Sportsworld: Recent Episodes
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Anna Cockrell won 400 hurdles silver at the Paris Olympic Games. In her event, the build-up had focussed on the head-to-head between Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol. It was the defending champion and world record holder against the reigning world champion.
Anna was aware of that conversation but also knew that she was in the form of her life. In the finishing straight, she passed Bol to claim the silver medal behind McLaughlin-Levrone. She didn’t believe it until she saw her name come up on the board in the stadium. When it did, the time next to Anna’s name was the fourth fastest in history.
The road to the Olympic podium was difficult. Going back to 2019, Anna was ready to quit track and field. She was carrying the weight of her own expectations and everyone else’s. Her college coach saw she was struggling with depression and sent her to see a therapist. A lot of self-discovery and trial and error followed as she began rebuilding.
In 2021, the same year that her brother won the Superbowl, Anna made her first Olympic team. She reached the final in Tokyo, but finished down the field before being disqualified for running out of her lane. The transition from college athlete to the pro ranks was next, and it wasn’t easy. In 2022, her first year as a professional, she didn’t make the world championship team and got injured as well. It was during the 2023 season that she and her coach started figuring things out. Anna finished fifth at that year’s worlds – learning lessons she’d carry into Olympic year and onto the podium in Paris.
We discuss the prospect of winning gold at a home Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Some of her friends have already bought their tickets for her final at the LA Games – Anna says they know the schedule better than she does!
Anna’s family, her parents and her siblings, have helped to shape her – that really shines through in this episode. Also listen out for when the Kardashians get a mention – a first for the Warm Up Track!
Photo: Silver medalist Anna Cockrell of Team United States celebrates on the podium during the Women's 400m Hurdles medal ceremony on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 09, 2024 in Paris, France. (Credit: Getty Images)
Sweden’s Daniel Stahl grew up following the NHL and he started out playing ice hockey, but discus thrower Ricky Bruch was always young Daniel’s biggest hero.
Bruch was like a rockstar, a real cultural icon as well as a sportsman. His admiration for Ricky, and the fact that you can’t play ice hockey all year round, helped him to find track and field. Mum and Dad were throwers too, so he had the genes to succeed when he finally picked up the discus.
Daniel wasn’t an overnight success as a discus thrower, and he explains why the journey to the top took time. But when he got there, the medals were gold.
Doha in 2019 was the first of his three world titles but, it was all so overwhelming, that Daniel believes he wouldn’t have won the Tokyo Olympic Games if they had gone ahead as scheduled in 2020. Instead, when those Games did take place, he was better prepared mentally to deal with everything.
A second world title followed and then, on the final night of the 2025 World Championships, he claimed his third. It was special for so many reasons. He was back in Tokyo in the same stadium where he’d won the Olympics, but this time with a crowd. In terms of the night itself, it rained and it rained and it rained.
In the end, everything else had finished. It was the last night of the Championships and even the closing ceremony had ended, but the discus throwers were still out there. What was it like dealing with all of the delays? Watching as the volunteers tried and failed to mop up the rain from the throwing circle using a seemingly endless supply of towels? Daniel watched it like it was a comedy show, knowing he was ready after preparing for those conditions for months.
We also discuss the prospect of completing the career grand slam. He’s won the Olympics and the Worlds, but the European title is the one that’s missing.
Finally, did his hero Ricky Bruch ever give him any advice?
Photo: Daniel Stahl of Team Sweden competes during the Men's Discus Throw Final on day nine of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 at National Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Credit: Getty Images)
At the age of 16, Innes FitzGerald turned down selection for the World Cross Country Championships because they were a long-haul flight away in Australia.
The environmental impact of getting on that plane was more important to her than the experience of competing on the international stage. That decision changed her life. Traditional media and social media wanted to know who she was and why she’d made that choice. Innes found herself being compared to the climate activist Greta Thunberg, something she welcomes.
We discuss that period in her life, and the factors that went into Innes writing that letter to British Athletics. She also explains how she continues to take trains and busses to as many European competitions as she can, and the factors she had to weigh up before stepping onto a plane to compete at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo.
Having initially become famous for something she chose not to go to, Innes has since started to win gold at the championships that she has attended. In 2025, the British long-distance runner won the European under-20 titles at 3000m, 5000m and Cross Country. Then, on New Year’s Day 2026, she broke the women’s UK parkrun record.
In terms of the future, Innes explains what her sport’s governing bodies can do to make a global sport a greener one.
