The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has denounced a petition circulating online that targeted controversial dancer breaking Paris Olympics chief Rachel Gunn said the document was “upsetting, malicious and cruel.”
At the end of last week, the breaking made its Olympic debut. One of the images that stood out was that of Australian b-girl Raygun — a 36-year-old professor at the University of Sydney — who performed a “kangaroo dance” during her rather dubious routine that earned her zero points from the judges.
Gunn was later heavily criticized for her performance, with several late-night variety shows in the United States even performing a parody of her performance.
Gunn, who has yet to return to Australia, received support from Australian head of mission Anna Meares while she was still in Paris. On Thursday, the COA went even further, refuting numerous rumours that have circulated online in recent days.
Chief Operating Officer Matt Carroll said the COA wrote to the website change.org, which hosts a petition against Gunn and the COA, asking it to remove it immediately.
More than 40,000 people have signed this petition alleging that Rachel Gunn “manipulated” the Olympic qualification process for the breaking female.
“Shameful” and “defamatory”
Matt Carroll believes the petition “includes a great deal of misinformation intended to create hatred towards an athlete who was selected to the Australian Olympic team following a transparent and independent qualification and selection process.”
“It is shameful that these lies from an anonymous person could be published in this manner,” he wrote. “This amounts to bullying and harassment, and is defamatory. We demand that this be immediately removed from the site. No athlete who has represented their country at the Olympics should be treated in this manner.”
Anonymous messages left on social media suggested that Rachel Gunn and her husband, the dancer breaking Samuel Free, held various positions within the Australian authorities of breaking.
“Rachel Gunn holds no position with AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia,” the COA’s message read on Thursday. “She is simply an athlete who competed in a qualifying competition and triumphed.”
THE breaking may have made its only Olympic appearance in Paris. The discipline is not part of the Olympic program in Los Angeles in 2028, and it is unlikely that it will be added to that of Brisbane, Australia, in 2032.