Rachael Gunn was criticised after her Olympic performance, which featured a 'kangaroo dance' move and more; she didn't expect it to 'open the door to so much hate, which has been devastating'; The Australian Olympic Committee defended her from 'disgraceful falsehoods' in online petition
Friday 16 August 2024 08:12, UK
Breakdancer Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, who became a social media talking point after her Paris 2024 performance, has called for the harassment to end.
In an Instagram post, Gunn insisted she took the Olympics "very seriously".
She said: "I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me - I really appreciate the positivity and I'm glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That's what I hoped.
"I didn't realise that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.
"Well I went out there and I had fun. I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics. I gave my all - truly.
"I'm honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of breaking's Olympic debut."
The Australian Olympic Committee has condemned an anonymous online petition as "vexatious, misleading and bullying".
Sydney university professor Gunn, 36, scored zero points, with her 'kangaroo dance' among other moves being heavily criticised.
The AOC has had to refute numerous erroneous claims it says have appeared online.
Chief executive officer Matt Carroll said the AOC had written to change.org, which had published a petition criticizing Gunn and the AOC, demanding that it be immediately withdrawn.
More than 40,000 people have signed the petition claiming Gunn had "manipulated" Olympic qualification processes.
Carroll argued the petition "contained 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".
"It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way," he said. "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."
The AOC insisted the Oceania qualifying event was conducted under the Olympic qualification system determined by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) and approved by International Olympic Committee.
It said the judging panel for the event was selected by the WDSF and consisted of nine independent international judges.
"Rachael Gunn holds no position with AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia in any capacity," the AOC said. "She is simply an athlete who competed in the qualifying event which she won."
Breaking garnered plenty of interest at Paris 2024 but is not on the competition programme for the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, and is also not expected to appear in 2032 at the Games in Brisbane.
