Eurosport commentator Bob Ballard has been dismissed from the network’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics following a sexist comment made during a broadcast.
The incident occurred after Australia’s women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team—comprising Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon, and Meg Harris—secured gold in a historic victory. Ballard, who was providing commentary alongside Lizzie Simmonds, made a remark that quickly garnered widespread backlash.
In a clip from the broadcast, Ballard was heard saying, “Well, the women just finishing up. You know what women are like… hanging around, doing their make-up.” This comment, which was widely shared on social media, was met with immediate outrage.
Eurosport acted swiftly, issuing a statement confirming Ballard’s removal from their commentary team: “During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment. To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect.”
Australia’s women’s relay team set a new record with a time of 3:28.92, clinching their fourth consecutive gold in the event. Lizzie Simmonds, co-commentator, described Ballard’s remark as “outrageous.”
The controversy surrounding Ballard’s comment has sparked discussions on social media, with critics labeling it as an example of “casual sexism.” Notably, comments on TikTok highlighted that the only medals won by Team GB thus far have been by women.
This incident comes amid the International Olympic Committee’s celebration of Paris 2024 as “The Equal Games,” with women now representing 50 percent of the participants. Ballard, who has been active on social media discussing the swimming schedule, has yet to publicly address the comment in question.
related topics:
