Gabby Logan wades into Olympics row as Clare Balding slammed for 'tone-deaf' remark

Gabby Logan has come to the defence of her colleague Clare Balding and the BBC, following accusations that the presenter made an 'incredulous' comment live on air.

Serving as the last on duty for the BBC at Euro 2024, Gabby was hailed by numerous viewers as the channel's 'best', despite the fact that while she had significant screen time during the tournament in Germany, it was her co-star Gary Lineker who was selected to host all the major matches, including all of England's games and the final.

Gabby is part of the BBC's team for the Paris Olympics and, during a break from leading coverage from Paris, she addressed criticism aimed at Clare, who was the presenter in charge for the opening ceremony on Friday and has also overseen sports like swimming over the past few days.

A comment made to former Olympic swimmer and now BBC pundit Rebecca Adlington landed Clare in trouble. In a conversation with the two-time gold medallist, Clare seemed surprised when Rebecca informed her that Olympic swimmers had never visited her school, reports Chronicle Live.

Reacting to the tone of Clare's response, one disgruntled viewer took to X to write: "Watching the Olympic swimming last night and Clare Balding said something in such an incredulous tone which summed up the establishment perspective and how their experience differs. They added that Clare's 'single statement said so much'."

The critic, who was clearly unimpressed with Clare's comment, said: "Because of course Balding thought it TOTALLY NORMAL for Olympic medal winners to visit schools because being privately educated and descended from nobility and privilege this kind of thing is part of the cultural experience they expect. Whereas if you go to an ordinary secondary school you're lucky if you get a day out at the end of the year."

They didn't stop there, also taking a swipe at the BBC and its other presenters: "It also shows that Balding's peers in sport, in the media, at the BBC, in her friends and family would all have the same experience because they are all part of the same club, who think this is normal."

Gabby Logan, however, was quick to respond to the criticism, writing: "I'm sure lots of what you say may be true about private school experiences, but it's certainly not true about the whole of the BBC.

"I went to a state school nobody visited, teachers were striking in the 80's, and no school trips. NB 'Speakers for Schools' is great charity."

She then added: "Also to be clear I love my colleague and she's a great broadcaster. But a sweeping statement about the BBC needed addressing. Look at our OG line up across the day, we are a mixed bag from different backgrounds bringing all our many experiences to the way we communicate."