Anything but Footy

This episode starts with discussion on the latest doping scandal to hit the sport of athletics. Sunday Times newspaper investigation has alleged there has been an attempted Russian cover up after high jumper Danil Lysenko missed a drugs test. Russia were widely expected to be welcomed back into athletics by the IAAF having been suspended for the Rio Olympics with Russia blocked across all sports by the IPC across all sports. We ask what next for Russia and can they take up a berth at Tokyo 2020. We also ask the question about whether there is a genuine appetite within the sport to tackle this serious issue?

Disappointment for Anthony Joshua. Dreams for Dina Asher-Smith. Joshua, who won gold at London 2012, has surrendered his world titles to the unfancied Mexican Andy Ruiz Junior whilst Dina Asher-Smith will now be targeting an individual gold medal at the World Championships in Doha later this year after a scintillating performance at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm. Both face a crucial few months in their careers - but for differing reasons. We also have the latest developments in Caster Semenya's battle with the IAAF.

John's been enjoying the tennis this week. Not only John Inverdale's presentation on ITV4, but Johanna Konta's great form too. Michael explains why he finds watching the British Number One - Konta not Inverdale - a difficult watch after an awkward encounter a couple of years ago. He reveals all.

And, we round up all the rest of the week's news in Olympic & Paralympic sport including rugby sevens, the Lionesses, triathlon, rowing, canoeing, sailing, hockey and the Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay.

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The 2nd edition of the European Games is just weeks away. Team GB has named its team for the event in Minsk. Over 100 athletes from these shores will take part. The biggest name in the team is Jason Kenny, whilst Olympic medallists including Katy Marchant and Sally Conway will also take part. In total over 4000 athletes will take part from 50 countries across 10 days in 200 different medal events. But, where does the event stand as far as the British public is concerned?

2018 was a fantastic breakthrough year for Katarina Johnson-Thompson with World, European and Commonwealth medals. 2019 has started well with a personal best points total in Gotzis. We ask if KJT is now the best hope of a gold medal in Doha at the World Championship later this year. We compare her chances with those of Laura Muir and Dina Asher-Smith and examine Johnson-Thompson's challenge from Nafi Thiam - the reigning World and Olympic Champion.

The World Cup is also imminent and the Lionesses will travel to France with high hopes of success after reaching the semi-finals four years ago. We look at the debate around equal pay for men and women footballers and equal opportunities for female coaches and managers. Anything but Footy will be talking footy this summer as we track England's progress.

Boxing will take its place at Tokyo 2020 but who will organise the competition? The IOC has serious concerns about the AIBA over many and varied issues and now needs to find anew body to take over the running of the Olympic programme.

In our round up, there is news of sailing, rowing, canoeing, modern pentathlon, ice hockey, skiing, golf and rugby sevens.

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The UK has once again been at the centre of the Olympic & Paralympic sporting world. Manchester has been hosting the World Taekwondo Championships, Weymouth has been hosting the European Sailing Championships, Diving's World Series was in London whilst the Olympic Park has also been home to international hockey.

We start in Manchester reflecting on medal success and controversy for Great Britain's taekwondo athletes. Double Olympic Champion Jade Jones finally added a World gold to her list of achievements, but Bianca Walkden's triumph was marred by booing as she won gold in controversial circumstances. We debate booing at a sporting event.

UK Sport has been backing Mental Health Awareness Week and we discuss how sport at an elite level needs to find a balance between medal success and athlete welfare. Whilst we welcome the open and honest conversations that have been had this week, we ask whether there is still a lot more that governing bodies should be doing.

Big names featured this week include Tiger Woods who has stated he wants to play in the Olympics in Tokyo. We also talk about Rory McIlroy's decision to represent Team Ireland not Team GB. And, are the world's big name golfers more interested in playing Olympic golf in Japan than they were in Brazil because of the greater potential commercial benefits?

In our weekly round-up of Olympic & Paralympic news, there's success for Great Britain's wheelchair tennis team and Johanna Konta on clay in Rome, another win for triathlete Alistair Brownlee, GB Hockey news (both field and ice), Netball frustration for Ama Agbeze, Diamond League Athletics and gold for sailor Giles Scott.

Oh, and we have come up with a nickname for Tom Daley that we're convinced will become synonymous with one of the nation's leading sporting heroes. Stand by for all the merchandise, endorsements and appearances.

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Plenty on the agenda again in the world of Olympic & Paralympic sport.

In the week the beautiful game showed itself to be more beautiful than ever as English clubs feasted at the top table of European competition, we broke our golden rule and started by talking about footy. Well, kind of....

Following the exploits of Liverpool & Tottenham in the Champions League, we talked about the greatest comebacks in sport. We recalled names like Tiger Woods, Niki Lauda, Greg Le Mond & Muhammad Ali, whilst Michael spoke about two great comebacks he had witnessed - one in hockey and one in netball and John got all nostalgic about Kriss Akabusi.

UK Sport announced who their new chief executive will be this week. Sally Munday is tasked with taking the agency who allocate funds to Olympic and Paralympic sports onto a new level having had great success in her previous role at England & GB Hockey. It was a big week for UK Sport who also announced that the UK will host the 2020 World Skateboarding at the Copper Box in London.

In athletics, there was GB & NI success at the World Relay Championships in Japan, plus Simon Yates has started cycling's Giro d'Italia well and Jack Laugher won Gold in Kazan at Diving's World Series, but how will this translate to medals in Tokyo in 2020 at the Olympics. We look at how the medal table is predicted to look after the 17 days of competition and it's not great news at this stage for Team GB.

