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Ugnė Lazauskaitė

“Seems A Bit Harsh”: Olympics Judge Sent Home Over ‘Inappropriate’ Photo With Surfer

An official judging the 2024 Paris Olympic Games surfing was sent home after getting inappropriately close with one of the competing athletes and their coach. Taking to his Instagram page, Australian Ben Lowe, who is an experienced World Surf League (WSL) judge, posted a “tone-deaf” photograph ahead of the men’s surfing quarter-finals.

The image, taken in Tahiti where the Paris Games surfing is being staged at the famed break at Teahupo’o, saw Ben posing with fellow Aussies, competing surfer Ethan Ewing and coach Bede Durbidge.

The now-deleted post was captioned: “These three Straddie (Stradbroke Island) boys doing their stuff at the Olympics.” This immediately prompted the International Surfing Association (ISA) to take action, The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday (August 1).

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