Oz reporter's on-air hug sparks Gayle comparisons

An Australian TV reporter has come under fire for wrapping his arms around a female colleague live on air, sparking a barrage of criticism and comparisons with cricketer Chris Gayle who was recently involved in a ‘sexism’ row. Hamish McLachlan, a Channel Seven sports reporter was forced to make an apology, after he hugged Monika Radulovic live on air as she tried to speak to the camera. Radulovic was reporting from the Magic Millions horse sale on the Gold Coast with veteran sports journalist McLachlan, 40, who is a commentator of horse racing and Australian Football League. As Radulovic began to talk about horses that would be auctioned at the sale, McLachlan stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her while he looked off into the distance, and spoke at the same time as her.

Twitteratti slammed McLachlan for the act. With Radulovic by his side, McLachlan said he had received a phone call saying “people were making a lot of” it. “If I’ve offended anyone at home, I’m apologising for that absolutely. Especially,” he said, turning to his colleague, “I apologise if I’ve offended you.”