Sporting Witness

In May 1974, the Italian Bridge Federation invited a team of American women players to an invitational challenge match against their own women's team. Over eight days, the two highly successful teams would compete in the city of Venice for a new trophy dubbed 'The Venice Cup'. Originally a one-off event, the Venice Cup continues[...]

It's 20 years since the death of the scout responsible for finding some of the greatest players in Liverpool's history. Geoff Twentyman joined Bill Shankly's Liverpool in 1967 as chief scout, tasked with overhauling the club's recruitment system.Armed with his scouting diary, he unearthed lower league players who would later on go to be world[...]

Alex Higgins was the two-times World Snooker champion from Northern Ireland whose speedy style of play helped turn the game into a must-watch sport. But, away from the table, he was a wild boy – whose gambling, drinking and womanising eventually led to his downfall. He died in 2010 at the age of 61. Producer[...]

It's 20 years since Mianne Bagger became the first transgender athlete to play in pro golf tournament. The Danish golfer made history by competing at the 2004 Women’s Australian Open. It was a landmark moment for trans sport and made headlines around the world. In 2021, Mianne Bagger spoke to Robbie Wojciechowski.(Photo: Bagger at the[...]

In 2007, 52-year-old Slovenian endurance swimmer Martin Strel became the first person to swim the entire length of the Amazon River. It took him 66 days to complete and, over the course of his journey, Strel faced threats such as pirates, sharks, and dengue fever. At 3,300 miles, it’s the longest open swim in history.He[...]

A bonus episode from the Amazing Sport Stories podcast – The Black 14. Sport, racism and protests are about to change the lives of “the Black 14” American footballers. It’s 1969 in the United States. They’ve arrived on scholarships at the University of Wyoming to play for its Cowboys American football team. It was a[...]

Roberto Duran and Dave Radford were from different worlds.Roberto, a champion boxer considered one of the greatest to ever step into the ring. Dave, a part-time plasterer in the North of England, boxing in leisure centres and social clubs.But in 1997, a series of unlikely events saw Dave down his tools, fly to South Africa[...]

In 1980, Roland Butcher became the first black cricketer to represent England. It was in a one day match against Australia.Born in Barbados, his first tour was against his home region of the West Indies. He’s been speaking to Claire Bowes about his experience and getting caught up in plans for a controversial rebel tour[...]

The badminton champion Rajeev Bagga grew up in India, winning deaf and hearing competitions in his home country and abroad. He has won 14 gold medals at the Deaflympics, which is the second oldest multi-sport and cultural festival in the world after the Olympics.In 2001, he was named ‘Deaflympian of the Century’. At the 2005[...]

In the 1976 Formula One motor racing season, South African driver Jody Scheckter became the first and only person to ever win a race in a six-wheeled car. Competing against him in Sweden was American Mario Andretti. In this episode, both former world champions speak to James Pepper about history being made at the Anderstorp[...]

In 1984, the women's marathon was held in the Olympic Games for the first time.But to the horror of the crowd in Los Angeles, one of the runners, Gabriela Andersen-Scheiss of Switzerland, entered the stadium in a state of virtual collapse from heat exhaustion.The 40-year-old ski instructor was not used to the hot Californian climate.[...]

In April 2001, the small island nation of American Samoa took on Australia in the World Cup qualifiers. You could only play for the team if you held an American passport, which automatically ruled out the majority of the American Samoans, leaving them to resorting to picking schoolboys to play for them. What followed was[...]

It was supposed to be a friendly match between Egyptian giants Zamalek and Czechoslovakian side Dukla Prague, but before the game started there was a deadly crush in the crowds.The day before the game on 17 February 1974, the venue had been changed from the larger Cairo Stadium to Zamalek's home ground. It was reported[...]

In 1996, South Africa won the Africa Cup of Nations, bringing sporting joy to a country still recovering from Apartheid.It was the Bafana Bafana team's first victory at an international football tournament.In 2015, two members of the multi-racial side, Phil Masinga and Mark Fish, spoke to Will Yates.A Whistledown production for BBC World Service.(Photo: South[...]

In 1984, Lamine Gueye of Senegal became the first black African skier to take part in the Winter Olympics.The grandson of a prominent Senegalese politician, Gueye founded his country's ski federation and for a long time was the only member.In 2017, he spoke to Tayo Popoola.A Whistledown Production for BBC World Service.(Photo: Lamine at the[...]

Lin Dan has dominated badminton for several decades. The Chinese star nicknamed 'Super Dan' clinched the sport's Super Grand Slam - winning 9 major titles by the age of 28 and the first player to achieve the feat. But it was his Olympic Games Gold medals which are particularly special to him. He speaks to[...]

The Elfstedentocht is one of the toughest sporting events there is. It’s an ice skating race around the lakes and canals of the northern Dutch province of Friesland – and it can only take place when it is particularly cold. The last one was in 1997, but the most notorious happened back in January 1963,[...]

In 2000, Sven-Goran Eriksson got the job as manager of England’s men’s football team. He was the first non-English person to do the job.Some in England were sceptical about an overseas coach when Sven moved from his post at Lazio in Italy to succeed Kevin Keegan as England boss.Sven tells Uma Doraiswamy about the media’s[...]

In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima was leading the Men’s Marathon with six kilometres to go. What happened next shocked the millions of fans watching and propelled Vanderlei into becoming a universal role model for sportsmanship. He relives those last kilometres with Uma Doraiswamy.(Photo: Vanderlei de Lima being attacked by Cornelius Horan.[...]

In 1970, Yuichiro Miura became the first man to ski on Mount Everest, starting from the height of the ‘death zone’, an elevation where there isn't enough oxygen to survive for long. His daring ski run saw him reach a speed of 160 kilometres per hour, before he crashed into a boulder and narrowly avoided[...]

Caster Semenya was just 18-years-old when she won gold in the 800 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Her victory was controversial because the South African runner was facing questions over her gender. So much so, that she was made to take a gender test on the eve of the final. The test[...]

In 2003, arguably one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Roger Federer won the Wimbledon Men’s title. Aged just 21, it was his first major win and was the start of a record eight men’s single titles at the championships. Uma Doraiswamy goes through the BBC and Wimbledon archives where the Swiss champion[...]

In December 1993, EA Sports released Fifa International Soccer, also known as Fifa 94.The football game sold half a million copies in its first month and went on to become a cultural phenomenon.Coder Jan Tian was the lead developer. He tells Vicky Farncombe how his devotion to the task landed him in hospital.(Photo: Fifa International[...]

In 1978, first division football side West Bromwich Albion became the first professional British club to visit communist China. The visit came as the communist country wanted to improve relations with the West after the death of Chairman Mao Zedong. The team played five exhibition matches, including one against the Chinese national team in Beijing[...]

In 1994, Manchester United goalkeeper Les Sealey sat down to record his memoir. He'd played a key role in helping Alex Ferguson win his first trophy as United's manager in 1990. No takers were found for Les' story and the cassette tapes were stored away in a friend's attic. Les died from a heart attack[...]

In 2003, Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh, came up with the idea of combining two of his passions – chess and boxing. Using the cerebral strategy of chess along with the physicality of boxing, the winner is decided by either a checkmate or knockout. Ashley Byrne speaks to Jean-Louis Veenstra, who fought Rubingh at the inaugural[...]

In 2006, Lindsey Jacobellis was riding high in the world of snowboarding and arrived at that year’s Winter Olympics in Turin in Italy, a firm favourite to win gold in the inaugural Snowboard Cross event. What followed was the most infamous moments of that year’s games, as Lindsey’s Olympic dream came crashing down in a[...]

In January 2010, Egypt beat Ghana 1-0 in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations to complete an unprecedented treble, having won in 2006 and 2008. It was also the seventh time they won the cup, a feat unmatched by any of their rivals in the African Confederation. Justice Baidoo speaks to Egyptian fullback[...]

In 2003, England beat Australia in Sydney to win the Rugby World Cup. The match was famous for England's fly-half, Jonny Wilkinson, kicking the winning points in the dying seconds.England's coach, Sir Clive Woodward, and Australia's captain, George Gregan, recount that night to Ben Henderson.(Photo: Sir Clive Woodward lifts the Rugby World Cup trophy. Credit:[...]

Joseph Pilates developed a system of strengthening exercises which are now practised all over the world. He called it "contrology", but it's now better known as just Pilates.We hear from Mary Bowen, one of the Pilates Elders, who studied with Joseph Pilates and his wife Clara in New York in the 1950s.(Photo: Joseph Pilates, inventor,[...]

Nearly 60 years ago, New South Wales in Australia hosted the first official World Surfing Championships. The competition attracted around 200 entries, including surfers from France, USA, South Africa, England, Peru and New Zealand.The event was held in May at Sydney's Manly Beach and pulled in a crowd of up to 60,000 people.Australian finalist Mick[...]

The Netherlands embarrased England at Lord's on the opening day of the 2009 T20 Cricket World Cup. The top scorer for the Dutch was Tom de Grooth and he speaks to Matthew Kenyon about the famous victory.(Photo: Tom De Grooth of Netherlands plays a reverse shot watched by James Foster of England during their ICC[...]

Australian tenpin bowler Cara Honeychurch on her incredible streak of becoming World Champion and Bowler of the Year in 1996, then winning three golds at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur.She speaks to Ashley Byrne in this Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service. (Photo: Cara Honeychurch bowling in Melbourne, Australia in[...]

In 2012, Zahra Lari from the UAE, made history by becoming the first figure skater to compete in a hijab. When she was 17 she took part in her first international competition, and although her routine went well, the judges deducted points for her headscarf. After the competition, she met with the International Skating Union[...]

When part-time fighter Chuck Wepner is given a shot to fight heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in 1975, no one gives him a chance. But his heroism in the ring knocked down all expectations, including those of the champ, and inspired a cinematic saga in the process. He speaks to Ben Wyatt about the build up[...]

In 2015, Japan’s Rugby Union team pulled off one of the greatest sporting upsets of all time, when they beat South Africa in their opening match of the World Cup in England. The Brave Blossoms’ win over one of the giants of world rugby would have been unimaginable before the team’s remarkable transformation under its[...]

In 1977 English batsman Dennis Amiss became the first cricket player in the modern game to wear protective headgear. Derided and taunted by spectators, as well as some players, the pioneering use of head protection revolutionised pitch safety. He speaks to Wayne Wright about the profound effect in had on the sport. This is a[...]

In September 1997, the Australian tennis player Pat Rafter was the surprise winner of the US Open. Dismissed as a “fluke” victory by John McEnroe, Rafter returned to Flushing Meadows the following year to retain the title and also became world number one. Pat Rafter talks to Ashley Byrne about the victories and his career.[...]

In 1984, the West Indies celebrated a 5-0 test series defeat of England on British soil - a historic cricketing victory that became known as Blackwash.But for Windies fans, it was more than just a record score-line. It was also recognition at a time when many British Caribbean communities were suffering racism, unemployment and poverty.They[...]

In 1997, Violet Palmer made history by becoming the first female referee in the NBA.During her career she faced sexism and discrimination. Violet tells Gill Kearsley about the anticipation and excitement of refereeing her first match.(Photo: Violet Palmer in 2013. Credit: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

The Nigerian national women’s football team were the first African team to reach the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup Tournament in China in 1991. Justice Baidoo speaks to Nkiri Okosieme – who captained the hastily assembled squad – and hears how they overcame opposition to claim their tournament spot. This programme is a Made in[...]

To mark the final stages of this year's Tour de Femmes, Marianne Martin talks about winning the first official women’s Tour De France in 1984. She rode the 1,080km course in 29 hours, 39 minutes, and two seconds over 18 days – a remarkable feat considering she’d had anaemia earlier in that year. The 1984[...]

Panini have been making World Cup sticker albums since 1970, but in 2011 they decided to make the first one for the women's tournament being held in Germany. Only available in the host country, they sold more than 4.5 million packets of stickers in two weeks. They had to print a million more stickers to[...]

In 1993, the Czech player Jana Novotna threw away a huge lead in the ladies' final at Wimbledon but captured the hearts of tennis fans by breaking down in tears on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent, the tournament's patron. Five years later, Novotna was back on Centre Court and this time she won.[...]

In the summer of 1983, New Zealand tennis player Chris Lewis reached the Wimbledon men’s singles final, despite being ranked 91 in the world. Although it shocked the tournament, Lewis had been targeting it since he was 11 years old, when he watched tennis greats including Rod Laver and Tony Roche play in his home[...]

On 6 July 2003, the first matches of the Homeless World Cup kicked off in Graz, Austria. The idea came from Mel Young and Harald Schmied. Mel talks to Kurt Brookes about the first tournament and how it continues to help change perceptions about homelessness. A Made in Manchester Production for BBC World Service. (Photo:[...]

At the 1976 Olympics, the Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto horrified the world by continuing to compete in the team event despite breaking his knee during the floor exercise. Determined not to let down his team-mates, Fujimoto braved almost unbearable pain to achieve good scores on the pommel horse and rings, and help Japan to gold.[...]

After being ridiculed by the English fans and media following his dismal performance in the 2010-2011 Ashes series, Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson proved himself on home ground in 2013 by destroying England’s batting order. Taking 37 wickets and being named Player of the Series, Johnson dominated the tests which became known as Johnson's Ashes.He[...]

Can a man ever beat a horse in a foot race? Every year since 1980, a small town in Wales has been trying to find out. Laurence Bassett speaks to long distance runner Huw Lobb and race creator Gordon Green about the 2004 race when, for the first time, two legs outran four.This is a[...]

In 1965, South African Albert Johanneson became the first black player of any nationality to take part in the FA Cup final. Willie Bell remembers what he was like as a Leeds United teammate. This is a Made in Manchester production for the BBC World Service.(Photo: Leeds United left-winger Albert Johanneson, March 1965. Credit: Getty[...]

In May 2003, Arsenal started on an unbeaten run that would last for 49 Premier League games. The team became known as 'The Invincibles'. They were the first team to go unbeaten all season since Preston North End in 1888. Former Arsenal defender, Lauren, and British comedian, Alan Davies, speak to Matt Pintus about that[...]

The 2010 Asian Games in China saw women’s kabaddi included at the event for the first time. Deepika Joseph was the youngest person ever to represent her country in the sport. Kabaddi is an Indian contact sport which involves holding your breath while chanting kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi. Deepika speaks to Reena Stanton-Sharma about competing and[...]

On 16 March 2002, Sheffield United vs West Bromwich Albion, at Bramall Lane, became the only match in English football history to be abandoned due to a shortage of players.After three Sheffield players were sent off, two got injured, meaning they were down to six men.Rachel Naylor speaks to referee Eddie Wolstenholme, who was forced[...]

On 15th May 1993, the first match of Japan's first professional football league kicked off at the National Stadium in Tokyo. This new "J.League" replaced the previous version, which was composed of corporate teams of amateur and semi-professional players, and was seen by the Japanese Football Asociation as a means of qualifying for and eventually[...]

In 2000, Indian weightlifter Karnam Malleswari became the first woman from her country to win an Olympic medal, lifting an astonishing 240kg across two categories. Nicknamed the Iron Lady, Malleswari quickly became a household name in India. She speaks to Dan Hardoon about her upbringing in a small Andhra Pradesh town, the taboos she broke[...]

On 5th April 1997, the 150th Grand National horse race was meant to take place at the Aintree racecourse near Liverpool. But the IRA sent 2 coded bomb threats which meant the world famous steeplechase had to be abandoned. Managing Director of the course at the time, Charles Barnett, tells Uma Doraiswamy what it was[...]

On April 21st, 2014, wheelchair athlete Ernst van Dyk clinched a record-breaking 10th win at the Boston Marathon - a bittersweet achievement coming just a year after terrorists bombed the 2013 race. But before Ernst dominated Boston, he spent over a decade training and competing before achieving marathon and Paralympic success. Ernst has been telling[...]

It has been 30 years since Champions League winners Marseille were relegated from the French top division for bribery and match fixing.The champions were accused of offering bribes to players from fellow French side, Valenciennes.Jean-Marie Veniel was the referee who first blew the whistle on the scandal. He has been sharing his memories with Matt[...]

Nathalie Amiel was a star of French rugby for more than fifteen years, from when she started playing internationally aged 15. She was part of the French team which won the Five Nations, as well as the European Championship four times. The 2002 season was her final one, she finished off her career winning the[...]

Ammo Baba was a beloved player, whose heading ability was legendary and who scored Iraq's first ever international goal. As a coach, Ammo Baba won many regional trophies for the Iraqi team and stood up to Saddam Hussein's sadistic son, Uday. In 2009, thousands of Iraqis gathered at the National Football Stadium to attend the[...]

In 2012 Irene helped lead her New Zealand team Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic to victory, beating the Melbourne Vixens in the ANZ Championships. She later went on to play for New Zealand’s national team, the Silver Ferns. Originally from South Africa, she initially faced a hostile media who didn’t accept her as a New[...]

In 1988, New Zealand referee Keith Walker facilitated a fight between South Korean boxer Byun Jung II and Bulgarian boxer Aleksandr Khristov. The Bulgarian won the match 4 -1, but when the bell rang, the ring erupted into chaos, with the referee defending himself from the punches that were being thrown his way. Soon afterwards,[...]

In 1950, Argentina hosted the inaugural Basketball World Cup for ten teams from around the world.Argentina beat the USA 64–50 in the final in Buenos Aires on 3 November.Rachel Naylor speaks to Ricardo González, Argentina's captain.(Photo: Ricardo González in 2023. Credit: María Eva González)

American Sylvie Von Duuglas-Ittu started Muay Thai fighting in Boulder, Colorado. It was a trip to Thailand that made her realise that if she wanted to progress in the sport, she would have to move there permanently to train and fight. She quickly became one of the best fighters in the martial art, surpassing 200[...]

In 2007, the first ever Clericus Cup was played, with trainee priests from the Vatican City's seminaries competing.It was an effort to present a different image of football, following various Italian scandals.Don Davide Tisato, the captain of the winning team and a former professional footballer, has been speaking to Laura Jones, along with Felice Alborghetti[...]

In 2000, female riders were able to take part in the cyclo-cross world championship for the first time. There has been a men’s event since 1950, but took another half century for female riders to be allowed to take part. Cyclo-cross involves races on grassland and sand, which includes steep gradients and often sees riders[...]

In 2006, Italy's most successful team, Juventus, were relegated from the Italian top division due to their involvement in the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.The decision to demote Juventus came just days after Italy had won the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Journalist Paddy Agnew covered the case extensively from his base in Rome. He has been[...]

At the age of 21, Tiger Woods won the US Masters in 1997 by dominating the tough golf course in Augusta. Despite turning professional only a few months before, he destroyed the competition, winning the tournament by 12 strokes. He was the first black man to win the Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club,[...]

Top New Zealand windsurfer Barbara Kendall was run over by a power boat at Christmas 1991 and told she should not sail again. She refused to believe the doctors and became the first woman to win a gold medal in windsurfing at the Olympics.Barbara has been speaking to Laura Jones.(Photo: Barbara with her gold medal[...]

In 1998, a Kenyan farmer called Philip Boit became one of the first Africans to compete in the Winter Olympics. In the 10-kilometre cross-country skiing final he faced the legendary Norwegian, Bjorn Daehlie. It was a race that would unite the two athletes and inspire future Winter Olympians across Africa. Maddy Savage spoke to both[...]

