Not by the Playbook

The BBC’s Formula 1 reporter Jennie Gow joins us from Abu Dhabi, ahead of the final race of the season, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fighting for the Drivers World Title. Verstappen is aiming for his first world title and we hear from his mentor when he started out in Formula 3. Frits Van Amersfoort tells us it became clear, within one hour of working with Max, that he was a special tale...

The Football Association director of the Women’s Professional Game – Kelly Simmons - tells us 5 December was chosen as the date for this year’s women’s FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea as it marks the 100 anniversary of the governing body banning women’s football. Simmons describes that decision as probably the lowest point in the history of the game and says the FA are keen to be positive...

The world’s only blind cricket commentator - Dean du Plessis - tells us he is now losing his hearing and discusses the impact it is having on his life and career. Du Plessis says not being able to hear properly is more frightening to him than the sky dive he completed in 2007 and the journey he took on the back of a motorbike that was travelling around three hundred kilometres an hour. Du Plessis...

As rugby union's Autumn Internationals end we look at England women's success ahead of World Cup year in 2022 with the woman who lifted the trophy for England in 2014, Katy Daley-McClean MBE. We'll also hear from South Africa's World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi ahead of the men's clash with England. Venus and Serena Williams, Phil and Gary Neville, Yaya and Kolo Toure. Have you ever noticed ho...

Has has the past two weeks been a decisive moment for athlete climate activism? As COP26, the United Nations climate change conference, ends what impact has sport had on delivering for the future? Athletes, organisations and members of the sporting community have signed a manifesto calling on, amongst other things, net zero and to protect communities and natural habitats. We hear from English cric...

The NHL, the professional ice hockey league in North America, has been rocked by allegations of sexual abuse and failure to investigate them when they were first made. It revolves around a law suit a former Chicago Blackhawks player has brought against the team after he allege he was abused by one of the coaches. That player, Kyle Beach, spoke out publicly this week in an emotional interview with...

As Namibia's men continue to make history at their first T20 Cricket World Cup we speak to Dr Rudie van Vuuren, a two-sport international for the country. These days Dr van Vuuren combines his passion for sport with a passion for conservation. He recalls playing at both the Cricket and Rugby World Cups in 2003 and tells us what he would like to see come out of the COP26 Climate Change Conference....

When the first whistle blows in the Premier League most players will drop to one knee as a way of highlighting racial injustice and supporting positive change. It's something that has happened at Premier League matches since the death of George Floyd in 2020. But has 'taking the knee' lost its impact? We hear from former athlete Michelle Moore whose new book 'Real Wins' is described as an urgent c...

For a number of years up to 2020, Kelly Lindsey was Head Coach of the Afghan women's football team. Recently she's taken up a position in England with Lewes FC, the first club in the country to pay its female players exactly the same as it's male players. It's no surprise that Kelly should be at such a progressive club, she's always lead by example, and as she explained her experiences in Afghanis...

We explore the aftermath of the shocking allegations of abuse in women's football in the USA. The news from the NWSL was particularly distressing for former Irish international Ciara McCormack, because for many years in Canada, Ciara tried to be heard and taken seriously when in 2008 she highlighted alleged mis-conduct by her coach at the Vancouver White Caps, Bob Birarda. In 2019, McCormack wrote...

Ken Green had a good career as a professional golfer, he was a five time winner of the US Tour and reached 15 in the world. For Ken however it was much more than a sport, because his life off the course had seen so much trauma. Here in his own words he explains what he as been through and how golf "saved me... Twice!" The final race of the Triathlon Super League season took place last weekend in M...

Tiara Brown is one of the leading names in women's boxing and until a year ago was an award-winning police officer in Washington DC. Back in December, she told Sportshour she left the department feeling they were unwilling to instigate change following the murder of George Floyd. Now, in the first case of its kind, Tiara, and nine other black female officers, have filed a lawsuit against the capit...

Athletes Unlimited is a collective promoting a new way of thinking about professional sport, placing the player at the very heart and doing away with team owners. It's currently running leagues in women’s volleyball, lacrosse and softball. Jon Patricof, the CEO at Athletes Unlimited, told us how this revolutionary new concept works. Could the development of AI help players avoid injury? That’s one...

