Sporting Witness

The New Zealander Jonah Lomu was the first superstar of international rugby. A virtually unstoppable combination of strength and speed, he burst on the scene in 1995 with a four-try demolition of England at the Rugby World Cup. But although he seemed invincible, Lomu was already sick with the kidney disease that led to his early death at the age of 40. The BBC's Rob Bonnet spoke to Lomu in 2004.

(Photo: Jonah Lomu steams past the England defence in 1995. Credit: Getty Images)

In the early 1980s, Rifaat Turk became the first successful Arab player in Israeli football. The son of a Jaffa fisherman, Turk defied frequent racist abuse during a stellar career with Hapoel Tel Aviv and the Israeli national team. He talks to Robert Nicholson. The programme is a Whistledown Production.

(Photo: Rifaat Turk showing off his skills. Credit: Associated Press)

In the 1970s and 80s, Communist East Germany dominated athletics -- thanks to the most sophisticated doping programme in the history of sport. The programme had a lasting physical and psychological impact on many East German competitors. Two of them, sprinter Ines Geipel and shot-putter Andreas Krieger, talk to Mike Costello for Sporting Witness. This material was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live.

(Photo: Heidi Krieger, later Andreas Krieger. Credit: Ulstein Bild/Getty Images)

In the 1980s, the Pakistani squash player, Jahangir Khan, became a legend in his sport by going undefeated for five years. But, as Shumaila Jaffery discovers, to become unbeatable, Khan had to overcome childhood illness and family tragedy.

(Photo: Jahingar Khan in action. Credit: Steve Line/SquashPics)

Jackie Robinson was a legendary figure in American baseball - the first black player in the professional game and the man who led the Brooklyn Dodgers to their only World Series triumph in 1955. Tim Mansel talks to Robinson's son, David, and to veteran US sports writer, Roger Kahn. The programme was first broadcast in 2011.

(Photo: Jackie Robinson in the 1950s. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images).

In 2002, free diver Tanya Streeter attempted to set a No Limits world record by diving down to 160m and resurfacing, all on a single breath. She would have to survive the pressures of the deep and hold her breath for 3 and a half minutes. It almost went wrong. Hear Tanya's account of the dive.

In 2005, the Ivorian national football team - led by Chelsea superstar, Didier Drogba - began campaigning for an end to their country's devastating civil war. The side insisted on playing their matches across Ivory Coast - including an emotional game in the rebel capital of Bouaké. Robert Nicholson talks to Ivory Coast midfielder, Gilles Yapi-Yapo. The programme is a Whistledown Production.

PHOTO: Ivory Coast striker, Didier Drogba, is escorted from the pitch. (Getty Images)

In September 1983, Gerrie Coetzee, nicknamed the Boksburg Bomber, thrilled apartheid South Africa by becoming the country's first world boxing champion. Although an Afrikaner, the mild-mannered Coetzee was popular among all races, and millions stayed up to watch his bout against Michael Dokes of the USA. SABC commentator, Heinrich Marnitz talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made in Manchester production.

Photo: Gerrie Coetzee (Right) in action. Credit: AP)

Faramarz Assef is one of Iran's most famous pop singers. But most of his fans don't know that he used to be an international athlete, who won Iran's first medal in the triple jump in 1974, when the Asian Games were held in Tehran. He discusses his two careers with Golnoosh Golshani.

(Photo: Faramarz Assef leaping for Iran in the 1970s. Private Collection)

In 2010, the New Orleans Saints swept to victory in the Superbowl - the biggest prize in American sport. The win came just five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and severely damaged the Saints' own stadium, the Superdome. Former Saints player, Jermon Bushrod, recalls how the Superbowl run helped lift the spirits of New Orleans. The programme is a Whistledown Production.

(Photo: The New Orleans Saints lift the 2010 Superbowl trophy. Credit: Getty Images)