The first Maccabiah Games, a multi-sport event for Jewish athletes, were held in 1932.They now take place every four years in Israel.Rachel Naylor speaks to Carina Benninga, who won a gold medal in 1989, as captain of the Dutch hockey team.(Photo: Carina Benninga, top row, second from left, and the Dutch hockey team at the[...]

In 2004 the Mongol Rally was created; a global road trip where drivers race over 16,000 km from England to Mongolia. There’s no set route and you have to use a car with a tiny engine.A year later it was introduced to the wider world for the first time and Richard Birch from England took[...]

Malaysian Nicol David talks to Uma Doraiswamy about the moment she became world number 1 in squash and how she stayed there for 9 years in a row. When she first started playing, her racquet was bigger than she was. Through her hard work and perseverance, she dominated the game winning titles and trophies throughout[...]

Dutch football start Ruud Krol tells Matthew Kenyon about the Netherlands’ campaign at the 1974 World Cup. The team, coached by Rinus Michels and featuring the great Johan Cruijff, stunned the football world with the quality of their performance, as they brought the ‘Total Football’ philosophy which Michels had instituted at Ajax to the global[...]

In 1974, Zaire became just the third African nation to take part in football’s World Cup. Having been crowned African champions earlier that same year, the team known as the Leopards had big hopes for a successful tournament in West Germany. However, their campaign is predominantly remembered for a 9-0 defeat and a moment viewed[...]

With the the Middle East's first football World Cup underway, we look back to when Kuwait made its first and only appearance at the World Cup in 1982. The amateur side put in respectable performances against France and England. But press attention focused on the Kuwaitis’ team mascot, a camel called Haydoo, who became such[...]

In 1994, the USA hosted the FIFA World Cup for the first time. The choice of host nation was a controversial one because, at that time, the US didn't have an active professional football league. Alan Rothenberg was the man in charge of organising the competition. He decided to book Motown legend, Diana Ross, to[...]

In 1980, the newly independent nation of Zimbabwe was invited to enter a women's hockey team at the Olympic Games in Moscow. Despite their unfamiliarity with the pitches - and each other - the players won an unexpected gold medal and were nicknamed the Golden Girls. In 2016, Claire Bowes talked to Liz Chase, one[...]

For millions of gamers all over the world Tonton Zola Moukoko is a cult hero. The Swedish-Congolese footballer found fame as a brilliant player in the computer game series Championship Manager. But in the real world, things were very different. He never managed to break into Derby County’s first team and in his personal life[...]

In October 1972, Llanelli rugby club, a semi-professional side made up steel workers, teachers and dockworkers in south Wales, took on the most decorated international side in rugby history – the All Blacks, and won. Former Wales head coach and Llanelli local Gareth Jenkins was just 21 when he played against New Zealand's iconic rugby[...]

In March 1999 the Baltimore Orioles became the first US Major League team to play in Cuba for more than 40 years. Fans in Cuba eagerly awaited the fixture, and the game was played in a carnival atmosphere, with Fidel Castro looking on from the crowds. It was hailed as a success of sporting diplomacy.Cuban[...]

Shanshan Feng was the first Chinese golfer ever to win a major championship back in 2012 and she also became number one in the women's world golf rankings. She won bronze in the Olympics in Rio 2016. She speaks to Wayne Wright about her distinguished career. This is a Made in Manchester production for the[...]

At the 1999 Comrades ultramarathon, South Africa’s most gruelling road race, runner Nick Bester and his teammates notice something suspicious, as they run the 90km race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.Nick speaks to Craig Boardman about his experience in the race including winning it in 1991. However, it was a bizarre twist in 1999s race that[...]

It has been 10 years since seven time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, was given a lifetime ban from cycling for doping. Journalist David Walsh dedicated 12 years of his life trying to prove that Armstrong had cheated his way to victory. The Sunday Times reporter refused to believe Lance Armstrong when he said[...]

At the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, Derartu Tulu, from Ethiopia, became the first black African woman to win a gold medal.She speaks to Rachel Naylor about winning the 10,000 metres and beating South Africa's Elana Meyer.(Photo: Ethiopia's Derartu Tulu (L) and Elana Meyer of South Africa join hands in a victory lap after the women's[...]

Rose Reilly played football for AC Milan as she was banned from playing professional football in her home nation of Scotland. She was the most successful female player in Serie A. Yet despite these achievements, after she criticised the Scottish Football Association, they banned her for life. In 1984, Rose represented the Italian national women's[...]

At the Rio 2016 Olympics, judoka Majlinda Kelmendi competed to bring home the first medal for Kosovo since the small country gained independence. A two-time World Champion from a nation that had endured years of oppression and war, she had previously had to compete under the Albanian flag. The Olympics recognised Kosovo in 2014, and[...]

In 1988, the Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was disqualified 48 hours after winning the Olympic 100 metre final and setting a new world record. It was one of the biggest doping scandals in the history of sport. Simon Watts introduces Ben Johnson interviews from the BBC archives.(Getty: Ben Johnson wins the 100 metres final at[...]

Rick Macci was one of Serena and Venus Williams' first tennis coaches. He flew across America to see them play in Compton in Los Angeles when they were still children. He speaks to Uma Doraiswamy about the moment he knew they were going to be world number ones and dominate the sport.(Photo: Rick Macci with[...]

It's 50 years since the Soviet Union and the USA battled out the 1972 Olympic men's basketball final. It ended up being one of the most controversial matches in history. The Americans thought they were champions, but the Soviets won it at the death in very unusual circumstances. The USA team have never accepted their[...]

At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, one mistake with a piece of gymnastics equipment changed the course of a final. It wasn't properly acknowledged at the time and even now, is one of the biggest Olympic mistakes that barely anyone has heard about. Australian former gymnast Allana Slater describes how she spotted the error.(Getty Images:[...]

British showjumper Nick Skelton competed in six Olympic games in his quest to win a medal, even coming back from a career ending injury. Having started riding when he was three years old, Nick won many titles, and it was the lure of the Olympics that kept him competing.(Getty Images: Nick Skelton at the 2012[...]

Between 1982 and 1984, UEFA held the first European Competition for Women's Football. 16 teams battled it out across Europe.The final was between Sweden and England.Rachel Naylor speaks to the Swedish captain Anette Börjesson.(Photo: Anette Börjesson (left) shakes hands with England captain Carol Thomas before the second leg of the 1984 final in Luton. Credit:[...]

After 14 years training and riding in a variety of tours, cyclist Yohann Gene from Guadeloupe, finally earned approval from his coach and was selected to race in the 2011 Tour De France. He then made history by becoming the first black man to finish the brutal race.(Getty Images: Yohann Gene in the Tour de[...]

Despite being hampered by injury in Athens 2004, Darren Campbell helps the British 4x100 metre relay team cause one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history.(Getty: Darren Campbell at the Athens 2004 Olympics)

In July 2013, a record crowd of 41,000 people watched as Germany beat Norway in the women's European championship final in Sweden. The victory meant that Germany had won an unprecedented six European Championships in a row. Goalkeeper, Nadine Angerer, was Germany’s star player and captain for that tournament. She has been telling her story[...]

In July 2010, the German cyclist Jens Voigt crashed while descending a mountain in the Pyrenees during the Tour De France. With his bike destroyed and his team support cars a long way up the road, Voigt borrowed a child’s bike and rode the next 15 kilometres on it. He talks to Ashley Byrne.(Photo: Jens[...]

The story of how a Wimbledon first round tie between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut in 2010 became the longest tennis match in history, stretching over three days. Matt Pintus has been speaking to the match umpire, Mohamed Lahyani.PHOTO: John Isner, Nicolas Mahut and Mohamed Lahyani (Getty Images).

The story of baseball pitcher Tommy John's elbow injury in 1974 and the revolutionary surgery that was named after him. He became known as the Bionic Man.

In 2000, Jill Heinerth was already a renowned diver, known for her exploits mapping vast underground cave networks in Florida. Filming for a National Geographic documentary brought a new and unprecedented challenge; a vast iceberg known as B-15 had broken away from an ice shelf in Antarctica, providing a unique chance to explore its networks[...]

In 1996 Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was one of the most promising and talented basketball players in the NBA. That was before he stopped standing with his teammates when American flag was raised and the national anthem played at the start of each game. Uma Doraiswamy spoke to him and heard how his meteoric rise was cut[...]

In May 2005, Liverpool came from 3-0 down at half-time to beat AC Milan in the Champions League final, in what became known as “The Miracle of Istanbul”. Dietmar Hamann helped turn the game around for Liverpool when he was substituted on for the second half. Ben Henderson spoke to him about his memories from[...]

It's 25 years since Ryneldi Becenti became the first Native American to play in the women's NBA when she made her debut for the Phoenix Mercury. Basketball is a big sport on Native American reservations and success made Becenti a hero in her community. In 2019, Lucy Burns spoke to Ryneldi Becenti about her career[...]

Olaniyi Gideon is a professional footballer, who had played in the UAE and had trials for clubs in the UK; his efforts to keep his dream alive found him playing for a Syrian club in 2011 when the country descended into civil war. He tells Bukky Fadipe about the fraught escape he was forced to[...]

In May 2012, Manchester City won their first Premier League title with a nail-biting injury time victory in the last game of the season. In a goal that made football history, Argentine striker Sergio Agüero rocketed the ball past the QPR keeper in the 94th minute. Uma Doraiswamy talks to Manchester City defender Micah Richards[...]

In the 1980s, Pakistani squash player Jahangir Khan became a legend in his sport by going undefeated for five years. But, as Shumaila Jaffery discovers, to become unbeatable, Khan had to overcome childhood illness and family tragedy. This programme was first broadcast in 2015.(Photo: Jahingar Khan in action. Credit: Steve Line/SquashPics)

In 2008, a group of cricketers went on what is believed to be the first tour of North Korea. The Shanghai Cricket Club arranged at their own expense to play the first - and only - edition of the Pyongyang Cricket Friendship Cup. Although initially baffled by the sport, some of the North Korean players[...]

Swedish table tennis player Jan-Ove Waldner is a living legend in his own country -- and in China. Known as the “Mozart of Table Tennis”, Jan won every major title in a sport traditionally dominated by the Chinese, including a career-defining win at the Olympic games in 1992 - where he became the first and[...]

In 2002, free diver Tanya Streeter attempted to set a No Limits world record by diving down to 160m and resurfacing, all on a single breath. She would have to survive the pressures of the deep and hold her breath for 3 and a half minutes. It almost went wrong. Tanya Streeter spoke to Alex[...]

In March 1981, women were allowed to compete officially in the Vasaloppet race in Sweden - one of the world's most popular cross-country skiing events. Vasaloppet officials had previously suggested that women would not be strong enough to complete the course and extra toilet facilities might need to be built for them. Female skiers responded[...]

It's 10 years since one of the most dramatic moments in the history of Premiership football. Fans around the world held their breath when the Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba went into cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch. His heart stopped for 78 minutes. Uma Doraiswamy has been speaking to cardiologist Dr Andrew Deaner, who[...]

Kelly Gallagher, a visually-impaired skier from Northern Ireland, won Team GB's first Winter Paralympic gold at the 2014 games in Sochi. She talks to Nick Holland about her career in one of the most thrilling alpine sports, and her bond with her guide, Charlotte Evans.PHOTO: Kelly Gallagher competing at Sochi (Getty Images)

The first Winter Paralympics were held in the Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik in 1976. Nearly two-hundred competitors came from 16 countries. Rachel Naylor speaks to two blind skiiing competitors with very different experiences - Finnish multi-gold medallist, Pertti Sankilampi, and Londoner Mike Brace, who learnt his sport shortly before the Games.PHOTO: Paralympic skier Larry Kuntz[...]

Bibian Mentel-Spee became a national hero in the Netherlands after campaigning for snowboarding to become part of the Winter Paralympics and then winning Gold the first time the event was held, at Sochi in 2014. Mentel-Spee had switched to Paralympic sport after cancer forced her to have a leg amputated. She would win two more[...]

In February 1988, the American speedskater, Dan Jansen was told on the day of his Winter Olympic final that his sister had died of cancer. Stricken by grief, he then fell during his race. It took Dan Jansen another six years - and five more races - before he finally won gold and completed one[...]

Morten Andersen arrived in the US at the age of 17 knowing nothing about American football. He went on to become a record-breaking NFL kicker and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. Alex Last speaks to Morten about his remarkable career and hears why the kicker is one of the most under-appreciated skill[...]

Vonetta Flowers became the first black athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold, when her US pair won the two-woman Bobsleigh event in 2002. Flowers started her career as a sprinter and long-jumper, but switched to bobsledding after failing to make the American summer Olympic team. She was a natural for the brake-woman role and[...]

Shiva Keshavan was the first Indian to compete in one of the most dangerous events at the Winter Olympics – the luge. At the 1998 games in Japan, the 16-year-old was the only athlete in the Indian team and had to lead himself out in the opening ceremony in Nagano. Shiva Keshavan took part in[...]

Aged thirteen, Novak Djokovic appeared at coach Nikola Pilic's tennis academy near Munich. He would soon become Pilic's star pupil thanks to his incredible self-discipline and natural tennis brain. Twenty grand slams later, the Serbian star is still in touch with Nikola Pilic, and regards him as one of his mentors. Nikola Pilic speaks to[...]

In 2011, the rugged mountains of Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan became the backdrop of something as unlikely as it was uplifting - an international ski scene. As Bamiyan was then relatively safe for tourists, a new travel agency, supported by a development NGO, started offering holidays to skiers seeking a unique adventure. A ski[...]

In 1976, the Yale women's rowing team stripped naked to demand equal treatment for women's sport. The protest attracted national attention in the USA and helped force universities to make the same funding and facilities available to women athletes as to men. Catherine Davies talks to two of the Yale protestors, Christine Ernst and Ginny[...]

At the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, Nigerian shotputter, Lauritta Onye, became a social media sensation thanks to her cart-wheeling gold-medal celebration dance. Onye has dwarfism and has never grown beyond four foot one, or 125 centimetres. She suffered social stigma in Nigeria and at one point ended up selling DVDs on the street in order[...]

In 1971, the Bangladeshi football team made history at the height of the country's war of independence when they played a series of matches in India. The games were the first to be played under the flag of a nation that was still not officially recognised and helped raise money for Bangladesh's independence struggle. Farhana[...]

In 2001, a group of Tibetan exiles and a Danish ex-footballer teamed up to create the Tibetan national football team, in the face of many obstacles, including threats from China. Robert Nicholson talked to Michael Nybrandt and team captain Sonam Wangyal about their first ever game against Greenland. A Whistledown Production, first broadcast in 2017.PHOTO:[...]

In 1961, England’s top players threatened strike action in order to force the Football League to scrap its limit on wages of 20 pounds a week. Their victory was a turning point for the sport as it ushered in the modern era of football mega-salaries. In 2011, Lucy Williamson spoke to the late Jimmy Armfield,[...]

In November 2009, Zenyatta became the first – and only – mare to win the Breeders Cup Classic, one of the most prestigious horse races in America. Undefeated in all but one of her races, Zenyatta became wildly popular with the public; she was as well-known for her dance moves in the paddock as she[...]

In December 1999, the American Tori Murden McClure became the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean single-handed. It was the culmination of a dream that had brought her close to death many times as she capsized again and again during a hurricane on a previous attempt. She was inspired to keep trying by[...]

In 2011, the Lebanese national football team reached the final phase of World Cup qualification for the first time, sparking wild celebrations among the fans. But within months, the game in Lebanon was engulfed in a huge match-fixing scandal focusing on a suspicious-looking goal in a match against Qatar, as well as domestic fixtures. In[...]

At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, South African-born Zola Budd collided with the home favourite, Mary Decker, in the final of the women’s 3,000 metres. Decker was left weeping on the ground, while Budd was booed by the crowd and had to leave the US with a police escort after receiving death threats. Simon[...]

In the 1980s, a Hawaiian-born wrestler took the traditional world of Japanese sumo by storm. Known as the Dumptruck because of his huge size, he won legions of fans and paved the way for the internationalisation of the sport. The Dumptruck shares his love of Sumo - and Hawaiian hula music - with Will Yates.[...]

In 1988, the American athlete, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, put in one of the greatest performances in the history of women’s athletics at the Seoul Olympics. She set a world record that still stands in the Heptathlon and won a second gold medal in the individual High Jump event. Jackie Joyner Kersee talks to Ashley Byrne.PHOTO: Jackie[...]

In 2006, Scott Jurek, one of the world's best ultramarathon runners, travelled to the remote canyons of Northern Mexico to race the best athletes from an ancient Mexican tribe. The Tarahumara have a tradition of running huge distances and they gave Jurek one of his toughest races, inspiring the best-selling book, Born To Run. Scott[...]

In the year 2000, the Japanese track cycling sport of Keirin made its Olympic debut at the Sydney Games. Wildly popular in Japan, Keirin races begin with the cyclists following a motorized pacer, who gradually cranks up the speed until the riders are released into a final frenetic sprint. Ashley Byrne talks to former Japanese[...]

In 2004, the Cameroonian triple-jumper Francoise Mbango made headlines around the world when she competed in the Athens Olympics with her head shaved. Mbango wanted to show solidarity with her mother, who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Mbango won a gold medal and went on to retain her title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[...]

America’s Misty May-Treanor is the winner of three Olympic gold medals and the most successful women’s beach volleyball player of all time. Misty formed an almost unbeatable team with Kerri Walsh-Jennings, but she faced a tough personal battle at the London games in 2012, which she had decided would be her last competition because of[...]

In the early 2000s, Afghan women and girls set up the country's first football teams. Now the Taliban has returned and women's sport has been banned. We speak to Shamila Kohestani, former captain of the Afghan women's team, about why she fought to play and why in Afghanistan, football was more than a game. Photo:[...]

In 1972, war veteran Murlikant Petkar won India's first ever Paralympic gold medal at the Heidelberg Games. Petkar had been shot and paralysed seven years earlier in a battle during the war with Pakistan, but then took up sprint swimming. He spoke to Adrian Moorhead in 2016. The programme is a Sparklab Production for BBC[...]

At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, Chinese athlete Hou Bin stunned the huge global audience with an amazing feat of strength. As the world held its breath, he used a rope to haul himself, his wheelchair and the Olympic flame 39 metres into the air to light the cauldron. Hou Bin[...]

In 1995, promising Kenyan runner Henry Wanyoike suffered a stroke and lost his sight. After initially feeling depressed, Henry learnt how to run tethered to a guide and went on to a set a series of long-distance running records for the blind. Henry Wanyoike talks to Alex Last. (Photo: Henry Wanyoike, right, with his guide[...]

At the Tokyo 1964 Olympics, British sweethearts Ann Packer and Robbie Brightwell became household names all over the world when they both competed in the running events. Ann would win a gold medal at her least favourite distance, the 800 metres, while Robbie had to make do with a silver in the 4x400 relay. As[...]

At the London 2012 Olympics, Somalia sprinter Zamzam Farah became a crowd favourite after finishing last in her 400-metre heat by a whopping 27 seconds. Zamzam had grown up in war-torn Mogadishu, where she had to dodge violence from the militant Al-Shabab group while training on the so-called "Road of Death". Zamzam competed with her[...]

