Winter Olympics Bode Miller apologises for sexist remarks

Winter Olympics Bode Miller apologises for sexist remarks

Olympic commentator Bode Miller has been forced to apologise over 'sexist' remarks made during his 2018 Pyeonchang coverage following a furious online backlash.

The NBC presenter and ski analyst, 40, appeared to suggest that marriage is hazardous to your career if you're a female skier.

During slalom coverage, Miller's co-host Dan Hicks brought up a knee injury that knocked Austria's Anna Veith down in the rankings.

Miller, a retired athlete and the most decorated skier in US Olympic history, replied:  'The knee was an issue. I want to point out that she also just got married and it's historically very challenging to race in the World Cup while trying to raise a family or after being married.

'Not to blame the spouses, but I just want to get that out there that it could be your husband's fault.' 

And viewers were far from impressed, with some branding him 'sexist' and 'biased' in a flurry of tweets.

Veith, an Austrian World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medallist, married her longtime boyfriend in 2016.

An hour after his comments, prompted by Hicks, Miller, who in 2017 retired from ski racing after a 20-year career, claimed he had made an ill-advised attempt at a joke

On Valentine's Day, I did not mean to throw spouses under the bus,' he said.

Later, in a series of tweets, he wrote: 'To be clear I was not seriously blaming Anna Veith's lack of results on her husband. It's a changing of priorities that is historically hard, male or female.

'I had the love and support of my wife while I was racing and I know it can be a huge asset.'