Petition Accuses Olympic Breakdancer Raygun of Unethical Conduct

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Thousands of people sign a petition claiming Olympic breakdancer Raygun should be held accountable for unethical conduct.

Raygun Faces Backlash Over Olympic Performance

On Sunday (Aug. 11), Australian breakdancer Rachel Gunn, who goes by her b-girl name Raygun, faced swift backlash from the internet after an online petition accused the athlete of "unethical conduct." She went viral at the Olympics for doing what some people described as kangaroo hops and rolling around on the ground.

The petition went viral on Tuesday (Aug. 13) and has since accrued over 28,000 signatures. The petition arrived after the 36-year-old breakdancer's unique performance at the 2024 Olympics awarded her a whopping zero points by judges. Raygun's dancing was also met with widespread panning online, with many criticizing how she was picked to represent Australia in the first place.

The Change.org petition was created by a user named "Someone Who hates corruption," and as of writing has garnered over 28,000 signatures. The petition accuses Raygun and Australian Olympic Committee president Anna Meares of rigging the selection process for the games, and overlooking other talented Aussie breakdancers in favor of Raygun.

"We, the undersigned, call for immediate accountability and transparency in the recent actions of Rachel Gunn and Anna Mears in the selection process for Australia's female breakdancer representative at the upcoming Olympics," the petition begins. "Rachel Gunn, who set up her own governing body for breakdancing, has manipulated the selection process to her own advantage. Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked. The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers—a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage."

The petition also accused Raygun and her husband and coach Samuel Free of rigging the selection process by being the founders of the Australian Breakin Association - the organization that takes part in the games. This claim has since been debunked by The Sydney Morning Herald, as Free and Gunn aren't affiliated with the association.

XXL has reached out to Raygun for further comment.

Raygun's Breakdancing Performance Stirs Controversy

Rachael Gunn, who is a lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University, competed in the 2024 Olympics and showed off her bizarre dance moves. The show caused an uproar and laughs around the internet. During one memorable moment, Raygun was eliminated from the round-robin stage (early prelims) without earning a single point.

Raygun's routine has since gone viral on TikTok and YouTube, and not for the right reasons. Many critics feel Raygun was mocking the genre of hip-hop and dance with her odd dance moves.

It was then reported on Tuesday (Aug. 13) that the sport of breakdancing will not return to the 2028 Olympics. Los Angeles will choose different sports for the next event.