An Olympics surfing judge has been axed from a judging panel in Tahiti over a photo that showed him appearing friendly with a competing athlete and his coach. The judge, Benjamin Lowe, was pictured alongside fellow Australian national and pro surfer Ethan Ewing in an Instagram story uploaded by a Paris Olympics commentator, according to the Associated Press. The photo, which began circulating online shortly after it was posted, showed Ewing, Lowe, and Team Australia surfing coach Bede Durbidge embracing each other along with the caption “These 3 Straddie Boys doing their stuff at the Olympics” with two heart emojis. The International Surfing Association announced that Lowe would be removed from the judging panel on Thursday, adding in a statement that the decision was made to “protect the integrity and fairness of the ongoing competition” and that “it is inappropriate for a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team.
