Eurosport commentator Bob Ballard was today backed by nearly three quarters of MailOnline readers after making a sexist remark about Australia’s female swimmers at the Olympics.
Ballard, 64, lost his spot on the broadcaster’s commentary team after saying the 4x100m freestyle relay team were late to leave the swimming venue because they were ‘doing their make-up’.
But 72 per cent of MailOnline readers responding to a poll said the former BBC commentator should not have lost his job, agreeing with the phrase that ‘it was a joke’.
A further 23 per cent backed Eurosport’s decision, agreeing that it was a ‘sexist statement’ while 5 per cent of the 55,000 respondents said they were not sure.
Meanwhile messages of support for Ballard were also on flooding in on his X profile today, with one saying it was a ‘ludicrous cancellation’ and another bemoaning the ‘extreme injustice dealt to you by the woke mind virus brigade’.
A third wrote: ‘Countless hours of commentary, trying to keep things interesting and entertaining, sometimes when not much happening. And then removed for one misjudged comment. A chance to apologise would have seemed more proportionate. Take care Bob.’
Eurosport commentator Bob Ballard has been removed from the Olympics after his comment
Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris of Team Australia with their medals after the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay final at Paris La Defense Arena on Saturday
It comes after Australia’s quartet – consisting of Emma McKeon, Shayna Jack, Mollie O’Calloghan and Meg Harris – had been making their way out of the Paris Aquatic Centre after securing gold on Saturday.
At this point, experienced commentator Ballard said: ‘Well, the women just finishing up. You know what women are like… hanging around, doing their make-up.’
A clip of the comment has since gone viral on social media and Eurosport has opted to act swiftly, removing Ballard from their coverage of the ongoing Olympics.
‘During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,’ a statement from the broadcaster read.
‘To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect.’
Lizzie Simmonds, who was alongside Ballard on commentary duty, described the comment as ‘outrageous’.
Ballard has yet to comment publicly since making the remark.
He did not immediately respond to MailOnline’s request for comment.
Born in September 1959, Ballard has a career spanning over four decades and has been commentating since the mid-1980s on sports including swimming, diving, ice hockey, tennis, basketball, water polo, football, and cricket.
He founded a production company called RHB Productions Ltd which is based in Dorchester, Dorset, and has also worked as a music and news presenter on BBC local radio.
Ballard did make one remark on X, wishing Eurosport’s Laura Winter luck on Sunday night’s broadcast.
‘Have a great one,’ Ballard wrote.
Ballard’s embarrassing comment comes as Paris organisers have promoted the event as ‘The Equal Games’, with the IOC celebrating the fact that women now make up 50 percent of its participants.
Ballard is no stranger to Olympic water sports.
A veteran of more than four decades in media, Ballard has covered swimming, diving, and water polo during his broadcasting career.
Emma McKeon, Shayna Jack, Mollie O’Callaghan and Meg Harris celebrate in Paris
Ballard previously admitted in 2019 to another embarrassing on-air moment – this one at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal.
‘… I duly went to the interview position and spent a few awkward minutes on live TV being lambasted by the national performance director, who accused me of being the most negative journalist,’ Ballard told Swimming.org in 2019.
‘That came as a surprise to the swimmers, who had always considered me very sympathetic and objective. It was used on Breakfast News, both BBC and ITV the next morning, and I’ve never been allowed to forget it by the coaches who were around in 2005.’
Some viewers were upset with Ballard’s comment and vented their frustrations online.
‘When will these people ever learn?’ asked Loughborough University’s Professor Pragya Agarwal on X. ‘Why aren’t they being given some training?’
From left to right: Emma Mckeon, Meg Harris, Shayna Jack and Mollie O’Callaghan of Australia
‘Bob Ballard hang your head in shame and get off the broadcast and back to the 1930s,’ one fan wrote on X.
O’Callaghan, Jack, McKeon and Harris set an Olympic record of 3:28.92 in the 4X100 relay on Sunday.
The American team of Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske and Simone Manuel rallied to finish second in 3:30.20 – one tenth of a second ahead of Team China.
This was the first swimming medal for China, and it comes after it was recently revealed that nearly two dozen of that country’s swimmers tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Two of the swimmers that tested positive – Zhang Yufei and Yang Junxuan – were on China’s 4X100 team that won bronze on Sunday.
