Olympic announcer Bob Ballard, who was removed from Eurosport’s Summer Olympics coverage over comments he made about the Australian women’s swimming team, broke his silence on Monday.
As the Paris Games continued, Ballard wrote a two-part statement on his X account.
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From left to right, Australia’s Emma McKeown, Meg Harris, Shayna Jack and Molly O’Callaghan celebrate after winning the women’s 4x100m freestyle final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
“Comments I made at the Australian freestyle relay medal ceremony on Saturday have offended some people,” Ballard wrote. “It was never my intention to offend or disparage anyone and I apologize if that was the case. I am a huge fan of women’s sport.”
“I will truly miss the Eurosport team and wish them all the best for the remainder of the Olympics,” he added. “I will make no further comment. Thank you.”
Ballard also wrote that no one should go after Lizzy Simmons, who appeared to be upset by his comments.
“What it’s like to be a woman,” he said of the Australian team after they won the 4x100m freestyle on Saturday.
From left to right, Australia’s Molly O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeown and Meg Harris hold up their gold medals on the podium after winning the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
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“The ladies just got their makeup done. You know what it’s like for women to hang out and put on makeup,” Ballard said. New York Post.
Simmons called Ballard’s comments “outrageous.”
Eurosport subsequently dropped Ballard from its Olympic coverage.
“During last night’s Eurosport broadcast, commentator Bob Ballard made inappropriate comments,” the company said in a statement, reported The Independent. “As a result, he has been removed from our pundit roster with immediate effect.”
He was a mainstay of Olympic coverage for several years and was also a freelance announcer for the BBC.
Australia’s relay team of Emma McKeown, Shayna Jack, Molly O’Callaghan and Meg Harris beat the United States and China to win gold in the 4 x 100m relay on Saturday, setting an Olympic record of 3 minutes 28.92 seconds.
From left to right, Australia’s Molly O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeown and Meg Harris celebrate on the podium after winning the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schroeder)
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The American team consisted of Kate Douglas, Gretchen Walsh, Tori Huske and Simone Manuel, while the Chinese team consisted of Yang Junxuan, Chen Yujie, Zhang Yufei and Wu Qingfeng.
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