Sporting Witness

Sporting Witness

By BBC World ServiceSportsHistory
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Sporting Witness episodes

  • South Africa win the Africa Cup of Nations

    In 1996, South Africa won the Africa Cup of Nations, bringing sporting joy to a country still recovering from apartheid. For the Bafana Bafana team, it was their first - and so far only - victory at an international football tournament. Sporting Witness speaks to two members of the multi-racial side, Phil Masinga and Mark Fish.

    Photo: South Africa captain, Neil Tovey, lifting the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 (Getty Images)

    10 min
  • The Harlem Globetrotters in the Soviet Union

    In 1959, the Harlem Globetrotters paid an unlikely Cold War visit to the Soviet Union. Their mixture of athleticism and American-style entertainment eventually won over basketball fans in Moscow and earned them hugs from Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev. Former Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon talks to Sporting Witness.

    (Photo: The Harlem Globetrotters arriving in Moscow in 1959. Credit: Harlem Globetrotters International)

    10 min
  • FA Cup Giantkillers

    In 1972, tiny Hereford United won one of the greatest FA Cup matches of all time, knocking out First Division Newcastle. The game featured two spectacular Hereford goals and three pitch invasions before ending in extra time. Sporting Witness speaks to Hereford goal-scorer, Ricky George, and to a lifelong fan.

    This programme was first broadcast in 2012.

    Picture: Hereford heroes Ronnie Radford and Ricky George (right), Credit: Press Association

    10 min
  • The Indomitable Lions

    In the opening game of the 1990 World Cup, rank outsiders Cameroon faced the reigning champions, Argentina - led by Diego Maradona. Few gave Cameroon a chance. Alex Last speaks to defender N'Dip Akem Victor about a defining game for African football.

    This programme was first broadcast in May 2014.

    Picture: Getty Images Sport.

    10 min
  • Wimbledon Pioneers

    In the 1950s, Angela Buxton and Althea Gibson formed a unique partnership in women's doubles. As a British Jew and an African-American respectively, both women had faced prejudice in their home countries, but in 1956 they pulled off a stunning win at Wimbledon. Angela Buxton talks to David Whitty.

    (Photo: Angela Buxton and Althea Gibson with their Wimbledon trophy. Credit: Getty Images).

    10 min
  • Signing Michael Jordan

    In 1984, the Chicago Bulls picked arguably the greatest basketball player of all time in the NBA draft. Rod Thorn, the Bulls general manager, was the man who selected Jordan. He gives the inside story of the draft to Alex Capstick.

    PHOTO: Michael Jordan in action for the Chicago Bulls (Getty Images Sport).

    10 min
  • Pakistan's First Women Cricketers

    Shaiza Khan and Kiran Baluch are two cricketers who pioneered the women's game in Pakistan - despite opposition and death threats from Islamist extremists. They went on to set world records in their sport and to become two of the first female members of the MCC.

    PHOTO: Kiran Baluch (personal collection).

    10 min
  • The Dumptruck - King of Sumo

    In the 1980s, a Hawaiian-born wrestler took the traditional world of Japanese Sumo by storm. Known as The Dumptruck because of his huge size, he won legions of fans and paved the way for the internationalisation of the sport. The Dumptruck shares his love of Sumo - and Hawaiian hula music - with Sporting Witness.

    (Photo: The Dumptruck in his prime. Credit: Getty Images).

    10 min
  • Tegla Loroupe wins NY Marathon

    How Tegla Loroupe, an unknown Kenyan runner, became the first marathon champion from Africa, with an exceptionally fast finish. She tells us how a tough upbringing in the mountains of her homeland shaped her whole approach to breaking barriers.

    (Photo: Tegla Loroupe. Credit: Michael Loccisano/ Getty Images)

    9 min
  • Pele joins the New York Cosmos

    An insider's account of Pele's shock move to a soccer team in the United States in 1975. We hear from Clive Toye, the former General Manager of the New York Cosmos, who persuaded Pele to play football in the US.

    (Photo: Pele in action for NY Cosmos during an American Soccer League match. Credit: Getty Images/Allsport UK /Allsport)

    9 min

About Sporting Witness

From the publisher's feed

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the…

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