Australian Judge Removed from Olympics Surfing Panel

Australian surf judge Benjamin Lowe was dismissed from the Paris Olympics surfing competition in Tahiti after an Instagram photo showed him posing with Australian surfer Ethan Ewing and coach Bede Durbidge. The International Surfing Association (ISA) stated that it is inappropriate for a judge to interact socially with athletes, and removed Lowe to protect the competition's integrity and fairness. This decision, aligning with the ISA and International Olympic Committee's codes of conduct and ethics, follows criticism from Brazilian fans alleging bias against surfer Gabriel Medina. Despite Lowe's removal, the ISA clarified that it was not related to his judging performance at the Games.