The first Olympic Games in Japan were held in 1964, less than 20 years after the country lost the Second World War. The bombed-out centre of Tokyo had been virtually rebuilt following the Allied Occupation, and the Japanese took the opportunity to showcase new technology such as the Bullet Train and colour TV broadcasts. Ashley[...]

At the 2000 Sydney games, women were able to compete in the Pole Vault at the Olympics for the first time. It followed the emergence of a generation of vaulters led by America’s Stacy Dragila, who proved that women could master an event traditionally regarded as too physically demanding and too technically difficult for them.[...]

In the late 1970s and early 80s, Sweden’s Bjorn Borg was the biggest star in world tennis and arguably the sport’s first sex symbol. Always besieged by young female fans, Borg won five Wimbledon championships in a row and enjoyed a famous rivalry with John McEnroe, which culminated in an epic tie-break in the 1980[...]

In July 2000, France became only the second team to hold the World Cup and European Championship titles at the same time. Already the reigning World Champions, a French side featuring all-time greats such as Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps struggled to break down their Italian opponents. But everything changed in the final moments of[...]

In June 1976, Czechoslovakia won the men’s European football championship with probably the most famous penalty kick in history. During a penalty shootout against West Germany, midfielder Antonín Panenka waited for the goalkeeper to dive and then casually chipped the ball down the middle of the goal. The technique is now known as a “Panenka”[...]

In June 1996, an England team led by Paul Gascoigne went on an impressive run as hosts of the European championships – with the terrace anthem “Football’s Coming Home” becoming the soundtrack for a summer of national euphoria. But the tournament would end in English tears when future national manager Gareth Southgate missed the decisive[...]

In June 1988, Holland finally won a major international football tournament when they defeated the Soviet Union in the final of the 1988 European Championship. The Dutch sealed victory with an almost-impossible volley by striker Marco Van Basten. Matthew Kenyon talks to Arnold Muhren, the veteran midfielder who set up one of the greatest goals[...]

In June 1992, Denmark’s top footballers were relaxing on the beach when they received an urgent call to take part in the Euro 92 tournament. The Danes had failed to qualify for the championship, but were now needed as replacements for Yugoslavia, a country that no longer existed because it had descended into civil war.[...]

In 1992, badminton legend Susi Susanti won the first ever Olympic Gold medal for Indonesia. It was the first time that badminton had been included as an Olympic sport in the games, giving them a special significance for Susi's badminton-obsessed home country. For Susi, it was also a moment when she could show her national[...]

In March 2011, Anthony Robles won a national college wrestling title in the United States despite being born with only one leg. Relying on upper-body strength and a unique sense of balance, Robles went undefeated throughout the entire season and was voted the outstanding wrestler of the NCAA finals. He also holds the world record[...]

In the early 1980s, Aberdeen went from Scottish footballing obscurity to the very top of the European game, beating mighty Real Madrid to win the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup. The sporting fairy-tale made the reputation of Sir Alex Ferguson, before he went on to manage Manchester United. Alex Capstick spoke to former Aberdeen assistant[...]

In the 1980s, the Spanish hurdler Maria-Jose Patiño was forced to quit athletics after a sex test revealed she had male chromosomes due to a rare genetic condition called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Often facing hostile press coverage, Patiño fought a two-year battle to change the international rules – successfully proving that her chromosome pattern did[...]

In 1982, Kuwait made their first and only appearance at the football World Cup, with their amateur side putting up respectable performances against France and England. But press attention focused on the Kuwaitis’ team mascot – a camel called Haydoo, who became such a fan favourite that he even inspired a hit song. Sumaya Bakhsh[...]

In 1990, two of Ghana’s most talented sprinters, Gus Nketia and Laud Codjoe, escaped from their national team’s accommodation at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland. The pair had made friends in New Zealand and wanted to flee from a country with an increasingly repressive government. They were helped by an extended Maori family, who hid[...]

In the 1980s, the American boxer, Gail Grandchamp, launched a long campaign for the right to take part in amateur competitions in the USA. Representing herself and raising money through part-time jobs, Gail was eventually successful in 1992 - blazing a trail for women boxers the world over. She spoke to Rebecca Kesby in 2016.PHOTO:[...]

In 2003, Italian top-flight side Perugia made a new and unusual signing: Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. It was seen as a publicity stunt by headline-hungry Perugia owner Luciano Gaucci, with Gaddafi making just one Serie A appearance, as a substitute in a win against Juventus in 2004. But Gaddafi made[...]

At the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Zimbabwean sprinter Elliot Mujaji won his country’s first ever Paralympic gold medal when he sprinted to victory in the 100 metres. Mujaji had been a promising runner as a teenager, but suffered severe burns and the amputation of his right arm while working in a part-time job as[...]

In 1982, the first ever Gay Games were held in San Francisco. Attracting a large crowd and featuring more than 1000 athletes from more than 100 countries, the event was organised by a group of LGBT activists, including former Olympians, to raise awareness about homophobia in sport. The Gay Games are now held every four[...]

French Canadian Manon Rhéaume became the first, and only, woman to play in the National Hockey League. In 1992 she was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning as a goaltender after a successful performance in training camp. Manon tells Rebecca Kesby how she started playing ice hockey at the age of 5 with her brothers,[...]

In 1996, Nova Peris became the first aboriginal Australian to win an Olympic gold medal when the “Hockeyroos” women’s hockey team took victory at the Atlanta games. Peris’s mother was one of Australia’s so-called Stolen Generation – the aboriginal children separated from their families by the state – and Peris experienced racial abuse herself during[...]

In 2003, the NFL introduced a landmark diversity policy requiring American football teams to interview ethnic minority candidates for positions as head coaches or general managers. Known as the “Rooney Rule”, the policy was the result of organised pressure from black coaches and former players, led by former NFL champion, John Wooten. Initially seen as[...]

In 2004, Mianne Bagger of Denmark became the first transitioned woman to play in a professional golf tournament when she played in the Australian women's open in Sydney. It was a landmark moment for trans sport and made headlines around the world. Mianne Bagger talks to Robbie Wojciechowski.PHOTO: Mianne Bagger in action in 2010 (Getty[...]

In January 2001, the German driver, Jutta Kleinschmidt, became the first - and only - woman to win the Paris-Dakar rally, one of the biggest events in motorsport. She talks to Simon Watts. The programme was first broadcast in 2017.PHOTO: Jutta Kleinschmidt celebrating her victory in 2001 (Getty Images)

In 2011, US Navy bomb disposal officer Brad Snyder was blinded by an IED while serving in Afghanistan. Formerly a successful college swimmer, Snyder used sport as part of his recovery and exactly a year later took two gold medals at the London Paralympic Games. He talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester[...]

Since the 1990s, Canadian Cameron Hughes has entertained millions of sports fans with a unique routine based on dad-dancing in the stands and giving out t-shirts. He’s managed to make a professional career out of firing up teams in the NBA, the NFL and NHL ice hockey. Simon Watts talks to Cameron Hughes about his[...]

In 2000, the Northern Irish motorbike racing champion, Joey Dunlop, was killed in a high-speed crash in Estonia. Dunlop was loved by fans across the sectarian divide for his fearless riding and modest personality. Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral for a champion who also gave up his free time to take aid[...]

In the winter of 1969 to 70, anti-apartheid campaigners disrupted 24 matches during a tour of the British Isles by South Africa’s Springboks rugby team. For the first time, the activists used direct-action tactics – running onto the pitch, throwing smoke bombs and even super-gluing the locks of the South Africans’ hotel rooms. The successful[...]

In the 1920s, Learie Constantine became the first West Indian cricketer to sign a professional contract in England. He was a star of the domestic and international game thanks to his athletic all-round performances with bat and ball. Learie Constantine is also credited with helping improve race relations in Britain and later became the first[...]

To mark the death of legendary Argentine striker, Diego Maradona, we revisit the 1986 World Cup and two goals which he famously scored against England in the quarter-final. The first is now known as the “Hand of God” and the second as the “Goal of the Century”. England forward Gary Lineker watched both goals go[...]

In 1991, the Hungarian chess prodigy, Judit Polgar, became the youngest Grandmaster ever at the age of 15. She speaks to Robert Nicholson about her unconventional childhood and how her extraordinary career defied expectations for female players. This programme was first broadcast in 2015.PHOTO: Judit Polgar (EPA)

The Argentine blind footballer Silvio Velo is considered one of the greatest players of all time in his sport. Captain of Argentina since 1991, Velo has won two world championships, earning himself the nicknames “The Blind Maradona” and later “The Blind Messi”. He is still scoring goals in his late forties and is credited with[...]

In 2004, the Indian long-distance swimmer Bula Choudhury became the first woman to complete the challenge of crossing straits of the world’s seven seas. Choudhury is a former Indian national swimming champion in the pool, who was inspired to switch to the open ocean by a traditional Bengali folk tale. Her challenge took her to[...]

In 2000, Poland’s Natalia Partyka became the youngest ever athlete to take part in the Paralympic Games when she competed in the table tennis tournament in Sydney at the age of 11. Now established as one of the greatest para-athletes of all time, she’s gone on to win five gold medals and also to take[...]

In November 1978, Viv Anderson became the first black footballer to play a full England international. The son of Jamaican immigrants, Anderson had to endure racial abuse from opposing fans to achieve his dream of reaching the very top of the professional game. He went on to win the European Cup twice with Nottingham Forest[...]

The story of how the legendary surfer, Garrett McNamara, pioneered riding the colossal 100ft waves at Nazaré on the Portuguese coast. At Nazaré in 2011 he broke the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed, officially judged to be 78ft (23.8m). Nazaré has since become a centre of big wave surfing. Garrett McNamara spoke[...]

In 1999, ASECS Mimosas, one of the biggest teams in Ivory Coast, shocked the world of African football by fielding a team of youth players in the final of the African Super Cup. The youngsters had been handpicked and trained by French coach Jean-Marc Gillou, and with their speed and tactical sophistication they inflicted a[...]

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Sizwe Ndlovu became the first black African to win a gold medal in rowing. Ndlovu grew up in a township in South Africa but then won a scholarship to a predominantly white high school where he embraced the sport as a way of dealing with his new environment.[...]

In 2000, the aboriginal runner, Cathy Freeman, became the star of the Olympic Games in Sydney. After being given the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron, she was under huge pressure to win the 400 metres in front of her home crowd. Freeman delivered in style - and went on an emotional victory lap parading[...]

During the Coronavirus lockdown, many cyclists have become obsessed with a challenge known as Everesting, where riders go up and down their local hill until they’ve covered the equivalent to climbing the 8848 metres of the world’s highest mountain. One early Everesting ride dates back to 1994, when it was completed on a mountain near[...]

Lucy Ejike is Nigeria’s most successful female paralympian and the winner of gold medals in para-powerlifting at three different Paralympic Games. Ejike’s twenty-year career has been marked by her rivalry with her friend Fatma Omar of Egypt, whom she finally defeated with a world-record lift at the 2016 games in Rio. She talks to Iain[...]

In August 2008, Britain’s Tasha Danvers won a surprise bronze medal in the 400-metres hurdles at the Beijing Olympics. Danvers had been through years of emotional struggles – and public criticism – after deciding to have a child while at the peak of her career. She talks to Sharon Hemans about the pressures she faced[...]

In August 2002, the Indian women’s field hockey team won an unlikely gold medal against the favourites, England, at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. The players had struggled to be taken seriously in a country that prioritises men’s sport, but they fought their way past New Zealand and South Africa to reach a final that[...]

In August 2008, the weightlifter Matthias Steiner created one of the most emotional moments of the 2008 Olympics when he sank to the floor in floods of tears after winning a gold medal. Steiner had lost his wife in a car accident shortly before the games and dedicated the victory to her. He had to[...]

In 1975, the Japanese mountaineer, Junko Tabei, became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. As well as being an achievement in its own right, Tabei had to defy the cultural norms of a country where women were not expected to be world-class mountaineers. Louise Hidalgo talks to Setsuko Kitamura, who was[...]

At the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, the world was gripped by the intense rivalry between the British middle-distance runners, Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett. Ovett won the 800 metres, which was Coe’s favourite distance; but just a few days later, Coe struck back by winning the 1500 metres, Ovett’s preferred event. Alex Capstick talks to[...]

In 2010, Afghanistan’s national cricket team scored a historic first by qualifying for the World Twenty20 Finals in the West Indies. Started just a few years earlier, the Afghan side consisted mainly of players who’d learned the game while in refugee camps in Pakistan. Their success lifted the mood of their war-torn nation. Charlotte North[...]

In July 2007, David Beckham, then one of the most famous footballers in the world, made his debut for Major League Soccer team, LA Galaxy. The star-studded game attracted Hollywood royalty and huge media attention from around the world. Beckham would eventually win two MLS titles with LA Galaxy and he’s credited with raising the[...]

In July 1992, Andre Agassi became a tennis superstar when he won the Wimbledon men’s title at the age of 21. But beneath the showman image, Agassi was in private turmoil – in pain from a back problem, depressed and secretly hating his sport. Later in his career, Agassi would even smoke crystal meth. Simon[...]

In July 2004, Greece pulled off one of the biggest shocks in football history by winning the European Championship with a 1-0 victory over Portugal. The Greeks had never previously scored a point in tournament football, but fought their way to the final thanks to set-pieces and a well-marshalled defence. Charlotte North talks to the[...]

In 2004 the first Cheerleading World Championships, or Worlds, were held at the Walt Disney World resort in Florida. It was a big moment for All Star Cheer – a new sport made up of demanding group routines of coordinated tumbles and stunts, rather than supporting a sports team from the sidelines. Lucy Burns talks[...]

Bermuda-born Clyde Best came to England as a teenager in 1968 and went on to play for West Ham United alongside the likes of Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst. Best made a name for himself as a talented goal-scorer in more than 200 appearances for the Hammers, but he faced constant racist abuse from fans,[...]

At the 2000 Olympics, American Rulon Gardner pulled off the greatest shock in the history of modern Greco-Roman wrestling when he beat the Russian Aleksander Karelin. Karelin had not been defeated for 13 years and had already prepared a party to celebrate his latest gold medal. The win made Gardner a hero in America and[...]

In 2016, the Muslim-American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad made history by becoming the first US athlete to wear a hijab at the Olympic Games. After facing questions about her hijab and political views throughout her career, Ibtihaj was trailed by the global media throughout the Rio games. She overcame a shaky start to win a bronze[...]

The blind African paralympian Tofiri Kibuuka has the unique distinction of competing successfully for two different countries in two different events. In 1976, Kibbuuka represented Uganda in cross-country skiing at the inaugural winter Paralympics in Sweden. To escape the Idi Amin regime, Kibbuka then took Norwegian nationality and switched to middle-distancing running, taking part in[...]

The Italian cyclist, Fausto Coppi, is considered one of the greatest riders of all time – known as “Il Campionissimo”, he was a two-time winner of the Tour De France and five-time winner of the Tour of Italy. But in his home country he is remembered equally for an affair with a married woman called[...]

In May 1988, Wimbledon secured a shock victory over a great Liverpool side in the 1988 FA Cup Final. Known as the "Crazy Gang" because of their physicality and tough attitude, the Wimbledon players went one-nil up after 37 minutes and somehow kept the lead thanks to some typically uncompromising defending. Alex Capstick talks to[...]

In December 2012, Maria Toorpakai Wazir reached the top 50 of women’s squash after an extraordinary struggle to become a professional player. Born in the tribal areas of Pakistan, Maria’s family disguised her as a boy until she was a teenager so she could try sport. After the Taliban discovered her true identity, Maria was[...]

In 1972, the Northern Irish athlete Mary Peters became a hero across the sectarian divide in her country by winning the gold medal in pentathlon at the Munich Olympics. At the age of 33, Peters was coming to the end of her career but she took victory in the final 200-metre sprint by just one[...]

In the 1980s, a group of French teenagers created a sport with no equipment, no coaches and no rules. Called Parkour, the idea is to convert your local town into an obstacle course by jumping across rooftops, vaulting walls and hanging off ledges. Parkour is now so popular that it has featured in a Madonna[...]

When sports enthusiast Van Phillips lost his foot in a water-skiing accident, he decided to design a prosthetic leg that would allow him to keep running. He used carbon graphite which was light, flexible and strong. His invention would revolutionise para-sports. He tells Rebecca Kesby how he was determined to improve the clumsy prosthetic legs[...]

In 1991, Wade Leslie stunned the world of professional rodeo by becoming the first – and only – cowboy to achieve a perfect score of 100 points for a bull-ride. Leslie stayed in full control of an angry 1500-pound bull called Wolfman at a meeting in Oregon. He talks to Jonathan Holloway. The programme is[...]

SPORTING WITNESS – IRONMAN’S IRON WOMAN (26th MARCH). In 1982, Julie Moss made headlines when she crawled to the finish line of the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii after collapsing just metres from the end of her race. It was her first competitive triathlon and she came second, but as Julie explains to Rebecca Kesby,[...]

During World War Two, the Hungarian swimmer, Eva Szekely, was saved from the Holocaust because of her father's quick thinking and her own talent for swimming. Eva Szekely would go on to break six world records and become an Olympic gold medallist at the 1952 Helsinki games. She died in February 2020. Louise Hidalgo tells[...]

In 1995, the Scottish driver Colin McRae became the youngest ever winner of the World Rally Championship after a dramatic victory in the last race of the season in North Wales. McRae’s no-holds-barred driving style later inspired a video game that brought rallying to a wider audience. He died in a helicopter crash in 2007.[...]

In 1998, a Kenyan farmer called Philip Boit became one of the first Africans to compete in the Winter Olympics. In the 10-kilometre cross-country skiing final he faced the legendary Norwegian, Bjorn Daehlie. It was a race that would unite the two athletes and inspire future Winter Olympians across Africa. This programme was first broadcast[...]

In February 1968, the Canadian skier Nancy Greene pulled off a flawless performance at the Winter Olympic Games, winning the Giant Slalom by a record-breaking margin of 2.6 seconds. Greene was nicknamed “Tiger” because of her attacking style, and the commanding victory made her one of the most popular Canadian sportswomen of all time. Nancy[...]

In February 1990, a little-known fighter called James “Buster” Douglas pulled off arguably the biggest shock in boxing history by beating the previously undefeated Mike Tyson to take the world heavyweight title. The fight was expected to be such a foregone conclusion that only one casino agreed to take bets on a "Buster Douglas win,[...]

How a wounded Vietnam war veteran became an NFL Super Bowl champion. Rocky Bleier was a young American football player beginning his career in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But in 1968 he was drafted into the US Army to serve in the VIetnam war. He was injured in combat and his career appeared[...]

In 1975 a group of young black soccer players from apartheid-era South Africa went on tour to Brazil. They were part of a team known as "Stan's Men", organised by the English soccer legend, Sir Stanley Matthews, in the black township of Soweto. Matthews had been helping train youngsters in South Africa since the 1950s,[...]

In the 1980s, P.T. Usha, a sprinter and hurdler from the southern Indian state of Kerala, became the first woman from her country to achieve major success in athletics. But in 1984 she missed out on a medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles by an agonising 100th of a second. P.T. Usha talks[...]

