Olympics announcer fired over sexist remark:
Olympics announcer dismissed for making a sexist comment;
A long-standing sports commentator was fired from his Olympic position for making a sexist comment about Australian women swimmers after they won a gold medal.
After the 4x100m freestyle relay team left the pool deck in Paris, Bob Ballard commented they were “wrapping up” mentioning “women tend to linger, applying make up”.
The video spread rapidly online and Eurosport later announced that he was no longer part of the commentary team.
In a statement posted to X, Ballard expressed regret if his comments had offended viewers and asserted that he did not mean to upset or diminish anyone.
Mollie O’Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack successfully defeated the US and China, marking the fourth consecutive Olympics where Australia has won the gold medal in the competition.
While Ballard was making his comments, they were waving to crowds and celebrating the achievement.
His co commentator British swimming champion Lizzie Simmonds, quickly labeled his comment as “outrageous”, leading to laughter from Ballard.
In his statement regarding X, Ballard advised users against “piling on” Simmons. Several individuals were quick to criticize the former Olympic swimmer on the internet.
In a statement, the broadcaster reported that commentator Bob Ballard had made a inappropriate remark during a portion of Eurosport’s broadcast last night.
In order to achieve that goal, he has been taken out of our list of commentators immediately.
Since the 1980s, Mr. Ballard has consistently covered global sports events, including numerous Olympic games and World Championships.
Since the 1980s, Mr. Ballard has been a dedicated presence in global sports reporting, covering numerous Olympic games and World Championships.
He has provided commentary on a variety of sports such as water polo, ice hockey, and wheelchair tennis, but is most recognized for his reporting on swimming and diving.
Swimming Australia has been asked to provide a statement.
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