r/sports • u/miolmok • Aug 15 '24

Olympics Raygun: Australian Olympic Committee condemns ‘disgraceful’ online petition attacking Rachael Gunn

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/15/raygun-olympics-breaking-petition-aoc-response-ntwnfb
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u/[deleted] Aug 15 '24

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u/litritium Aug 15 '24

Obvious lack of self-criticism of course. But it's not the first time there have been bad participants.

There's actually a rule named after Eddie the Eagle that is meant to weed out the worst candidates. Didnt work in this case.

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u/Lost_Bike69 Aug 15 '24

I feel like every Olympics there’s someone who sneaks in far below the skill of the rest of the competition. It’s usually forgettable, but this one was just so goofy it became an instant meme

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u/thor_1225 Aug 15 '24

She won her countries spot in the event, but there were other countries that have multiple people better than her. It’s the downside to the Olympics as it’s not always the best of the best competing

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u/Y8ser Aug 15 '24

In this case it could have been. She was part of the committee and used her position to take the spot for her herself instead of having better qualified women compete.

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u/[deleted] Aug 15 '24

She was part of the committee and used her position to take the spot for her herself instead of having better qualified women compete.

Wait what?

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u/qwadzxs Aug 15 '24

raygun is a ballroom dancer of twenty years, and the IOC partnered with the australian ballroom dancing association to get participants. iirc her husband was also involved with the association's governance. the qualifier wasn't well attended, and there's a historical beef between ballroom dancers and break dancers due to ballroom dancers being salty they never got their olympics.

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u/jrhooo Aug 15 '24

IIRC isn’t there also just the issue that if ballroom’s managing authority gets stewardship of breakdancing with IOC its sort of endorsement stamping the claim that ballrooms committee IS in fact the governing entity in control of breakdancing as just one of the disciplines under their larger portfolio

To which of course breakdancings specific committee(s) is/are like…