An official judging the 2024 Paris Olympic Games surfing events was sent home after getting inappropriately close with one of the competing athletes and their coach. Taking to his Instagram page, Australian Ben Lowe, who is an experienced World Surf League (WSL) judge, posted a “tone-deaf” photograph ahead of the men’s surfing quarter-finals.
The image, taken in Tahiti where the Paris Games surfing is being staged at the famed break Teahupo’o, saw Ben posing with fellow Aussies, competing surfer Ethan Ewing, and coach Bede Durbidge.
The now-deleted post was captioned: “These three Straddie (Stradbroke Island) boys doing their stuff at the Olympics,” immediately prompting the International Surfing Association (ISA) to take action, The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday (August 1).
Amid calls of potential bias given Ben could have scored Ethan as he chased an Olympic medal, the ISA reportedly relieved the 44-year-old judge of his duties.
Ben Lowe was fired from judging the 2024 Paris Olympic Games surfing events
Image credits: ethan_ewing
Image credits: WSL
“It is inappropriate for a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team,” an ISA statement read.
The WSL expert has been stood down in accordance with the ISA’s code of conduct and the International Olympic Committee‘s code of ethics, the ISA confirmed, as per The Daily Mail.
Ben gave a Brazilian surfer some of his lowest scores in four heats at the Tokyo Olympics, Stab Magazine reported via its Instagram page on Thursday.
Ben was sent home after getting inappropriately fellow Aussies, competing surfer Ethan Ewing, and coach Bede Durbidge
Image credits: ethan_ewing
Stab’s reshared controversial picture of the judge standing on a dock with Ethan and Bede drew significant backlash, as an Instagram user commented: “Well done!!! If Isa runs the worlds professional surfing it would be much better.”
A person claimed: “Don’t all surfers and referees know each other.”
“WSL should do the same,” a netizen added. “No judge should be allowed to be judging their fellow countrymen heats. Let alone a guy from the same small city.”
Image credits: ethan_ewing
A separate individual chimed in: “Finally, this guy has been compromising competitive surfing for too long.”
The 2024 Paris Olympics surfing event takes place in Teahupo’o, a village of 1,455 in southwest Tahiti, 16,000km (10,000 miles) away from the capital of France.
Tahiti, part of French Polynesia and therefore part of France, is home to the best waves in the world.
Taking to his Instagram page, Aussie Ben posted a “tone-deaf” photograph ahead of the men’s surfing quarter-finals
View this post on Instagram
Moreover, mainland France is home to some fantastic winter waves – most notably, La Graviere and Le Nord near Hossegor – but in summer, the Bay of Biscay on the west coast is largely waveless, Al Jazeera reported on July 27.
“The best Olympic wave would probably have been Saint-Leu on the island of Reunion,” Tim McKenna, a veteran surf photographer who has lived on the island since 2002, told Al Jazeera.
Nevertheless, the very real possibility of a shark attack – Reunion, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, recorded 24 attacks, 11 of them fatal, from 2011 to 2019 – meant Teahupo’o was the better option, as per Al Jazeera.
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Jack Robinson is now Australia’s only remaining hope of winning a medal in surfing after he eliminated Ethan on Friday (August 2), Metro reported.
While in the women’s event, Australia’s Tyler Wright lost to the USA’s Caroline Marks.
The men’s and women’s Olympic surfing semifinals are scheduled for Saturday (August 3) at 7 p.m. CET. The semifinals will be immediately followed by the medal finals.
People were left divided over Ben’s Instagram picture
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