course of and overlooking different gifted Australian breakdancers. Desire Raygun.
Nevertheless, the petition was crammed with a number of accusations towards Raygun that have been later debunked. sydney morning heraldTogether with Raygun and Samuel Free (her husband, coach and hip-hop boy Sammy The Free) manipulated the choice course of. The petition claims that Raygun and Free are the founders of AUSBreaking, previously the Australian Breaking Affiliation, the group taking part within the competitors. This isn’t true as Raygun and Free usually are not affiliated with the group.
“Whereas AUSBreaking has had many interactions and touchpoints with Raygun, she has by no means been a founder, govt, committee member or held any management place,” AUSBreaking mentioned in an announcement. “She has had no involvement in any occasions, funding, technique, refereeing Choice or athlete choice selections.”
However the query stays: How precisely did Regon qualify for the Olympics?
Paris introduced in 2022 that it might cooperate with the World DanceSport Federation to incorporate avenue dance within the 2024 Olympic Video games. They later decided that the competitors would have 32 locations, together with 16 avenue dance women and 16 avenue dance boys, with three various kinds of gamers taking part. Contest.
The primary alternative to qualify is the WDSF World Championships in Belgium in September 2023. Two locations can be found. The remaining 20 locations will likely be determined on the Olympic Qualification Collection in Budapest and Shanghai in Could and June 2024.
As for Raygun, she certified on the Australian regional qualifier 2023 WDSF Break Oceania Championship in Sydney final October. AUSBreaking organized the occasion and it’s understood sydney morning heraldThe 2023 judging panel is made up totally of worldwide gamers, together with Japan’s Katsu One. Regan’s husband was not one of many judges.
AUSBreaking has additionally had a nationwide rating system since 2020, and public information present that Raygun ranked first in each the inaugural rating and the 2021 rating. She subsequently ranked second in each the 2022 and 2023 rankings.
Raygun then competed within the WDSF Oceania Breaking Championship in October of that 12 months. Native media reported that she was the highest-scoring b-girl on the primary day of competitors and entered the highest eight. After the second day, Raygun secured a qualifying spot.
AUSBreaking has since issued a number of statements relating to the controversy surrounding Raygun, together with that Raygun’s judging system on the Oceania Championships would be the similar because the 2024 Olympics. AUSBreaking additionally condemns any harassment directed at Raygun.
When contacted for remark, the Australian Olympic Committee issued an announcement further giant It condemned the nameless on-line petition for “attacking members of the Australian Olympic group and undermining competitor Regan, which is unreasonable, deceptive and bullying.”
“AOC CEO Matt Carroll acknowledged that AOC has despatched a letter to Change.org, the group that has posted the petition, requesting that the petition be withdrawn instantly,” the assertion continued. “Mr Carroll mentioned the petition contained quite a few lies and was designed to stoke hatred towards athletes who’ve been chosen for Australia’s Olympic group via a clear and impartial qualifying and nomination course of.”
The assertion added that AOC was notably sad with feedback made about Anna Mills within the petition. “The Australian chef performed no function within the {qualifications} and athlete nominations of the AOC choice committee (of which the chef and I are members),” the assertion learn. “How might such false info concocted by an nameless supply It is disgraceful that it was posted on this manner. It constitutes bullying and harassment and is defamatory. The petition has fueled public hatred to no avail.
AOC concluded: “It can be crucial that the group is aware of the information and that folks don’t type opinions based mostly on malicious lies and misinformation.”
further giant AUSBreaking has been contacted for additional remark.
AUSBreaking echoed AOC’s sentiments in one in every of its statements, particularly stating that Raygun’s husband had nothing to do with the choice course of.
“Opposite to misinformation circulating, Dr. Gunn’s husband, Ray Gunn’s coach, is just not a member of the choice panel or judging committee,” an announcement from AUSBreaking learn. “This might represent a battle of curiosity, and the Olympics have strict guidelines. Requirements won’t ever enable this to go.”
Raygun himself responded to the backlash. She shared a video on Instagram on Thursday (August 15) in response to criticism of her breakdancing, which she known as “devastating.” She additionally directed critics to statements made by AUSBreaking and others about match-fixing by her and her husband.
“I need to begin by thanking everybody who has supported me, I actually respect their positivity and I am pleased to have the ability to carry some pleasure into your lives, that is all I hope for,” Regan started. “I did not notice that it might additionally open the door to a lot hate, which, frankly, was fairly damaging. I went out and had a good time and I did take it very significantly. I did all the pieces I might to arrange for the Olympics.” Actually giving it my all, I am honored to be part of the Australian Olympic group and to be part of Breaking’s Olympic debut.
She additionally begged the media to “cease harassing my household, mates, the Australian breakdance group and the broader hip-hop group.”
Whereas the trolling and hatred in the direction of Raygun might have escalated too far, folks within the hip-hop group nonetheless have some extent, apart from questioning what the hell occurred that allowed her to be allowed on the Olympic stage. Regan’s underwhelming efficiency was all of the extra surprising as a result of Paris 2024 was crammed with dozens of unimaginable highlights, most of which featured girls like gymnast Simone Biles and sprinter Shakari Richardson athlete.
Thereafter, Regan makes an attempt to remodel her admittedly horrible each day routine right into a feat of brave self-expression and boundless “creativity.” Whether or not or not that is true, the actual fact is that Raygun is not successful the hearts of the judges and is struggling to win the hearts of the web.
Learn extra: Olympic Breakdancing – Paris Video games, viral movies and outcomes at a look
Watch Raygun’s assertion under.
Watch Raygun focus on her breakdancing controversy on the 2024 Olympics
Watch Raygun compete on the 2024 Olympics
Please see AUSBreaking’s assertion about RayGun
