Olympics commentator dropped following sexist remark

Olympics commentator Bob Ballard was dropped "with immediate effect" after making a sexist remark towards Australia's swimming team.

The Eurosport commentator, who has previously worked for BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT, came under fire after saying: "Well, the women just finishing up. You know what women are like… hanging around, doing their make-up."

His co-commentator Lizzie Simmonds laughed before calling his remark "outrageous".

The comment was made when Australia’s women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team (Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris) had just secured gold.

Eurosport has since broken their silence on Ballard in a statement, which read: "During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment.

"To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect."

Ballard has not yet commented on his dismissal.

Ballard's remarks caused a stir online, with one suggesting it was "setting women's sports back".

Another wrote: "Bob Ballard hang your head in shame and get off the broadcast and back to the 1930s."

A third added: "Zero tolerance for sexist idiots who can feel good about themselves only by trivialising women."

Elsewhere on X/Twitter, others believed his sacking was uncalled for.

"If this is what Bob Ballard got removed from Olympic swimming coverage for then holy f***, we really need to grow up as a society. Not liberal or conservative, just thinking for myself. This is an absolutely harmless joke with zero malice or insensitivity."

A second person wrote: "That was clearly a deliberate inoffensive joke teasing his female colleague. Probably a bit outdated but certainly not 'outrageous.'"

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Speaking about her freestyle relay gold win, Emma McKeon told FoxSports: "To be part of this (4x100m relay team), it’s extremely hard and this is a team of six with Bronte (Campbell) and Liv (Olivia Wunsch, heat swimmers) – we couldn’t do it without this group of six.

"Everyone wants to be part of this team. I feel really honoured to be part of it.

"It’s definitely been a rough couple of years, especially this year. I definitely had my doubts. I just really wanted to be part of this team tonight."

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