The United States has historically dominated the pool at the Summer Olympics, with 580 medals to Australia’s 213. No other nation has more than 100 swimming medals in Olympic history. A new power is emerging, however.
Australia could start to cut into that colossal gap quicker than some imagine, and the women’s side would likely be responsible for it. The Australian women won eight swimming gold medals in Tokyo, and they’re looking every bit as dominant in Paris after a pair of gold medals in the opening days of the games.
Ariarne Titmus gave Australia its first gold medal with a win in the 400m freestyle Saturday, and Australia picked up another win over the U.S. in the 4x100m relay Sunday.
One broadcaster, however, found himself in hot water after making disparaging comments about the group that won the 4x100m relay for Australia.
Here’s what you need to know about Bob Ballard’s comments and his background.
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Bob Ballard Olympics comments
Eurosport commentator Bob Ballard was accused of sexism as a result of comments he made about the Australian women’s 4x100m relay team on Sunday.
“Well, the women are just finishing off. You know what women are like, hanging around, doing their makeup,” Ballard said while waiting for the relay team to get to the podium for the medal ceremony.
Lizzie Simmonds, Ballard’s partner in the booth, pushed back on the comments immediately by calling them “outrageous.”
Eurosport announced later on that Ballard will no longer be working at the Olympics.
“During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,” the network said. “To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect.”
Ballard released a statement of his own on Monday, tweeting, “It was never my intention to upset or belittle anyone and, If I did, I apologise. I am a massive advocate of women’s sport.”
Right here it is the statement pt 1:
The comments I made during the Australian freestyle relay victory ceremony on Saturday have caused some offence. It was never my intention to upset or belittle anyone and, if I did, I apologise. I am a massive advocate of women’s sport.
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— Bob Ballard (@bobballardsport) July 29, 2024
Australia’s relay team of Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris won by a margin of 1:28 over the United States, comfortably winning gold after doing the same in Tokyo. McKeon and Harris were both part of the gold medal-winning team three years ago.
Ballard’s comments put a temporary damper on Australia’s triumph for some, and Eurosport quickly took action to put the controversy out of mind.
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Who is Bob Ballard?
BBC called Ballard “a stalwart of global sports coverage since the 1980s, reporting on many Olympic games and World Championships” after his removal Sunday. Ballard’s coverage has included water polo and ice hockey in addition to swimming and diving.
Ballard has long been an advocate for equal treatment of LGBTQ+ community, as he is gay and has spoken out about mistreatment he received early in his sports broadcasting career. He started his career as a freelancer with BBC in 1983.
In a statement Monday, Ballard called himself an advocate for women’s sports and said he wishes his Eurosport colleagues all the best with Olympics coverage.
