Olympic surfing judge dismissed after photo with Aussie competitor surfaces

A judge at the Paris Olympics surfing competition in Tahiti has been dismissed after a social media photo showed him posing with Australian surfer Ethan Ewing and his coach.

On Thursday, the International Surfing Association dismissed veteran judge Ben Lowe in response to a photo on Instagram of him with Ewing and Australian national team coach Bebe Durbidge that was captioned, "These 3 Straddie boys doing their stuff at the Olympics."

All three are from North Stradbroke Island in Queensland.

"It is inappropriate for a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team," the ISA said in a statement.

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Lowe, who also served as an Olympic judge in Tokyo in 2021, had been the subject of criticism during these Games from Brazilian fans, who have accused him of an apparent bias against Brazilian star Gabriel Medina.

Despite the complaints, Medina − the subject of a stunning photo that went viral earlier this week − has advanced to the men's semifinals. Ewing fell to countryman Jack Robinson in his quarterfinal match.

When asked about the photo following his heat, Ewing acknowledged it did raise questions.

"Yeah, I’ve kinda been copping some hate on it online but I really don’t know the story or have any insight on it," he told surfing publication Stab Mag. "It’s sad for sure."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Australian surfing judge dismissed over photo with surfer