In January 2010, a guerrilla group in Angola opened fire on the buses carrying the Togo football team as they travelled to the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. The machine-gun fire lasted 30 minutes and killed two members of the Togolese delegation. Ashley Byrne talks to Elitsa Kodjo Lanou, the Togo team’s technical director about[...]

In January 1992, Wrexham caused one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history by beating reigning English champions Arsenal 2-1 in a third-round tie. At the time, Wrexham were languishing near the bottom of the Football League and struggling to survive financially. Jim Frank talks to one of the Welsh club’s goal-scorers, Steve Watkin.PHOTO:[...]

In 1969 the BBC caused a sensation by allowing a woman to report on football on air for the first time. The reporter was Mary Raine, who covered a first division match between Chelsea and Sunderland that year, as well as the 1970 FA Cup final. She talks to Simon Watts about being the first[...]

In November 1989, the USA qualified for the football World Cup for the first time in the modern era with a nail-biting 1-0 away win in Trinidad and Tobago. The winning goal was a 30-yard screamer scored by Paul Caligiuri, one of the few professionals in the American team. It is credited with boosting the[...]

In 2013, Arunima Sinha became the first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest - just two years after suffering an horrific accident during an armed robbery on a train in the north of India. The accident robbed Arunima of a promising career in volleyball, but she was determined to prove to herself that she could[...]

The end of the Cold War in 1989 spelt the demise of a little-known, but surprisingly popular sport behind the Iron Curtain – high-speed telegraphy competitions. With the help of two of Czechoslovakia’s best former Morse-coders, we revisit the inaugural World Championship in Moscow in 1983 when the Soviet Union rolled out the red carpet[...]

In 1999, Nigeria’s women’s football team – the Superfalcons – went on a dazzling run at the Women’s World Cup in the United States. The Nigerians became the first African side to reach the quarter-final stage, before losing an epic game against Brazil. The Superfalcons’ performance is now regarded as putting the women‘s game on[...]

In 1998, India hosted the inaugural edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup – a format of the game based on sound. Seven nations took part in the tournament, which was supported by cricketing greats such as Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, and is credited with changing perceptions of the blind and partially-sighted in India.[...]

In November 1991, the basketball legend Magic Johnson stunned America by announcing that he’d tested positive for HIV. Johnson’s determination to raise awareness about safe sex and the importance of testing is credited with changing the perception of the virus in the US. Ade Adepitan talks to Michael Mellman, the LA Lakers team doctor who[...]

In November 2009, the world of football was shocked by the death of German international goal-keeper Robert Enke, who killed himself after years of suffering from depression. In 2010, Eleanor Oldroyd spoke to Enke’s agent, Jorg Neblung, and friend and biographer, Ronald Reng, about what lay behind his death.If you are affected by the issues[...]

In October 1972, six women runners staged a sit-down protest at the start of the New York Marathon demanding the right to take part in the same race as male athletes. The protest got front-page press attention and is regarded as a milestone in the long-battle for equality by female distance runners in America. Adrian[...]

In 1995, South Africa won an emotional victory as hosts of the Rugby World Cup shortly after the fall of Apartheid. Winger Chester Williams was the only black player in the team and became a personal friend of President Nelson Mandela. Williams’ death in September 2019 was widely mourned in South Africa and beyond. His[...]

In the 1980s, London-born policeman John Gallagher ended up playing for the All Blacks while living and working in New Zealand. After emergency classes in the famous Haka war dance, Gallagher became a key member of the Kiwi team which won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in Auckland in 1987. He tells his story to[...]

In October 1980, Muhammad Ali came out of retirement in an attempt to regain a world heavyweight title at the age of 38. Ali’s opponent in a fight dubbed “The Last Hurrah” was his former sparring partner, Larry Holmes. To the horror of the crowd and the dismay of Holmes himself, an aging, unfit Ali[...]

In 2003, the Indian long-jumper Anju Bobby George became the first Indian to ever win a medal in the World Athletics Championships. The bronze medal made Anju a hero in a country with little tradition in athletics and an inspiration to future Indian sportswomen. Simon Watts tells her story. Produced by Prabhat Pandey.PHOTO: Anju Bobby[...]

In 1991, Western Samoa pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Rugby World Cup history when they beat Wales 16-13 in front of a shocked home crowd at Cardiff Arms Park. The victory by the unfancied and under-resourced Western Samoan side thrust the tiny Pacific nation into the global spotlight. Winger Timo Tagaloa relives[...]

In 1994, the legendary Irish middle-distance runner Eamonn Coghlan came out of retirement in a bid to become the first person over forty to run a sub-four minute mile. He talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production.PHOTO: Eamonn Coghlan, centre (Getty Images)

At the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, the Polish pole-vaulter Władysław Kozakiewicz caused uproar by beating his Soviet rival to win the gold medal with a world-record jump. After being booed by the crowd throughout the event, Kozakiewicz sparked a diplomatic incident by making an obscene gesture to the stadium. An unrepentant Kozakiewicz talks to[...]

Ryneldi Becenti became the first Native American to play in the women's NBA when she made her debut for the Phoenix Mercury in 1997. Lucy Burns speaks to Becenti about her life and career.PHOTO: Ryneldi Becenti playing for Arizona State University (courtesy Arizona State University)

At the 1975 Ashes test at Lord's, 33-year-old David Steele became an unlikely hero to the English public on his test debut. With a mop of grey hair, glasses and a cap rather than a helmet, Steele defied the feared Australian pace attack of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. Christened “The Bank Clerk who Went[...]

In 2007, the Iraqi football team sparked wild celebrations throughout the country after winning the Asian Cup in a tense final against Saudi Arabia in Jakarta. The Iraqi players were semi-professionals who were forced to prepare the tournament in Jordan because of a security crisis at home that was claiming tens of thousands of lives[...]

In 1989, American Greg Lemond won the Tour de France by just eight seconds – the narrowest margin in the 100-year history of the race. Lemond took victory by beating local hero Laurent Fignon in the final time trial on the Champs-Elysees. Greg Lemond talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production.PHOTO: Greg[...]

The World Cup qualifiers that preceded a brief but bloody conflict between El Salvador and Honduras in the summer of 1969. The war between the Central American neighbours was over land rights and a long-running border dispute. Mike Lanchin has been hearing from the former captain of the Salvadorean football team, Salvador Mariona.Photo: Salvador Mariona[...]

The American tennis player Maureen Connolly became the first woman to win the tennis Grand Slam in 1953. Nicknamed “Little Mo” after a US warship, Connolly dominated her sport and became a global celebrity, but her career was cut short by injury and she died an early death. BBC tennis commentator Gigi Salmon tells her[...]

The USA beat Norway 2-1 in the final of the first official FIFA World Cup for women, held in China in 1991. The competition helped lay the foundations for female soccer both in America and worldwide. Carin Jennings-Gabarra was part of America's so-called "triple-edged sword" of goal-scoring forwards; she won the Golden Ball Award as[...]

In 2003, Germany won the Women's World Cup for the first time thanks to a powerful extra-time header in the final against Sweden from defender Nia Künzer. Künzer's strike was a Golden Goal, which gave instant victory to the Germans and was later voted Goal of the Year in Germany, ahead of any efforts by[...]

In June 1999, the US skateboarder Tony Hawk made history by becoming the first person to perform a trick that was thought to be virtually impossible. At the X Games in San Francisco, Hawk successfully completed a “900” – flipping round two-and-half times before landing safely back on his board. Hawk’s feat was followed by[...]

In 2011, the Japanese women's football team defied the odds to win the World Cup final against the overwhelming favourites, the USA. The players and coaching staff were inspired by the prospect of boosting Japan’s morale as it recovered from the devastating Fukushima earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident. In 2017, Robert Nicholson spoke to Japan's[...]

At the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Kenya caused an upset by reaching the semi-finals – the best performance ever by a non-test-playing side. Their run of success included a famous victory over Sri Lanka on home soil in Nairobi. Ian Williams talks to Kenya’s captain, Steve Tikolo.Photo: Steve Tikolo leading Kenya on a lap of[...]

In May 1977 Liverpool won their first European Cup with a famous victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. It was the start of a run that would bring the Anfield side another three wins in the next seven years. Alex Capstick talks to former Liverpool captain, Phil Neal, a four-time European[...]

in May 1984, Tottenham Hotspur took on Belgian side Anderlecht in a battle to win the UEFA Cup Final. It was played over two legs, with the final, dramatic game held at Tottenham's White Hart Lane stadium. It ended in a penalty shootout. Alex Last has been speaking to former Spurs legend and England international,[...]

In 1973, Secretariat became the first horse to win the Triple Crown of American thorough-bred racing for 25 years, recording some of the fastest times ever recorded. Nicknamed “Big Red”, the colt was one of the most popular horses of all time – learning to pose for photographers and going on to sire 663 foals[...]

In May 1949, a plane carrying the Torino football team crashed into a mountain near Turin killing 31 people. At the time, "Il Grande Torino" were the dominant team in Italy and Europe, but the club never really recovered from an accident that killed almost the entire squad. Sporting Witness hears from Carla Maroso, the[...]

In April 1980, South African racing driver Desiré Wilson became the only woman to win a Formula One event when she took the chequered flag at Brands Hatch. But despite her obvious talent, Wilson faced opposition from some male drivers throughout her career and never attracted the sponsorship she needed for a proper shot at[...]

In 2003, the British runner Paula Radcliffe set a famous world record of 2:15:25 at the London Marathon. It was the highlight of a career that also included a gold medal at the World Championships, but a series of failures at the Olympic Games. Simon Watts reports.PHOTO: Paula Radcliffe in 2005 (Getty Images)

In 2008, a deaf American rider called Ashley Fiolek won the first of four women’s motocross championships. Fiolek became the poster girl for one of the most dangerous forms of motor sport despite being short, wearing pink and not being able to hear her motorbike’s engine or her rivals. She talks to Claire Bowes.PHOTO: Ashley[...]

In April 1994, West Indies batsman Brian Lara set a new world record of 375 for the highest ever score in test cricket. The milestone that made Lara a superstar came against England in Antigua, and took him three days of play. Simon Watts brings together the memories of Lara and England bowler Angus Fraser.PHOTO:[...]

Between 1981 and 1990, Bruce Fordyce won South Africa’s Comrades Marathon – one of the most famous races in Africa – a record nine times. He talks to Simon Watts about one of the ultimate tests of endurance and how he used the event to protest against the Apartheid regime.PHOTO: The start of the Comrades[...]

In March 2008, the England batsman Marcus Trescothick announced that he was retiring from international cricket because of a long struggle with depression and anxiety. Trescothick’s decision shone new light on the pressure facing elite sportsmen and women. Simon Watts reports.PHOTO: Marcus Trescothick in action (Getty Images)

In 1983, the ultra-runner Ron Grant became the first person to run around Australia. On a 13,383 kilometre jog that took seven months, Grant overcame injuries, crew mutinies and serious financial debt, before being greeted by huge crowds at the start/finish line in Brisbane. He talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production.PHOTO:[...]

In 1971, the Bangladeshi football team made history at the height of the country's war of independence when they played a series of matches in India. The games were the first to be played under the flag of a nation that was still not officially recognised and helped raise money for Bangladesh's independence struggle. Farhana[...]

At the beginning of the 20th Century, the British invented downhill skiing and introduced it to the Alps, creating both a new sport and the multi-billion-dollar tourist industry we know today. Using the BBC archives, Simon Watts introduces the memories of Sir Arnold Lunn, the inventor of modern skiing, and of British and Swiss racers[...]

When Lisa Lindahl couldn't find a comfortable bra to run in, she decided to design one. In 1977 she and a friend fashioned the first modern sports bra out of two pairs of men's supportive underwear or 'jockstraps'. Lisa told Rebecca Kesby how they perfected their design with the newly available stretchy fabrics of the[...]

In February 1998, Paul Pritchard, then one of the world's leading rock climbers, suffered a life-changing brain injury while attempting to ascend a fearsome route in Tasmania called the Totem Pole. After years of rehab, he returned to complete the climb in 2016 using a single arm to pull himself up. Paul Pritchard talks to[...]

In 1995, post-apartheid South Africa hosted, and won, the Rugby World Cup. It was a hugely unifying moment for the country. Hear from Francois Pienaar, captain of the victorious Springboks team about what it meant to him, and to the nation.Image: Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Rugby World Cup trophy at Ellis Park[...]

In 1982, the first ever Gay Games were held in San Francisco. Attracting a large crowd and featuring more than 1000 athletes from more than 100 countries, the event was organised by a group of LGBT activists, including former Olympians, to raise awareness about homophobia in sport. The Gay Games are now held every four[...]

In 1970, Diane Crump became the first woman jockey to compete in the Kentucky Derby – the most prestigious horse race in the United States. It was the climax of a pioneering professional career in which Crump was initially booed and heckled by race-goers and even by some male jockeys. She talks to Simon Jarvis.[...]

In January 1976, the virtually unknown Mark Edmondson pulled off one of the greatest shocks in tennis history by winning the Australian Open on home soil. Ranked number 212 in the world, Edmondson had been working as a part-time hospital cleaner just weeks earlier. In the final, he defeated the all-time Aussie great, John Newcombe,[...]

In 2008, former refugee Lopez Lomong carried the flag for the USA at the Beijing Olympics, before competing in the 1500 metres. As a child, Lomong fled from a prison for child soldiers in South Sudan, eventually reaching a refugee camp in Kenya where he was one of the thousands of so-called “Lost Boys”. Lomong[...]

A story of banquets, diplomacy and football. In 1978, first division side, West Bromwich Albion became the first professional British football club to visit communist China. The visit came as China began to open up to the West after the power struggle which followed the death of Chairman Mao. Alex Last spoke to West Brom[...]

In 2008 Jamaica's Usain Bolt burst onto the athletics scene at the Beijing Olympics, winning both the 100 metres and 200 metres in world record times. Ian Williams talks to Bolt's coach, Glen Mills, and fellow Jamaican sprinter, Michael Frater, about the year Bolt became a global superstar.(Photo: Usain Bolt at the 2008 Olympics, Getty[...]

Refusing to give up - Julie Moss made history in 1982 when she crawled to the finish line, having collapsed just metres from the end of the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. It was her first competitive triathlon and she came second, but as she explains to Rebecca Kesby for Witness - that heroic fight[...]

In 1997, the reigning 100m Olympic champion, Canada’s Donovan Bailey, and the reigning 200m champion, Michael Johnson of the USA, staged a unique two-man race to settle a dispute about who was really the world’s fastest man. Held over 150 metres at the Skydome arena in Toronto, the atmosphere was more like a boxing match[...]

In November 1994, George Foreman shocked the sport of boxing by winning a second world title at the age of 45. Written off by the critics, Foreman held off a rain of punches from Michael Moorer, a man 19 years his junior, before landing a knockout punch in the tenth round. George Foreman talks to[...]

In November 1995, Finnish driver Mika Hakkinen suffered one of the most dramatic crashes in Formula One history when his rear tyre exploded during the Australian Grand Prix catapulting his car into the air and leaving him severely injured. Hakkinen was saved by the roadside medical team who performed an emergency tracheotomy. He went on[...]

In 1981, the first game of the shooting sport, Paintball, was played by American outdoorsman, Charles Gaines, and eleven of his friends in the woods in the American state of New Hampshire. Paintball is now enjoyed by millions of people around the world and has also spawned a multi-million-dollar industry making protective body gear, goggles[...]

At the Mexico City Olympics in 1968, the great Czechoslovak gymnast Vera Caslavska staged a protest that made almost as many headlines at the time as the now much better-known "Black Power Salute". To make a stand against Moscow's crushing of the Prague Spring, Caslavska turned her head away on the podium as the Soviet[...]

In October 1968, two American sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, staged one of the most iconic protests in sport at the Mexico City Olympics. The two athletes raised their gloved fists in the air at the medal ceremony for the 200 metres as a way of protesting against racism. Simon Watts reports. The programme[...]

In 1978, the first international sporting event was held for athletes who'd undergone organ transplants. The brainchild of a British surgeon called Dr Maurice Slapak, the Transplant Games aimed to convince the public that patients could go on to live active lives. Caroline Heywood talks to Dr Slapak and to John Murray, who took part[...]

In 1924, the British sprinter, Harold Abrahams, won the 100 metres at the Paris Olympics - a famous victory depicted in the film, Chariots of Fire. Simon Watts tells his story using interviews in the BBC archives.(Photo: Harold Abrahams winning the 1924 Olympics. Credit: Getty Images)

In 1974, India had its best chance of winning the Davis Cup, the most prestigious team event in international tennis. But Prime Minister Indira Gandhi withdrew the team on principle because the final was due to be played against apartheid South Africa. Farhana Haider talks to the legendary Indian player, Vijay Amritraj, who was in[...]

In September 1988, 11-year-old South London schoolboy Tom Gregory set a world record that still stands for being the youngest swimmer to cross the English Channel. He has just published a memoir entitled "A Boy In The Water". Tom Gregory talks to Simon Watts.(Photo: Tom Gregory. Credit: Penguin Books)

In September 1997, the Australian tennis player Pat Rafter was the surprise winner of the US Open. Dismissed as a “fluke” victory by John McEnroe, Rafter returned to Flushing Meadows the following year to retain the title and also became world number one. One of the most modest men in sport, Pat Rafter talks to[...]

In 1956, the Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina wowed the world when she won four gold medals at the Melbourne Olympics. She went on to dominate the sport for the next decade, becoming a Soviet hero in the process, and she is the second most successful Olympian of all time – beaten only by Michael Phelps.[...]

In August 1988, Canada was plunged into a mixture of shock and grief when the legendary ice-hockey player Wayne Gretzky was sold to a team in America. The controversial deal between the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings became known simply as “The Trade”. In 2011, Madeleine Morris spoke to Bruce McNall, the owner[...]

Sanaa Abu Bkheet is an 800m runner who became the first athlete from the Gaza Strip to represent Palestine at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She was also the first woman to lead the Palestinian delegation at the Games. Sanaa still lives in the Gaza Strip, where she spoke to Mike Lanchin about her long and[...]

With Imran Khan set to become the next prime minister of Pakistan, we look back at Imran’s cricketing career and particularly his greatest triumph – Pakistan’s victory over England in the 1992 World Cup final. Simon Watts introduces the sporting memories of Imran Khan, as recorded in the BBC archives. (Photo: Imran Khan in action[...]

In 1988, the Australian Kay Cottee became the first woman to sail around the world solo and non-stop. Cottee survived being washed overboard in the Southern Ocean before returning to a hero’s welcome at Sydney Harbour. Simon Watts introduces her memories of nearly 200 days at sea. The producer is Maria Jevstafjeva.PHOTO: Kay Cottee (Rex[...]

In July 1993, Scotsman Graeme Obree broke cycling’s prestigious world hour record – riding on a home-made bike nicknamed “Old Faithful”. The revolutionary design, which included parts of a washing machine, helped Obree cover more than 51 kilometres in 60 minutes. He talks to Ian Williams.PHOTO: Graeme Obree in a later race (AFP/Getty Images)

In July 2010, the German cyclist Jens Voigt crashed while descending a mountain in the Pyrenees during the Tour De France. With his bike destroyed and his team support cars a long way up the road, Voigt borrowed a child’s bike and rode the next 15 kilometres on it. He talks to Ashley Byrne. (Photo:[...]

