The Sports Desk

A title race going down to the wire, a roll call of young, marketable drivers with huge global followings and an audience that’s getting younger and more diverse. Right now, Formula 1 is the envy of other sports. We assess how a sport often maligned as boring and predictable has reinvented itself through social media, esports, streaming and Netflix. We speak to Red Bull team principal Christian Ho...

A landmark new ruling in rugby union will allow players to switch allegiance to another country where they have ancestry. Is it a model other sports should follow in an increasingly globalised world, or does nation-swapping undermine the whole principle of international sport? We hear from former New Zealand fullback Charles Piutau who now hopes to play for Tonga, and the chief executive of World...

By any measure, these are turbulent times for English football. The collapse of historic clubs like Bury and Macclesfield, the foiled Super League plot and the Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle United are all symptoms – many say - of a sport losing touch with its fans. We’re joined by Tracey Crouch, whose fan-led review contains potentially game-changing proposals for the way football clubs are f...

With just one year to go until the World Cup in Qatar, we find out more about how a tournament in the wealthy middle-east state will look and feel. Hear from Amnesty International on their claims that migrant workers in Qatar are being exploited – and the role David Beckham can play in shining a light on human rights. Plus, a Qatari football expert tells us why the World Cup can be a vehicle for l...

The allegations of institutional racism at Yorkshire CCC by spin bowler Azeem Rafiq and the club's handling of the investigation has plunged one of England's most historic sporting clubs into crisis. As new chairman Lord Patel tries to pick up the pieces, we’ll hear from two more players who say they were racially abused at the club. We hear the views of Pakistan-born England cricketer Owais Shah...

“We’ve got to be careful that managers don’t get attacked” – the words of former Stoke and Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis in a highly charged interview on The Sports Desk. Pulis’ warning comes in the wake of Nuno Espirito Santo’s sacking by Spurs after fans vented their fury at the manager during the club’s defeat to Manchester United. And Steve Bruce has hinted he may retire because of the abu...

Who bears most responsibility for making football more environmentally friendly? Nesta McGregor and Sarah Mulkerrins are joined by the BBC's Katie Gornall and David Goldblatt, author of The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football, which focused in no small part on the effect of football on the environment. We hear from UEFA Director of Sustainability Michele Uva and Sampdoria's Norwegian midfi...

To mark Black History Month, we speak to two iconic black sportsmen. Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright is joined by his son and grandson Shaun and D’Margio Wright-Phillips to discuss black role models and the ongoing fight against racism in football. Siya Kolisi, South Africa’s World Cup-winning rugby captain, talks about growing up in poverty, gender-based violence and why he wants to...

One week on from perhaps the most controversial takeover in English football history, many questions remained unanswered. How will Saudi Arabia capitalise on their investment in a Premier League team? How can Newcastle United go about making sure that money equals trophies? And what does the latest state-backed buyout mean for the game in this country? Hear from geopolitics expert Simon Chadwick a...

After the firing of North Carolina coach Paul Riley over sexual misconduct allegations we focus on a growing crisis in women’s football. We hear from a US women’s star who played under Riley, who denies the allegations, and a whistleblower who exposed a similar case in Canadian football. And with allegations emerging this week in Australia and Venezuela, we ask football’s governing body Fifa wheth...

Whether it’s a big defender leaping to head the ball clear, or a striker diving full-length to score, heading has always been a big part of football. But should it come with a health warning? With studies showing that footballers are 3 and a half times more likely to die of dementia, we’ll ask whether the risks of heading a football really justify the rewards. Former England captain Terry Butcher...

In an exclusive interview, Fifa’s head of global development Arsene Wenger tells the Sports Desk why his controversial plan for a men’s World Cup every two years is good for football and the welfare of its leading players. Wenger talks about the "chaos" of the current match schedule, proposes fewer international breaks and says he is prepared to "gamble" on a restructure that would see "the best p...

Emma Raducanu's US Open triumph caps a golden summer for British sport with young, multicultural talent leading the way. But with levels of physical activity plummeting during the pandemic, how can elite success translate to greater participation on the ground? And how can sport use its new role models to reach communities it hasn’t reached before? We hear from tennis coach Judy Murray and double...

