Olympic Games: Paris organisers propose breakdancing to IOC as a new sport for 2024

[Abdullah719]

Breakdancing has been proposed for inclusion in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, organisers have announced.

It is one of four sports that Paris organisers will propose to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as surfing, climbing and skateboarding.

Surfing, sport climbing and skateboarding will make their Olympic debuts at Tokyo 2020.

Breakdancing was included in the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018.

The IOC will consider the proposal and must reach a decision by December 2020.

Tony Estanguet, a three-time canoeing Olympic champion and head of the Paris 2024 organising committee, said the inclusion of the new sports would make the Olympics "more urban" and "more artistic".

Russia's Sergei Chernyshev, competing under the nickname Bumblebee, won the first breakdancing - known as 'breaking' - gold medal for boys at last year's Youth Olympics, while Japan's Ramu Kawai won the girls' title.

Team GB had no breaking competitors in Buenos Aires.

Squash was one of several sports to campaign unsuccessfully for inclusion in the Paris Games, in addition to billiard sports and chess.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/47317052

 

[Azzurri]

What rubbish. We need proper sports like Squash in Olympics not these wannabe sports

 

[Rana]

Breakdancing among sports given provisional green light for Paris 2024

LAUSANNE: Break*dancing was among four sports given a provisional green light for inclusion in the Paris 2024 Games by the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday, IOC President Thomas Bach said.

The Paris 2024 organising committee in February proposed surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing as well as breakdancing for inclusion in the Games.

“We decided to recommend the four sports [for ratification] to the IOC session in June in Lausanne,” Bach told a news conference. “It is a provisional inclusion because the final decision should only be taken at the end of 2020.”

Surfing, climbing and skateboarding will be part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and their performance as new sports there will be key for their final inclusion in Paris.

“There will be a meeting in November 2020 and a board meeting in December where the final decision should be taken. In the meantime there is a monitoring programme... to see how they perform, to look at governance, integrity of competitions, refereeing and judging system,” Bach said.

The Paris Games organisers have said they want to deliver a programme that will be “in keeping with the times and inspire new audiences and attract young people ... and which can be played anywhere and anytime in urban and other environments.”

Under new IOC rules first introduced for the Tokyo Games, Olympic host cities can hand-pick sports and propose them for inclusion in those Games if they are popular in that country and add to the Games’ appeal.

The IOC is eager to refresh the Games’ sports programme to remain relevant to sponsors, broadcasters and fans.

Also on Wednesday, the IOC board agreed to continue helping North and South Korean athletes and officials work together despite diplomatic setbacks between the neighboring governments in recent days.

Joint Korean teams are being prepared in four sports to try to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and a co-hosting bid for the 2032 Summer Games is a possible aim.

With those 2032 Olympics and the 2030 Winter Games in mind, a panel has been asked to look at ways of making an often expensive and politically unpopular candidate process “more flexible and more targeted.” “The IOC may approach a city or a region and tell them, ‘Listen, isn’t it not a time for you now?’” Bach said after the second of three days of board meetings.

The IOC announced that a working group will be created to to examine possible reforms to the bidding process for future Winter Olympics.

“We have decided to set up a working group composed of five people representing the five continents and presided over by Australia’s John Coates,” said Bach. “We have a momentum with many cities and National Olympic Committees who are thinking of candidatures for the 2032 Olympics.”

Although there are a number of nations interested in hosting the 2032 Summer Games, the bidding for the rights to the 2026 winter edition suffered a series of pullouts, notably Sion in Switzerland and Calgary in Canada due to the absence of popular support. Only Stockholm and Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo are still in the race with the successful host to be named in June.

Coates, who presided over the working group appointed for the awarding of the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics in Paris and Los Angeles respectively, will be joined by China’s Li Lingwei, Lydia Nsekera of Burundi, Slovakia’s Danka Bartekova and Gerardo Werthein from Argentina.

Bach also appealed Wednesday for “severe” sanctions to be imposed against those athletes implicated in the doping scandal which blighted the recent world nordic skiing championships at Seefeld in Austria.

Police raids targeted a suspected doping network at the February event, with nine arrests made — including five athletes. Austrian and German police carried out a series of raids in both countries.

“We hope that all this will be clarified, that everything will be put on the table and that those responsible, the entourage of these athletes and the doctors will be punished severely and quickly,” said Bach.

“I hope it will not drag on, that justice will really set an example, that there will be heavy penalties that will act as a deterrent.”

