HighlightsAn Olympics judge was sent home for posing inappropriately with a competing surfer and their coach.The judge, Ben Lowe, posted a controversial photo that led to his dismissal amid potential bias claims.The International Surfing Association took action due to the breach of their code of conduct.
The now-deleted post was captioned: “These three Straddie (Stradbroke Island) boys doing their stuff at the Olympics.” This immediately prompted the International Surfing Association (ISA) to take action,The Daily Mailreported on Tuesday (August 1).
Amid calls of potential bias, given that Ben could have scored Ethan as he chased anOlympic medal, the ISA reportedly relieved the 44-year-old judge of his duties.
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Image credits:ethan_ewing
Image credits:WSL
“It isinappropriatefor a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team,” an ISA statement read.
The WSL expert was withdrawn in accordance with the ISA’s code of conduct and theInternational Olympic Committee‘s code of ethics, the ISA confirmed, as perThe Daily Mail.
Ben gave a Brazilian surfer some of his lowest scores in four heats at the Tokyo Olympics,Stab Magazinereported via itsInstagrampage on Thursday.
Ben was sent home after getting inappropriately close to fellow Aussies, competing surfer Ethan Ewing and coach Bede Durbidge
Stab’s reshared controversial picture of the judge standing on a dock with Ethan and Bede drew significantbacklash, 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.”
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 Jazeerareported 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, toldAl Jazeera.
Nevertheless, the very real possibility of asharkattack meant Teahupo’o was the better option, as perAl Jazeera. Reunion, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, recorded 24 attacks, 11 of them fatal, from 2011 to 2019
Jack Robinson is now Australia’s only remaining hope of winning a medal in surfing after he eliminated Ethan on Friday (August 2),Metroreported.
In the women’s event, Australia’s Tyler Wright lost to Team USA’s Caroline Marks.
People were left divided over Ben’s Instagram picture
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Renan Duarte
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