Photo: Julia Ehrle of Germany is overtaken by Innes Fitzgerald of United Kingdom during the U20 women's race at the 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa, Portugal. (Credit: Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Geordie Beamish was involved in arguably the best race of the 2025 World Championships. In Tokyo, he timed his finish to perfection to upset the twice and reigning champion, Soufiane El Bakkali, in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. The Moroccan was looking for his third world title in a row, to go with his Olympic golds from Tokyo and Paris. But Geordie had other ideas.
He takes us back to that night, and to that final lap. We relive it all, including an incident earlier in the week, where he narrowly avoided getting his face stepped on in the heats.
Tokyo wasn’t the first time that the New Zealander had struck gold at a World Championships. Indoors in Glasgow in 2024 he won the 1500m title. So which event does he prefer and how close was either performance to a perfect race?
Geordie came through in New Zealand at the same time as High Jump World and Olympic champion, Hamish Kerr. They’ve competed in the same High School and age group champs and now are spearheading a golden period in New Zealand athletics on the world stage. We discuss the friendship between these two flying Kiwis.
In a Commonwealth Games year, Geordie also explains what the Games mean to him and to his country.
Photo: Geordie Beamish of Team New Zealand and Soufiane El Bakkali of Team Morocco compete along the final straight during the Men's 3000 Metres Steeplechase Final on day three of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 at National Stadium on September 15, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Credit: Getty Images)
Delyth Lloyd is joined by the BBC's tennis correspondent Russell Fuller, former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski, and WTA Tour winner Jill Craybas to reflect on the 2025 tennis season.
With Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner winning the last eight Grand Slams between them, the panel discuss whether their dominance could become boring.
World number seven Alex de Minaur tells us how the packed tennis schedule is impacting on players' physical and mental health.
We look at the contenders for the women's majors in 2026.
And Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool join us to chat about ending the year as the world number one doubles pairing.
Timecodes:00:56 - 2025 highlights03:45 - Alcaraz and Sinner's dominance in 202509:20 - Will Sinner's doping ban tarnish his career?11:24 - Could Alcaraz and Sinner's rivalry become boring?15:07 - Alex de Minaur interview21:31 - Is the tennis schedule too intense?28:00 - Aryna Sabalenka the dominant force in the women's game30:59 - The unpredictability at the top of women's tennis32:58 - Amanda Anisimova40:46 - Ons Jabeur's pregnancy43:30 - Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool interview50:32 - 2026 predictions51:23 - Will 2026 be Djokovic's final season?
The club versus country row often causes friction, but midfielder Soren Lerby once found a way to satisfy both.
He played for Denmark and Bayern Munich on the same day. In different countries.
On the afternoon of 13 November 1984 - exactly 40 years ago - Lerby lined up for his national team in Dublin for their final qualifier for the 1986 World Cup.
Bayern, meanwhile, had a last-16 German Cup match at Bochum later that evening.
Photo: Soren Lerby of Denmark in may 1986 (Credit: VI Images via Getty Images)
The Women’s Cricket World Cup is being held in India for the fourth time, the three previous editions have all been won by Australia. The best performance from India on home soil was a semi-final back in 1997. Their best result anywhere was a runner-up position in England 20 years later.
When the India men won the World Cup for the first time in 1983 it was a cultural turning point, igniting a national passion for cricket and instilling belief in the country's potential. So, Prakash Wakankar, Alison Mitchell and former India international Samantha Lobatto investigate whether a win for this women’s team could do the same.
Image: Amanjot Kaur of India celebrates with team mate Harmanpreet Kaur after taking the wicket of Kavisha Dilhari of Sri Lanka (not pictured) during the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup India 2025 match between India and Sri Lanka at Barsapara Cricket Stadium on September 30, 2025 in Guwahati, India. (Photo by Matt Roberts-ICC via Getty Images)
Awaiting the start of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, Sam Kendricks had just been at the USA Track and Field team meeting and posed for the team photograph when he received a notification which said his name in English and, alongside it, one word: POSITIVE.
In that moment, everything changed. The reigning world champion and Rio Olympic bronze medallist would play no further part in the Tokyo Olympics. Sam takes us back to that time and shares exactly what happened to him. It is a harrowing account. The experience has left a lasting impression and made him wonder whether he has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. During our discussion, Sam relives the whole ordeal. He offers his thoughts on whether it is ever right, under any circumstances, to detain someone for ten days the way that he was. He felt like a prisoner and no-one was able to free him.