The victory of Diego Maradona's Argentina over West Germany in Mexico's Azteca stadium in June 1986 was one of the most memorable World Cup finals in recent times. Argentina was leading 2-0 but the West Germans fought back, before a sublime Maradona move sealed the match for the South Americans. Mike Lanchin has been speaking[...]

In July 2001, the Croatian Goran Ivanisevic became the first wildcard player to take the Men’s Singles crown at Wimbledon. Ivanisevic had lost three previous finals and fallen to number 125 in the world rankings, but managed to win an epic five-set match against Pat Rafter of Australia. The final was played on a Monday[...]

The 2018 World Cup in Russia is honouring the former Soviet goalkeeper, Lev Yashin, by featuring him on the tournament poster. Yashin - nicknamed the "Black Panther" - revolutionised goalkeeping, winning the prestigious Golden Boot trophy. He also helped lead the Soviet Union to several famous victories in the 1950s and 60s, but later died[...]

In June 1987, there was a major shock at the NBA draft when the Washington Bullets picked the shortest man ever to play top-tier American basketball, Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues. Measuring just 5 foot 3 inches (160cm), Muggsy went on to have a successful career, earning the respect of his taller colleagues with his aggressive play[...]

Former Senegalese player Ferdinand Coly remembers the dramatic opening game of the 2002 football World Cup. It was the first time Senegal had reached the World Cup which was held in South Korea and Japan. France were the reigning World and European champions. The game marked the start of Senegal's run to the quarter finals.[...]

In the latest in our World Cup history series, we go back to 1970 when the English goalkeeper, Gordon Banks, made what’s regarded as the greatest save in the history of the tournament. In a match against Brazil, Banks somehow dived down quickly enough to stop a powerful header from the legendary Pele. He talks[...]

In the latest in a World Cup series, we go back to 1962 and probably the most violent match in the history of the tournament. Described by BBC commentator David Coleman as a "stupid and disgusting exhibition", the confrontation between Chile and Italy was marred by spitting, kicking and punch-ups between the players. It is[...]

Sporting Witness goes back to 1998 and a politically-charged showdown between the USA and Iran, in the second part of a World Cup series. Despite fears of a diplomatic incident, the match went smoothly, ending with an Iranian victory and warm handshakes between the rival players. Freddy Chick talks to Iranian-born Fifa official, Mehrdad Masoudi,[...]

At the 1974 World Cup, the East and West German football teams clashed on German soil in Hamburg. The East Germans had crossed the Berlin Wall for the tournament and - in a moment never to be forgotten - defeated the great West German team of Franz Beckenbauer 1-0. Tim Mansel talks to former East[...]

This year's Giro D’Italia cycling race is paying tribute to the great Italian rider, Gino Bartali, during its opening stages in Israel. Bartali was one of the most successful cyclists of the 1930s and 1940s, but it’s now also known that he helped save the lives of hundreds of Jews when the Nazis occupied Italy[...]

Tennis champion Monica Seles was stabbed during a match in Germany on April 30th 1993. She was world number one but the attack set her career back for some time. Jens-Peter Hetch of the German Tennis Federation was there and he has been sharing his memories of the day with Ashley Byrne.Photo: Monica Seles after[...]

In April 1968, the great Scottish racing driver, Jim Clark, was killed in a crash on the Hockenheim circuit in Germany. Regarded as one of the finest drivers of all time, Clark won two Formula One world championships and the Indianapolis 500 while helping to run the family farm in the Scottish Borders. Simon Watts[...]

In 2002, the Commonwealth Games became the first – and only - major international athletics championship to combine able-bodied and parasport competitions in a single, integrated event. The great Canadian wheelchair racer, Chantal Petitclerc, won the first gold medal under the new system. She talks to Simon Watts about what she regards as a breakthrough[...]

In April 1986, the legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus made history by becoming the oldest player ever to win the Masters. Aged 46, the "Golden Bear" took the lead with just one hole to go. Ashley Byrne talks to Tsuneyuki Nakajima, a Japanese golfer who was in contention throughout one of the most exciting tournaments ever[...]

In 1974, the Tanzanian Filbert Bayi won one of the greatest 1500-metre races of all time at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand. Bayi led from the front and held off a strong field to win gold and set a world record. Bayi is a legendary figure in Tanzania, where he now runs an AIDS[...]

The Iranian Mansour Bahrami is one of the most popular players in tennis thanks to his trick shots and showmanship - but his life story is equally remarkable. Simon Watts shares some of the highlights from a 2014 interview with the BBC.PHOTO: Mansour Bahrami (Getty Images).

In 1964, the Japanese women's volleyball team became national heroes after winning gold at their home Olympics in Tokyo. Nicknamed the Witches of the Orient, the players were put through a punishing training regime by a former platoon commander in the Japanese imperial army in order to beat the Soviet Union. Their triumph came to[...]

In 1958 Canadian Willie O'Ree broke the colour barrier in the National Hockey League. Willie O'Ree was picked to play for the Boston Bruins in the NHL despite suffering a devastating eye injury earlier in his career. The NHL was then made up of just six professional teams based in Canada and the United States.[...]

In March 1996, Sri Lanka pulled off an unexpected victory in the Cricket World Cup, demolishing a strong Australian team in the final. The win sparked wild celebrations in Sri Lanka, which had never won a tournament before and was still wracked by civil war. Emily Williams talks to the coach of the Sri Lankan[...]

At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the Canadian figure-skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier were victims of one of the biggest scandals in the history of the games. The pair put in a flawless performance in their final routine, but were only awarded a silver medal because one of the judges felt[...]

At the 1976 Winter Olympics, legendary Austrian skier Franz Klammer took gold in front of a passionate home crowd in one of the greatest downhill races of all time. In 2014, he spoke to Simon Watts.PICTURE: Franz Klammer celebrating with the Austrian crowd in Innsbruck (Getty Images)

Just hours before the Vancouver Olympics opened in 2010, a young luge athlete from Georgia, Nodar Kumaritashvili, was killed when he crashed in training. Many critics said the sliding track was too fast and too difficult. Modifications to the track were made to make it safer and the competition went ahead, but the episode cast[...]

In 1991, amid escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, Pyongyang and Seoul agreed to field a united Korean table tennis team at the world championships in Japan. Previously bitter rivals, players from the North and South spent more than a month training together and eventually bonding. Their experience inspired a hit film in South Korea,[...]

In 1988, the British mountaineer, Stephen Venables, was forced to spend the night by himself in the so-called "Death Zone" near the top of Mount Everest. In one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of climbing, Venables managed to survive despite not having a tent or supplementary oxygen. He talks to Lucy Burns.PHOTO:[...]

As George Weah takes office as President of Liberia, we look back at his footballing career through the memories of Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger. Wenger discovered the African striker when he was manager of the French side Monaco and became a father figure to the young Weah. Arsene Wenger talks to Tayo Popoola. PHOTO: George[...]

In January 1995, the French forward Eric Cantona shocked football by attacking an opposition fan during a match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace. Cantona faced a court case and was banned for nine months. Simon Watts tells the story of his Kung-Fu kick through BBC interviews with people who were there.PHOTO: The Cantona Kung-Fu[...]

In 1994, the Irish jockey, Declan Murphy, was reported as dead in the racing press after sustaining severe brain damage in a fall at Haydock Park. Murphy later woke from his coma, although he had lost all memory of the previous four years of his life and his personality had changed. The Irish jockey learnt[...]

In January 1967 the record-breaking British driver, Donald Campbell, was killed at the helm of his jet-boat Bluebird as he tried to beat his own water speed record. His only daughter, Gina, remembers her legendary father. This programme was first broadcast in 2013.Photo: Campbell's boat "Bluebird" on a training run (Getty Images)

In 1998 the annual yacht race descended into disaster as hurricane force storms capsized boats and threw sailors into the ocean. Six people were killed but fifty were winched to safety in daring sea rescue operations that risked the lives of the emergency crews. Rebecca Kesby has been speaking to Peter Davidson, one of the[...]

In 1987, the Libyan dictator, Colonel Gaddafi, decided to sponsor a struggling German ice hockey team called ECD Iserlohn. Gaddafi paid a million dollars for the team to wear an image of his infamous “Green Book” on their uniforms, but the sponsorship deal outraged fans and became a media scandal. David Prest speaks to former[...]

In December 1995, the journeyman Belgian midfielder, Jean-Marc Bosman won a European court ruling that transformed his sport. The European Court of Justice declared that players had the right to negotiate transfers when their contracts expired, and ended limits on the number of European footballers per club. The ruling created the modern transfer market and[...]

In 2008, former refugee Lopez Lomong carried the flag for the USA at the Beijing Olympics, before competing in the 1500 metres. As a child, Lomong fled from a prison for child soldiers in South Sudan, eventually reaching a refugee camp in Kenya where he was one of the thousands of so-called “Lost Boys”. Lomong[...]

The world of tennis is mourning the death of the popular Czech player, Jana Novotna, at the age of 49. In 1993, Novotna threw away a huge lead in the women's final at Wimbledon but captured the hearts of tennis fans by breaking down in tears on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent, the[...]

In 2002, a middle-aged mother made history by winning one of the toughest races in the world outright. Pam Reed beat all the elite men competing in the 135-mile Badwater marathon through the desert of Death Valley, California. After her victory was seen by some as a fluke, she responded by defeating all the male[...]

In November 1993, eight fighters from a range of martial arts disciplines took part in the first ever “Ultimate Fighting Championship” in Denver, Colorado. The controversial and often bloody event was a huge success and marked the beginning of one of the world’s fastest growing sports. Ashley Byrne talks to the promoter, Art Davie.PHOTO: Action[...]

Kelly Kulick broke into the men's game in 2006 - she was the first woman to compete on an equal footing with men in the Professional Bowling Association tour. She has been speaking to Adrian Moorhead about her career in bowling.Photo: Kelly Kulick in action at the Pan American Games in 2011. Credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty[...]

Lynn Hill was the first person to free-climb 'The Nose', the most challenging route up El Capitan, a 3,000ft granite wall in America's Yosemite National Park.Since her ascent in 1993 only a handful of others have followed in her footsteps. With a career spanning decades, she tells Sporting Witness how in the early days she[...]

In October 1989, the bitter feud between Brazilian Ayrton Senna and Frenchman Alain Prost boiled over onto the track when the two drivers collided in a now infamous edition of the Japanese Grand Prix. The two men were supposed to be team-mates but their barely concealed mutual loathing gripped motor-racing audiences and led to controversy[...]

In 1973, Billie-Jean King made tennis history by winning a challenge match against a former Wimbledon champion called Bobby Riggs. The "Battle of the Sexes" was watched by a global TV audience of nearly 100 million and is credited with improving the credibility of the women's game. The story has now been turned into a[...]

How the Irish-born footballer, Eamon Zayed, became a folk hero in Iran after scoring three goals in the Teheran derby.

In 1973, O.J. Simpson made American Football history by becoming the first running back to break the seemingly impossible barrier of rushing for 2000 yards in a single season. The record made Simpson a superstar, although it was later overshadowed by off-field scandal. Simon Watts talks to O.J.'s team-mate at the Buffalo Bills, Reggie Mckenzie.PHOTO:[...]

Nigerian athlete Chioma Ajunwa stunned the world at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Ajunwa returned from a doping ban to compete at the Games as a sprinter. But she was to make history competing in the long jump, for which she had done no training. Alex Last speaks to Chioma Ajunwa about her remarkable comeback.[...]

In 1978, a US naval officer and his wife invented an extreme form of triathlon which is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Called Ironman, John and Judy Collins' creation consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile cycle ride and a 26.2 mile running marathon. They talk to Ashley Byrne about how the[...]

In 1984, the Moroccan 400-metre hurdler, Nawal El Moutawakel, became the first Muslim woman to win an athletics gold at the Los Angeles Olympics. She talks to Rob Bonnet.PHOTO: Nawal El Moutawakel crossing the finishing line (Getty Images)

In 1983, American motorcyclist "Fast Freddie" Spencer won the world motorcycling championship aged just 21. Spencer won an epic battle against Kenny Roberts, another legendary US rider. Their rivalry is regarded as one of the fiercest in the history of the sport. Freddie Spencer talks to Simon WattsPhoto: Freddie Spencer in action. Credit: Getty Images)

At the 1988 Olympics in South Korea, Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux was winning his race when he dropped out to rescue two fellow sailors who'd capsized in a storm. It's now regarded as one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship in the history of the Games. Emily Williams talks to Lawrence Lemieux and to Jo[...]

In August 1995, the British mountaineer Alison Hargreaves was killed in an accident on K2 in the Himalayas. Lucy Burns tells her story through archive BBC interviews and the memories of her biographer and fellow climber, Ed Douglas.PHOTO: Alison Hargreaves on Everest in 1995 (Press Association)

In August 1997, the Ukrainian pole-vaulter, Sergey Bubka, won his sixth consecutive World Championship in Athens. Bubka defied advancing age and a serious achilles tendon injury to claim victory with one massive vault. His performance is now regarded as one of the greatest in track-and-field history. Sergey Bubka talks to Alex Capstick.PHOTO: Sergey Bubka in[...]

In August 1991, the maverick golfer John Daly became a superstar overnight by winning the US PGA tournament as a rookie. Daly's ferocious hitting and hard-living lifestyle had not been seen in the sport before and earned him a legion of fans. Ashley Byrne talks to two golfers who were on the course with the[...]

In 2002, the American football star Pat Tillman became a national hero when he gave up a lucrative career to join the US army and fight in the war on terror. Tillman was a poster boy for the military, but two years later he was killed in a controversial friendly fire incident in Afghanistan. His[...]

In 1975, the great Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx lost the Tour de France after being punched by a spectator during a mountain stage. The incident marked the start of the decline of a rider so dominant he was nicknamed "The Cannibal". British cyclist Barry Hoban recalls the punch and shares his personal memories of racing[...]

In 1985, Boris Becker caused a worldwide sensation by winning Wimbledon as an unseeded teenager. He talks to Russell Fuller about one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.PHOTO: Boris Becker with the Wimbledon trophy in 1985 (Getty Images)

In 1997, Sheryl Swoopes became one of the first stars of the newly-formed Women's NBA in America. Regarded as one of the greatest female basketball players of all time, Swoopes is also an Olympic gold medallist and a trailblazer for the women's game. She talks to Ashley Byrne.PHOTO: Sheryl Swoopes in action (Getty Images)

In the 1930s, Fred Perry won three Wimbledon tennis championships in a row, becoming a global celebrity. Simon Watts tells his story using BBC archive interviews with Perry and other players from a golden era of tennis.PHOTO: Fred Perry in action at Wimbledon in the 1930s (Getty Images)

In 1973, seven teams of women cricketers took part in the first ever Women's Cricket World Cup in England. The successful tournament changed perceptions of the women's game and blazed a trail for the men's version of the World Cup. Ashley Byrne talks to June Stephenson of England and Dorothy Hobson of the West Indies.PHOTO:[...]

In June 1994 the Argentine soccer superstar failed a routine drugs test and was expelled from the USA 1994 World Cup. It signalled the end of his dazzling international career. Mike Lanchin has been speaking to Dr Roberto Peidro, who was part of Argentina's medical staff at the tournament. Photo: Diego Maradona leaves the field[...]

In 2001, a group of Tibetan exiles and a Danish ex-footballer teamed up to create the Tibetan national football team, in the face of many obstacles, including threats from China. Robert Nicholson talks to Michael Nybrandt and team captain Sonam Wangyal about their first ever game against Greenland. PHOTO: The Tibetan team lining up for[...]

In 1967, Celtic became the first club side in Britain to win the European Cup when they defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in the final in Lisbon. The so-called Lions of Lisbon were all Scots born within a few miles of Celtic's stadium. Simon Watts tells their story using archive from BBC Scotland.PHOTO: Celtic just before[...]

In May 1967, the British sailor, Sir Francis Chichester, was given a hero's welcome when he completed an epic solo voyage around the world. Thanks to his frequent reports back to newspapers, the trip inspired millions of people, particularly schoolchildren. Simon Watts talks to Sir Francis Chichester's son, Giles.(Photo: Sir Francis Chichester with well-wishers shortly[...]

In 2007, the British triathlete Chrissie Wellington was the surprise winner of the World Ironman Championship in Hawaii - the first in a series of victories and world records. Wellington only became a professional athlete in her late 20s after giving up a successful career in development. She talks to Lisa Needham. The programme is[...]

In May 1985, Hong Kong inflicted an unexpected defeat on their neighbours and rivals China in a World Cup qualifying game in Beijing. The disappointed Chinese fans rioted and the Hong Kong team had to flee to the safety of their hotel. They later returned home to a heroes' welcome. Ashley Byrne talks to Hong[...]

It is forty years since the international cricket world was thrown into chaos when an Australian media tycoon called Kerry Packer set up his own super league for the world’s best players. In 1977, he brought a brash new form of the game to television, featuring one day matches played under floodlights with white balls,[...]

In 2011, the Japanese Women's football team defied the odds to win the World Cup. It came as a badly needed boost for Japan which was recovering from a devastating earthquake and tsunami. Robert Nicholson speaks to Japan's star midfielder Mizuho Sakaguchi and coach Norio Sasaki.Photo: The Japanese Women's team pose before the World Cup[...]

In 2007, Simon Beresford became the first runner with Down's Syndrome to complete the London Marathon. Simon has gone on to run several more marathons and raise tens of thousands of dollars for charity. Rebecca Kesby met Simon, his running partner and his parents at their home in the English Midlands.PHOTO: Simon Beresford and running[...]

In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 - the biggest race in American motorsport. Guthrie, a former aerospace engineer, had faced opposition and scepticism from male drivers and some sections of the press. She talks to Rachael Gillman.(Photo: Janet Guthrie after qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 in 1977.[...]

In April 1977, Red Rum entered the history books when he became the first and only horse to win Britain's famous Grand National race three times. Red Rum and his trainer, Ginger McCain, became immensely popular figures in the world of racing and beyond. Simon Watts tells their story through the BBC archives.PHOTO: Red Rum[...]

In the 1990s, the small Italian city of Parma had one of the most successful and entertaining teams in European football, winning several trophies and featuring great players such as Faustino Asprilla, Gianfranco Zola and Guinluigi Buffon. But FC Parma’s glory days were bankrolled by the Italian conglomerate, Parmalat, which later became embroiled in one[...]

In 2004, the Zimbabwean swimmer, Kirsty Coventry, won the first of two Olympic gold medals at the Athens games. By the end of her career, she would become the most decorated Olympian in African history and a hero in Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe hailed her as a "Golden Girl". Kirsty Coventry talks to Nija[...]

In 1984, Lucho Herrera, a former gardener from the Colombian mountains, stunned the world of cycling by storming to victory on the most famous climb in the sport, the Alpe d'Huez. It was the beginning of a golden age for Colombian cyclists. Simon Watts talks to Lucho Herrera, and Colombian cycling fan, Matt Rendell, author[...]

In March 2009, heavily-armed gunmen attacked buses carrying the touring Sri Lankan Cricket team and match officials to a game in the Pakistani city of Lahore. Rebecca Kesby speaks to Ahsan Raza, a Pakistani Umpire who was badly injured in the attack, and Chris Broad, the British referee credited with saving his life.PHOTO: Pakistani police[...]

