Veteran sports commentator Bob Ballard has been pulled from covering the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after making a remark on Saturday that was deemed to be sexist about women swimmers.
The former BBC reporter was doing on-air commentary for Eurosport when Australia’s women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team won the gold medal. As the swimmers were leaving the pool deck, Ballard said they were “finishing up,” adding, “You know what women are like… hanging around, doing their make-up.”
Ballard’s co-commentator, British swimming champion Lizzie Simmonds, immediately called his remark “outrageous,” to which he responded by laughing.
Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack claimed the country’s fourth consecutive gold medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay after beating teams from the U.S. and China.
On Sunday, Eurosport announced Ballard had been removed from their Olympic coverage team.
“During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,” the TV network said in a statement. “To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect.”
Ballard, who has been covering sports around the world since the 1980s, apologized on social media on Monday, calling himself a “massive advocate” of women’s sports.
“The comments I made during the Australian freestyle relay victory ceremony on Saturday have caused some offence. It was never my intention to upset or belittle anyone and, if I did, I apologise. I am a massive advocate of women’s sport,” Ballard said. “I shall miss the Eurosport team, dearly and wish them all the best for the rest of the Olympics.”
