Veteran sports commentator Bob Ballard has been fired by Eurosport following a sexist comment about Australian female swimmers, as reported by the BBC.
This incident occurred after Australian swimmers Emma McKeon, Shayna Jack, Mollie O'Callaghan, and Meg Harris secured gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay by defeating teams from the USA and China. As the athletes left the Paris Aquatic Centre, Ballard remarked, “You know what women are like… hanging around, doing their make-up." His co-commentator, former swimmer Lizzie Simmonds, labeled the statement as “outrageous.” The remark caused outrage on social media as well.
Eurosport responded by terminating Ballard’s role in its Olympic commentary team. Ballard released a statement confirming the dismissal, however, he has yet to address his controversial remark publicly.
Notably, the Australian women's swimming team has claimed two of the country’s four gold medals at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics, which are being highlighted as the first “Gender Equal Olympics,” featuring equal representation of male and female athletes.
