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Where Should Sport End and Politics Begin?

Should sport stars be allowed to express their political views whilst competing?

England cricketer Moeen Ali and Malaysian Commonwealth Games cyclist Azizulhasni Awang displayed messages relating to the conflict in Gaza, both were instructed by sporting authorities not to do so again. Also this week the Argentine Football Association was fined after the national team displayed a banner before a match that supported the country's claims over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, which are a British Overseas Territory. So should sport stars be allowed to express their political views whilst competing? We debate the issue with former FIFA executive Jerome Champagne and Milorad Cavic who in 2008 won gold at the European swimming championships but after wearing a T-shirt with a political message at the medal ceremony, was asked to leave the competition immediately.

Rosi Sexton
After Rosi Sexton gained her first class degree in Maths from Cambridge University and PhD in Theoretical Computer Science, she embarked on a ground breaking career in Mixed Martial Arts. Recently retired she tells us about why she took up the sport, the barriers she broke as the first Briton to fight in the UFC, and the importance of teaching her son the difference between violence and controlled aggression in the ring.

Mongol Derby
Next week the sixth running of the Mongol Derby gets underway. It’s billed as the world's toughest horse race. The horses are semi wild and cross 1000km of Mongolian grassland, with competitors having to change to new steeds at regularly intervals. Musse Hasselvall, a Swedish jujitsu champion turned actor, tells us about why he’s taking part and why he’s not preparing too much. He tells us “You don’t want to spoil the movie by watching the trailer!”

Women’s Tour De France?
World Champion Marianne Vos looks back on last weekend’s “La Course” event that saw women race competitively down the Champs Elysees for the first time in 25 years. She shares her vision for the future of the sport.

Commonwealth Games
The story of South African Precious McKenzie whose dad was eaten by a crocodile, his mother was an alcoholic and he overcame terrible abuse as a child to win Commonwealth gold in four consecutive games for England and then New Zealand!

How the charity “Kit It Out” has continued its work from London 2012. It is now enabling even more para athletes from poorer nations to have the equipment and clothing needed to compete.

Why boxer Taoriba Biniati from the tiny Pacific island of Kiribati had never fought another woman before stepping in the ring in Glasgow.

Whilst Sporting Witness… looks back to 1958 and Milkha Singh who became the first Indian ever to win a track and field gold at the Commonwealth Games. Known as “The Flying Sikh", his life story was recently made into a Bollywood biopic.

Photo: Argentina's footballers pose for photographers holding a banner reading 'The Malvinas / Falkland Islands are Argentine' before a friendly football match against Slovenia in Buenos Aires on June 7, 2014 (Credit: ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP/Getty Images)

55 minutes

Last on

Sat 2 Aug 2014 09:06GMT

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