Now, four years on, he’s returning to Tokyo for the World Championships. How will he make peace with the country? How much will the memories of what happened in 2021 cast a shadow over 2025? He says he would rather talk than fight, but he won’t know exactly how he’ll feel until he’s there.
Sam Kendricks is one of the greatest male pole vaulters in history. He began his career when Renaud Lavillenie was breaking the event’s long-standing world record and would go on to enjoy his own period of dominance, winning back-to-back world titles in 2017 and 2019. Now, in the era of Mondo Duplantis, he continues to make the podium at global championships. Sam’s assessment of both men, who he calls the two Princes of the sport, is fascinating, as is how he sees his own role as a part of that triumvirate.
Sam takes us back to how it all started; being coached by his Dad and trying to beat his twin brother at everything. He explains how Stacy Dragila’s stardom in the women’s pole vault directly impacted High School Track and Field, and helped kick-start his own journey through the sport. We also learn why Sam’s decision to pursue a parallel career in the US Army Reserve wasn’t just about continuing his family’s military tradition, it was also borne out of necessity to get himself to college.
Image: Silver medallist Sam Kendricks of Team United States celebrates during the Men's Pole Vault Final on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Cordell Tinch went to college on a Football scholarship, but soon found he preferred Track and Field. Then the pandemic happened and he came home and got a job. At that stage, there were no thoughts about completing his education, or pursuing Track as a career. Three years went by, and then he received a phone call. It was the beginning of his return to college and to the sprint hurdles.
Since 2023, he’s risen through the rankings to become one of the fastest 110 metre hurdlers in the sport’s history. There have still been bumps along the way. Carrying an injury in Olympic year, he finished fourth at the US Trials and wasn’t selected for Paris 2024. But that set-back was just more fuel for what he’s been able to achieve in 2025. He ran 12.87 seconds to win the Shanghai Diamond League meeting, the joint fourth fastest time in history. But he knows that it will be the Tokyo World Championships which define his season and his career so far.
Cordell explains his journey to this point and how he looks after his mental health, with help and support from his family who are never more than a phone call away. We also discuss how important friendships are on the international circuit, where all of those airports and hotels can potentially feel pretty lonely. He tells us about imposter syndrome, and how he’s finally getting over that feeling.
Cordell is an athlete who has had a completely different route to the top from just about anyone else who has been our guest in five seasons of The Warm Up Track. It’s pretty clear from hearing him describe how and why he’s got to where he is that talent also needs the opportunity to blossom, and that requires key people at key moments having your best interests at heart. Cordell Tinch doesn’t believe he belongs in the same conversation as the all-time greats of sprint hurdles yet, but many who have seen him compete think it’s only a question of time before that changes.
Image: USA's Cordell Tinch (R) celebrates after the men's 110m hurdles event during the Shanghai/Keqiao Diamond League athletics meeting in Keqiao, Shaoxing in China's eastern Zhejiang province on May 3, 2025. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP via Getty Images)
Emmanouil Karalis was born to a Greek father and a Ugandan mother, and experienced racism growing up in Athens. He was told ‘black people don’t pole vault’ and seriously considered quitting the sport in which he was already proving to be world class. He explains what it was like being a young person of mixed heritage in Greece during a time when the far right ‘Golden Dawn’ party was enjoying it’s greatest period of influence.
It wasn’t ‘sunshine and rainbows’ he tells us during a ‘horrible’ time for non-white Greeks. When he reached the age of 18, he decided it was time to speak out about the racism and about his mental health. He says opening that door and taking that first step has helped those athletes who have come after him.
Emmanouil - known more familiarly as Manolo – has been winning global and continental medals since the age of 15. He’s had success all the way up through the age-groups and first competed against Mondo Duplantis when both were still just boys. Their rivalry and their friendship has continued to grow.Manolo explains why the Olympic Games is extra special for Greek athletes – because the country was the birth place of the Ancient Olympics. He shares his memories of being taken to watch the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens when he was just four years of age. It was later, watching the London 2012 Olympics on television, that he knew he wanted to be a part of it.
Coached by his father, who was a former decathlete, Manolo takes us back to the moment he beat his Dad’s personal best for the pole vault – a story you have to hear.
We also discuss Mondo Duplantis and how the world record holder makes Manolo a better pole vaulter. The Greek athlete is, at the time of recording this podcast, the fourth highest vaulter in history, with a best clearance of six metres and eight centimetres. Spending some time in his company it becomes very clear that won’t remain his personal best for very long.