Plus, ice hockey, tennis, golf and taekwondo get a mention along with archery which is holding their big weekend later in May. It aims to get more people involved in the sport. It's one of the most inclusive pursuits available with no barriers to age, gender or disability and many Olympic and Paralympic archers started their journey at events like this. More info online at: www.archerygb.org/bigweekend

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At Tokyo 2020 stars will be born, legends cemented, heartbreak and drama and we’ll witness iconic medal moments as sporting history will be made. But where will athletics be in a year’s time? After the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Caster Semenya’s appeal against the governing body, the IAAF. We discuss in full.

The hills, the spills, the wind and rain and the Yorkshire rose flying - what a sight the Tour De Yorkshire is as the men and women raced around what some claim as god's own county. Both races were on the same course and same prize money available as Women’s sport continues to push itself to where it should be - equal with men.

Dina Asher Smith was the other big story from Doha this week - Mo Farah’s decided against it - and Joanna Konta’s looking good for Wimbledon.

We’re unashamedly Olympic and Paralympic sport bias - and we’re on track for Tokyo too!

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Mo Farah dominated the build up to the London Marathon but couldn't deliver a victory on the streets of London. We analyse the controversial events of this week and the war of words between Mo and Haile Gebrselassie and discuss whether the Olympic Champion might be considering a switch back to the track ahead of this year's World Championships in Doha.

The fallout from British Swimming's decision to stream the British Championships online as opposed to giving the BBC extensive coverage continued this week when swimmer James Guy questioned the broadcaster's decision to show the National Artistic Swimming Championships in Nottingham. British Swimming explain their thought process to us and we also hear from Adele Carlsen, who led the Team GB synchronised swimmers in 2012, and ask whether one aquatic discipline should be attacking another aquatic discipline.

Staying in the pool, there's news on the team selected for the World Championships later this year as well as around up from Glasgow and the international Para-Swimming event. And, when is a para-athlete a Paralympian and when is an athlete Para GB and not Team GB? We talk about the identity crisis.

Tom Daley gets a mention as does Andy Murray and there's news from triathlon, hockey and cycling too.

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World Championships are the focus for many of our Olympic & Paralympic Athletes as the countdown to Tokyo gathers pace - particularly as the schedule has been revealed for the Olympic Games next summer. You’ll have to be up at 3/4am to watch some of the Athletics finals as more gold medals are set to be won in morning sessions! 

London’s Olympic Park Aquatic Centre is to stage the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships - after Malaysia was stripped of hosting it - C4 will show it but why wasn’t there more of the British Championships in Glasgow this week?

Shauna Coxsey wins another medal at World level in new Olympic sport bouldering, the Brits impress as reach World Group level at Fed Cup for first time in 26 years at a bouncing Copperbox and as we hit a landmark 10th edition of Anything but Footy - there’s Ice Hockey, Sevens, Table Tennis and Boxing to talk too as we remain on track for Tokyo!

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On this week's round up of all things Olympic & Paralympic, we ask is Tiger Woods' US Masters victory the greatest sporting comeback ever? Or, do the historical issues in his personal life detract from his achievement on the fairways and greens at Augusta National? And, can Tiger end his career with Olympic Gold in Tokyo to add to all his major titles?

It was a comeback of sorts for BBC Sport this weekend too. They were able to show the final two rounds of The Masters live - the final round on free to air television on a Sunday afternoon too. Is there a lesson for other sports and events that terrestrial television coverage is essential for their future prospects? Also, on BBC Sport this weekend were the European Gymnastics Championships with Max Whitlock winning gold and the British Skateboarding Championships in Salford with ten year old Sky Brown triumphing.

Meanwhile, will BBC Athletics broadcaster Steve Cram be able to combine his role as a commentator if he is appointed the new chair of British Athletics? We debate the issues around being a sports commentator whilst also having close links with the competitors you are required to broadcast about.

And, we round up another 7 days of sport at all levels with Michael talking about his experiences of being at the Duathlon event in Stockton on Tees this weekend. Is this London 2012 legacy in action? Can your home town attract major sporting events? Plus, Barry Middleton retires from international hockey, London's Olympic Park has a busy few months and Great Britain wins a windsurfing medal at the European Championship.

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We're on the buses this week. And, the water.

Sailing and rowing dominate the first half of our discussion following the climax of the Princess Sofia Regatta in Mallorca and the Varsity Boat Race in London. It was a great week in Palma for British Sailing, whilst a two time Olympic gold medallist became the oldest man to row and win the University Boat Race. We analyse the medal prospects for sailing and rowing at Tokyo 2020.

Solidarity funding awards have been announced this week and we look at how the new Olympic sport of bouldering may bring medal success for Team GB, along with a host of other British names who will receive special IOC funding ahead of the next Olympic Games.

Michael reveals what Andy Murray likes to listen to on the radio and why the possibility of a seven hour bus trip at the 2026 Winter Olympics isn't going to put either Michael or John off covering the event after their bus-based experiences in Rio.

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BST - British Summer Time.

So, what better time to focus on funding for Winter Sport? In light of this week's confirmation that Team GB has been awarded a bronze medal from Sochi 2014 in the four man bobsleigh after two Russian crews were stripped of their placings, we ask whether, if the medal had been won at the time, the British Bobsleigh programme might have been better funded and had more success in Pyeongchang in 2018? As it was, the disappointing placings resulted in funding being cut by UK Sport. Also cut - funding for short track speed skating, but they have been given a grant this week by Sport England to support athletes head of Beijing 2022.

We analyse the impact of the recent World Cross Country Championships in Denmark and whether cross country running could also become an Olympic sport in the future. Winter or Summer, though? Michael has some advice for Lord Coe!

With the World Matchplay Golf taking place, John asks whether golf is a worthy sport for the Olympic programme and there's chat about whether a change in the competition format might attract the world's best golfers to take part in the future.

Plus, sailing, karate and Andy Murray starting the London Marathon.

BST - Best Sport Time!

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