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An Olympic surfing judge was removed from the Olympic Games after a photo circulated online of him alongside a competitor in Tahiti this week.
Australian judge Benjamin Lowe, Australian surfing team member Ethan Ewing and coach Bede Durbidge took a group photo during the Games during an off day for the competition that raised eyebrows.
The International Surfing Association released a statement Thursday saying it removed Lowe from the judging panel for the remainder of the competition to "protect the integrity and fairness of the ongoing competition."
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The Olympic surfing venue entrance prior to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 July 24, 2024, in Teahupo'o, French Polynesia. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
"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," the ISA said. "It is inappropriate for a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team."
The decision was made in accordance with the ISA’s code of conduct and the International Olympic Committee’s code of ethics, it said.
The surfing federation said it had "communicated with all judges and teams to remind them of their responsibilities regarding appropriate behavior."
A buoy inside the field of play during round three of surfing on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 July 29, 2024, in Teahupo'o, French Polynesia. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
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"I’ve kinda been copping some hate on it online, but I really don’t know the story or have any insight on it," Ewing told Stab Mag after Lowe's departure.
"It’s sad for sure."
Ewing lost his quarterfinal match to fellow Australian Jack Robinson, 15.33 to 13.00.
The athlete village during day two of training for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 July 22, 2024, in Teahupo'o, French Polynesia. (Ed Sloane/Getty Images)
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The surfing competitions are taking place in Tahiti, a French Polynesian island that's nearly 3,000 miles east of Australia and nearly 10,000 miles away from Paris.
This is hardly the lone controversy at the Games. A boxer who previously was barred from last year's world championships for failing a gender test has dominated the women's 66-kilogram division.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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