Image: Emmanouil Karalis of Team Greece reacts during the Men's Pole Vault Final on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Prudence Sekgodiso won South Africa’s first World Indoor gold when she took the 800 metres title at the 2025 Championships in Nanjing, China.
She discusses that victory, and her belief that it will lead to more titles. Prudence also describes wanting to quit the sport in 2021, after a positive test for Covid prevented her from competing at that year’s World under-20 Championships. She explains what happened, and who was there for her when she needed support.
Growing up, there was no running track in her village – just gravel. The possibility that running could be her career didn’t seem like a reality until she moved to Pretoria. Her first national senior title soon followed at the age of just 17.
Prudence is coached by Caster Semenya’s former coach. She says that what Caster achieved in the sport is an inspiration to her. They also competed together at the World Cross Country Championships where Prudence experienced first-hand how good Semenya was at motivating their team. Prudence takes us back to the last edition of the World Championships. In Budapest in 2023 she experienced the nightmare of falling in the semi-final.
She resolved to learn from that set-back as she looked to the Paris Olympic Games. The crowd at the Stade de France was so loud it made her nervous, and she was also aware of the weight of expectation from South Africans who wanted her to do well. Whilst she was prepared physically for the Olympics, she now knows that she wasn’t mentally ready. Every goal, every success and every set-back is written down in her notebooks. They’re a key part of how Prudence prepares and how she wins.
She speaks candidly about how life on the circuit can sometimes be overwhelming, especially when her coach is unable to join her at every Diamond League meet. We discuss the importance of family and how, even if they only see each other a couple of times a year, her mother is a key part of her life. She’s the one Prudence always calls pre-race and the person she sends a video of the race to afterwards.
Prudence believes she will break Caster Semenya’s South African record at some stage, which she knows will take her close to the long-standing 800 metres world record. She’s also interested in running more 1500 metres races and might look to double at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Prudence knows what it means to South Africans to see a black woman after Caster holding the flag high and she knows that the country is proud of her.
Image: First placed Prudence Sekgodiso of Team South Africa celebrates winning the Women's 800 Metres final on day three of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2025 at Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Sports Park on March 23, 2025 in Nanjing, China. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Ethan Katzberg won Olympic Hammer gold in Paris. He was already the World champion and, at the age of just 23, his dominance of the event has led to him being nicknamed ‘Canadian Thor’.
He describes in depth how he discovered hammer throwing, and how success came with some difficult decisions along the way – like telling his parents he was dropping out of college.
He takes us back to the final in Paris, where he led from the first round. Did that ease the pressure on him, or add to it?
We also discuss the mechanics of throwing the hammer, and just how wrong it can go; Ethan’s first experience of a global championship was at the World under-20s in 2021, where he failed to register a distance. He takes us back to that final where he ended up with ‘no mark’ against his name and explains the lessons it taught him.
Ethan can throw the Hammer out beyond 84m, but the event’s world record is more than 86m and was set in 1986, during the era of the Soviet Union. Does Ethan think that record is casting a shadow over the sport and just how hard will it be to break it?
We also discuss the future of the Commonwealth Games as a global sporting event. For Ethan, his 2022 Commonwealth silver was his first major senior medal and he believes that the Games still have a key role to play.
Photo: Ethan Katzberg of Team Canada reacts during Men's Hammer Throw Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Credit: Getty Images)
Cole Hocker won Olympic 1500m gold in Paris. He describes in depth how the last lap of the race unfolded and how he claimed the greatest victory of his career.
Cole discusses the era he’s running in and how this period compares to what’s gone before. He explains the impact that Steve Prefontaine had on him growing up, from watching videos of his races to drawing inspiration from his quotes. Bearing all of that in mind, Cole gives us a real insight into his decision to attend the University of Oregon in Eugene – meaning he’d be joining the same college track team which produced Prefontaine and so many others. What was it like to embrace that opportunity and the inevitable pressure that came with it?
Paris was Cole’s second Olympic Games. Had Tokyo gone ahead as planned in 2020, he’s doubtful he would have made the team. As it turned out, the delay caused by the pandemic meant that he was ready by the time the Games were staged in 2021. How was the journey through that year’s US Trials all the way to the final in Tokyo, and how valuable were all of the lessons he learned?
