Athlete slams decision to axe Olympic sport from next games amid controversy
Kya Buller
Featured Image Credit: Elsa/Getty Images/Chesnot/Getty Images
Breakdancer Raygun, who performed a controversial breakdance routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has slammed the decision to remove the dance as a sport from the forthcoming 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The 36-year-old Aussie broke the internet after performing her 'ridiculous' routine in the French capital, which saw her awarded with a score of zero.
The Seine-sational performance fixated viewers and it has since done the rounds across all social media platforms.
It even captured the attention of British singer Adele, who discussed it part-way through one of her shows in Munich.
Advert
She asked the crowd: “I can’t work out if it was a joke, but either way, it has made me very, very happy and me and my friends have been s***ing ourself laughing for 24 hours.
"I just wanted to know if you’ve seen it. If you haven’t seen it, please leave the show and Google it because it is lols. It is so f**king funny. Anyway, it’s my favourite thing that’s happened in Olympics this whole, whole time."
Following the news that breakdancing has now been axed from future Olympics, Raygun herself has spoken out about the decision from the international Olympic Committee.
She said: "It was disappointing it was decided that it wouldn’t be in LA, particularly before we even had a chance to show it.
“I can’t work out if it was a joke”: Adele is mesmerised by Dr Raygun pic.twitter.com/QoScqhLJbM
— australian kitsch 🦘 (@OzKitsch) August 11, 2024
“That was possibly a little premature. I wonder if they’re kicking themselves now?
She went on to add: “What is an Olympic sport? What are the similarities between dressage and artistic swimming and the 100m sprint and the pentathlon?
"Breaking is clearly athletic, it clearly requires a whole level of dedication across a number of different aspects. It’s really bringing a new level of excitement.”
Despite the protestations of Raygun, we won't be able to watch any breakdancing at the next Games.
Before the Paris Games commenced, Raygun wrote on Instagram: "It's been a week since I qualified for the Olympics and tbh I'm still processing it. I've been so exhausted since the qualifier, not just physically but also mentally.
"But I'm also so pumped for what's next. I can't wait to push myself even harder in my training. I can't wait to represent my style, my crew, my city, my country, my region."
Following the zero-point scoring routine, Raygun wrote: "Don’t be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you.”
One person responded to simply call her an 'icon'.