Eurosport sacks commentator Bob Ballard over sexist remark on swimmers

After Bob Ballard made a sexist remark about Australia's women swimmers, Eurosport quickly removed him from all remaining Olympic events

Bob Ballard, a commentator for sports television network Eurosport, has been sacked from his role in covering the Olympic Games following a sexist comment directed at Australia’s women swimmers.

The incident occurred while Ballard was commentating on Australia's gold-winning freestyle relay team comprising Emma McKeon, Shayna Jack, Mollie O’Callaghan, and Meg Harris. His remark, suggesting that women enjoy “hanging around doing their make-up,” sparked immediate backlash from viewers on social media.

During the broadcast, Ballard stated, “Well, the women just finishing up. You know what women are like… hanging around, doing their make-up.” 

Setting women's sports back. Bob Ballard:

(video from:thelifeoflyds - TikTok) pic.twitter.com/6SABGUTpfc

— A Gooners View (@AGoonersThought) July 29, 2024

 

His comment was met with disapproval from co-commentator Lizzie Simmonds, who described it as “outrageous”. 

Among those expressing dismay was Prof Pragya Agarwal, a behavioural and data scientist, who tweeted, “When will these people ever learn? Why aren’t they being given some training?”

Immediate removal from Paris Olympics coverage

Following the widespread sharing of the clip, Eurosport swiftly decided to remove Ballard from all remaining Olympic events. A statement from the broadcaster read: “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.”

Ballard, known to BBC 5Live and TalkSPORT listeners, has previously reported for both radio channels. He covered swimming events on the opening day in Paris for Discovery+ and had announced on social media his plans to return poolside on Sunday, before his removal was confirmed.

The Australian team, consisting of O’Callaghan, Jack, McKeon, and Harris, set an Olympic record with a time of 3:28.92 in the 4x100m relay. The American team, including Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, and Simone Manuel, finished second with a time of 3.30.20.

The remarks came at a time when Paris organisers are promoting the Olympics as ‘The Equal Games’ and are encouraging broadcasters to avoid any footage that might objectify women athletes. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also celebrated the fact that women now make up 50 per cent of its participants.