Renowned broadcaster removed from Paris Olympics coverage for extremely sexist comments about Australia swimmers

Eurosport has removed Bob Ballard from their commentary panel with immediate effect.

Renowned broadcaster removed from Paris Olympics coverage for extremely sexist comments about Australia swimmers

Australian 4x100 freestyle relay team (via Al Bello/Getty Images)

The Swimming section of the Paris Olympics made several headlines over the past weekend. With new world records being set and athletes establishing their dominance, the past few days have been quite eventful. Unfortunately, a lot of negative controversy has also arisen after renowned broadcaster Bob Ballard made some s*xist remarks about the female Australian swimming team.

The Australian swimmers won the 4x100m freestyle relay this Saturday. Bob Ballard, commentating on the Eurosport Olympic broadcast after their victory, said that they were just finishing up and about to leave the poolside. He further insinuated that the women were late to leave the swimming venue because they were hanging around and doing their make-up.

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Ballard was not seen at the commentary booth when the swimming events resumed on Sunday. Eurosport issued a press release shortly after this incident. They acknowledged his inappropriate comments during Saturday’s broadcast. Further, they informed the audience that the 64-year-old had been removed from their commentary panel with immediate effect.

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These statements by the renowned broadcaster caused widespread outrage on social media. The female Australian swimming team has been second to none throughout the Paris Olympics. Apart from the gold in the freestyle relay, Australian supertar Ariarne Titmus has also emerged with her second consecutive gold medal in the 400m freestyle event. Fans advocated that they deserved much better treatment.

Bob Ballard makes a public statement after being removed from the Eurosport commentary panel due to s*xist remarks

On Monday morning, Bob Ballard made a public statement about the incident on his X account. He said that his comments about the Australian swimming team has been taken as offense. He claimed that it was never his intention to upset or belittle anyone. The 64-year-old apologized for his remarks and claimed to be a massive advocate for women in sports.

Bob Ballard
Bob Ballard (via @bobballardsport/X)

Ballard said that he would miss the Eurosport team. He wished them all the best for the rest of the Paris Olympics. Furthermore, he asked his fans not to target his co-commentator, Lizzie Simmonds, who called his comments outrageous.

The Paris Olympics have been drenched in controversy before the event even began. Their decision to ban Russia and Belarus due to the Ukrainian war faced mixed reactions on social media. Furthermore, the International Olympic Committee allowing convicted child molester Steven van de Velde to participate in the event has been a major talking point as well.

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