In February 1968, the aboriginal fighter Lionel Rose was cheered by Australians of all races when he won the world bantamweight boxing title. Ashley Byrne talks to Rose's rival and later friend, Noel Kunde. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production.PHOTO: Lionel Rose celebrating his world championship victory in 1968 (Getty Images)

In January 1994, the US ice-skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed in the knee shortly after a training session, putting her Olympic hopes in jeopardy. To the shock of America, the plot was traced back to the entourage of one of Nancy Kerrigan's rivals, Tonya Harding. In 2012, Kerrigan's coach, Mary Scotvold, gave her first interview[...]

In the 1980s, punks and squatters in the run-down port district of Hamburg began to adopt the local football team, FC St Pauli. They turned the club into a champion of left-wing politics and created such a good atmosphere at matches that FC St Pauli now attracts supporters from around the world. Results on the[...]

In 1988, Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins made history by becoming the first African-American quarterback to play in the Super Bowl - the biggest sporting event in the USA. Williams overcame injury to lead the Redskins to an unexpected 42-10 win over the Denver Broncos. He speaks to Lisa Needham. The programme is a[...]

In the early 2000s, competitive computer-gaming, or eSports, began to take off in South Korea before spreading to the rest of the world. Ashley Byrne talks to e-gamer, Lim Yo-hwan, nicknamed Boxer, one of the biggest names in the new sport.(Photo: An e-gamer taking part in a tournament in South Korea. Credit: Getty Images)

In January 2001, the German driver, Jutta Kleinschmidt, became the first - and only - woman to win the Paris-Dakar rally, one of the biggest events in motorsport. She talks to Simon Watts.PHOTO: Jutta Kleinschmidt celebrating her victory in 2001 (Getty Images)

In 2008, India won its first ever individual gold medal in the Olympics after nearly 100 years of trying. The winner was a rifle shooter called Abhinav Bindra, who received more than 300,000 letters of congratulations from his fellow Indians. Abhinav Bindra talks to Farhana Haider about his obsessive battle for victory.PHOTO: Abhinav Bindra with[...]

In 1984, Lamine Gueye of Senegal became the first black African skier to take part in the Winter Olympics. The grandson of a prominent Senegalese politician, Gueye founded his country's ski federation and for a long time was the only member. He talks to Tayo Popoola. The programme is a Whistledown Production.PHOTO: Lamine Gueye in[...]

The Iditarod dog-sled race runs through 1,000 miles of Arctic wildnerness in Alaska and is regarded as one of the toughest sporting events in the world. In the winter of 1985, Libby Riddles drew international attention to the Iditarod by becoming the first woman to win. She talks to Robert Nicholson. The programme is a[...]

At the 2012 Paralympic Games, the Dutch wheelchair tennis player, Esther Vergeer, took two gold medals and completed one of the longest winning streaks in sport. By remaining undefeated for more than a decade, Vergeer became a hero in the Netherlands and earned the admiration of all tennis players. She talks to Ashley Byrne. The[...]

At the 1956 Olympics, the Czechoslovak discus thrower, Olga Fikotova, caused a scandal by falling in love with an American hammer thrower called Harold Connolly. Despite winning her country's only gold medal, Olga was treated as a potential traitor by the communist government and her achievements were ignored. A few months later, Harold Connolly visited[...]

In 1966, an all-black team went head-to-head with an all-white team for the National College Basketball championship - one of the biggest prizes in American sport. To the surprise of every pundit, the African-Americans of Texas Western College defeated the University of Kentucky, then the number one team in the country. The game is now[...]

In 2009, thousands of Iraqis gathered at the National Football Stadium to attend the funeral of the player and coach, Emmanuel Baba Dawud, better known as Ammo Baba. Ammo Baba was a beloved player, whose heading ability was legendary and who scored Iraq's first ever international goal. As a coach, Ammo Baba won many regional[...]

In 1996, England won the inaugural Home Nations championship in women's rugby. It was a major victory in the English players' fight for official recognition for their sport. Robert Nicholson talks to Gill Burns and Nicky Ponsford about how the women's game overcame entrenched sexism and official indifference. The programme is a Whistledown Production.PHOTO: The[...]

In November 1986, aged just 20, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion of all time. Tyson came from a troubled upbringing in New York and only found a direction in life when he met the legendary trainer, Cus D'Amato. But, after D'Amato's death, Tyson's career was marred by a rape conviction and an[...]

In April 1996, the manager of Galatasaray and former Liverpool star, Graeme Souness, went down in Turkish football history. After winning the Turkish Cup final, Souness celebrated by planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of arch-rival Fenerbahce’s pitch. The Scottish manager almost sparked a riot, but won the hearts of Galatasaray supporters. Graeme Souness[...]

In November 1973, Chile played an international football game at the National Stadium in Santiago even though it was being used as a torture centre following General Pinochet's coup. Chile were due to face the Soviet Union, but the USSR boycotted the match, which the Chileans ended up playing against no opposition in a virtually[...]

In 2002, Aussie rules footballer, Jason McCartney, was seriously injured in the terrorist attacks in the Indonesian island of Bali. Despite suffering 50% burns, McCartney regained his fitness and made an emotional return to top-level football. His story helped lift Australia's spirits after the worst terrorist attack in its history. He talks to Simon Watts.(Photo:[...]

At the 1956 Olympics, political tension between Hungary and the Soviet Union boiled over during the water polo semi-final. The confrontation became known as the 'Blood in the Water' match. In 2011, Witness spoke to the late Ervin Zador, the star player on the Hungarian side. (Photo: Ervin Zador. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

In 1995, promising Kenyan runner Henry Wanyoike suffered a stroke and lost his sight. After initially feeling depressed, Henry learnt how to run tethered to a guide and went on to a set a series of long-distance running records for the blind – many of which stand to this day. Henry Wanyoike talks to Alex[...]

In 1969, the African-American players on the successful University of Wyoming football team were sacked for trying to stage a protest against racism at a rival university. Their dismissals attracted national coverage and ended up in federal court. The incident ruined many of the players' careers and spelled the end of Wyoming's period of sporting[...]

In October 1968, two American sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, staged one of the most iconic protests in sport at the Mexico City Olympics. The two athletes raised their gloved fists in the air at the medal ceremony for the 200 metres as a way of protesting against racism. Simon Watts reports.PHOTO: Tommie Smith,[...]

Joseph Pilates developed a system of strengthening exercises which are now practised all over the world. He called it "contrology", but it's now better known as just Pilates.We hear from Mary Bowen, one of the Pilates Elders, who studied with Joseph Pilates and his wife Clara in New York in the 1950s.PICTURE: Joseph Pilates (1883[...]

In the Roaring Twenties, women's swimming was a glamorous sport and the best athletes were household names around the world. In 1928, three British swimmers - Joyce Cooper, Jean McDowell and Cissie Stewart - took the Amsterdam Olympics by storm. They shared their memories with the oral historian, Anita Tedder. The programme is a Whistledown[...]

In 1972, war veteran Murlikant Petkar won India's first ever Paralympic gold medal at the Heidelberg Games. Petkar had been shot and paralysed seven years earlier in a battle during the war with Pakistan, but then took up sprint swimming. He talks to Adrian Moorhead. The programme is a Sparklab Production for BBC World Service.(Photo:[...]

In 2012, the Rwandan sitting volleyball team became the first Paralympians from their country. The sport began in Rwanda after thousands of people were mutilated during the genocide of 1994, and there were emotional scenes in London when the Rwandan side eventually won a match. Bob Nicholson talks to Rwanda’s captain, Emile Vuningabo, and the[...]

In 1991, Willy T Ribbs became the first African-American driver to take part in the Indianapolis 500 - the biggest motor sport event in the USA. He talks to Jo Parsons about his long battle for sponsorship and the inspiration of Muhammad Ali.(Photo: Willy T Ribbs. Credit: Associated Press)

The Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell, is famous for refusing to run on a Sunday in the Paris Olympics of 1924. But, as depicted in the film Chariots of Fire, he went on to win Gold in a different event - the 400 metres. After the Olympics, Eric Liddell became a Christian missionary in China, where[...]

In 1984, the women's marathon was held in the Olympic Games for the first time. But to the horror of the crowd in Los Angeles, one of the runners, Gabriela Andersen-Scheiss of Switzerland, entered the stadium in a state of virtual collapse from heat exhaustion. The 40-year-old ski instructor was not used to the hot[...]

In 1952, the Czechoslovak army officer, Emil Zatopek, won three distance-running gold medals at the Helsinki Olympics. As well as achieving a unique feat in athletics, Zatopek charmed the world at the height of the Cold War with his blend of fun, generosity and ability to speak eight languages. Simon Watts introduces archive recordings of[...]

In 1976, the 14-year old Romanian gymnast, Nadia Comaneci, achieved the first "Perfect 10" at the Olympic Games. Nadia scored six more 10s in Montreal and became an international celebrity. In 2011, she spoke to Madeleine Morris.PHOTO: Nadia Comaneci at the 1976 Olympics (Getty Images)

At the 1996 games in Atlanta, Nigeria became the first African team to take football gold at the Olympics. A side featuring many future legends beat Argentina and Brazil on their way to a victory that brought joy to a nation still under military dictatorship. Alex Last talks to Supereagles midfielder Sunday Oliseh.(Photo: The Nigerian[...]

In 1976, the Austrian racing driver, Niki Lauda, crashed into an embankment at the notoriously dangerous Nurburgring circuit in Germany. As flames engulfed his car, Lauda had to be rescued by his fellow drivers, but somehow survived despite being given the last rites in hospital. Ashley Byrne talks to ex-Formula 1 driver, Brett Lunger, who[...]

In 2000, four athletes from war-torn East Timor were invited to compete at the Sydney Olympics. One of them was marathon runner, Agueda Amaral, who went from refugee to Olympic finisher in the space of a year. She tells her story to Rebecca Henschke of the BBC Indonesian Service.PHOTO: Agueda Amaral at the Olympic finish[...]

In 1975, Arthur Ashe beat the world number one Jimmy Connors to become the first African-American to win Wimbledon. In 2011, Ashe's friend and agent, Donald Dell, told Louise Hidalgo about that memorable match - and about what else Ashe might have achieved if he had not died young. (Photo: Arthur Ashe in action at[...]

At the 1976 Olympics, the Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto horrified the world by continuing to compete in the team event despite breaking his knee during the floor exercise. Determined not to let down his team-mates, Fujimoto braved almost unbearable pain to achieve good scores on the pommel horse and rings, and help Japan to gold.[...]

The Greek weightlifter, Pyrros Dimas, is a three-time Olympic champion and national hero nicknamed the 'Lion of Himara'. In 2004, an ageing Pyrros faced his toughest challenge when the Olympic Games came to Athens and he was forced to compete with a knee injury. Despite the pain, Pyrros battled to a bronze medal, sparking delirious[...]

In 1992, the Danish football team were called back from their beach holidays and invited to play in the European Championship when Yugoslavia began to collapse into civil war. Despite their failure to qualify properly for the tournament, Denmark beat Holland and then Germany to clinch a surprise victory. Will Yates talk to midfielder, John[...]

In 1961, Brojen Das, a swimmer from the Ganges Delta, broke the world record for the crossing from France to England at the sixth attempt. The achievement earned him an audience with the Queen and made him a hero in what is now Bangladesh. Farhana Haider introduces Brojen Das's own account and speaks to his[...]

In 1976, a young and inexperienced American boxing team won five gold medals at the Montreal Olympics, defeating many of their Cuban and Soviet rivals on the way. Now acclaimed as one of the best teams of all time, the US boxers included future world champions such as Sugar Ray Leonard. Ashley Byrne talks to[...]

In May 1949, a plane carrying the Torino football team crashed into a mountain near Turin killing 31 people. At the time, "Il Grande Torino" were the dominant team in Italy and Europe, but the club never really recovered from an accident that killed almost the entire squad. Nick Marsh meets Carla Maroso,the widow of[...]

In 1980, the newly independent nation of Zimbabwe was invited to enter a women's hockey team at the Olympic Games in Moscow. Despite their unfamiliarity with the pitches - and each other - the players won an unexpected gold medal and were nicknamed the Golden Girls. Claire Bowes talks to Liz Chase, one of the[...]

In the 1950s and 60s, the Australian swimmer, Dawn Fraser, became one of the most famous athletes in the world - winning the Olympic 100 metres three times in a row. But Fraser was almost as well known for her rebellious attitude and bad behaviour out of the pool. Kirsty Mcquire talks to Dawn Fraser[...]

In April 1980, the young amputee Terry Fox began an attempt to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research and awareness. The "Marathon of Hope" covered 1000s of kilometres and captured the public imagination before Terry had to stop in tragic circumstances. Adrian Moorhead talks to Terry Fox's brother and a key member[...]

Shaul Ladany is a long-distance Israeli race-walker who set world records that stand to this day. But, even more remarkably, he survived a childhood in the Belsen concentration camp and then the terrorist attack on the Israeli team at the Munich Olympics in 1972. Shaul Ladany talks to Will Yates. Picture: Shaul Ladany in action[...]

In 1998, a remote and impoverished region of Russia hosted the Chess Olympiad - one of the biggest events in the sport. The controversial president of Kalmykia, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, spent millions of dollars on the venue, which he named Chess City. British Grandmaster Nigel Short played at the Olympiad.PICTURE: The plans for Chess City (BBC)

In 1992, the American sprinter Gail Devers was the surprise winner of the 100 metres at the Barcelona Olympic Games. Devers had only just recovered from a rare disease which nearly led to her feet being amputated. Simon Watts reports.(Photo: Gail Devers (AllSport/Getty Images)

In 1955, the British driver Sir Stirling Moss, faced one of the biggest challenges of his career. He headed to Italy to race in the famous - and extremely dangerous - thousand mile race around the country known as the Mille Miglia. Sir Stirling's victory was one of the proudest moments of his career. In[...]

In March 1999 the Baltimore Orioles became the first US Major League team to play in Cuba for more than 40 years. Fans in Cuba eagerly awaited the fixture, and the game was played in a carnival atmosphere, with Fidel Castro looking on from the crowds. It was hailed as a success of sporting diplomacy.Cuban[...]

In March 1969, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia faced off in a tense ice hockey match at the World Championships in Sweden. The Czechoslovak team were determined to get revenge for Moscow's invasion of their country to crush the Prague Spring reform movement. The Czechoslovaks won an unexpected victory sparking celebrations and then rioting in[...]

In the 1980s, the American boxer, Gail Grandchamp, launched a long campaign for the right to take part in amateur competitions in the USA. Representing herself and raising money through part-time jobs, Gail was eventually successful in 1992 - blaising a trail for women boxers the world over. She talks to Rebecca Kesby.PHOTO CREDIT: Gail[...]

In 2007, England's rugby team played Ireland at Croke Park in Dublin for the first time. Croke Park was the scene of a massacre by British troops in 1920 during the Irish Revolution and is regarded by nationalists as the home of traditional Irish sports. After a tense build-up, the game ended with an emphatic[...]

In 1996, Josia Thugwane won the closest marathon in Olympic history and became the first black South African to take a gold medal in athletics. Thugwane's victory was cheered by millions - including the sports-mad president, Nelson Mandela - but his story has now been largely forgotten in South Africa. He talks to Lisa Needham.[...]

In February 2003, Zimbabwean cricketers Henry Olonga and Andy Flower risked their careers to protest against President Mugabe during the World Cup. After issuing a statement condemning the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, the players took to the field wearing black armbands to symbolise what they considered the "Death of Democracy" in their country. Henry[...]

In 1978, US female sports journalists won a major victory in their fight to do their jobs in the same way as men. US sports had a tradition of allowing reporters to do interviews in the dressing-room after big games. Women were not allowed in until baseball reporter Melissa Ludtke's case went to court. Ludtke[...]

In 1908, hundreds of thousands of Londoners crowded the streets to watch the dramatic events of the Olympic marathon. Dorando Pietri, an Italian sweet-maker from Capri, was first into White City Stadium but he collapsed and had to be helped to the line. He was consequently disqualified and Johnny Hayes of the USA was declared[...]

The Iditarod dog-sled race runs through 1,000 miles of Arctic wildnerness in Alaska and is regarded as one of the toughest sporting events in the world. In the winter of 1985, Libby Riddles drew international attention to the Iditarod by becoming the first woman to win. She talks to Robert Nicholson. The programme is a[...]

In 1972, the Soviet gymnast, Olga Korbut, was one of the stars of the Munich Olympics. Just four foot eleven, the "Sparrow from Minsk" charmed the world by breaking down in tears after messing up a routine - but then fought back to take three Gold medals. Olga Korbut talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme[...]

In 1991, Mike Powell and Carl Lewis took on Bob Beamon's iconic Long Jump world record at the World Championships in Tokyo. In an epic battle, both men went further than Beamon, with Mike Powell eventually setting a record that stands to this day. He talks to Adrian Moorhead for Sporting Witness. The programme is[...]

In 1967, the American motorcycle stuntman made his name with a spectacular - if unsuccessful - attempt to jump over the fountains of Caesar's Palace casino. Ashley Byrne talks to Evel Knievel's family about the man behind the legend. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production.PHOTO: Evel Knievel in mid-leap (Getty Images)

In 1990, the East German football team played their last ever match - just a few weeks before the country was officially dissolved. Only 14 players bothered turning up for the friendly against Belgium, but those that did were determined to go out on a high note. Tim Mansel talks to the former East German[...]

In 1995, the Japanese wrestler, Antonio Inoki, organised an international tournament in secretive North Korea. Featuring wrestling stars from Japan and America, the Collision in Korea was an attempt to foster peace through sport and attracted crowds in the hundreds of thousands. Ashley Byrne reports. The programme is a Made-in-Manchester Production.(Photo: The crowd at the[...]

The New Zealander Jonah Lomu was the first superstar of international rugby. A virtually unstoppable combination of strength and speed, he burst on the scene in 1995 with a four-try demolition of England at the Rugby World Cup. But although he seemed invincible, Lomu was already sick with the kidney disease that led to his[...]

In the early 1980s, Rifaat Turk became the first successful Arab player in Israeli football. The son of a Jaffa fisherman, Turk defied frequent racist abuse during a stellar career with Hapoel Tel Aviv and the Israeli national team. He talks to Robert Nicholson. The programme is a Whistledown Production.(Photo: Rifaat Turk showing off his[...]

In the 1970s and 80s, Communist East Germany dominated athletics -- thanks to the most sophisticated doping programme in the history of sport. The programme had a lasting physical and psychological impact on many East German competitors. Two of them, sprinter Ines Geipel and shot-putter Andreas Krieger, talk to Mike Costello for Sporting Witness. This[...]

In the 1980s, the Pakistani squash player, Jahangir Khan, became a legend in his sport by going undefeated for five years. But, as Shumaila Jaffery discovers, to become unbeatable, Khan had to overcome childhood illness and family tragedy.(Photo: Jahingar Khan in action. Credit: Steve Line/SquashPics)

Jackie Robinson was a legendary figure in American baseball - the first black player in the professional game and the man who led the Brooklyn Dodgers to their only World Series triumph in 1955. Tim Mansel talks to Robinson's son, David, and to veteran US sports writer, Roger Kahn. The programme was first broadcast in[...]

