Not even Snoop Dogg could save breaking from falling flat on Olympic debut as Aussie becomes a global cult figure for all the wrong reasons

  • Breaking was contested for the first time in Paris 
  • Was not received well by Aussies back at home 
  • Included cringe routine from our local 'B-Girl' 

Rap superstar Snoop Dogg helped bring some credibility to breaking on its Olympic debut, but viewers have been left unimpressed by flat performances and non-existent commentary.

The hip hop icon was invited to open the new event to the 2024 Parios Olympics at the pop-up stadium in Place de la Concorde and he showed off a few moves of his own to the delight of the crowd.

'Of all the places that Snoop Dogg should be at the Olympics, this feels right,' one fan posted. 


But the audience, and Snoop complete with over-sized Olympics sunglasses, were left wanting after the event made a lacklustre start to its life at the Games.

'Why is it considered as a sport?' one viewer asked.

'This is a joke. Padel, futsal, cricket or roller hockey at home while we need to pretend this is a sport,' posted another.

'Disgusting , disgraceful, disrespectful and disappointing,' fumed another.

Snoop Dogg was not the only one struggling to make sense out of breaking at the Olympics

Snoop Dogg was not the only one struggling to make sense out of breaking at the Olympics

Viewers nicknamed this move by Aussie Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn 'The Tyrannosaurus'

Viewers nicknamed this move by Aussie Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn 'The Tyrannosaurus' 

Manizha Talash, who fled from the Taliban, was disqualified for unveiling this protest

Manizha Talash, who fled from the Taliban, was disqualified for unveiling this protest

Adding to the disappointing debut was the lack of any explanation from the commentators on what breaking is, what the moves the athletes were pulling off were called and how the judges were scoring them.

'I was interested but the announcer just kept being like 'wow what a great blah blah blah' and I just want to know what it all means,' one viewer posted.

'Haha yep, the announcer was like 'Whoa that's a windmill into a two-thousand' and I'm just like... if you say so, my guy,' replied another.

'All the announcers do is get hyped when good music comes on. They're not helping at all,' posted another.

Even self-proclaimed breakers found the spectacle confusing.

'I'm a breaker and i agree the announcers need to explain better,' one posted. 

There were some highlights, including the moves of gold medal winner Ami Yuasa from Japan and refugee breaker Manizha Talash being disqualified for wearing a cape that read 'Free Afghan Women'.

While Raygun's routine was not up to the standard of the rest of the 'B-Girls', she had plenty of fun making her Olympic debut in Paris

While Raygun's routine was not up to the standard of the rest of the 'B-Girls', she had plenty of fun making her Olympic debut in Paris

However the Australian competitor, Rachael Gunn aka Raygun, failed to deliver any of them as she was bundled out of the heats without scoring a single point.

She did however succeed in breaking the internet, with a host of comments on her bizarre and distinctly Australian routine - including a kangaroo dance.

'Australia just set breaking back 40 years,' one viewer posted on social media platform X.

'How did she make it this far?' another asked.

'I'd like to personally thank Raygun for making millions of people worldwide think 'huh, maybe I can make the Olympics too',' posted another.

'Honestly, the moment Raygun broke out her Kangaroo move this competition was over,' added another.

'What my nephew does after telling all of us to 'watch this',' posted yet another. 

The Aussie became a household name overnight and was proud to represent her country

The Aussie became a household name overnight and was proud to represent her country 

While Raygun was outclassed, she did become an instant icon after toiling away at her chosen sport for years and was proud to bring her routine to a global audience, even if she was not competitive. 

'What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative — that's my strength, my creativity,' Gunn said.

'I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.

'I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.'