Olympics commentator breaks silence after being axed from Paris 2024 over sexist remark

Bob Ballard broke his silence with a message to sports broadcaster Laura Winter after his dismissal as a commentator from the Paris Olympic games was confirmed.

Ballard sparked controversy during Eurosport's coverage of the women's 4x100 relay on Saturday. The incident unfolded when the Australian team, consisting of Mollie O'Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon, and Meg Harris, clinched gold for their country in an impressive manner, outpacing their closest competitor, the USA team, by over a second.

As the victorious women exited the Paris Aquatic Centre, seasoned commentator Ballard made a sexist comment. "Well, the women (are) just finishing up. You know what women are like... hanging around, doing their make-up," Ballard was heard saying.

READ MORE: Man arrested over Olympics 'sabotage' after attack on Paris rail network

READ MORE: US sponsor pulls out of Olympics amid anger over Paris opening ceremony scene

News of the commentary quickly spread on social media, attracting widespread criticism, while co-commentator Lizzie Simmonds was heard labeling his words as "outrageous".

Eurosport released a statement acknowledging that an "inappropriate comment" had been made by Ballard, adding: "To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect."

Shortly after Eurosport announced his dismissal, Ballard took to social media to wish presenter Winter well as she covered a thrilling evening of competitive swimming.

Under a post from Winter, where the presenter was giving a sneak peek of the evening's main events, including the men's 100m breaststroke final and women's 100m butterfly, Ballard commented "have a good one".

Follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories.

Earlier in the day, Ballard faced widespread criticism for his sexist remark, with demands for his dismissal quickly spreading across social media.

One response read: "Eurosport please sack Bob Ballard from commentating any more at the Olympics 2024,". "His comments re Aus 4x100 female swim relay team totally disgusting in today's world. He needs to publicly apologize!"

Another user wrote: "Bob Ballard hang your head in shame and get off the broadcast and back to the 1930s. While one user slammed his comments as " One user slammed his comments as "shameful," writing: "When will these people ever learn? Why aren't they being given some training? ".