Olympic commentator fired for sexist remark, child molester still takes part

Veteran sports commentator Bob Ballard was fired from his job as an Olympic reporter after making a remark about Australian female swimmers, raising questions about what constitutes acceptable behaviour around the event given that the athlete taking part is a convicted rapist.

Mollie O’Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack had just triumphed over the USA and China on Saturday to secure Australia’s fourth consecutive gold medal in the discipline.

The swimmers celebrated and waved to the crowd as Ballard said, “The women are just finishing up. You know how women are: They hang around and put on makeup.”

Lizzie Simmonds, Ballard’s co-commentator and former British swimming champion, immediately condemned his remark as “outrageous”, a reaction that Ballard greeted with laughter.

A clip of the interaction, broadcast live on Eurosport, went viral and on Sunday the sports channel announced Ballard’s departure.

“During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,” the broadcaster said in a statement to The Independent“For this reason, he has been removed from our commentator list with immediate effect.”

Ballard addressed the incident on his social media and defended Simmonds and said she had “nothing to do with it.”

“The comments I made during the Australian freestyle relay medal ceremony on Saturday caused some offence. It was never my intention to upset or disparage anyone and if it did happen, I apologise. I am a huge supporter of women’s sport,” Ballard wrote.

Ballard, a long-serving BBC reporter and presenter, has been a prominent figure in global sports coverage since the 1980s. He has commentated on numerous Olympic Games and World Championships, with his repertoire spanning water polo, ice hockey and wheelchair tennis, but is best known for his swimming and diving commentary.

The controversy comes after a BBC commentator publicly defended the participation of a convicted child molester in the Olympics. Paula Radcliffe later apologised and wished him “good luck”.

Steven van De Velde, who was in the Dutch beach volleyball squad for Paris 2024, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after allegedly admitting three counts of rape of a child. He served 12 months of that sentence before resuming his volleyball career and eventually qualifying for the Olympics.

On social media, some people seemed baffled that both presenters had come under fire for their comments, yet Van De Velde was still able to compete.

Despite the backlash, the Dutch Olympic Committee defended its decision to allow him to participate, saying the decision was the responsibility of the National Volleyball Federation and that he “met all qualification requirements”.

They also said he would “remain in alternative accommodation and would not speak to the press during his stay in Paris.”

The BBC confirmed Newsweek They will keep Radcliffe on air as she has publicly apologized despite the public controversy surrounding the incident.

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