The IOC was confronted with a vast doping scandal at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014, which led to the suspension of Russia at the 2018 Olympics.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1472541/b...-given-provisional-green-light-for-paris-2024

 

[BouncerGuy]

Next Olympics, we should introduce music as well. If Breakdancing is a sport at the Olympics, why not music??

https://twitter.com/x/status/1821918355890077775

 

[BouncerGuy]

Aussie Olympic breakdancer 'Raygun' fires back at online critics

Rachael "Raygun" Gunn's breaking performance, featuring one move compared to a kangaroo hopping, lost all three of her match-ups against rival dancers, or B-Girls.

Her moves unleashed a string of social media memes and unfavourable comparisons, including one on X of Homer Simpson rolling around the floor.

Gunn, a 36-year-old Sydney university lecturer, was also criticised by some for wearing her green-and-gold team uniform, shunning the urban streetwear favoured by others.

"Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on what the bboys wear tomorrow," the Australian replied on Instagram late on Friday night in Paris.

"I was always going to be the underdog going in," she told Australia's Nine Network after her last Paris performance.

"I was never going to beat these B-Girls at what they do, so I did what I do best and I went out and I showed myself, my creativity, my style, a little bit of Australian character so that I could try and make my mark on this world stage."

She was quoted as telling reporters it was a "matter of pride" for her to wear the Australian uniform.

One reporter and commentator in The Australian newspaper, Will Swanton, said people should "lay off" the athlete.

"She was cheerful, proud and actually cared enough about her country to wear the green and gold," he wrote.

"Sure, the biggest thing she broke was the internet. But there's a lot worse performers at every sport at every Olympics," he said.

"She spoke beautifully afterwards and anyone who knows her says she's a lovely human."

On her own Instagram account, Gunn posted: "Don't be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never where that's gonna take you."

AFP

 

[BouncerGuy]

Petition for Raygun to apologise is 'bullying' – AOC

A petition calling for an investigation into breakdancer Rachael Gunn's selection for the Olympics has "stirred up public hatred without any factual basis", says the Australian Olympic Committee.

Gunn - who is known as B-girl Raygun - has been the subject of a social media storm since her performance in Paris a week ago.

The petition, which calls for an apology from Gunn, 36, as well as Australia's Olympic chef de mission Anna Meares, now has over 50,000 signatures.

The petition says they should say sorry for "attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes."

AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said the petition was "vexatious, misleading and bullying".

He added: "No athlete who has represented their country at the Olympic Games should be treated in this way and we are supporting Dr Gunn and Anna Meares at this time."

Carroll said the AOC had written to change.org demanding the petition be taken down immediately.

Gunn is a university lecturer from Sydney and lost all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0.

Carroll highlighted that the Australian was selected through a transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process.

"The AOC is particularly offended by the affront to our chef de mission [team boss], Anna Meares," he said.

"[Meares] played no role in the qualification events nor the nomination of athletes to the AOC selection committee, of which the chef and I are members."

Former track cyclist Meares is a two-time Olympic champion who won medals at four consecutive Games - the only Australian to do so.

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Raygun says Olympic criticism has been 'devastating'

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn says the backlash to her performance at the Olympics has been "devastating".

Gunn - who is known as B-girl Raygun - has been the subject of a social media storm since breaking's debut at the Paris Games last week.

A petition calling for an apology from Gunn, 36, as well as from Australia's Olympic chef de mission Anna Meares, received more than 54,000 signatures before it was taken down.

In an Instagram video,, external Gunn said she didn't realise her appearance would "open the door to so much hate".

On Thursday, Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) chief executive Matt Carroll said the petition had "stirred up public hatred without any factual basis", adding it was "vexatious, misleading and bullying".

The petition said Gunn and track cyclist Meares - who is a two-time Olympic champion - should say sorry for "attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes".

Change.org said the petition was “flagged for misinformation” and removed after review.

After thanking her supporters, Gunn said: "I really appreciated the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives - that’s what I hoped.

"Well, I went out there and I had fun - I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all. Truly.

"And I’m honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team; to be a part of breaking’s Olympic debut."

Gunn, a university lecturer from Sydney, lost all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0.

However, she hit back, saying: "Bit of a fun fact for you: there are actually no points in breaking.

"If you want to see how the judges scored me compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across the five criteria on Olympics.com, external - all the results are there."

She also asked her critics "in regard to the allegations and misinformation floating around", to refer to Carroll's statement, in which he said Gunn was "selected through a transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process".

Gunn added: "I'd really like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community and the broader street dance community.

"Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask you to please respect their privacy."

