Olympic broadcaster Bob Ballard broke his silence on Monday after he was removed from Eurosport's coverage of the Summer Games for a comment he made about the Australian women's swimming team.
Ballard wrote a two-part statement on his X account as the Paris Games continued.
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From left, Emma Mckeon, Meg Harris, Shayna Jack and Mollie O'Callaghan of Australia celebrate after winning the women's 4×100-meter freestyle final at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
“The comments I made during the Australian freestyle relay victory ceremony on Saturday have caused some offence,” Ballard wrote in a post. “It was never my intention to upset or belittle anyone and if I did I apologise. I am a huge supporter of women's sport.
“I will miss the Eurosport team very much and I wish them all the best for the rest of the Olympic Games,” he added. “I will not be making any further comments. Thank you.”
Ballard also wrote that no one should go after Lizzie Simmonds, who appeared to take offense to the comment she made.
She spoke of how “women are” in reference to the Australian team after they won the 4x100m freestyle on Saturday.
From left, Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma Mckeon and Meg Harris hold gold medals on the podium after winning the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Saturday, July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
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“Well, the women are finishing up. You know how women are… hanging out, putting on makeup,” Ballard said, according to the New York Post.
Simmonds called Ballard's comment “outrageous.”
Eurosport dropped Ballard from its Olympic coverage afterwards.
“During a segment of Eurosport's coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,” the company said in a statement, according to The Independent. “As a result, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect.”
He has been a staple in Olympic coverage for several years and was also a freelance broadcaster for the BBC.
Australia's relay team, consisting of Emma McKeon, Shayna Jack, Mollie O'Callaghan and Meg Harris, won the gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay on Saturday, beating the United States and China. The team set an Olympic record with a time of 3:28.92.
From left, Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma Mckeon and Meg Harris celebrate on the podium after winning the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Saturday, July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
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Team USA consisted of Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske and Simone Manuel. Team China consisted of Yang Junxuan, Cheng Yujie, Zhang Yufei and Wu Qingfeng.
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