A veteran sports commentator, Bob Ballard, has been dismissed from his role covering the Olympics after making a sexist remark about Australian female swimmers following their gold medal victory.
According to BBC, as the 4x100m freestyle relay team was leaving the pool deck in Paris, Ballard commented that they were “finishing up,” adding, “you know what women are like… hanging around, doing their make-up.”
The remark quickly went viral, prompting Eurosport to announce his removal from the commentary team.
In a statement posted to X, Ballard apologized if his comments had offended viewers, stating it was not his “intention to upset or belittle anyone.”
Mollie O’Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Meg Harris, and Shayna Jack had just secured the gold medal for Australia, their fourth consecutive win in this event, defeating teams from the US and China.
As they celebrated, waving to the crowd, Ballard made his controversial comments.
Lizzie Simmonds, Ballard’s co-commentator and a British swimming champion, immediately labeled his remark as “outrageous,” which was met with laughter from Ballard.
In his statement on X, Ballard urged users not to target Simmonds, as some had begun attacking the former Olympic swimmer online.
On Sunday, Eurosport released a statement indicating that Ballard, a former long-time BBC reporter and presenter, would not return to their airwaves.
“During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment. To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect,” the statement said.
Ballard has been a prominent figure in global sports coverage since the 1980s, having reported on numerous Olympic Games and World Championships.
He has covered various sports, including water polo, ice hockey, and wheelchair tennis, but is most renowned for his commentary on swimming and diving.