In 2002, free diver Tanya Streeter attempted to set a No Limits world record by diving down to 160m and resurfacing, all on a single breath. She would have to survive the pressures of the deep and hold her breath for 3 and a half minutes. It almost went wrong. Hear Tanya's account of the[...]

In 2005, the Ivorian national football team - led by Chelsea superstar, Didier Drogba - began campaigning for an end to their country's devastating civil war. The side insisted on playing their matches across Ivory Coast - including an emotional game in the rebel capital of Bouaké. Robert Nicholson talks to Ivory Coast midfielder, Gilles[...]

In September 1983, Gerrie Coetzee, nicknamed the Boksburg Bomber, thrilled apartheid South Africa by becoming the country's first world boxing champion. Although an Afrikaner, the mild-mannered Coetzee was popular among all races, and millions stayed up to watch his bout against Michael Dokes of the USA. SABC commentator, Heinrich Marnitz talks to Ashley Byrne. The[...]

Faramarz Assef is one of Iran's most famous pop singers. But most of his fans don't know that he used to be an international athlete, who won Iran's first medal in the triple jump in 1974, when the Asian Games were held in Tehran. He discusses his two careers with Golnoosh Golshani.(Photo: Faramarz Assef leaping[...]

In 2010, the New Orleans Saints swept to victory in the Superbowl - the biggest prize in American sport. The win came just five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and severely damaged the Saints' own stadium, the Superdome. Former Saints player, Jermon Bushrod, recalls how the Superbowl run helped lift the spirits of[...]

The black American sprinter made history at the 1936 Berlin Olympics hosted in Nazi Germany where he won four gold medals. By winning gold for the 100m - in a time of 10.3 seconds, and for the long jump, the 200m and the 4x100m relay he made a mockery of the Nazi ideology of Aryan[...]

In the summer of 1989, the Catholic striker, Mo Johnston, shocked Scotland by crossing the sectarian divide in Glasgow and signing for the traditionally Protestant club, Rangers. His agent, Bill McMurdo, gives Sporting Witness an inside account of the deal.(Photo: Mo Johnston with his Rangers teammates. Credit: Getty Images)

In 1964, the Native American Billy Mills pulled off a shock victory in the Olympic 10,000 metres in Tokyo. Mills was virtually unknown and his chances were written off by the TV commentators. He talks to Ashley Byrne about his life story and his famous victory. The programme is a Made In Manchester Production.PHOTO: Billy[...]

In 1967, the legendary British cyclist Tom Simpson died during a mountain stage of the Tour de France. His friend and team-mate, Vin Denson, remembers that day.(Photo: Tom Simpson (left) with Vin Denson in 1965. Credit: Cycling Weekly)

In 1972, the England women's football team played their first ever international match, following a long campaign for official recognition by the Football Association. Sylvia Gore scored the first goal for the side in a game against Scotland. She talks to Sporting Witness about an era in which women footballers struggled to be taken seriously.Photo:[...]

In 1998, a doping scandal rocked the most prestigious race in cycling. It centred on the French team, Festina - one of whose riders, Christophe Bassons, resisted huge pressure to take performance-enhancing drugs. Known as 'Cycling's Mr Clean', he talks to Rebecca Kesby.(Photo: Christophe Bassons at the 1999 Tour De France. Credit: Getty Images)

In 1991, Mike Powell and Carl Lewis took on Bob Beamon's iconic Long Jump world record at the World Championships in Tokyo. In an epic battle, both men went further than Beamon, with Mike Powell eventually setting a record that stands to this day. He talks to Adrian Moorhead for Sporting Witness. The programme is[...]

In 1998, Iran invited an American wrestling team to a tournament in Tehran as a goodwill gesture.The five Americans were the first to visit the Islamic Republic officially since the two countries had become sworn enemies two decades earlier. Golnoosh Golshani talks to US wrestler Shawn Charles and his Iranian opponent Mehdi Kaveh.PHOTO: Shawn Charles[...]

In the 1970s, the American transgender tennis player, Renee Richards, fought a long campaign for the right to play tournaments as a woman. Despite objections from fellow players and the tennis establishment, she was eventually allowed to play in the US Open. She shares her story with Ashley Byrne. (Photo: Renee Richards prepares for a[...]

In 1955, tragedy struck the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour race in Northern France when a car crashed into the crowd at more than 100 miles-per-hour. The accident killed 83 spectators and the driver, and led to an overhaul of safety rules in motor-racing. In 2010, Claire Bowes spoke to the American driver John Fitch, who[...]

In 1956, the Manchester City goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann, became an FA Cup hero by breaking his neck at Wembley but playing on to the end of the final. Trautmann was a former Nazi paratrooper who adopted England as his home country after being taken prisoner during World War Two. Simon Watts introduces BBC archive recordings[...]

In 2004, the British wheelchair racer, Tanni Grey-Thompson, faced the toughest challenge of her career at the Paralympic Games in Athens. Suffering from a loss of form, the great champion was humiliated in her best event and had to go for glory in the 100-metre sprint. She tells Lucy Burns about the race and how[...]

In 2000, the great Ethiopian distance runner, Haile Gebrselassie, won the Olympic 10,000 metres by a single second - beating his closest rival in the process. Gebrselassie, who announced his retirement in May 2015, describes the race to Fred Dove. The programme is a Whistledown Production and was first broacast in 2012.PHOTO: Haile Gebrselassie celebrates[...]

In May 1980, a match between Yugoslavia's top teams, Hajduk Split of Croatia and Red Star Belgrade of Serbia, was interrupted by the annoucement of the death of the dictator who had ruled the country since World War II. Players and fans from both teams burst into tears and left the stadium in silence. Barely[...]

In May 2000, the rising star of Nascar, Adam Petty, was killed in an accident on the track in New Hampshire. Petty was the fourth generation of one of the most famous dynasties in American motor sport. His father, Kyle Petty, talks to Simon Watts.(Photo: Adam Petty. Credit: Getty Images)

In 1976, the Cuban runner, Alberto Juantorena, pulled off a unique double at the Montreal Olympics - winning both the 400 and 800 metres. The victory made the athlete known as 'White Lightning' a hero on the Communist island. He talks to Will Grant.(Photo: Alberto Juantorena winning the 800 metres in 1976. Credit: Getty Images).

In 1991, the Hungarian chess prodigy, Judit Polgar, became the youngest Grandmaster ever at the age of 15. She speaks to Robert Nicholson about her unconventional childhood and how her extraordinary career defied expectations for female players.PHOTO: Judit Polgar (Associated Press).

In 1976, the Yale women's rowing team stripped naked to demand equal treatment for women's sport. The protest attracted national attention in the USA and helped force universities to make the same funding and facilities available to women athletes as to men. Catherine Davies talks to two of the Yale protestors, Christine Ernst and Ginny[...]

In 1975, Lee Elder braved death threats to become the first African-American golfer to play at the prestigious US Masters in Augusta. It was one of the last colour barriers in US sport and made him a hero to many black sportsmen - including Tiger Woods. In 2013, Lee Elder spoke about the tournament to[...]

The crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between rivals Rwanda and Uganda. A match that had it all - amazing saves, ‘witchcraft’, a mass brawl and a goal that made history. Rob Walker reports.(Photo: Rwanda's forward Sinzey Sinda fights for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2004. Credit: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)

In 1983, India beat the mighty West Indies to win the World Cup final at Lord's cricket ground. The unexpected victory put Indian one-day cricket on the map. David Prest talks to Indian bowler, Madan Lal.(Photo: The Indian team celebrate with the World Cup trophy. Credit: Getty Images).

In 1975, the playboy British motorcyclist Barry Sheene suffered the fastest crash in motorcyling history. Despite broken bones and internal injuries, he was back on his bike within weeks. Ashley Byrne reports. (Photo: Barry Sheene sitting on a motorbike. Credit: Getty Images)

In 1967, the Australian football team won their first international tournament - on a trip to Saigon at the height of the Vietnam War. The players survived gunfire, crowd trouble and monsoon conditions on their way to an unlikely win. Ashley Byrne speaks to former Australian footballers, Ray Baartz and Stan Ackerley. The programme is[...]

In 1987, a group of Oxford University rowers led a famous rebellion against their coach, Dan Topolski. Despite the dissent, Topolski, who died on February 21st, managed to lead Oxford to an unlikely win. He spoke to Simon Watts before his death.PHOTO: Oxford University celebrate their victory in 1987 (Getty Images).

In 1967, the Yorkshire cyclist, Beryl Burton, set a world record in the 12 hour time trial that stands to this day. It was arguably the greatest in a long list of achievements which also included seven world championships and numerous British records. Many now consider Beryl Burton the best woman cyclist of all time.[...]

In 1975, teenage Californian Jeff Clark became the first person to surf the dangerous Mavericks waves near San Francisco. Nearly two decades later, the waves killed Mark Foo, one of the most famous surfers in the world, and gave the Mavericks a legendary reputation in the sport. Jeff Clark talks to Sporting Witness.(Photo: Waves. Credit:[...]

In the 1960s, the Ghanaian football team dominated Africa, winning tournament after tournament. Known as the Black Stars, they were an exciting attacking force which President Kwame Nkrumah hoped would help promote African unity. But in 1965, the Ghanaians faced an uphill struggle in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunis.Their star[...]

On New Year's Eve 1967, the Green Bay Packers played the Dallas Cowboys in one of the most famous games in American Football history. Played in Arctic temperatures, the match sealed the reputation of the Packers' coach, Vince Lombardi. Jonathan Fenton-Fischer talks to Packers' lineman, Jerry Kramer, and NFL commentator, Mike Carlson.(Photo: A Green Bay[...]

In 1988, two of the world's top figure-skaters, Brian Boitano of the USA and Brian Orser of Canada, fought out an epic contest at the Winter Olympics. Dubbed the "Battle of the Brians", the showdown was decided by the narrowest of margins and on the final dance. Kirsty Mcquire, of Sparklab Productions, talks to Brian[...]

In 1996, South Africa won the Africa Cup of Nations, bringing sporting joy to a country still recovering from apartheid. For the Bafana Bafana team, it was their first - and so far only - victory at an international football tournament. Sporting Witness speaks to two members of the multi-racial side, Phil Masinga and Mark[...]

In 1959, the Harlem Globetrotters paid an unlikely Cold War visit to the Soviet Union. Their mixture of athleticism and American-style entertainment eventually won over basketball fans in Moscow and earned them hugs from Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev. Former Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon talks to Sporting Witness.(Photo: The Harlem Globetrotters arriving in Moscow in 1959. Credit:[...]

In 1972, tiny Hereford United won one of the greatest FA Cup matches of all time, knocking out First Division Newcastle. The game featured two spectacular Hereford goals and three pitch invasions before ending in extra time. Sporting Witness speaks to Hereford goal-scorer, Ricky George, and to a lifelong fan. This programme was first broadcast[...]

In the opening game of the 1990 World Cup, rank outsiders Cameroon faced the reigning champions, Argentina - led by Diego Maradona. Few gave Cameroon a chance. Alex Last speaks to defender N'Dip Akem Victor about a defining game for African football. This programme was first broadcast in May 2014.Picture: Getty Images Sport.

In the 1950s, Angela Buxton and Althea Gibson formed a unique partnership in women's doubles. As a British Jew and an African-American respectively, both women had faced prejudice in their home countries, but in 1956 they pulled off a stunning win at Wimbledon. Angela Buxton talks to David Whitty.(Photo: Angela Buxton and Althea Gibson with[...]

In 1984, the Chicago Bulls picked arguably the greatest basketball player of all time in the NBA draft. Rod Thorn, the Bulls general manager, was the man who selected Jordan. He gives the inside story of the draft to Alex Capstick. PHOTO: Michael Jordan in action for the Chicago Bulls (Getty Images Sport).

Shaiza Khan and Kiran Baluch are two cricketers who pioneered the women's game in Pakistan - despite opposition and death threats from Islamist extremists. They went on to set world records in their sport and to become two of the first female members of the MCC.PHOTO: Kiran Baluch (personal collection).

In the 1980s, a Hawaiian-born wrestler took the traditional world of Japanese Sumo by storm. Known as The Dumptruck because of his huge size, he won legions of fans and paved the way for the internationalisation of the sport. The Dumptruck shares his love of Sumo - and Hawaiian hula music - with Sporting Witness.(Photo:[...]

How Tegla Loroupe, an unknown Kenyan runner, became the first marathon champion from Africa, with an exceptionally fast finish. She tells us how a tough upbringing in the mountains of her homeland shaped her whole approach to breaking barriers.(Photo: Tegla Loroupe. Credit: Michael Loccisano/ Getty Images)

An insider's account of Pele's shock move to a soccer team in the United States in 1975. We hear from Clive Toye, the former General Manager of the New York Cosmos, who persuaded Pele to play football in the US.(Photo: Pele in action for NY Cosmos during an American Soccer League match. Credit: Getty Images/Allsport[...]

In 1964, East German cyclist, Dieter Wiedemann, defected to the West to be with the woman he loved and to fulfil his dream of riding the Tour de France Photo: Dieter Wiedermann racing in the 1967 Tour de France (Credit: Dieter Wiedemann)

In the late 1970s, three black West Bromwich Albion players revolutionised English football. Laurie Cunningham, Brendon Batson and Cyrille Regis had to face racist abuse, but won many fans thanks to their attacking flair. The three footballers even earned the affectionate nickname The Three Degrees, after a famous pop group of the time. The programme[...]

In 1986, Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox made one of the most famous errors in baseball history. With his team about to claim their first victory for 68 years, Buckner let the ball slip between his legs on a crucial play. The misfield spelled defeat for the Red Sox and convinced many fans[...]

In 1974, the British Lions rugby team made a famous and controversial tour of South Africa. As well as political controversy over Apartheid, the matches became legendary for their on-pitch violence and off-pitch partying. Alex Last talks to the Welsh winger, J.J WilliamsPHOTO: J.J Williams on the tour of South Africa (Getty Images Sport).

In 1948 at the 'austerity' Olympics, newly independent India won gold on the hockey pitch. One of the stars of the Indian team was Balbir Singh.(Photo: Balbir Singh scoring a goal against Great Britain. Credit: AP Images)

In 1991, the best golfers from the USA and Europe went head-to-head in one of the most bitter confrontations in the history of the Ryder Cup. Played shortly after the First Gulf War, some of the European team objected to the militaristic and fiercely partisan atmosphere encouraged by their American hosts. The tension spilled over[...]

In 1988, the Canadian sprinter was disqualified 48 hours after winning the Olympic 100 metre final and setting a new world record. It was one of the biggest doping scandals in the history of sport. Simon Watts introduces Ben Johnson interviews from the BBC archives.

In 1967, the Scottish football team travelled to Wembley to play England, then the holders of the World Cup. In a match that would become legendary in Scotland, the visitors won 3-2 and taunted the English in the final few minutes of the game by playing keepy-uppy. David Whitty talks to Jim McCalliog, scorer of[...]

In the summer of 1968, the South-African-born batsman put in a match-winning performance for England in a test match at the Oval. The ensuing row over whether Basil D'Oliveira should be picked for a tour of his country of birth led to the 25-year sporting isolation of apartheid South Africa. Sporting Witness speaks to D'Oliveira's[...]

In the summer of 1968, the first games for athletes with intellectual disabilities was held in Chicago. They were promoted by the Kennedy family, one of whom had learning difficulties. Sporting Witness talks to Frank Olivo, who won the 50-yard race, and Anne Burke, a Chicago schoolteacher who helped organise the event.Picture: Members of the[...]

In 1992, newly independent Lithuania managed to get its basketball team into the Barcelona Olympics after American rock band Grateful Dead agreed to help with fundraising. A brilliant generation of Lithuanian players then won a bronze medal in a grudge match against the former Soviet Union. Witness speaks to Arvydas Sabonis and Gintaras Krapikas, two[...]

In 1978, a US naval officer and his wife invented an extreme form of triathlon which is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Called Ironman, John and Judy Collins' creation consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile cycle ride and a 26.2 mile running marathon. They talk to Ashley Byrne about how the[...]

In 1979, a freak storm hit a prestigious ocean race in the Irish Sea, killing 15 sailors and 3 rescuers. Matthew Sheehan tells Sporting Witness how hurricane-force winds engulfed his yacht as it headed towards the Fastnet rock, killing his father. This programme was first broadcast in 2010.PHOTO: Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

In 1958, Milkha Singh became the first Indian to win a track-and-field gold at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. Singh - later nicknamed the Flying Sikh - had been orphaned in the violence that followed the Partition of India. He overcame the trauma by discovering athletics while serving in the Indian army. He talks to[...]

The last time the Commonwealth Games were held in Scotland was in 1986, when nearly 60 countries, mostly from Africa and the Caribbean, boycotted the event in protest at Margaret Thatcher’s policy of maintaining sporting links with apartheid-era South Africa. Eve Streeter talks to the English distance runner Jon Solly about winning the 10,000 metres[...]

In 1975, the great Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx lost the Tour de France after being punched by a spectator during a mountain stage. The incident marked the start of the decline of a rider so dominant he was nicknamed "The Cannibal". British cyclist Barry Hoban recalls the punch and shares his personal memories of racing[...]

In 1953, England were regarded as the "Fathers of Football" and as virtually unbeatable on home soil. But a Hungarian team led by the great Ferenc Puskas demolished them 6-3 at Wembley Stadium. Will Yates introduces memories of the match from former players, Stan Mortensen and Jackie Sewell, and former England manager, Bobby Robson, who[...]

In 1978, Argentina hosted the World Cup while under a brutal military dictatorship. Amid controversy and fanatical home support, the team reached the final and won a dramatic victory in extra time. Sporting Witness hears the memories of defender, Alberto Tarantini. The programme is a Whistledown Production.PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images.

In 2002, South Korea put in the best performance ever in Asian football, reaching the World Cup semi-final and defeating some of the top teams in Europe. They were helped by massive home support. Sporting Witness talks to South Korean player, Lee Young Pyo. The programme is a Whistledown Production.PHOTO: AFP.

In 1994, the Colombian defender Andres Escobar was murdered in the city of Medellin shortly after scoring an own goal in a crucial match at the World Cup. Many linked his death directly to his mistake on the pitch. Sporting Witness talks to Colombian journalist Luis Fernando Restrepo, a friend of Escobar's who saw him[...]

In 1950, Brazil hosted the World Cup and were the overwhelming favourites to win the tournament at the last match at the Maracana Stadium. But, in a defeat that hurts to this day, the Brazilians lost to Uruguay 2-1. Sporting Witness talks to Alcides Ghiggia, who scored the winning Uruguayan goal at what became known[...]

In 1989, the Chinese-American player became the youngest male winner of a tennis Grand Slam just days after the Tiananmen Square massacre. Michael Chang was gripped by tv coverage of the killings and dedicated his only major win to the people of China. He talks to Sporting Witness.PHOTO: Getty Images.

In June 1985, the Irish boxer fought for the world championship in front of a huge crowd at a football stadium in London. McGuigan's boxing had united all sides in Northern Ireland, and the emotional bout would come to be regarded as one of the great moments in the history of the sport. He talks[...]

In May 1964, more than 300 people died in disturbances at a match between Peru and Argentina in Lima. It was the worst stadium disaster in football history. Piers Edwards speaks to two survivors of the tragedy.PHOTO: Peruvian Institute of Sport.

