'Defamatory' Raygun petition taken down, as Australian Olympic chief condemns 'pile-on'

Australian breaker Raygun has spoken amid the ongoing controversy over her Olympic Games performance, saying she worked her "butt off" and taking aim at "allegations and misinformation".

Australian Olympic breaker Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, has addressed the controversy surrounding her performance at the Paris Games. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts

KEY POINTS

• Australia's Olympic breaker Raygun has thanked her supporters but said the hate received has been "devastating".
• She broke her silence after a now-removed petition made accusations described as "defamatory" against her.
• Raygun's performance at the Paris Games last week drew praise and ridicule and quickly became a meme online.

A petition making "defamatory" accusations against Australian breaker Rachael Gunn has been taken down after the Olympian addressed the controversy surrounding her performance at the Paris Games.

The Change.org petition, launched on Thursday, accused Gunn, better known by her moniker Raygun, of setting up her own governing body for breakdancing to qualify for the Games and misusing funding.

Its removal came after Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) CEO Matt Carroll on Thursday labelled the petition "defamatory" and said it amounted to "bullying and harassment". He demanded it be removed immediately and said the organisation would consider legal action if it wasn't.

Speaking to ABC News Breakfast on Friday, Carroll said the "pile-on and petition was a fabrication of mistruths".

Australian Olympic Committee CEO Matt Carroll has labelled an online petition targeting breaking competitor Rachael Gunn as "defamatory". Source: AAP

"She was legitimately selected to the Australian Olympic team with the full support of her sport in a process that was covered by the international world dance federation, by the local dance sport in Australia and all legitimately done," Carroll said.

Australia's Olympic chef de mission Anna Meares, who has defended Gunn previously, was also named in the petition and, along with Gunn, is accused of manipulating the selection process.

The AOC clarified in a statement that the qualifying event held in Sydney in October 2023 was conducted by the sport's international governing body, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), as approved by the International Olympic Committee.

The AOC said the judging panel was selected by the WDSF and consisted of nine independent international judges.

Gunn was "legitimately nominated" by DanceSport Australia to the committee after winning the qualifying event and has no responsibility for any funding decisions in the sport, the AOC added.

The AOC also made it clear Meares was not involved in the qualifying event or nomination of athletes, and the sport did not receive any federal government funding.

DanceSport Australia did receive funding from the AOC for breaking.

Raygun breaks silence over Olympics controversy

Gunn, a 36-year-old Australian academic and b-girl, took the internet by storm after competing at the Paris Games a week ago, at which breakdancing made its Olympics debut.

Her performance, which included moves such as the now-famous 'kangaroo hop', quickly went viral online and drew both praise and ridicule.

She was eliminated during the group stage after scoring zero in three breaking battles.

In a video message posted to social media on Thursday night, Gunn said she gave the Olympics her all and that some of the "hate" she has received has been "pretty devastating".

"I'm glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives," Gunn said.

"I didn't realise that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating."

Gunn said she had worked her "butt off" preparing for the Olympics and was "honoured" to have been a part of the Australian team.

"I gave my all, truly," she said, adding that what other athletes had achieved was "phenomenal".

She said "allegations and misinformation" had emerged but did not reference the petition, and instead pointed to statements in support of her including by the AOC.

Gunn said she would be in Europe for some "pre-planned downtime" over the next few weeks.

"I'd really like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community, and the broader street dance community," she said in her video.

"Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask you to please respect their privacy."

Gunn's Paris Olympics performance went viral online, drawing both praise and ridicule. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts

Gunn previously told the Australian Associated Press that she knew she would struggle to match the athletic ability of her rivals, so she tried to be more creative.

"I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage," she said last week.

"I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way."

Her performance was backed by Olympic breaking judge Martin Gilian, who said she brought originality and unique moves to the stage.

"Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region," Gilian said at a press conference on Sunday.

"This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo."

Breaking will not return for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

With reporting by the Australian Associated Press