Olympics commentator Bob Ballard was dropped from Eurosport, the European pay TV company, on Monday after the veteran sportscaster made sexist comments about the Australian women’s swim team.
Following the conclusion of the Saturday 4×100 meter freestyle relay, during which Team Australia won the gold medal, Ballard commented on the team’s apparent delay in exiting the Paris Aquatic Centre as they celebrated.
Lizzie Simmonds, the former Olympian and his Eurosport co-host, immediately rebuffed his comments.
“Outrageous, Bob,” Simmons said, as Ballard laughed. “Some of the men are doing that as well.”
A spokesperson for Eurosport, which distributes the Olympic broadcast in Europe and shares the same parent company as CNN, confirmed Ballard had been dropped over his comments.
“We can confirm that Bob Ballard has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect,” it said in a statement Monday.
Ballard, a veteran commentator who has reported on sports since the mid-’80s, has covered several Olympic games. He also works as a music and news presenter for BBC Local Radio.
“The comments I made during the Australian freestyle relay victory ceremony on Saturday have caused some offence. It was never my intention to upset or belittle anyone and, if I did, I apologise. I am a massive advocate of women’s sport,” he wrote.
“I shall miss the Eurosport team, dearly, and wish them all the best for the rest of the Olympics,” he added.