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

How Raygun made it to the Olympics and divided the breaking world

When breaker Rachael Gunn – aka Raygun – bombed out of the Paris Olympics, the shockwaves hit a tiny hip-hop scene on the other side of the world.

In a Sydney warehouse-turned-community centre, breakers warm up with ab exercises that would make a Pilates teacher cry, before taking to the floor with acrobatic moves so intricate you can barely make them out.

It is one of the most important events of the year – a qualifier for the Red Bull BC One World Finals – and the past week weighs heavy.

A few people nervously glance at the handful of cameras lining the dance circle, their minds no doubt flashing to images of Gunn which have set the internet alight.

“I feel like it's just pushed our scene in Australia into the Dark Ages,” Australian hip-hop pioneer Spice told the BBC.

Gunn, a 36-year-old university lecturer, lost all three of her Olympic battles in viral fashion, her green tracksuit and unorthodox routine – which included the sprinkler and kangaroo-inspired hopping – generating waves of memes and abuse.

The fallout has divided and disappointed the Australian breaking community.

“It made a mockery of the Australian scene and I think that's why a lot of us are hurting,” Spice says.

Many have rushed to defend Raygun against the onslaught.

Others are ready to admit there are questions to be answered over her qualification and performance, but say the global bullying has undermined any attempt to fairly analyse what went down in Paris.

Gunn's unlikely beginnings

Gunn was always a dancer - albeit in jazz, tap and ballroom first - but it was her husband and coach Samuel Free that introduced her to the world of breaking when she was 20.

She says it took years to find her place in the male-dominated scene.

“There were times that I would go into the bathroom crying because I was so embarrassed at how terrible I was at this,” she told The Guardian Australia ahead of the Olympics.

Eventually though, Gunn became the face of breaking in Australia – a top-ranked B-girl and an academic with a PhD in the cultural politics of the sport.

And at an Olympics qualifying event in Sydney last October, where 15 women from across Oceania competed, Raygun emerged triumphant and booked her ticket to Paris.

Like Gunn, breaking was perhaps a surprising candidate for the Olympics. Born in the cultural melting pot of the Bronx in the 1970s, the street dance quickly became a global phenomenon.

And in recent years it caught the eye of Olympics chiefs desperate to attract new and younger audiences.

Some argued it didn’t deserve Olympic attention, while others insisted a competition like that could not capture breaking’s essence and would only further divorce the artform from the street culture it came from.

All eyes were on the event in Paris to see if the Olympic Committee’s gamble would pay off.

Hottest topic on the planet

From the moment the final B-girl battle at the Olympics wrapped up, it was clear that breaking had indeed captured global attention – or, more specifically, Raygun had.

Rumours and criticism of her performance spread like wildlife, particularly online.

Gunn received a torrent of violent messages, and an anonymous petition demanding she apologise was signed by 50,000 people.

Some people shared a conspiracy that she had created the governing body which ran the Oceania qualifiers, and a lie that her husband - who is also a prominent breaker and a qualified judge - was on the panel that selected her.

Australian factchecking organisations and AUSBreaking, the national organisation for breaking, quickly tried to correct the record, but that didn’t stop the flood.

Then there were those arguing that she had mocked and appropriated hip-hop culture.

"It just looked like somebody who was toying with the culture and didn't know how culturally significant it was,” Malik Dixon told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

In a series of statements, AUSBreaking stressed that judges were “trained to uphold the highest standards of impartiality” and that not a single person on the nine-person panel for the Oceania qualifiers was Australian.

And while AUSBreaking has had many “interactions” with Raygun since its conception in 2019, at no point has she ever held a leadership position or been involved in “any decision making over events, funding, strategy, judge selection or athlete selection”.

Taking to Instagram to rubbish all the “crackpot theories”, Te Hiiritanga Wepiha - a Kiwi judge on the Oceania qualifying panel - said Raygun won fair and square.

“All us judges talked about how she was going to get smashed, absolutely smashed [at the Olympics]… She knew it was going to be rough, so it's actually courageous of her," Wepiha – also known as Rush – said in a livestream

Some of the country’s most decorated athletes and highest Olympic officials also loudly defended Gunn.

"The petition has stirred up public hatred without any factual basis. It's appalling," the Australian Olympic Committee’s Matt Carroll said.

Gunn herself had previously said she was “never” going to be able to beat her powerful competitors, so had “wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative”.

In a video posted to social media in the eye of the public storm, Gunn added that she had taken the competition “very seriously”.

“I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all. Truly.”