Cole is a real student of the sport and takes us inside why the running community in the United States has always prized The Mile, and it’s metric equivalent, so highly. He also discusses why he accepted the invitation to join the inaugural season of Grand Slam Track and, more generally, what he would like to see happen to grow the sport of Track and Field in the US ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Photo: Silver medalist Josh Kerr of Team Great Britain, gold medalist Cole Hocker of Team United States and Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Team Norway cross the finish line during the Men's 1500m Final on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 06, 2024 in Paris, France (Credit: Corbis via Getty Images)
Former England international, Natasha Dowie, and Euros winner, Fran Kirby, join John Bennett as we look ahead to Euro 2025. Will England defend their crown or will Spain add the title to their 2023 World Cup win? Who else is among the favourites and what about debutants Wales and Poland? We hear from England captain Leah Williamson, Poland and Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor – the top scorer in the world in 2025 – and other stars who will be playing in Switzerland for the Championship.
Mackenzie Little won Commonwealth Javelin silver in 2022 and World bronze in 2023. She won those medals whilst qualifying as a medical doctor.
Following her bronze at the Worlds in Budapest, she was due back at the hospital to continue her training, but had to delay her departure for Australia so that she could attend her medal ceremony. She describes how flying back from a Worlds or an Olympics and going straight into a night shift is a very grounding experience with no time to dwell on the highs or lows of competition.
After her medal in Budapest, there were patients who couldn’t have cared less where she’d just been. Equally though, after personal disappointment at the Paris Olympics, her patients’ enthusiasm and excitement for her even being at the Olympics gave her a sense of perspective on what she had achieved.
Mackenzie is currently a second year doctor. She explains how she plots a course through life that allows her to continue her medical training and her track and field career. We recorded this episode in Oslo, where Mackenzie had used some of her annual holiday allocation to fly from Australia to Norway in order to compete at that Diamond League meet. On those ‘whirlwind’ trips to Europe, as well as competing, she says she gets more sleep than when she’s at home working shifts as a doctor.
Briefly, having graduated from college in the United States before starting med school in Australia, Mackenzie competed for a European season as ‘just’ an athlete, and found that she was ‘rubbish’. Mackenzie believes she is at her best when balancing her academic commitments with the demands of being a professional track and field athlete.
Mackenzie won the US Collegiate title twice and was also a room-mate of another former Warm Up Track guest – the double Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman.
We discuss imposter syndrome, which Mackenzie feels both ways. She wonders whether her fellow athletes think she’s a part-timer, who hasn’t sacrificed enough and isn’t fully dedicated to her sport. The anxiety is also there in a medical setting – but this time it’s the worry that her fellow doctors might think she’s an ‘air-head athlete’.
The Australian thinks that being a javelin thrower makes the balancing of her two careers possible. If she was, for example, a middle or long distance runner, she knows that there wouldn’t be enough hours in day to fit in her training around her day job. Mackenzie believes that the real world demands of medicine, full of situations ‘where you’ve just got to do it’, stands her in good stead in an athletics environment. It might be raining, she may have lost her luggage, but she can switch into competition mode and get it done.
Mackenzie isn’t sure whether she’ll have to choose one path or another, or when that decision might need to be made, it’s about what she can achieve now.
Image: Bronze medalist, Australia's Mackenzie Little celebrates with her National flag and medal after the women's javelin throw final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 25, 2023. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr had a golden 2024. He was one of a handful of athletes who won the World Indoors in March, and then followed it up with an Olympic title at the Games in Paris.
But Hamish almost missed that final. He was facing elimination in the qualifying round at the Stade de France. After two failures at 2.20 metres, he tells us he thought about retiring if he failed again and crashed out of the Olympics. Hamish explains how, after going to that ‘dark place’, he knew he had the mental strength to win gold in the final.
At the previous Olympics in Tokyo, Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi had elected to share the High Jump gold medal and not to enter a jump-off to determine the winner. Hamish describes how early on in his final he began to wonder whether he’d have to make the same decision. As it turned out, he and Shelby McEwen did finish the competition with identical records and couldn’t be separated. So why did they choose to jump-off for gold? It’s the High Jump’s equivalent of a penalty shoot-out in football, and both men had already been out there competing for several hours. Why did Hamish believe he’d cope with that situation better?
We find out why food was on his mind as he stood waiting to take the jump that could win him the Olympic title. Hamish also describes the moment during that attempt when he knew he would clear the bar and claim the gold. As for the celebrations afterwards, when he ran into the middle of the infield to bow to the capacity crowd, how much thought had gone into that? After all, the women’s Javelin final had been taking place, making that potentially a pretty dangerous place to be!
Hamish also talks about his rise through the sport; from winning Commonwealth gold, to the World Indoor title and then the Olympic Games. He takes us inside his mindset, and explains how and why ‘old Hamish’ needed to change in order to be challenging for those medals.
