The unfortunate butterfly effect of Rachael “Raygun” Gunn’s sudden rise to fame has continued, with a petition now being launched to hold her and Anna Meares “accountable for unethical conduct.”
Raygun has been the topic of countless viral internet memes in the wake of her flailing on stage during the first — and potentially last — Olympic Breaking event.
Everyone from talk show host Jimmy Fallon to Barbara down the road has thrown their two cents at the 36-year-old Aussie.
Some believe Gunn’s left-of-field performance that fell horribly flat in front of the Paris breakdancing judges was an affront to the Australian Olympics team, and the nation as a whole.
But others have rallied behind the Aussie underdog for achieving a dream of hers and doing it her own way.
The main thing that has baffled critics is exactly how Raygun emerged atop the list of female breakdancers in Australia, with sporting commentators like Andrew Voss questioning why we even sent a breakdancer to compete if Raygun was the top of the pack.
The IOC’s radical decision to include such a niche subculture and expecting it to land with billions of viewers has also been called into question.
The Change.org petition, created by an account called “Someone who hates corruption,” is calling for immediate action and accountability in the recent selection process, putting chef de mission Anna Meares in the spotlight.
The petition, addressed to Anthony Albanese, argues that the inclusion of Gunn and the green-lighting of her performance at the Games raises serious concerns about the integrity of the selection procedure.
The petition also boldly alleges that Gunn manipulated the selection process to her own advantage, arguing that more talented and qualified breakdancers, such as “G Clef” and “Holy Molly,” were unfairly overlooked.
“We demand a public apology from Rachel Gunn and Anna Mears for misleading the Australian public and attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes,” the strongly-worded petition reads.
“We also call for a full investigation into the selection process, an audit of Dr. Gunn’s business dealings, and a global public apology to the breaking community for the unethical behavior that has tainted this sport.
“Rachel Gunn’s lack of ethics and morals raises serious concerns about her fitness to teach and hold any position of authority in the sport, or university.
“Australia must do better by its athletes and ensure that the principles of fairness, transparency, and integrity are upheld in all aspects of Olympic selection.”
The petition has attracted over 23,000 signatures in just two days.
In another disappointing turn of events, breakdancers around Australia say they have been the target of online abuse following the social media storm over Raygun’s Olympics performance.
Fellow breakdancer Leah Clark admitted she was a bit disappointed in Raygun’s performance but said she had earned her spot to compete in Paris.
“I have been a friend of Rachael and have competed against her for many years. I was so proud to watch her walk out. (But) the performance… I was a little shocked at what I saw to be totally honest,” Clark told Triple J’s Hack.
“Rachael does have a quirky style and a unique character.
“To be honest on a personal level, I was a bit disappointed.
“Some of those choices weren’t the best for the Olympic stage … there were some questionable decisions made on her behalf.
“I praise her for being her authentic self.
“There is a huge amount of talent in Australia. But Rachael deserved to be there because she won the championships.
“We don’t have access to compete at high profile events regularly.
“The Australian b-girl scene is vast and powerful and maybe that wasn’t portrayed at the Olympics.”
Clark said she “can’t even open her social media” because it’s “flooded with trolls.”
“It’s just insane,” she continued, mentioning she and several other dancers have been communicating about how to handle the sudden explosion of negative publicity.
“The competitive girls have mixed emotions. We deeply care for Rachael and we’re worried about her and the amount of bullying she’s getting. Nobody deserves that. We hope she’s ok.
“On the other side, we’re kind of like ‘what happened there?’
“Some girls have been crying because they’re completely embarrassed to enter the next competition.”
She said some dancers are “terrified” to compete because of what people might think.
She also said the sport has taken a massive reputation hit and voiced concerns over future funding opportunities after breakdancing “was made a mockery of.”
On the same day, Andrew Voss put a stern question to Australia’s Olympics organisers after Raygun’s performance on the world stage turned into a laughing stock.
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He questioned why Australia elected to send anyone to compete in breakdancing if Raygun was the standard.
“Think she’s going to come back as a hero. She’s been slammed for her performance because it was hopeless compared to other performers,” he said on his SEN radio show with Greg Alexander.
“There are lots of sports where we are not represented, because we’re not at the level of the Olympics.
“How did this get through?
“It’s fine to say she was the best in the qualification, but if our best was hopeless, why did we send someone to compete in that discipline?”
