A senior sports commentator has been sacked for making sexist comments after an Australian female swimmer won gold.
As the 4x100m freestyle relay team set off from the pool deck in Paris, Bob Ballard said they were “winding down”, adding “You know what women are like…hanging out, putting on their makeup” “.
The footage quickly went viral and Eurosport later said he had been removed from the commentary line-up.
In a statement released to
Molly O’Callaghan, Emma McCann, Meg Harris and Shanna Jack have just beaten the United States and China to become Australia’s fourth consecutive gold medal in the event at the Olympics.
They were waving to the crowd celebrating the achievement when Ballard made his comments.
His co-commentator, British swimming champion Lizzie Symonds, immediately called his comments “shocking”, prompting Ballard to laugh.
In X’s statement, Ballard urged users not to “crowd in” Simmons. Some people were quick to attack the former Olympic swimmer online.
On Sunday, Eurosport said Ballard, a long-time BBC journalist and presenter, would not be returning to their broadcaster.
“During last night’s Eurosport coverage, commentator Bob Ballard made inappropriate comments,” the broadcaster said in a statement.
“For this reason, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect.”
Mr. Ballard has been a stalwart of global sports coverage since the 1980s and has reported on many Olympic and World Championships.
He has commented on a range of sports including water polo, ice hockey and wheelchair tennis, but is best known for his coverage of swimming and diving.
Swimming Australia has been contacted for comment.
