According to Wibeha, Jan’s qualifying win reflects the “small” racing scene in Australia, as well as the smaller public and government support for it.
“I mean we actually had to bring people out of retirement to be able to replace that number,” he said.
“That’s how small the scene is.”
Others say there are rules that may have made the small talent pool even shallower – such as the requirement that potential qualifiers be members of AUSBreaking and have a valid passport, in line with rules set by the World Dance Sport Federation.
AUSBreaking did not respond to BBC inquiries about the selection of Raygun, the financial support it receives or how it searches for the country’s best talent.
But Steve Gow, the group’s secretary and long-time breakdancer Stevie G, tells the BBC that Australia’s size and isolation are hampering the growth and development of the scene.
Being so far away from larger hip-hop communities abroad can make it difficult—both in terms of time and money—to learn from them.
“It can be very isolating,” he says.
As if to prove his point, he regularly stops to greet everyone who enters the Red Bull competition he is judging.
He stresses that Australia still has high quality fracking.
