Sporting Witness

Breaking makes its debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but its origins as a sport go back to 1970s New York. Michael Holman formed a group of the most talented breakdancers in the city called 'The New York City Breakers'. He remembers when the crew performed at a salute for the US Olympic team in 1984, where they wrote a proclamation backstage - proposing it should be a future event at the games, wi...

The 2004 Athens Olympics in Greece were hailed as the Games coming home to its ancient and modern birthplace. But, on the eve of the opening ceremony, a breaking scandal involving two of the host nation's biggest sporting stars threatened to overshadow the celebration. Final torchbearer Nikos Kaklamanakis and Reuters journalist Karolos Grohmann talk to Jack Butcher about the remarkable return of t...

Sailor Pavlos Kontides was 22 when he competed in the 2012 Olympics. Although he had taken part in the Beijing, he was considered one of the favourites going into the London games. He became the first Cypriot athlete to win a medal for his country, by competing in the Men’s Laser class. He spoke to Matthew Kenyon about what his success meant to him and his country. (Photo: Pavlos Kontides sailing...

The 1994 Wimbledon Championships were dominated by one story - whether Martina Navratilova could bow out with a record-breaking tenth title. The 37-year-old looked on course to do so, making it to the final where she'd face 22-year-old Spanish player, Conchita Martinez. The scene was set but Conchita hadn't read the script. Thirty years on, she shares her memories of that day with Matt Pintus. (Ph...

It's 30 years since the murder of Colombian footballer, Andres Escobar. Just days before his fatal shooting, Escobar had scored an own goal for Colombia at the 1994 World Cup. He had been blamed for his country's early exit from the tournament and many linked his death directly to his mistake on the pitch. Matt Pintus has been through the BBC World Service archive, listening to interviews with the...

Jewish tennis star Liesl Herbst dreamt of playing at Wimbledon but after Hitler invaded Austria, she was banned from competing. After fleeing from the Nazis with her family to London, she finally played two months before World War Two began. When it resumed in 1946, Liesl returned with her daughter Dorli to play in the ladies' doubles. They remain the only mother and daughter who have competed tog...

In June 1976, Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Ali travelled to Tokyo, Japan to face his next opponent, the professional wrestler Antonio Inoki. In a first of its kind, the exhibition fight called “The War of the Worlds” was met with controversy because of the rules applied. Ringside Photographer Claude Charlier tells Sean Allsop how the fight unfolded in a packed Bud...

In 1988, the Soviet Union made it to the final of the European Championships where they faced competition favourites, the Netherlands. It proved to be the side’s last great achievement before the breakup of the union. Soviet defender Sergei Baltacha remembers coming on as a substitute to mark the world’s best player, Marco van Basten. He speaks to Tim Mansel. (Photo: Sergei Baltacha tackling Holla...

In August 1971, a group of footballers were catapulted from obscurity to overnight stardom in Mexico when record-breaking crowds turned out as the country hosted a forerunner of the women’s World Cup. With women’s football still in its infancy after being suppressed in many parts of the world for decades, players got a taste of the sport’s potential popularity when they appeared in front of 100,00...

It's 30 years since John Aldridge made headlines for all the wrong reasons during a World Cup match between Ireland and Mexico. The Irish striker lost his temper with a match official, after not being allowed to take to the field as a substitute. Ireland were losing the match 2-0 and needed a goal. Aldridge and his manager, Jack Charlton, were pictured on television broadcasts around the world sho...

Ten days at the end of Manchester United's 98/99 season would define the club as one of the greatest teams in the world. They won the English Premier League, followed by the FA Cup. It had been 31 years since they last won the European Cup, with Bayern Munich determined to end their bid for the record-breaking treble. Former United midfielder Jesper Blomqvist speaks to Uma Doraiswamy about the pre...

It's 30 years since the death of Formula One driver, Ayrton Senna. The three time world champion died in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy. The Brazilian icon was just 34-years-old at the time. Following his death, major safety changes in Formula One were introduced. Matt Pintus has been delving into the BBC World Service archives to find first person accounts of the traged...

Alice Annum is Ghana's original 'Baby Jet'. She gained the nickname after winning two silver medals at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, for the 100m and 200m sprint races. Alice was also the first woman to represent Ghana at the Olympics. Throughout her career, not only did she compete as a runner, she also competed in long jump. In more recent years the name 'Baby Jet' has been taken on by former foo...

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 to this day as a biennial tournament and is held around the world. An...

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 beating superstars, including Kevin Keegan, Alan Hanse...

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 Vicky Farncombe uses archive interviews to tell the story of Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins in h...

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 2004 Women's Australian Open. Credit: Getty Images.)

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 shares his experience of the swim with Hunter Charlton. It’s an Ember Audio p...

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 predominantly white college. The team is treated like a second religion. Then, the...

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 and fight Duran in front of 10,000 people. Johnny I’Anson speaks to Dave...

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 to South Africa. (Photo: Roland Butcher. Credit: Allsport/Getty Images)

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 Melbourne Deaflympics, he was given the ‘Champions Award’. Rajeev won th...

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 circuit. A Made in Manchester Production for the BBC World Service. (Image...

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. She had to hobble her way around the final lap of the race. Th...

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 the biggest defeat in international football – 31-0. Uma Doraiswamy speaks to...