In 2006, the legendary French player Zinedine Zidane was sent off in the World Cup final in his last game before retirement. In a shocking incident, Zidane had head-butted the Italian defender, Marco Materazzi. Witness speaks to Horacio Elizondo, the referee who showed him the red card. The programme is a Whistledown Production for BBC[...]

In 1966, the footballers of communist North Korea travelled to England to play in their first World Cup. Against all expectations, they won a series of matches - including a shock victory over Italy - and charmed their hosts in the northern city of Middlesborough. Sporting Witness talks to the Italian forward, Sandro Mazzola, and[...]

In the opening game of the 1990 World Cup, rank outsiders Cameroon faced the reigning champions, Argentina - led by Diego Maradona. Few gave Cameroon a chance. Alex Last speaks to one of the Cameroon team about a defining game for African football.(Photo: Getty Images Sport)

In 1999, the American footballer, Brandi Chastain, scored the winning penalty in the Women's World Cup final against China. She caused controversy by tearing off her shirt in celebration to reveal her sports bra. Brandi Chastain talks to Sporting Witness.PHOTO: Getty Images.

In 1967, the American athlete became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon despite attempts to stop her. At the time, officials believed women were incapable of running more than a mile and a half. The experience turned Kathrine Switzer into a campaigner for women's sport. She spoke to Sporting Witness in 2012.PHOTO: Associated[...]

In April 1958 a group of Algerian players secretly left their clubs in France to form their own national team. Some had already been selected to play for France in the upcoming World Cup Finals. Saint Etienne striker, Rashid Mekhloufi, recalls the day that changed his footballing life.Photo: The 1958 Algerian revolutionary team, reunited 30[...]

In 1954, West Germany faced the all-powerful Hungarian side of Ferenc Puskas in the football World Cup final in Switzerland. Despite going two goals down, the Germans fought back and seized an epic win with six minutes to go. The 'Miracle of Bern' gave a new sense of confidence to a nation still scarred by[...]

In 2006, Scott Jurek, one of the world's best ultramarathon runners, travelled to the remote canyons of Northern Mexico to race the best athletes from an ancient Mexican tribe. The Tarahumara have a tradition of running huge distances and they gave Jurek one of his toughest races, inspiring the best-selling book, "Born To Run". Scott[...]

In 1950, the US won a famous victory over England at the World Cup in Brazil. The only goal was scored by a Haitian, Joe Gaetjens, playing for his adopted country. After the tournament, he returned to Haiti - only to be taken away by Papa Doc Duvalier's secret police and never seen again. Joe[...]

In 2001, Alex Zanardi, the Italian racing driver and two-time winner of the American Indy Car Series, lost both his legs in a horrific crash. Despite his injuries, he managed to return to motor-racing and launch a second career as a gold-medal winning handcyclist. Alex Zanardi talks to Will Yates.Picture: Getty Images Sport.The programme is[...]

Just ten weeks before the Barcelona Olympics Silken Laumann, a Canadian rower, suffered a horrific leg injury. After six weeks she got back on the water. "Here I was still using a wheelchair, a massive skin graft on my leg. I could not walk without pain. I got into that boat with some help, there[...]

In February 1964, Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston fought the first of two of the most controversial boxing bouts in history. The 22-year-old Ali - then still known as Cassius Clay - was the young pretender taking on a veteran with a reputation for knockouts. He became world champion in circumstances that are still disputed[...]

In 1984, the British ice skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean entranced the world with their performance of Ravel's Bolero at the Winter Olympics. Torvill and Dean scored a row of perfect 6s and stormed to Olympic gold. They speak to Alex Collins about their world record performance.(Photo: Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. Credit: Getty[...]

In 1976, the legendary Austrian skier won one of the most exciting Olympic downhill races of all time. Franz Klammer 'The Kaiser' was the overwhelming favourite, but he had to take massive risks to claim gold in front of his home crowd at Innsbruck. Klammer talks to Sporting Witness.Picture: Franz Klammer, Credit: AFP/Getty Images.

In 1964, Britain won its only Olympic bobsleigh gold medal in an event that became famous for an act of sportsmanship by Eugenio Monti of Italy. Sporting Witness talks to the British team.(Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

At the 1980 Winter Olympics, the USA faced the USSR in a Cold War ice hockey showdown. Witness speaks to an American and a Soviet player about one of the biggest upsets in sporting history.PHOTO: Getty Images

In 1998, a Kenyan farmer called Philip Boit became one of the first Africans to compete in the Winter Olympics. In the 10-kilometre cross-country skiing final he faced the legendary Norwegian, Bjorn Daehlie. It was a race that would unite the two athletes and inspire future Winter Olympians across Africa.PHOTO: Getty Images.

In 1988, the American speedskater was told on the day of the Olympic final that his sister had died of cancer. Stricken by grief, he then fell during his race. It took Dan Jansen another six years - and five more Olympic races - before he finally won gold.(Photo: Dan Jansen. Credit: Getty Images Sport)

In 1988, the glamorous East German skater, Katarina Witt, and her American rival, Debbi Thomas, both chose to dance the role of Carmen in the final of the Olympics. For Sporting Witness, Witt recalls a contest that became known as the "Battle of the Carmens".PHOTO:

Fred Dove presents the highlights from Sporting Witness, the series which reveals the inside story of key moments in sporting history. It's packed with stories of endurance, personal triumph and injustices, and we hear from Martina Navratilova about the personal cost of her defection, learn how Dick Fosbury came up with his revolutionary way of[...]

The Ethiopian distance-runner Haile Gebrselassie defeated his greatest rival Paul Tergat of Kenya in one of the narrowest victories ever in the 10,000m event. He entered athletics history at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 by successfully defending his 10,000 metre title and beating Tergat by less than one second. Presented by Fred Dove. This programme[...]

In 1968, the American athlete Bob Beamon, made a jump that many thought would never be bettered."As I struck that lightboard, I went up over six feet... and then I'd landed at this distance that was described as a freak."In a single leap at the Mexico City Olympics, he improved the world record by more[...]

In 1978, Martina Navratilova won her first ever Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon.Navratilova's victory followed her dramatic defection from Czechoslovakia and signalled the start of her domination of women's tennis.Martina Navratilova talks to Sporting Witness.PHOTO: BBC

In 1992, the British 400-metre runner Derek Redmond, popped his hamstring in the Olympic semi-final.Instead of giving up, Redmond hobbled in agony to the finish line - determined to complete his race.Half-way round, Redmond's father, Jim, ran on to the track to help his son home.It's an Olympic story that's inspired millions of people around[...]

At the Seoul Olympics in 1988, the American sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner was the first American woman to win four medals in a single games - golds for the 100m, the 200m and the women's 4×100m relay, and a silver for the women's 4×400m relay. She achieved world records in both her 100m and 200m which[...]

In 1986, Argentina striker Diego Maradona scored two goals against England which have gone down in World Cup history.The first goal is now known as the "hand of God" and the second as the "goal of the century".England frontman Gary Lineker saw both goals go in and shares his memories with Sporting Witness.(Image: Argentina's Diego[...]

In 1954, Sir Roger Bannister became the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes. At the time this was one of the greatest prizes in athletics.He tells his story to Rob Walker.(Photo: Roger Bannister winning the AAA Championships Mile race in 1954. Hulton Archive/Getty Images.)

A few days after Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, she had her best chance of owning the winner of the derby, but first the horse would have to beat the British public's favourite jockey. Peter O'Sullevan - the BBC's voice of racing - talks to Julian Bedford.(Image: Champion jockey Gordon Richards being led in after[...]

The American diver Greg Louganis talks about hitting his head on the diving board at the 1988 Olympic Games at Seoul, South Korea.At the time, only he and his coach Ron O'Brien knew he was HIV positive and he had to decide whether to tell officials about the possible health risk.This programme was broadcast in[...]

In the 1972 Olympics he broke the 10,000 metre world record despite falling over during the race.Hear from Lasse Viren, and one of his fellow competitors.Photo: Lasse Viren celebrating his win. Associated Press.

At the age of 25, the American cyclist Lance Armstrong, was diagnosed with cancer.After aggressive chemotherapy, Armstrong fought back to win the world's most prestigious endurance cycle race - the Tour De France.Armstrong's friend, Bob Roll, talks to Sporting Witness.PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images

In 2008, the South African swimmer, Natalie du Toit, became the first athlete to qualify to compete at the Paralympic and Olympic Games.She tells her story to Fred Dove. Photo: Natalie du Toit at the 2008 Paralympics (AFP/Getty Images)Note: The audio for this programme will be available online from Monday 7th May.

In 1960, the West Indies and Australia played one of the most dramatic test matches of all the time.For the first time in cricket history, the game ended in a tie.The Australian captain, Richie Benaud, recalls the test for Sporting Witness.PHOTO: West Indies fast bowler Wesley Hall causes havoc. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

In 1996, the American sprinter, Michael Johnson, shattered the 200-metre world record at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.His victory, on home soil, completed a sprint double and is regarded as one of the greatest athletic performances of all time.Johnson recalls the race for Sporting Witness.NOTE: The audio of this programme will be available online on[...]

In 1981, Bob Champion won a fairytale victory in Britain's most famous steeplechase, the Grand National.Two years earlier, Champion had been diagnosed with cancer. He had survived the treatment by dreaming of a National win.Bob Champion recalls the race for Sporting Witness.PHOTO: BBC

In 1987, the Oxford boat crew was hit by an unprecedented mutiny by a group of mainly American rowers.The Oxford coach, Dan Topolski, was at the heart of the dispute.Topolski gives Witness his account of the mutiny, and how he went on to win the university Boat Race with a makeshift crew.PHOTO: The Oxford crew[...]

In 1983, a 61 year old potato farmer called Cliff Young stunned Australia by winning an epic running race between Sydney and Melbourne.The victory made Young a legend and helped put ultra-running on the map as a sport.Witness speaks to ultra-running great Tony Rafferty, who lost to Cliff Young in the 1983 race.PHOTO: Cliff Young[...]

Three black players who found fame in the British football league in the 1970s. They all played for West Bromwich Albion.When the pop trio, The Three Degrees, toured England, a press opportunity was just waiting to happen.Photo: Cyrille Regis one of the West Brom players.

Ayrton Senna was one of the best Formula One drivers ever. He died in a crash in Italy in 1994. Hear from his friend and doctor, Professor Sid Watkins. The Brazilian icon was just 34 years old at the time.Hear from his friend and doctor, Professor Sid Watkins. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.

In 1988 the Caribbean island fielded a bobsled team at the Winter Olympics.Devon Harris was one of the four man team - hear his story.Photo: Mark Cardwell/AFP/Getty Images.

In 1967, the American athlete Kathrine Switzer, became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon.At the time, athletics officials believed women were incapable of running more than a mile and a half.After crossing the finishing line, Switzer was disqualified.It was an experience that turned her into a campaigner for women's sport.Picture: A Boston Marathon[...]

In 1955, the legendary British racing driver Sir Stirling Moss, faced his biggest challenge.He headed for Italy to take part in the Mille Miglia - a 1000 mile race around the country.David Prest talks to Sir Stirling for Sporting Witness.PHOTO: Sir Stirling Moss, centre, at the finish line. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

In 1994, the ice skater Nancy Kerrigan, was clubbed in the knee shortly after a training session.The attack was caught on video and put Kerrigan's Olympic hopes in jeopardy.To the shock of America, the plot was traced back to the entourage of one of Nancy Kerrigan's rivals, .Kerrigan's coach, Mary Scotvold, talks publicly for the[...]

In 1992, the Algerian runner, Hassiba Boulmerka, won gold in the women's 1500m at the Barcelona Olympics.Before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, her success had made her a political opponent for extremists. An imam had told her that running in shorts was anti-Islam. "My image didn't fit in at all with their ideology," is how she[...]

In 1958, the New York Giants played the Baltimore Colts in the NFL championship game.The match was so exciting it turned American Football into a successful television sport virtually overnight.The clash became known as the "Greatest Game".Sporting Witness talks to veteran American sports commentator, Bob Wolff, who covered the match.PHOTO: Bob Wolff commentating in the[...]

In 1948, London hosted what became known as the "Austerity Olympics".The games were held just three years after the end of World War II - in a city where streets were still scarred by bombing and Londoners still lived on rationing.The Olympics helped lift the mood of the nation.Helena Merriman talks to Dorothy Tyler, who[...]

In 1993, Zambia went into mourning when most of its promising football side were killed in an air crash.But just a year later, a re-built team managed to reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, playing great football along the way.Claire Bowes speaks to Zambian team captain, Kalusha Bwalya.PHOTO: Fans watch the new[...]

In 1996, Venuste Niyongabo won Burundi's only Olympic gold medal ever.His victory in the 5,000 metres came at the height of civil war and made him a unifying figure for Birundians.Emily Williams meets him for Sporting Witness.PHOTO: Venuste Niyongabo winning gold. (GETTY IMAGES)

In 1972, tiny Hereford United won one of the greatest FA Cup matches of all time, knocking out First Division Newcastle.The game featured two spectacular Hereford goals and three pitch invasions before ending in extra time.Sporting Witness speaks to Hereford goal-scorer, Ricky George, and to a lifelong fan.PHOTO: Hereford heroes Ronnie Radford and Ricky George[...]

As London prepares to hold the 2012 Olympics, Sporting Witness goes back four centuries to the first ever games held in Britain - the "Cotswold Olimpicks".The games - which included everything from tossing the caber to shin-kicking - were organised by Robert Dover in the small village of Chipping Campden.Sarah Cuddon visits the modern version[...]

In 1968, Kip Keino became an inspiration to Kenyan athletes when he won gold in the 1500m at the Mexico City Olympics.Mary Harper visits Keino at his home in Kenya to hear about his struggle to win that medal, and about his incredible life story.(Image: Kip Keino winning Olympic gold. Credit: Tony Duffy/Getty Images Sport)

At the 1968 Mexico Olympics, the world looked on in horror as the Australian runner, Ron Clarke the race favourite, collapsed at the finishing line of the 10,000 metres. His heart had stopped. The Australian team doctor, Brian Corrigan, ran to him and managed to get his heart started again. Clarke had run out of[...]

How three British women swimmers took the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics by storm.Their names were Joyce Cooper, Jean McDowell and Cissie Stewart. Photo: The British women's team in Holland.

At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union challenged Canada - the best country in the world for ice hockey - to a special series of matches.The eight-game series was closely fought and went right up to the final seconds in Moscow.Sporting Witness speaks to Paul Henderson, one of the stars of the[...]

In 1976 Princess Anne became the first member of the British Royal Family to compete in the Olympic Games. The Princess was part of the three-day eventing team in Montreal. She suffered concussion after a bad fall from her horse Goodwill.She shares her Olympic memories with Fred Dove.This programme was first broadcast in November 2011.[...]

The diminutive weight-lifter, Precious McKenzie, was a prodigious talent, but apartheid prevented him from competing for South Africa.Precious had to move to Britain and work in a factory in Northampton. While doing so, he finally achieved international success at the 1966 Commonwealth Games.Precious went on to become a familiar figure on British TV in the[...]

At the start of the 1970s, the United States and Maoist China were cold war enemies.Then the world table tennis championships of 1971 helped improve relations between the two countries.Sporting Witness hears from the American ping-pong players invited on a pioneering visit to China.

In 1980, the British swimmer, Duncan Goodhew, faced a moral dilemma over whether to compete in the Moscow Olympics, which were being boycotted by the USA.In the end, he decided to compete and won Gold in the 100m breastroke.For Witness, David Prest hears from Duncan Goodhew and other British athletes at the 1980 games.PHOTO: Hulton[...]

In October 1974 one of the greatest boxing matches of all time took place in Zaire.Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought for the World Heavyweight title.The President of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko had paid them millions of dollars to travel to Africa.Hear from Jerry Eisenberg who covered the game as a reporter for The New[...]

In 1995, there were wild celebrations across the racial divide in South Africa when the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup on home soil.Victory on the pitch followed a concerted campaign by Nelson Mandela - then the new president - to get white and black South Africans behind the team.Rob Bonnett hears from the South[...]

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox - one of the most popular sports teams in America - won the baseball World Series for the first time in 86 years.On the way to victory, they had to defeat their deadly rivals, the New York Yankees, and end the so-called 'Curse of the Bambino.Tim Mansel talks to[...]

The story of Africa's greatest Olympic sprinter.We hear from the man himself about his four silver medals for Namibia - and why he never made it to gold.

The first Paralympics were held in Rome in 1960.Margaret Maughan was a member of the British team - and won the UK's first Paralympic gold medal for archery.Photo: Margaret competing at a later date. (This programme was first broadcast last year - 2010)

In 1983, the Australian yachting team made history by winning the America's Cup - the biggest prize in the sport.They defeated the Americans for the first time in 132 years.Witness speaks to the Australian skipper, John Bertrand.Photo: John Bertrand at the helm of Australia II (Getty Images Sport).

Louise Hidalgo hears from Israeli athletes who lived through the darkest day in Olympic History - the shootings at the 1972 Munich Olympics.Photo: A German policeman on patrol after the shootings (Hutton Archive/Getty Images).

In 1912, the Native American athlete, Jim Thorpe, stunned the world by winning both the decathlon and pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics.Less than a year later, Thorpe was stripped of the medals in controversial circumstances. After struggling to make a living as a Hollywood extra, he ended up dying in poverty in a trailer park.Richard[...]

In the 1960s, American athlete Dick Fosbury revolutionised high-jumping by inventing the 'Fosbury flop'. Instead of diving or scissor-kicking over the high-jump bar, Fosbury floated across on his back. He went on to win a gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.In 2011, Alan Johnston spoke to Dick Fosbury for Sporting Witness.Image:[...]

In 1950, victory in a test match at Lord's made the West Indies a force in international cricket for the first time.The win sparked wild celebrations among the newly-arrived West Indian immigrant community in England.Tim Mansel talks to the late Sir Clyde Walcott, who scored a century in the game, and to West Indian cricket[...]

At the 1956 Olympics, political tension between Hungary and the Soviet Union boiled over during the water polo semi-final.The confrontation became known as the 'Blood in the Water' match.Witness speaks to Ervin Zador, the star player on the Hungarian side.This programme first broadcast in August 2011. Picture: Ervin Zador, Credit: AFP/Getty Images

As Manchester United prepare to defend their Premier League title, Sporting Witness looks back to Sir Alex Ferguson's early years in management at Scottish club, Aberdeen.Former Aberdeen assistant manager Archie Knox, and former midfielder Neale Cooper, remember how Ferguson's unique style turned perennial under-achievers into European champions in 1983.The success made Sir Alex Ferguson's reputation[...]

The Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell, is famous for refusing to run on a Sunday in the Paris Olympics of 1924.But, as depicted in the film Chariots of Fire, he went on to win Gold in a different event - the 400 metres.After the Olympics, Eric Liddell became a Christian missionary in China, where he died[...]

The Romanian gymnast, Nadia Comaneci, recalls how in 1976 at 14 years old she achieved a 'perfect 10' - a perfect score from all the judges - for the uneven bars at the Montreal Olympics. This was the first time this had happened at any Olympics games. She went on to become a worldwide star[...]