- Ben Lowe sent home from Paris Games after ‘inappropriate’ photo
- The surf judge posed with fellow Australians Ethan Ewing and Bede Durbidge
- The International Surfing Association (ISA) quickly dismissed Lowe
Olympic surfing umpire Ben Lowe has been sent home from the Paris Games in disgrace after posing in an unseemly photo with fellow Australians Ethan Ewing and Bede Durbidge, who compete in events he officiates.
The image, taken in Tahiti, where the Paris Games surfing event is taking place at the famous Teahupo’o break, was uploaded to Instagram and quickly became a topic of conversation.
The post was headlined: ‘These three lads from Straddie (Stradbroke Island) doing their thing at the Olympics’, prompting the International Surfing Association (ISA) to take immediate action.
Amid criticism of possible bias given that Lowe may have scored on Ewing as he pursues an Olympic medal, the ISA relieved Lowe of his duties.
“It is not appropriate for a judge to interact in this way with an athlete and his or her team,” the ISA said in a statement.
Lowe, who is a seasoned WSL judge, has been suspended in accordance with the ISA code of conduct and the International Olympic Committee code of ethics, the ISA confirmed.
Meanwhile, Australian women’s star Tyler Wright has qualified for the Olympic quarter-finals after surfing expertly in her final heat in French Polynesia.
The two-time world champion from Australia spent three days on the beach before returning to the waters of Tahiti on Friday (AEST), dispatching Israel’s Anat Lelior 11.10 to 7.74.
Olympic surfing judge Ben Lowe (right) was sent home disgraced from the Paris Games after posing in an ill-advised photo with fellow Australians Ethan Ewing and Bede Durbidge.
Australians Ethan Ewing and Jack Robinson will meet in the men’s quarter-finals, while compatriot Tyler Wright (pictured) will also be in the final eight in the women’s competition.
Next up on Friday we’ll be meeting another former World Surf League (WSL) winner, Caroline Marks.
He joins Australians Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing, who are facing each other, in the last eight, meaning at least one Australian surfer will be competing for a medal.
The surf at Teahupo’o calmed down after two storm-affected days of rest, allowing the women’s team to complete their heats.
For Wright, the wait was even longer as the winner of the first heat overtook the second, meaning she had not competed since Monday.
Wright Quicklu took the initiative early against Lelior, scoring an early 5.83 to take the lead.
Her small second score, a 2.67, left the door open to the challenge, so the 30-year-old took on a smaller wave with fast turns.
Unfortunately for the Australian, she took it too close to shore and was left floating on the dangerous shallow reef.
While waiting for a jet ski to tow her back to the waves, she stood up, exposing ankle-deep water that has caused many injuries.
The exercise lasted several minutes, freeing the waves for Lelior to take the lead.
The Israeli took a tumble on a couple of waves in Wright’s absence but was unable to get a high score, leaving the competition at 8.50 to 7.74 with 10 minutes remaining.
However, the Australian’s class prevailed. She kept her cool on the backside of the wave and eventually found the barrel she wanted, scoring a 5.27 to close the door.
He will now face American Marks at 10:12am AEST.
