Downward angle icon An icon in the shape of a downward angle. Australian team swimmers Molly O’Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack celebrate winning gold at the Paris Olympics. Tim Clayton – Corbis/Getty Images Eurosport has removed Bob Ballard from its coverage of the Paris Olympics after he made a sexist joke. Ballard joked about Australian female swimmers putting on makeup after winning gold medals. The comment sparked a huge backlash.
Sports commentator Bob Ballard has been removed from Eurosport’s Paris Olympics lineup after making sexist jokes about female athletes.
According to BBC News and The Guardian, the sports anchor removed Ballard after he said the Australian women’s swimmers in the 4x100m freestyle relay were “hanging out and putting on make-up”.
Ballard made the comments on Saturday as Australia’s members Molly O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeown and Meg Harris were celebrating their gold medal.
Bob Ballard said the Australian team was “in the making.” Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
“Well, the ladies are just putting the finishing touches on, you know what it’s like for women to just hang out and put on makeup,” Ballard said in the video shared online.
“That’s terrible, Bob,” responded fellow commentator Lizzy Simmons.
“Some men do that too,” she added, to which Ballard laughed.
In a statement to the Guardian, a Eurosport spokesman said Ballard’s comments were “inappropriate” and that “he has been removed from the pundit list with immediate effect.”
As of writing Monday, Ballard had not commented publicly.
He also faced criticism from Australian gender equality group Future Women.
“Most of our posts about the Olympics will naturally be positive. But we also have to point out the negatives – like this comment about the Australian relay team who just won gold,” a spokesperson for the organization wrote to X.
Ballard’s broadcasting career spans 40 years, according to the Daily Mail, which also reported that he has commentated on swimming, diving and water polo.
His comments contradict the Paris Olympics’ “#GenderEqualOlympics” branding, with Olympic organisers saying in an online press release that this year will be “the first Olympic Games in history to see full gender equality on the playing field”.
Ballard and Eurosport did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.