Veteran sports commentator Bob Ballard has been fired from his Olympics job after making a sexist comment about Australian female swimmers who won a gold medal.
During the 4x100m freestyle relay in Paris, Mollie O’Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Meg Harris, and Shayna Jack left the pool deck after their victory. Ballard commented, “You know how women are… always hanging around, doing their makeup.”
His co-commentator, British swimming champion Lizzie Simmonds, immediately called the remark “outrageous,” making Ballard laugh.
“Last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment during our coverage. Because of this, he has been removed from our commentary team immediately,” Eurosport has reported.
He has worked for the BBC for a long time and has not publicly stated about the incident.
Ballard has been a well-known figure in sports coverage since the 1980s. He has commentated on many Olympic Games and World Championships, covering sports like water polo, ice hockey, and wheelchair tennis.