She had only been trying to “bring some joy”, she said. "I didn't realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.”

Community split

Some within the Australian hip-hop community admit the response to Raygun’s routine initially elicited “a chuckle” - but it quickly got out of hand.

Everyone was unequivocal in condemning the sheer volume of abuse, ridicule and misinformation that has targeted Raygun and the broader Australian B-girl community.

But beyond that, feeling is somewhat split.

Many B-girls say Raygun’s performance does not reflect the standard in Australia.

“When I first saw it, I was so embarrassed,” Spice – who retired from breaking years ago – says.

On any other stage, Raygun would have been encouraged and supported for “having a go”, Spice says, but people representing the country need to be at a certain level.

“It’s the Olympics for God's sake!”

“In hip-hop we have this thing, you step up or you step off… You need to know your place.”

She stresses, though, that the “bullying is just disgusting” - and many like herself have been reluctant to speak up out of fear of adding to Gunn's anguish.

But the impact of the controversy on local Australian B-girls has also been "devastating", Tinylocks told the BBC.

Like some others the BBC spoke to, she did not want her full name published because the scale of abuse circulating.

B-girl’s videos are being trolled, their DMs inundated with insults and violent threats. Young dancers are being harassed at school, and many now feel unsafe practising in public.

"Telling us to be positive and supportive while we are being harmed is unacceptable... [we’re] allowed to be angry,” she said in a statement.

Tinylocks – who herself has battled Raygun – thinks Gunn simply had a terrible day, but says there are questions about her preparation and routine that need answering.

“We know you're capable of more… Were you set up for success?”

According to Wepiha, Gunn's victory in qualifying reflects the size of the “tiny” breaking scene in Australia, and the even tinier public and government support for it.

"I mean, we had to actually get people out of retirement to make up the numbers," he said.

"That's how small the scene is."

Others says there were rules which may have made a small talent pool even shallower – like the requirement that potential qualifiers be a member of AUSBreaking and that they have a valid passport, in line with rules put forward by the World Dance Sport Federation.

AUSBreaking did not respond to the BBC’s queries about Raygun’s selection, the financial support it receives or how it seeks out the country’s best breaking talent.

But Steve Gow, the group’s secretary and long-time b-boy Stevie G, tells the BBC the size and isolation of Australia inhibits the growth and development of the scene.

Being so distant from other, bigger hip-hop communities abroad can make it hard – both in terms of time and money – to learn from them.

“It can be very insular,” he says.

As if proving the point, he regularly pauses to greet almost everyone who walks into the Red Bull competition, which he is judging.

He insists there is still a high quality of breaking in Australia.

Ultimately, the community is bitterly hurt by the world’s response.

They feel breaking isn’t truly understood, and that people have piled on without knowledge or context.

“It’s a big disappointment because they’re not talking about the winners… they’re all talking about Raygun’s memes, and they’re not even seeing her full set,” Samson Smith – a member of hip-hop group Justice Crew – told Network 10.

But many hope a silver lining may yet emerge.

"She might actually bring enough attention to get resources,” Wepiha said.

“At the end of the day, Australia has the most famous Olympian of 2024 and she might actually save the scene here."

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn apologises for backlash after performance at Paris Olympics

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn has said she is "very sorry" for the backlash following her performance at the Olympics - but suggested much of the criticism was due to ignorance of the sport.

The 37-year-old, who is known competitively as 'Raygun', went viral for the dance moves in her routine in Paris last month.

The university lecturer was mocked online and in the media for everything from her moves to her green official team uniform in a frenzy of criticism she described as "alarming".

Gunn, who failed to earn a single point, said she had received plenty of support - but admitted it was sad to hear criticism from other Australian breakdancers, also known as breakers.

In her first interview since the Olympics, she told Australia's Channel 10 TV: "I am very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced, but I can't control how people react.

"Unfortunately, we just need some more resources in Australia for us to have a chance to be world champions.

"In the last year, I have trained my hardest ... I have really put my body through it, put my mind through it. But if that's not good enough for someone, what can I say?"

Gunn said a lot of the criticism came from people who did not understand the different styles of breaking.

"It was really sad how much hate that it did evoke," she added.

"And a lot of the responses is also just due to people not being very familiar with breaking and the diversity of approaches in breaking."

Gunn insisted she was the best female breaker in Australia.

"I think my record speaks to that," she said. "I was the top ranked Australian B girl in 2020 and 2022, and 2023... so the record is there.

"But anything can happen in a battle."

The TV interview came after Gunn revealed in August how the "hate" directed towards her had been "pretty devastating".

