A surfing judge was removed from the Paris Olympics after a photo was being circulated on social media of him posing with an Australian Olympics competitor and team coach.
In a statement Thursday, the International Surfing Association (ISA) said Lowe, also from Australia, was dismissed in response to the photo and said it is aware of it.
“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 statement said. “It is inappropriate for a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team.”
Lowe was removed, according to the statement, in order “to protect the integrity and fairness of the ongoing competition” for the remainder of the Olympic Games’ surfing competition, which are being held in Tahiti, an island located in French Polynesia in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
“This decision is not related to this judge’s performance here at the Olympic Games,” the ISA told The Epoch Times statement. “The ISA has communicated with all judges and teams to remind them of their responsibilities regarding appropriate behavior.”
When asked about the photo after an Olympics swimming heat, Ewing acknowledged that it raised significant questions.
It comes as heats of the Paris Olympics surfing competition were postponed through Wednesday afternoon in Tahiti because of unfavorable weather conditions, the second consecutive day that the competition was postponed.
The surf forecast is the biggest determinant of when the Paris Olympics surfing competition will take place, predicting when swells are expected to arrive, as well as the angle and size of the waves. Only four days of a 10-day window will be allotted for the competition, so it’s important to pick what forecasters think will be the best days.
Stunning waves and steady swells in the morning during Monday’s men’s heats brought a fresh surge of energy to competitors and spectators, after Sunday’s lackluster conditions, while conditions rapidly tapered around midday due to a storm, postponing the women’s afternoon competition.
The rest of the competition functions as a single-elimination, head-to-head bracket. Each heat will feature two surfers, with the winner advancing to the next phase of competition: the quarterfinals, semifinals and final gold medal heat.
Across the world, in an unusual development, a lack of wind for the first medal races for sailing in the Olympics were postponed in Marseille, France, due to a lack of wind. It left the competitors on the water for more than two hours before they were sent back to the marina.
The races were rescheduled for Friday, when the wind forecast remained a concern and the windsurfing men’s and women’s medal races were also on the agenda.
