Australian Breaking Organization Says Raygun's Selection for Paris Olympics Was Fair, Dispels Cheating Rumors

Online rumors have alleged that Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn 'elected herself' to represent Australia in breaking at the Paris Olympic Games — but that's far from the case

• The Australian breaking organization AUSBreak pushed back against claims that Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, manipulated the selection process for the 2024 Paris Olympics

• Online speculation ramped up after Reddit users claimed that Raygun and her husband and coach Samuel Free were founders of the Australian Breaking Association that was involved in the selection process

• The Sydney Morning Herald also confirmed that Raygun and her husband were not the founders and are not involved in the leadership of the Australian Breaking Association

Australian breaking organization AUSBreak has pushed back against claims that Olympic breaker Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, manipulated the selection process for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and publicly stated that they “stand in solidarity” with the athlete.

The 36-year-old did not medal in the Olympic event, but her moves went viral during her breaking — AKA breakdancing — competition on Aug. 9.

In a statement from the organization on Tuesday, Aug. 13, AUSBreak confirmed that the selection process for the Paris Games adhered to the “World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) regulations, which align with International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards” to “ensure a fair and transparent outcome.”

“The Oceania Olympic selection event in October 2023 brought together the top Breakers, both Bgirls and Bboys,” the organization said. “A panel of nine international adjudicators, a head judge and a chairperson who oversaw the competition, used the same judging system at the Paris Games and trained to uphold the highest standards of impartiality.”

Raygun did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Unfounded allegations that Raygun cheated to get her spot on the Olympic breaking team ramped up after a Reddit post circulated online claiming that Raygun and her husband and coach Samuel Free were the founders of the Australian Breaking Association. The post alleged that she “elected herself” to represent Australia in the breaking event.

Related: Who Is Raygun? Meet the Olympic Aussie Breakdancer Who Went Viral for Her Dance Moves

An anonymous online user that goes by the name “Someone Who Hates Corruption” also started a petition on Change.org Aug. 11, requesting to hold Raygun accountable for “unethical conduct” and calling for an investigation in the Olympic selection process.

In the petition — which has over 32,000 signatures as of Aug. 14 —  the user claimed that “Gunn set up her own governing body for breakdancing [and] manipulated the selection process to her own advantage.”

Australian news outlet the Sydney Morning Herald debunked the claim on Aug. 12 and confirmed Lowe Napalan, another Australian breaking champion, is actually the founder of the organization.

Related: Aussie Breakdancer Raygun Wins Over the Internet with 'Kangaroo' Moves at Paris Olympics

According to AUSBreak’s statement, judges at the Oceanic qualification event “are all highly respected in their respective communities and in the international Breaking scene.” The statement clarified that Raygun and her fellow Australian competitor Jeff Dunne were selected to represent the country “based solely on their performance in their battles on that day.” 

Raygun has not responded to the allegations yet, but AUSBreak insists that “in the lead-up to Paris, Raygun used her platform as the Australian Breaking representative to consistently advocate in the media for Breaking’s history, artistic and athletic values, and its cultural origins.”

“The pressure to perform on the Olympic stage is immense,” they continued. “Especially against the opponents in her particular group.”

Despite the backlash, Raygun shared in an Instagram post on Aug. 8 that it was “an honor and a privilege to be one of sixteen women from around the world competing in breaking’s debut at the Olympics."

"I hope that seeing breaking at the Olympics inspires a whole new generation of breakers."

 To learn more about all the Olympic champions and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Paralympics, beginning Aug. 28, on NBC and Peacock.

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