Sporting Witness

In the 1980s, punks and squatters in the run-down port district of Hamburg began to adopt the local football team, FC St Pauli. They turned the club into a champion of left-wing politics and created such a good atmosphere at matches that FC St Pauli now attracts supporters from around the world. Results on the pitch are still poor, but on one memorable occasion in 2002, the team beat German giants, Bayern Munich. Claire Bowes talks to FC St Pauli fan, Sven Brux.

PHOTO: FC St Pauli fans flying their Pirate flags (Getty Images)

In 1988, Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins made history by becoming the first African-American quarterback to play in the Super Bowl - the biggest sporting event in the USA. Williams overcame injury to lead the Redskins to an unexpected 42-10 win over the Denver Broncos. He speaks to Lisa Needham. The programme is a Sparklab Production.

PHOTO: Doug Williams in action at the 1988 Super Bowl (Getty Images)

In the early 2000s, competitive computer-gaming, or eSports, began to take off in South Korea before spreading to the rest of the world. Ashley Byrne talks to e-gamer, Lim Yo-hwan, nicknamed Boxer, one of the biggest names in the new sport.

(Photo: An e-gamer taking part in a tournament in South Korea. Credit: Getty Images)

In January 2001, the German driver, Jutta Kleinschmidt, became the first - and only - woman to win the Paris-Dakar rally, one of the biggest events in motorsport. She talks to Simon Watts.

PHOTO: Jutta Kleinschmidt celebrating her victory in 2001 (Getty Images)

In 2008, India won its first ever individual gold medal in the Olympics after nearly 100 years of trying. The winner was a rifle shooter called Abhinav Bindra, who received more than 300,000 letters of congratulations from his fellow Indians. Abhinav Bindra talks to Farhana Haider about his obsessive battle for victory.

PHOTO: Abhinav Bindra with his Olympic gold medal (Getty Images)

In 1984, Lamine Gueye of Senegal became the first black African skier to take part in the Winter Olympics. The grandson of a prominent Senegalese politician, Gueye founded his country's ski federation and for a long time was the only member. He talks to Tayo Popoola. The programme is a Whistledown Production.

PHOTO: Lamine Gueye in action (Getty Images)

The Iditarod dog-sled race runs through 1,000 miles of Arctic wildnerness in Alaska and is regarded as one of the toughest sporting events in the world. In the winter of 1985, Libby Riddles drew international attention to the Iditarod by becoming the first woman to win. She talks to Robert Nicholson. The programme is a Whistledown Production. It was first broadcast in January 2016.

(Photo: Libby Riddles in 1985. Credit: Associated Press)

At the 2012 Paralympic Games, the Dutch wheelchair tennis player, Esther Vergeer, took two gold medals and completed one of the longest winning streaks in sport. By remaining undefeated for more than a decade, Vergeer became a hero in the Netherlands and earned the admiration of all tennis players. She talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production.

PHOTO: Esther Vergeer at the 2012 London Paralympics (Getty Images)

At the 1956 Olympics, the Czechoslovak discus thrower, Olga Fikotova, caused a scandal by falling in love with an American hammer thrower called Harold Connolly. Despite winning her country's only gold medal, Olga was treated as a potential traitor by the communist government and her achievements were ignored. A few months later, Harold Connolly visited Prague to marry Olga and take her back to America with him. Olga Fikotova tells her story to Claire Bowes.

PHOTO: Harold Connolly and Olga Fikotova on their honeymoon in 1957 (Associated Press)

In 1966, an all-black team went head-to-head with an all-white team for the National College Basketball championship - one of the biggest prizes in American sport. To the surprise of every pundit, the African-Americans of Texas Western College defeated the University of Kentucky, then the number one team in the country. The game is now regarded as breaking down the colour barrier in US basketball. Nija Dalal-Small talks to Nevil Shed of Texas Western. The programme is a Sparklab Production for BBC World Service.

PHOTO: Texas Western celebrate their victory in 1966 (Getty Images)