Claressa Shields is a legend of boxing. By the time she turned 25, she had won two Olympic gold medals, and claimed professional world titles in three separate weight divisions. But her glory came after an upbringing filled with trauma. Her hom
In 2003, Namibia's Rudie van Vuuren became the first - and, to date, only - man to have played at both the cricket and rugby World Cups. His feat was made all the more impressive by the fact that he was also working full-time as a doctor. His s
On 22 March 2016, a bomb attack killed 16 people at Brussels Airport. Basketball player Sebastien Bellin was one of the survivors. He says sport, and a meal he ate the night before, helped save his life that day. This is the story of how he fou
Following the unexpected and shocking death of heroic wrestler Gholamreza Takhti, Tehran is a tinderbox. Hundreds of thousands of people gather in the streets as tensions and rumours rise to a pitch. Everyone wants someone to blame for this ter
Heroic wrestler Gholamreza Takhti is dead. Rana Rahimpour goes back to that terrible night in January 1968, hearing from perhaps the last person to see him alive. We speak to his teammate Abdollah Movahed about the immediate impact of his death
Gholamreza Takhti is a hero. In Iran, a nation full of wrestlers and wrestling fans, he’s the most beloved wrestler of them all. But unexpectedly, tragically, the great champion is found dead in a hotel room in Tehran, in the early days of 1968
Exploring Iranian wrestling legend Gholamreza Takhti’s journey in life, death and his legacy. The Iranian wrestler was the people's hero: a multiple gold Olympic medal-winner, who embodied the spirit of Iran. He was well loved, even by those wh
Iraqi weightlifter Raed Ahmed was proud to carry his country's flag at the opening ceremony for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. But the honour came with a strict instruction: he was not to look at the American President, Bill Clinton. Iraq's Olympic
Breaking, or breakdancing, has its origins in the gang culture of 1970s New York. It evolved on the floors of huge parties, where dance replaced violence as an outlet for neighbourhood bravado. But artist and entrepreneur Michael Holman saw an
Since the 1950s, basketball's Harlem Globetrotters have entertained audiences with their showboating, dunks and pranks in exhibition games all over the world. Their perennial opponents, the Washington Generals, have endured more than 17,000 def
In 2016, Nick Butter was searching for a way to raise £250,000 for a prostate cancer charity. He knew he wanted to undertake some kind of running challenge, but wasn't sure what - until he discovered nobody had ever run a marathon in every coun
Between 1946 and 1966, the ball boys at one of the world's most prestigious tennis tournaments, Wimbledon, were selected from children's homes run by the Barnardo's charity. Two of them were Winston Norton and Sam Hill. Sam had been taken into
One year after the crash, Zambia awaits the Africa Cup of Nations final. Football writer Ponga Liwewe and superfan Melody Mwala describe the fever-pitch atmosphere of hope in the country. Fast-forward 18 years, and Zambia are preparing for the
The newly formed Zambian football team begins to honour the legacy of the KK11, and the players start to defy all odds. The resilience of a nation is witnessed as the new team is met with a wave of support and jubilation. We hear Zambians cheer
The families of Zambia’s fallen football players grieve their loved ones, as a new national team is formed. The nation mourns the squad at the Independence Stadium in Lusaka, as relatives begin their fight for justice and truth. The newly assem
The stars of Zambia's national football team are killed in a deadly plane crash in 1993, and a dream is shattered. Former international player Robert Earnshaw goes back to his roots in Zambia to interview football writer Ponga Liwewe and the fa
A nation’s dreams were shattered when Zambia's football team was killed in a plane crash. Against all odds, a new squad was assembled. This is the story of the “Copper Bullets” and what happened next – a story no one could possibly have imagine
In 1971, women in Brazil were banned from taking part in organised football. Lea Campos had spent most of her life being steered away from the game, but the fascination had never left her, and she began to wonder if she could get involved by be
Don King killed two men. The first case was ruled justifiable homicide. Then in 1967 he was found guilty of stomping to death an employee, Sam Garrett, on the street. Garret owed him $600. Released just five years later and subsequently pardone
Caroline Brouwer was one of very few women working in English men's football in the 1980s - and she found her home in one of its most infamous dressing rooms.The Wimbledon team of the late 1980s featured some of the game's most intimidating pla
Antonio Esfandiari's heart was beating like a drum. $18 million was stacked up about 12 feet away from where he was sitting. Only one other poker player stood between him and the biggest prize in the game's history.Everyone held their breath as
We have a winner – or so we think. Questions are being asked, as an earlier climb comes under scrutiny. If you don’t actually reach the summit, can you still claim the title of first woman to scale the fourteen highest peaks? The mountaineers r
The mountaineers are climbing the final peaks, and three of them are neck-and-neck. The other two are close behind. They say it’s not a race, but their sense of competition is intense. Can they all make it?This episode was updated on 17 May 202
Then there were five. Two super-fast new challengers are powering up the peaks, and the pressure is on. Edurne Pasaban, Gerlinde Katlernbrunner and Nives Meroi have been climbing the world’s highest mountains at a rate of around one a year. Wit
A near-death experience motivates a mountaineer to scale the world’s highest peaks. But two others are trying at the same time. They say this is not a race, but they are locked in competition to be the first woman to reach the summit of the 14