BBC's Gabby Logan wades into Clare Balding debate as Olympics presenter sparks 'classism' row
Gabby Logan jumped to co-star Clare Balding's defence online
BBC
Gabby Logan has jumped to the defence of her BBC Olympics co-star Clare Balding after her recent comments sparked a "classism" debate.
Badling, 53, came under fire online this week after expressing surprise when former Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington, 35, mentioned that no Olympic stars had ever visited her school when she was younger.
Balding is covering some of the current Olympic Games for the BBC from Paris, and as she reported on a swimming event recently she chatted to Adlington and fellow former competitive swimmer Mark Foster, 54.
Reflecting on the legacy of David Wilkie, the first British champion to win a gold medal for swimming at the 1976 Montreal Games, Foster shared the key things that inspired as a child.
He detailed how Duncan Goodhew had visited his swimming club when he was 10 years old, which prompted him to follow in his footsteps.
He went on to ask Adlington if she'd had a similar experience ahead of her Olympic success, to which she explained she hadn't.
Clare Balding expressed surpised when Rebecca Adlington explained no Olympians had visited her school
BBC
As a thread of posts gained a lot of attention from each side, it didn't take long for Logan, 51, to chime in and defend her colleague.
She wrote in response to the posts: "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 Eighties, and no school trips. NB ‘Speakers for Schools’ is a great charity."
Supporting Balding, she added: "Also to be clear I love my colleague and she’s a great broadcaster. But a sweeping statement about the BBC needed addressing.
Clare Balding's BBC Olympics coverage sparked a 'classism' debate
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"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."
Comments made online had left some viewers fuming, with one writing: "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."
Another chimed: "Perfect example [of classism] on #BBCOlympics this week, Clare Balding astonished that Rebecca Adlington didn’t have an Olympian visit her school. Genuinely couldn’t believe it."
However, Logan wasn't the only person to defend Balding, with others making similar points.
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Gabby Logan defended her BBC co-star Clare Balding
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One wrote: "My old state school was visited by Olympians (funnily enough it’s right next to Clare balding’s house so she was 100% aware). I am also pretty positive that my private school I attended later never had an Olympian visit ahah. Ofc anecdotal, but there we go."
GB News has approached Balding's representatives and the BBC for a comment.
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