The Olympics have always served as a world stage of athletic talent. It has not, however, always been a beacon for diversity. The Paris Olympics combined both feats, drawing attention to people of color and women in sports. They even welcomed new competitions including the activity that’s been embraced historically by Black, Latin and Asian groups around the world. Breakdancing made its debut and received more attention than expected as a result of an Australian female competitor’s lack of performance. It has been alleged that longtime Bgirls and Bboys, considered the act to be a mockery of the sport. Continuously stripped of the culture that we create and the due diligence deserved, Raygun’s performance points towards a more widespread issue of representation and erasure. Here’s what we know about the dancing professor and the accusations of misconduct that say this Olympic Bgirl eliminated her competition before (she even began) competing.
Who Is Rachael Gun A.K.A. “Raygun”?
Rachael Gunn is a professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She received her doctorate in media, music, cultural studies, and communications at the university where she teaches. Both she, her husband and coach Samuel Free are figures in the budding breakdancing scene and were supported in pursuing competition at the Olympics. AUSBreak and the Australian Breaking Association, which was alleged to have been founded by Raygunn and Free, both confirmed that the Bgirl participated in fairly-conducted qualifying competitions. They’ve also come to her rescue as online judgments have continued to swarm. Raygun, who has been described by Australian organization as a credible dancer, scored 18-0 in all three of her matches prompting her to credit her losing with “never going to beat those girls”.
The fellow competitors that she described represent some of the same communities that were allegedly prevented from participating during qualifiers in Australia. But what really happened?
Alleged Conspiracy Theory and Accusation of Misconduct Against Raygun
The AUSBreak, in response to Raygun’s accusations of misconduct, said that Olympic qualifier events were held over the course of two days, adhering to all regulations. In alignment with the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards, the event brought together Australia’s best Bgirls and Bboys with 11 officials. It was also alleged that the same judging system was used there as it was at the Paris Games. Still, a petition was circulated and signed by close to 40,000 people and sent to the Prime Minister of Australia demanding an apology from the breakdancing professor who was said to have earned her place in this very new and crucial moment for breakdancing. And fans of the Bgirl including the Australian organizations involved continue to stand ten toes down in their defense of Raygun.
Since the closing ceremony, Raygun has received backlash which was alleged to have sparked a vacation for herself and her husband instead of returning home to Australia. Raygun has also spoken out thanking her fans for the love and asking comments of hate to stop.
