Jack Robinson, an Australian surfer, has advanced to the semifinals of the Paris Olympics in Tahiti, but he will be using a painted-over board design due to a complaint from South Korean authorities. Days before the competition got underway at Teahupo’o, Robinson shared a picture of his event-specific surfboards—which had a crimson rising sun design—on Instagram. “2 days to go” was the caption for the photo. AI-inspired boards
The design was a tribute to the legendary Hawaiian surfer Andy Irons, who gained notoriety for surfing with a striking red sun pattern on the underside of his surfboard. Three-time world champion Irons passed away suddenly in 2010, and his loss was felt severely by the close-knit professional surfing fraternity. However, certain sections of East Asia find the red and white rising sun motif offensive because it is connected to Japan’s military history, which includes its involvement in the Second World War. The manager of South Korea’s surf team, Song Min, told Reuters, “I saw his post and thought that board can’t be used because Olympics is a pure sports event.” Song acknowledged the significance of the Irons, but added, “I do want to let people know that even though this design was chosen out of personal
This isn’t about South Korea protesting; rather, it should be prohibited from being used despite the right to free speech because it causes pain for some individuals. Robinson altered the design, turning the underside of his board into a block of red, following the Korean team’s complaints being brought to the attention of the Australian Olympic Committee. There have been other surfboard-related scandals at the Olympics. Olympic organisers allegedly ordered Brazilian Joao Chianca to take down a picture of the well-known Christ the Redeemer statue off his surfboard. Chianca revealed that he was compelled to take down the photograph after learning that the “Games have strict rules and focus on total neutrality” and that “Christ is a religious figure” in an Instagram post that was later deleted.
Jordy Smith, a surfer from South Africa, had to cover his sponsor, the surfing company O’Neill, with duct tape. Surfers are only allowed to display their national flag and the logo of the company that makes their surfboard on their boards, according to IOC regulations. Some surfers circumvented these regulations at the most recent Tokyo Games by having their surf brand laminate-baked beneath the board’s glass, making it appear like a part of the board rather than an extra decal. However, Smith received word from the IOC in Tahiti that this workaround was no longer permitted. It is anticipated that Tahiti will host the Olympic surfing semi-finals and final on Saturday afternoon. Robinson will compete for a spot in the gold against Gabriel Medina of Brazil.
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