On the 20th anniversary of the 11 September attacks on the United States, we reflect on the role that Sport played, and continues to play, in helping to rebuild the lives of those affected and in remembering those who died. Mary Wittenberg was assistant race director for the New York Marathon in 2001. Going ahead just a few weeks after the attacks, it was the city’s biggest mass gathering since th...

As the Paralympics come to a close we hear from Japan’s Deputy Chef de Mission Miki Matheson on whether the games have been a success. Plus the hidden heroes of the Games. Jose Bernardino is one of the official Otto Bock prosthetic technicians offering support for free to athletes. Their work not only helps performance on the track but to change lives off it. Plus proving age is just a number, 60-...

We’re live in Tokyo on Day 5 of the Paralympics, hearing from Spanish Paralympian Desirée Vila. An elite gymnast, she thought her sporting career was over after an injury that ultimately resulted in her losing her leg… but not only did she find Paralympic sport and is competing at her first Games, she’s also a powerful voice advocating positive body image in the Spanish-speaking world. Swimmer Abb...

For many years the players of the Afghanistan women's football team were seen as beacons of hope and empowerment in the country. Now they are in hiding and in fear for their lives. Haley Carter is the former assistant coach of the Afghan women's team and also a US Marine veteran. She is in daily contact with players and desperately trying to help them. Ahead of the Le Man's 24 hour race, we hear f...

Swimmer Markus Rogan was a double Olympic silver medallist in 2004 in Athens and a world record holder, before it all fell apart. He learnt the hard way about what can happen when the Olympic flame is extinguished. For some like him, when their sporting careers end a new unexpected challenge arises. Markus tells us about his struggle for a new identity and purpose away from the sporting arena, and...

Athlete's mental welfare has been one of the main topics of the Olympics, and winning a gold medal doesn't always mean peace of mind. The down after the high of becoming a gold medallist, can be real to some athletes... Helen Richardson Walsh won gold in Rio and knows exactly the potential difficulties that comes after the Games have ended Melanie Smith Taylor, gold medallist in LA in 1984 recalls...

Switzerland’s Jolanda Neff reflects on winning the gold medal in the cross-country mountain bike event at the Tokyo Olympics. Neff and her team-mates made history as Switzerland won all three medals in the event. The 28-year-old says it will take some time to comprehend what they have achieved. Neff also tells us how she broke her hand just six weeks before the Olympics and explains how she did no...

We’re live in Japan on day one of the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The BBC’s Ed Harry reflects on the opening ceremony and rounds up the best of the action so far, while Japanese Olympic historian, Roy Tomizawa, gives us a sense of how the local population feel about the event taking place against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. We also hear from Mayar Sherif who makes history as th...

Divina Galica, on being the last woman to enter the British Grand Prix and how the former 4 time Olympian is still very much involved in the world of motorsport. We talk to Australian pro cyclist Lachlan Morton, who has completed his remarkable journey of riding not only every stage of the Tour de France, but also cycling all of the transfers in between the stages too! He has completed a 5,500 km...

We join home favourite Elisa Longo Borghini on the start line of the Giro d'Italia Donne, the most prestigious road race in women's cycling. She tells us why seeing her family cheer her on will be extra special this year, and what it would mean for an Italian to take the title. The opening ceremony of the Olympics is now just a few weeks away and whether Evy Liebfarth grabs gold or not, she is gua...

We preview the knockout stages at the Euros. As the Tour de France begins, we’re on the start line with former England footballer Geoff Thomas, as he attempts to complete the exact course of cycling’s greatest competition, a week ahead of the race. We’ll look at the environmental impact of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We’ll hear from ‘ecoathletes’, one group of athletes who are at the forefro...

Exactly a year ago the hockey player Darcy Bourne left her home in London to take part in the Black Lives Matter protests. Darcy who represents England at Under 21 level and studies at Duke University in North Carolina, had in her hand a placard that read "Why is ending racism a debate?" An image of her holding that simple message went viral. It was shared and viewed by tens of millions of people,...