Australian Olympic boss ‘offended’ by viral Raygun petition

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has furiously slammed an online petition calling retired Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s arguable breakdancing show successful Paris.

The Change.org petition, stated by an anonymous enactment known arsenic ‘Someone Who Hates Corruption’, has already reached implicit 45,000 signatures arsenic of Thursday day since its inception connected Monday.

It called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the AOC to “Hold Raygun Rachel Gunn and Anna Mears (sic) accountable for unethical behaviour (and) Olympic selection”.

However, AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll has slammed the “appalling” petition arsenic being “vexatious, misleading and bullying” and has called for it to beryllium “immediately withdrawn”.

Mr Carroll said that the petition contains “numerous falsehoods” and is designed to “engender hatred” against Dr Gunn, who helium says was selected “through a transparent and autarkic qualification lawsuit and information process”.

“The AOC is peculiarly offended by the affront to our Chef de Mission, Anna Meares,” Mr Caroll said successful a connection connected Thursday.

“The Australian Team Chef de Mission played nary relation successful the qualification events nor the information of athletes to the AOC Selection Committee, of which the Chef and I are members.

“It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous idiosyncratic tin beryllium published successful this way. It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory.

“We are demanding that it beryllium removed from the tract immediately.

“The petition has stirred up nationalist hatred without immoderate factual basis. It’s appalling.

“No jock who has represented their state astatine the Olympic Games should beryllium treated successful this mode and we are supporting Dr Gunn and Anna Meares astatine this time.

“It’s important that the assemblage understands the facts and that radical bash not signifier opinions based connected malicious untruths and misinformation.”

The AOC confirmed that the Oceania Qualifying lawsuit held successful Sydney successful October 2023 was conducted nether the Olympic qualification strategy determined by the planetary governing body, World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) arsenic approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

They stated that the judging sheet for the lawsuit was selected by the WDSF and consisted of 9 autarkic planetary judges who were brought to Australia specifically to supply “fair, adept and transparent adjudication”.

The committee added that Dr Gunn “holds nary presumption with AUSBreaking oregon DanceSport Australia successful immoderate capacity” and is “simply an jock who competed successful the qualifying lawsuit which she won” with nary appeals from immoderate different athletes.

They contradict Dr Gunn having “any work for backing decisions successful her sport” and confirmed that nary national taxpayer’s funds were sought, nor provided, for the Olympic Teams’ Paris $25 cardinal campaign.

Change.org petition

Raygun has been the taxable of countless viral net memes successful the aftermath of her flailing connected signifier during the archetypal — and perchance past — Olympic Breaking event.

Everyone from talk amusement big Jimmy Fallon to Barbara down the roadworthy has thrown their 2 cents astatine the 36-year-old Aussie.

Some judge Gunn’s left-of-field show that fell horribly flat successful beforehand of the Paris breakdancing judges was an affront to the Australian Olympics team, and the federation arsenic a whole.

But others person rallied down the Aussie underdog for achieving a imagination of hers and doing it her ain way.

The Change.org petition argues that the inclusion of Dr Gunn and the green-lighting of her show astatine the Games raises superior concerns astir the integrity of the enactment procedure.

The petition besides boldly alleges that Gunn manipulated the enactment process to her ain advantage, arguing that much talented and qualified breakdancers, specified arsenic “G Clef” and “Holy Molly”, were unfairly overlooked.

“We request a nationalist apology from Rachel Gunn and Anna Mears for misleading the Australian nationalist and attempting to gaslight the nationalist and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes,” the strongly-worded petition reads.

“We besides telephone for a afloat probe into the enactment process, an audit of Dr. Gunn’s concern dealings, and a planetary nationalist apology to the breaking assemblage for the unethical behaviour that has tainted this sport.

“Rachel Gunn’s deficiency of morals and morals raises superior concerns astir her fittingness to thatch and clasp immoderate presumption of authorization successful the sport, oregon university.

“Australia indispensable bash amended by its athletes and guarantee that the principles of fairness, transparency, and integrity are upheld successful each aspects of Olympic selection.”

-With Alex Blair