It’s a divisive issue across society – and sport is no exception. The Covid-19 vaccination – recommended by governments and medics across the world – but rejected by vast numbers of leading athletes. Sarah Mulkerrins, Dan Roan and Ben Rumsby hear from Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow, who caught Covid while unvaccinated and spent three days on a hospital drip. BBC tennis correspondent Russell Full...

From synthetic fuel to Extreme E, motorsport is getting greener, but is it enough? Delyth Lloyd and Nesta McGregor are joined by the BBC’s chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt and chief F1 writer Andrew Benson to discuss the environmental challenges facing a sport seen by many as “a carnival of carbon”. We hear from Formula 1 world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button plus Ross Bra...

The Paralympic Games were launched this week in Tokyo with the bold intention of changing the lives of the 1.2 billion people around the world who live with some form of disability. But when disabled people are hidden from sight in many corners of the globe, can the legacy of these Paralympics really stretch beyond a fortnight of wonder in Japan? We hear from Oksana Masters, a US Para-cyclist, row...

As the world reels from the Taliban’s return to power, we examine the consequences for sport and inclusivity in Afghanistan. The founder of the country’s women’s football team Khalida Popal tells us about fears for her players’ safety. We’ll hear why the Taliban ideology could threaten the Afghan cricketing fairytale. And why the dreams of the country’s Paralympians appear to be over.

As Argentina great Lionel Messi swaps Barcelona for Paris-Saint Germain, we explore the changing face of European football. With the Manchester clubs and Chelsea also flexing their financial muscles while others reel from the economic impact of Covid-19, we assess the long-term implications for the sport and its fans. We hear from Paris Saint-Germain’s Qatari president, the chief executive of the...

It was the story that rocked the Olympics: gymnastics icon Simone Biles stepping away from the canvas to focus on her mental health. But has the American’s honesty given more sports stars the courage to speak out on a subject that had long seemed taboo? With both cricketer Ben Stokes and swimmer Adam Peaty taking time off for their mental wellbeing, we're joined by sports psychologist Dr Martin Tu...

World records have been tumbling on the track in recent months, but how much of that is down to new super shoes and has technology gone too far? Sarah Mulkerrins, Nesta McGregor and Dan Roan are joined by The Times Chief Sports Correspondent Matt Lawton, former Team GB athlete Mara Yamauchi and Mike Caine, Professor of Sports Technology and Innovation at Loughborough university.

Whether it is the pandemic or the heat, from doping to the hostility of some locals to the event, there’s plenty of issues and concerns about the Tokyo Olympics. Yet for all of those worries the Games are sure to provide extraordinary sporting drama as the world’s very best battle it out to become the elite of the elite. So will this be an Olympic Games to remember, or one we regret ever took plac...

With titanium drivers and high-tech modern balls, Bryson DeChambeau and golf's other big hitters are making older courses like St Andrews look like pitch and putts. So, does the combination of power and technology favoured by many modern players threaten the very ethos of golf or is this just the natural evolution of the sport? Sarah Mulkerrins and Nesta McGregor are joined by BBC golf corresponde...

Goals galore, fans back in stadiums and England v Italy in the final at Wembley. What’s not to like about Euro 2020? Dig beneath the surface however and the legacy of the tournament becomes a little more problematic. The ban on LGBT+ rainbow symbols in certain host cities, players with head injuries returning to the field of play and the link between travelling football fans and the spread of Covi...

From Roger Federer and the Williams sisters to Cristiano Ronaldo and Phil Mickelson, it seems age is just a number for sport’s growing band of golden oldies. In this week’s podcast, Sarah, Dan and Nesta explore the reasons behind this remarkable trend with former Olympian and sports scientist Greg Whyte. We're joined by New York Times tennis writer Ben Rothenberg at Wimbledon where the average age...

With just one month to go until 11,000 athletes descend on Tokyo for the Olympic Games, we’ll be weighing up the risks and rewards of staging the world’s biggest sports event in the middle of a global pandemic. Japanese infectious diseases expert Kentaro Iwata voices his strong concerns about the wisdom of allowing fans at Olympic venues. British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson outl...