The International Surfing Association has sent Australian surfing judge Ben Lowe packing from the Olympic Games after an “inappropriate” photo of him was posted on social media.
Lowe was snapped posing arm in arm alongside Australian surfer Ethan Ewing and his coach Bede Durbridge in Tahiti with the caption “these Straddie [Stradbroke Island] boys doing their stuff at the Olympics”.
A long-time judge on the World Surfing League, Lowe was removed from his duties at the Olympics by the ISA under its code of conduct and the International Olympic Committee’s code of ethics.
“The ISA is aware of a photo circulating on social media in which one of the Olympic surfing judges from Australia is seen socially interacting with an Australian athlete and the team manager.
“It is inappropriate for a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team,” an ISA statement read.
Australian Olympic team officials in Tahiti told AAP that it had “communicated with all judges and teams to remind them of their responsibilities regarding appropriate behaviour”.
Tyler Wright qualifies for the Quarter-Finals in the Women’s Surfing. ????
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Clearly the message did not get through to Lowe.
Ewing has advanced to the men’s quarter-finals along against fellow Aussie Jack Robinson while women’s star Tyler Wright is also into the final eight in Teahupoo.
After a couple of lay days, Wright survived a few anxious moments in her heat against Israeli rival Anat Lelior.
She opened with a 5.83 but only posted 2.67 on her second ride and was left stranded near the break’s dangerous shallow reef awaiting a jetski tow back to the waves.
Lelior hit back with a 7.74 during Wright’s delay but the Australian closed out the win with a 5.27 to face American competitor Caroline Marks.
The Roarhttps://https://ift.tt/UwdyczD this photo led to Aussie surfing judge being sent home from Olympics
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