Olympic commentator Bob Ballard said it was not his intention to “hurt or belittle anyone” and apologised for a “sexist” comment he made about the Australian swimmers.
Ballard, 64, lost his spot as a commentator on Eurosport last night after he said the 4x100m freestyle relay team left the pool late because they were “touching up their make-up”.
The former BBC analyst said: ‘The comments I made during the Australian freestyle relay last Saturday were offensive.
‘It was never my intention to hurt or disparage anyone and if I did, I apologize. I am a huge supporter of women’s sports.
‘I will miss the Eurosport team immensely and wish them all the best for the remainder of the Olympic Games.’
Eurosport commentator Bob Ballard has been banned from the Olympic Games after his comment
Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris of Team Australia with their medals after the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay final at the Paris La Defense Arena on Saturday
Australian quartet Emma McKeon, Shayna Jack, Mollie O’Calloghan and Meg Harris won gold at the Paris Aquatic Centre on Saturday.
But as they walked out to collect their medals, Ballard said, “Well, the women just finished. You know how women are… hanging around, doing their makeup.”
Lizzie Simmonds, who commented alongside Ballard, called the remark “outrageous.”
The clip quickly went viral and caused outrage among some, with Eurosport quickly removing Ballard from their coverage.
“During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,” the announcer said in a statement last night.
‘He has therefore been removed from our commentary selection with immediate effect.’
The embarrassing comment comes as organizers in Paris have been promoting the Equal Games event, where the IOC is celebrating the fact that women now make up 50 percent of competitors.
Olympic viewers were divided over Ballard’s comments, with some calling for him to go, others fiercely criticizing Eurosport’s decision, claiming “it was just a joke.”
“When will these people ever learn?” asked Professor Pragya Agarwal of Loughborough University on X. “Why aren’t they getting training?”
“Bob Ballard, hang your head in shame, stop broadcasting and go back to the 1930s,” one fan wrote on X.
The majority of MailOnline readers – 72 per cent – support Ballard and disagree that it is a ‘sexist statement’.
A further 23 percent supported Eurosport’s decision, calling it a “sexist statement”, while 5 percent of the 55,000 respondents said they were unsure.
Ballard’s X-profile also received messages of support today. One person called it a “ridiculous cancellation” and another lamented the “extreme injustice done to you by the woke mind virus brigade.”
A third wrote: ‘Countless hours of commentary, trying to keep things interesting and entertaining, sometimes when not much is happening. And then deleted for one misjudged comment. A chance to apologize seemed more proportionate. Take care of yourself Bob.’
This is a breaking story. More to come.