Sporting Witness

The inside and personal story of the key moments from sporting history

World Service,699 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Mexico’s Cachirules scandal
In 1988, Mexico's football teams were banned from international tournaments for two years
30 May 2026,10 mins
Shakhtar Donetsk win the UEFA Cup
In 2009, Shakhtar Donetsk was the first club in independent Ukraine to win the UEFA Cup
23 May 2026,10 mins
Nadal describes his historic Wimbledon win over Federer
In 2008, Rafael Nadal won Wimbledon after a hard-fought final against Roger Federer
21 May 2026,10 mins
Leicester City’s Premier League win
In May 2016, Leicester City were crowned champions of England's top tier
16 May 2026,10 mins
Nigeria’s 12-year wait for gold
The story of how Nigeria’s Olympic silver in 2000 was eventually upgraded to gold
09 May 2026,11 mins
The Juventus match-fixing scandal
In 2006, Juventus were relegated to the Italian second division
02 May 2026,10 mins
Making Escape To Victory
How an Ipswich Town player shared the screen with Pele and Sylvester Stallone
25 Apr 2026,10 mins
The Fabiola Rule
Brazilian skater Fabiola Da Silva on how she started competing against men in 2000
18 Apr 2026,10 mins
International football's biggest ever beating: 31-0
In 2001, the island nation of American Samoa took on Australia in a World Cup qualifier
11 Apr 2026,10 mins
'Fan man' crashes heavyweight championship
In November 1993, a highly anticipated boxing match turned into a strange spectacle
04 Apr 2026,10 mins
The Czech Republic at Euro 96
The unfancied Czech Republic's remarkable run in Euro 96
21 Mar 2026,10 mins
The first Women’s Six Nations Rugby Championship
In 2002, the first Women’s Six Nations Rugby Championship was played
14 Mar 2026,10 mins
The English samurai
In 1977, Michael Jay is the first foreigner in 1000 years to take part in the Soma Nomaoi
07 Mar 2026,10 mins
Emil Zatopek at the Helsinki Olympics
In 1952, at the Summer Olympics, the Czechoslovak army officer won three gold medals
28 Feb 2026,10 mins
The X Games
In 1995, the first ever Extreme Games featuring sports like BMXing took place
21 Feb 2026,10 mins
The split in darts
The story of a feud in the game of darts in 1993
14 Feb 2026,10 mins
Sibling success on the slopes
The Croatian siblings who made history at the 2003 Alpine Ski World Cup
07 Feb 2026,10 mins
Playing rugby during Syria’s civil war
How rugby union thrived during Syria's civil war
31 Jan 2026,10 mins
India’s 1948 hockey gold medal
In 1948, newly independent India won gold in the hockey final at the Olympic Games
24 Jan 2026,10 mins
Senna’s first Formula 1 win
In 1985, Ayrton Senna won his first Formula 1 race in torrential rain
17 Jan 2026,9 mins
The Nasa swimsuit that rocked the 2008 Olympics
The swimsuit was worn to break 23 records in the Olympic pool before it was banned
10 Jan 2026,9 mins
Football's Next Star
In 2009, a TV show earned Ben Greenhalgh a contract at Italian Champions Inter Milan
03 Jan 2026,9 mins
ProZone: football's data revolution
In the 1990s, Ramm Mylvaganam came up with an idea that would revolutionise football
27 Dec 2025,10 mins
A Cold War hockey match
In 1961, after the Berlin wall went up, Scotland’s women’s hockey team faced West Germany
20 Dec 2025,9 mins
Afghanistan’s international ski scene
How the mountains of Bamiyan in central Afghanistan became a skiing hub
13 Dec 2025,10 mins
Nigeria at the first Women’s World Cup
In 1991, Nigeria became the first team from Africa to play at the FIFA Women’s World Cup
06 Dec 2025,10 mins
The Premier League’s first female photographer
Magi Haroun was the first female photographer in the Premier League
29 Nov 2025,10 mins
2005 Ashes: Pratt runs out Ponting
Substitute fielder Gary Pratt runs out Australian captain Ricky Ponting
22 Nov 2025,10 mins
Malice at the Palace
How a NBA game spiralled into one of the most infamous brawls in sport's history.
15 Nov 2025,9 mins
Colonel Gaddafi’s son plays in Italy’s top football league
Italian top-flight side Perugia made the unusual signing of Al-Saadi Gaddafi in 2003
08 Nov 2025,10 mins