A veteran Eurosport announcer was fired for making a joke about women taking too long to get ready after the Australian Olympic swim team took the gold medal in Paris, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) reported Monday.
Bob Ballard said that the 4x100m freestyle relay team were “finishing up” and “you know what women are like … hanging around, doing their make-up” as the team exited the pool deck, according to the BBC.
Ballard, who has covered global sports since the 1980s, including numerous Olympic games and World Championships, apparently laughed when his broadcasting partner and former British swimming champion, Lizzie Simmonds, said his remark was “outrageous,” the BBC reported.
Eurosport have now dropped Bob Ballard as swimming commentator following this sexist remark yesterday.
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) July 29, 2024
“Well, the women just finishing up. You know what women are like … hanging around, doing their makeup.”
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