In the wake of Raygun’s Olympic debut sparking an avalanche of memes, some might notice that breaking clips from the 2024 Paris Olympics might start being wiped off from the internet.
Raygun, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, went viral after competing in the first-ever Olympic women’s breakdancing event.
Despite her best efforts, the 36-year-old dancer didn’t score any points against competitors from the USA, France, and Lithuania. She lost all three round-robin battles with scores of 18-0, 18-0, and 18-0.
Her performance sparked a tsunami of memes, flooding the internet with endless jokes and commentary about her routine.
Celebrities like Adele and Jimmy Fallon also poked fun at her performance and her lackluster scores. Many made her husband and coach, Samuel Free, the butt of the joke as well.
Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, went viral after her breakdancing debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Although the Australian Olympian’s dance clips spread like wildfire, some keen-eyed internet users might notice that the videos are starting to vanish, according to Unilad. And the reason behind the disappearance is copyright laws.
While the clips can be uploaded, it does not exempt them from the rules governing content sharing.
If someone’s post gets flagged, it is likely to be taken down because it violates copyright regulations.
In this case, the rights to Raygun’s viral performance are owned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC has been diligent in enforcing its copyright, issuing numerous take-down notices for any unauthorized posts.
These take-downs are in line with the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), and yes, that includes sharing them on your social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.
The 36-year-old Australian breaker’s performance sparked a flood of memes and jokes across the internet, with celebrities like Adele and Jimmy Fallon also poking fun at her
A Decider report claimed that it was not just Raygun’s viral videos but also other breaking videos from the Paris Olympics that were being erased from certain platforms.
There are currently no competitive breaking performances available on streaming platform Peacock, while NBC Sports’ official YouTube channel only has the one performance of U.S. B-Boy and bronze-winner Viktor on its channel.
Peacock told Decider that the short-lived coverage for breaking was predetermined and confirmed that certain events would be taken down after a certain duration.
“There was a very visible notice on the platform letting users know when specific Olympics content was going to no longer be available,” the streaming hub told the outlet.
“The Olympics hub will be accessible on the Peacock home page from the main navigation menu until August 20, at which time the Paralympics hub will replace it and be available until September 9,” the statement said.
Some netizens may notice the viral clips being removed from the internet due to copyright laws
Rachel “Raygun” Gunn competes in break dancing.
This will go down in the history as the top meme material from #Olympics2024Paris pic.twitter.com/5AOYOCUN2D
— Dr Shailesh Singh (@drShaileshSingh) August 13, 2024
“Peacock subscribers can also access and search for Olympics and Paralympics content in the Sports hub until December 31, 2024, though full replays for some sports were available only through the end of the Games,” the statement added.
Following the immense backlash, the viral B-girl spoke about her routine for the first time in an Instagram video posted on Thursday, August 15.
“Hi everyone, Raygun here. I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me. I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives, that’s what I hoped,” she began.
She then went on to talk about how she never imagined “so much hate” to come out of her performance.
“I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating,” she said.
A petition questioning the Australian B-Girl’s selection for the Olympics garnered over 50,000 signatures before being taken down
Contrary to speculations about Raygun’s selection process, officials have repeatedly confirmed that she was chosen to represent Australia after the standard procedures.
A petition questioning the legitimacy and ethicality of her selection for the Olympics quickly gained traction and amassed more than 50,000 signatures. Without any evidence, the since-removed petition alleged that Raygun “manipulated” the selection process and raised “serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the process.”
The strongly worded petition also criticized the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), demanding a “global public apology” from both Raygun and the AOC.
AOC’s Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll condemned the “vexatious, misleading and bullying” petition in a statement released on Thursday.
“While I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously,” the Australian Olympian said in a recent video. “I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.”
It “contains numerous falsehoods designed to engender hatred against an athlete who was selected in the Australian Olympic Team through a transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process,” the petition added.
Matt said it was “disgraceful” that an anonymous person could concoct “falsehoods” and have them “published in this way.”
“It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory,” he said.
“The petition has stirred up public hatred without any factual basis. It’s appalling. 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 [Australia’s Olympic chef de mission] at this time,” he continued.
Raygun said she would be staying back in Europe for some pre-planned time off before returning to Australia
The hatred online forced Raygun to also assure her followers that she worked hard for her Olympic performance and gave it her all.
“While I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously,” she said in her recent video. “I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.”
The Ph.D.-holding college professor said she is staying back in Europe to enjoy some “pre-planned downtime” and asked people to “stop harassing” her loved ones.
“Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask you to please respect their privacy. I’ll be happy to answer more questions on my return to Australia,” she concluded.
People still were not too kind after her video message, with one asking, “You trained for that performance?”
“Stop playing victim,” read another reply to her video, while another wrote, “Still in denial.”
One said, “Playing the victim card…… just apologize on how bad you were and prob gain more respect..”
Netizens said the viral videos may be taken down but will remain etched in people’s memories
