An Australian judge named Benjamin Lowe has been taken off the panel for the surfing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. This decision came after a photo of Lowe posing with Australian surfer Ethan Ewing circulated on social media.
The International Surfing Association (ISA) announced on Thursday that Lowe was removed from his judging duties for the rest of the event. The ISA stated that this action was necessary to uphold the integrity and fairness of the competition.
During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Lowe faced criticism from the Brazilian surfing federation for his judging of Gabriel Medina in a semi-final heat against Japanese surfer Kanoa Igarashi.