Sporting Witness Podcast
Eye-witness accounts from sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped sport through the eyes of the people who were there.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.
Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.
Episodes to download
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How Baseball Helped Bridge the US-Cuba Divide
Sat 19 Mar 2016
How the Baltimore Orioles became the first Major League team to play in communist Cuba
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Czechoslovakia Ice Hockey Riots
Sat 12 Mar 2016
In 1969, a match between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia sparked unrest in Prague.
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Women's Boxing
Sat 5 Mar 2016
The story of Gail Grandchamp, who campaigned for the right of women to box in the USA.
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England at Croke Park
Sat 27 Feb 2016
The historic rugby match between Ireland and England in Dublin in 2007.
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Josia Thugwane - South African Marathon Hero
Sat 20 Feb 2016
The story of the first black South African to win an Olympic gold in athletics in 1996
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Black Day for Democracy
Sat 13 Feb 2016
How two Zimbabwean cricketers risked their careers to protest again President Mugabe.
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Women in the Locker Room
Sat 6 Feb 2016
In 1978, US female sports journalists won a major victory in their fight for equality
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Dorando Pietri - Hero of the 1908 London Olympics
Sat 30 Jan 2016
The dramatic marathon that turned an Italian sweet-maker from Capri into a celebrity
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The Toughest Dog-Sled Race in the World
Sat 16 Jan 2016
The first woman to win the Iditarod race through 1000 miles of wilderness in Alaska
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Olga Korbut - The Sparrow from Minsk
Sat 9 Jan 2016
The Soviet gymnast who charmed the world at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
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The Greatest Long Jump Battle in History
Boxing Day 2015
In 1991, two Americans both beat the iconic long jump record at the World Championships.
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Evel Knievel in Las Vegas
Sat 19 Dec 2015
How the legendary motorcycle stuntman made his name with a jump outside a casino in 1967.
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Farewell to East German football
Sat 12 Dec 2015
How the East German team won their last ever match - just before the country disappeared.
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'Collision in Korea'
Sat 5 Dec 2015
How an international wrestling tournament wowed secretive North Korea in 1995
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Rifaat Turk: Arab Superstar in Israeli Football
Sat 28 Nov 2015
How a Jaffa fisherman's son broke down barriers by making Israel's national team
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Doping in East Germany
Sat 14 Nov 2015
Two former athletes describe the human cost of the Communist nation's drugs programme.
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Jahangir Khan - King of Squash
Sat 7 Nov 2015
The legendary Pakistani player who went undefeated for five years in the 1980s
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Jackie Robinson - Baseball Pioneer
Sat 24 Oct 2015
The legendary player who broke the colour bar in baseball and won the World Series.
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Tanya Streeter Record Free Diver
Sat 17 Oct 2015
In 2002, free diver Tanya Streeter attempted to reach a record depth of 160m
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Footballers for Peace in Ivory Coast
Sat 3 Oct 2015
How Didier Drogba and the Ivorian football team campaigned for an end to civil war.
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The Boksburg Bomber
Sat 26 Sep 2015
How Gerrie Coetzee thrilled South Africa by becoming world boxing champion in 1983.
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Iran's Triple Jumper Turned Pop Legend
Sat 5 Sep 2015
How Faramarz Assef switched from international athletics to music stardom.
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New Orleans Saints Win the Superbowl
Sat 29 Aug 2015
How American Football success cheered up New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
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Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics
Sat 15 Aug 2015
The American athlete won four gold medals at the 1936 games hosted by Nazi Germany
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Mo Johnston - Scotland's Signing of the Century
Sun 9 Aug 2015
The Catholic football superstar who crossed the sectarian divide to sign for Rangers.
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Billy Mills - Native American Hero
Sun 2 Aug 2015
The runner from an Indian reservation in the USA who won a shock Olympic victory in 1964.
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Tom Simpson
Sun 26 Jul 2015
The legendary British cyclist who died on Mont Ventoux during the 1967 Tour de France
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Scandal at the Tour de France
Sun 19 Jul 2015
In 1998, a doping scandal rocked the most prestigious race in cycling
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Sylvia Gore and the start of Women's Football
Sun 5 Jul 2015
The Midfielder who Scored the First Ever International Goal for the England Women's Team.