Gunn lost all three of her round robin battles by a combined score of 54-0 when breaking made its Olympic debut at the Place de la Concorde.

She became something of an internet meme after representing Australia and completing a "kangaroo dance".

The professor with a Ph. D in cultural studies failed to impress judges as she completed moves including raising one leg while standing and leaning back with her arms bent toward her ears. In another, while laying on her side, she reached for her toes, flipped over and did it again.

SKY NEWS

 

[dubeTheGoat]

Why this was included in Olympics before Squash, Kabaddi and Cricket will always remain a mystery to me..

 

[BouncerGuy]

Technicality gives Raygun world number one ranking

Rachael Gunn remains the number one female breakdancer in the world, despite a controversial Olympic performance for Team Australia that divided the internet and left her with a score of zero.

Responding to questions about its rankings, the sport’s governing body has issued a statement explaining its methodology to "address concerns" and "provide clarity".

It said each athlete was assessed based on their top four performances in the last 12 months and that Olympic events, including qualifiers, were excluded.

Gunn, who performs as Raygun, has continued to defend her record as Australia's best B-girl amid questions over her qualifications.

The 37-year-old university lecturer failed to score any points in all three of her competition rounds in Paris, with a routine that included unorthodox moves, such as the sprinkler and the kangaroo hop.

"The record is there. But anything can happen in a battle," she said in an interview last week, when asked about her polarising performance.

The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has also come under intense public scrutiny not just for its rankings, but its "credibility" as a voice for the sport.

In Tuesday's statement the WDSF tried to address criticisms that had been swirling online over the transparency of its rankings head on.

It explained that "ranking events" had intentionally not been held between the end of 2023 and the start of the Olympics, to allow athletes to "focus solely" on the Games.

That had created a set of "unique circumstances" which meant that some athletes had been ranked based only on a single event.

In Gunn's case the 1,000 points, which place her at the top of the table, come from a first-place finish at the Oceania continental championships which were held in October of 2023.

"The world rankings as they currently stand should be interpreted in conjunction with results from recent global breaking competitions for a more accurate reflection of the global competitive landscape," the WDSF statement added.

The weeks-long saga over Raygun's performance has split opinion within the breakdancing community, with some throwing their support behind the embattled athlete, while others have publicly accused her of making a mockery of the sport.

It has also sparked questions over whether breaking - which debuted in Paris but is not on the programme for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles - should have ever been included in the Olympics, due to the organic nature of the genre, which doesn't necessarily suit organised competition.

In an interview with the Associated Press, vice-president of Breaking for Gold USA Zack Slusser argued the WDSF didn't have "any real merit" with the breaking community, and that it had failed to organise events that would "contribute to creating an accurate world ranking".

Breakers were only performing at WDSF organised events to secure points to qualify for the Olympics, he claimed, adding that they had "no incentive" or "desire" to continue participating in WDSF events post-Paris.

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Raygun retires from breaking after Olympic backlash

Australian breaker Rachael Gunn has announced she will retire from competition, citing the viral response to her performance at the Paris Olympics.

Gunn - who is known as B-girl Raygun - failed to get on the scoreboard in all three of her competition rounds in August, with a routine that included unorthodox moves, such as the sprinkler and a kangaroo hop.

The 37-year-old university lecturer's moves catapulted her to global attention and ridicule, spawned conspiracy theories about her qualification, and reignited criticism of breaking's inclusion in the Olympics.

Gunn had initially planned to keep competing but said the saga had been so "upsetting" that she changed her mind.

"I just didn’t have any control over how people saw me or who I was," she told local radio station 2DayFM on Wednesday.

"I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now.

“I think the level of scrutiny that’s going to be there, and people will be filming it, and it will go online."

Gunn received a torrent of violent messages after the Olympics, and was the subject an anonymous petition demanding she apologise. It falsely accused her and her husband of manipulating her selection at the expense of other Australian talent.

She was vigorously defended by Olympic officials, but her performance split opinion within the breaking community, with some saying she made a mockery of the sport.

It also revived questions over whether breaking - which debuted in Paris but is not on the programme for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles - should have ever been included in the Olympics, due to the creative nature of the genre, which doesn't necessarily suit organised competition.

Gunn has previously said the backlash took the joy out of the sport for her, which she again alluded to on Wednesday.

"Dancing is so much fun, and it makes you feel good. I don’t think people should feel crap about the way that they dance.

"I still dance, and I still break. But, you know, that’s like in my living room with my partner!"

BBC

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Streets will never forget scattergun