| The BBC has been forced to apologise after presenter John Inverdale suggested the women's Wimbledon champion was "never going to be a looker". The BBC presenter made the disparaging remark on Radio 5 live shortly after French player Marion Bartoli defeated Germany's Sabine Lisicki on Centre Court. Bartoli, 28, fell to her knees after she won the title and then made a beeline for the player's box where she hugged her father and former coach, Walter. Inverdale reportedly told listeners: "Do you think Bartoli's dad told her when she was little, 'you're never going to be a looker, you'll never be a Sharapova, so you have to be scrappy and fight?" The comments sparked outrage among social media users where some called for Inverdale to be stripped of his job.
Inverdale was accused of being a 'sexist dinosaur' Richard Kent said on Twitter: "John Inverdale needs to go. @bbc5live Are you going to allow him to carry on? Comments re Bartoli are appalling." Another Twitter user said: "Ooops John Inverdale maybe falling on his sword me thinks, sexist dinosaur!" The BBC later apologised for the comments. "We accept that this remark was insensitive and for that we apologise," a spokesman said. Inverdale was presenting from the women's final at Wimbledon on Saturday. Earlier, he told his listeners that he poked fun at the player's looks "in a nice way". He added: "She is an incredible role model for people who aren't born with all the attributes of natural athletes" |
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