Sporting Witness

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 together at Wimbledon.

Felice Hardy, granddaughter of Liesl and daughter of Dorli, author of The Tennis Champion Who Escaped The Nazis, speaks to Megan Jones.

(Credit: Hardy)

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 Budokan Hall and how many now consider this fight the origin of MMA Mixed Martial Arts.

(Photo: Muhammad Ali stands over Antonio Inoki, 1976. Credit: Claude Charlier)

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 Holland's Ruud Gullit. Credit: Reuters)

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 100,000 fans in Mexico’s biggest grounds.

One of the English team, Trudy McCaffery, tells Ian Youngs what it was like to go from playing in empty parks to the packed Azteca Stadium – and back.

(Photo: Trudy McCaffery with scrapbox. Credit: Trudy McCaffery)

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 shouting expletives.

Both were punished after the game, but when Aldridge finally was allowed on the pitch, he scored a goal to give Ireland a chance to get back into the game.

He shares his memories of that day with Alan Hamilton. This episode is narrated by Tricia Penrose.

A Moon Road Production for BBC World Service.

(Photo: John Aldridge shouting at FIFA official. Credit: Shutterstock)

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 pressure of trying to get the treble when everybody expects you to win, and how being substituted led to United equalising when they needed it most.

(Photo: Jesper Blomqvist with the European Cup. Credit: Reuters)

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 tragedy.

You'll hear from Senna's manager, Julian Jakobi, and from one of the first people on the scene of the crash, Professor Sid Watkins.

(Photo: Ayrton Senna before the San Marino Grand Prix. Credit: Getty Images)

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 footballer, Asamoah Gyan.

But Alice knows that she is the original. She tells Gill Kearsley the story of how she got the nickname.

(Photo: Alice Annum in 2024. Credit: Sally McBratney. Photo: Alice Annum the finish line of the Women's 100-metre event of the 1970 Commonwealth Games. Credit: Daily Express/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

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.

Andrew Edwards speaks to American Bridge life-master Bette Cohn, now in her 90s, about her memories of the competition.

A Made In Manchester production for the BBC World Service.

(Photo: The Italian Venice Cup team. Credit: World Bridge Federation)

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 Hansen and Ian Rush.

His two decades as chief scout contributed to the most successful period in the club's history - as they won nine titles, six domestic cups and six European trophies.

In March 2024, a plaque celebrating Geoff along with the rest of 'the boot room boys' was unveiled outside Liverpool's Anfield stadium.

His son, Geoff Jr, has been speaking to Matt Pintus.

(Photo: Geoff Twentyman with the European Cup. Credit: The Twentyman family)