Photo: Hamish Kerr of Team New Zealand celebrates winning the men's high jump at the Stade de France during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Credit: Sportsfile via Getty Images)
As Aiden Markram added his name to the Lord's honours board after hitting the only century on the World Test Championship final, Sportsworld looks at the top ten Test batters of all-time.
Cricket writer and broadcaster Jarrod Kimber released a new book called The Art of Batting: The Craft of Crickets greatest Runs Scorers. He joined Lee James in our quest to name the greatest of all-time.
So, how did compiling a list turn into a study of batting and how cricket has evolved over the years?
Photo: A general view of play during Day One of the ICC World Test Championship Final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground on June 11, 2025 in London, England. (Credit: ICC via Getty Images)
Dominica’s Thea LaFond had a golden 2024. She was one of a handful of athletes who won the World Indoors in March, and then followed it up with an Olympic title at the Games in Paris.
That night, the entire population of her native Dominica could have fitted inside the Stade de France. Her gold at the Games was the island nation’s first of any colour in any Olympic sport, just as her World Indoor title was their first medal of any colour at those Championships.
Having moved to the United States at the age of five, Thea describes how hard it was to adapt to a different kind of life. Dance, and later track and field, helped her with that transition. She remembers trying the Triple Jump for the first time, taking off and doing three ballet-style leaps with straight legs before the coach told her that wasn’t the way to do it!
Thea has remained a child of both countries, and is rightly proud of everything she’s achieved wearing the vest of Dominica. She was their only representative at the Glasgow World Indoor Championships, and then part of a team of just four athletes in Paris.
Thea explains how she had the best season of her life just as she was turning thirty, and how the death of her friend and inspiration, Dr Carissa F. Etienne, the Director of the Pan American Health Organization, was a catalyst for that. Thea jumped all season with a yellow ribbon in her hair to remember her fellow Dominican, and says it gave her ‘an extra pair of wings’.
Thea tells us about those times when she considered giving up the sport. She worked for six years as a teacher, and was a largely self-funded and part-time athlete during that period.
Find out how she won both of 2024’s golds despite carrying a knee injury through the season, and how she won in Glasgow and Paris with personal bests in both finals.
Plus, how Thea’s coach and husband Aaron Gadson’s weather forecasting played a key role on the night of the Olympic final.
Photo: Dominica's athlete and gold medallist Thea Lafond poses with her medal on stage at the Champions Park at Trocadero during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on August 6, 2024, with the Eiffel Tower visible in the background. (Credit: AFP via Getty Images)
Karsten Warholm has been one of the biggest stars in world athletics since winning the 400m hurdles world title in 2017, going onto become Olympic champion and win multiple World and European titles.
But why has the Norwegian felt like he has needed a ‘reboot’ ahead of targeting a fourth world title at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo?
Warholm shares more in a special podcast with Sportsworld’s Lee James ahead of the start of the 2025 season, including an insight into his training, how the new 300m hurdles Diamond League event came about and whether there could be a head-to-head race between him and 110m hurdles world champion Grant Holloway.
Image: Karsten Warholm of Norway with flag after competing in the Men's 400m Hurdles during Day 14 of Athletics - Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 9, 2024 in Paris, France. (Credit: BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Sebastian Vettel dominated the sport in his Red Bull car before leaving to join the most successful and iconic team on the grid - Ferrari.
The German went onto win 53 Grand Prix's during his career and came close to delivering the Italian team their first drivers title since 2007 when he twice finished runner-up to Lewis Hamilton.
After retiring from the sport in 2022, Vettel has dedicated his efforts to sustainability projects and uses his platform to promote many environmental and social causes around the world.
In a special podcast, Sportsworld's Lee James finds out more about Vettel's life after Formula One.
Photo: Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Aston Martin F1 Team receives a guard of honour on the grid prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on November 20, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Credit: Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Julien Alfred made history in 2024 when she won the women’s 100m gold in Paris becoming St. Lucia’s first ever Olympic medallist.
In a special Sportsworld podcast, the sprinter sits down with Sportsworld’s Lee James to look back on her historic year, what it took to become Olympic champion and what it was like receiving a hero’s welcome back home.
Also hear how Alfred’s athletics career started with her first coach Cuthbert Modeste and the impact it’s had on St. Lucia with Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports in Saint Lucia, Dr. Uralise Delaire.
Image: Julien Alfred of Team Saint Lucia celebrates winning the gold medal during the Women's 100m Final on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 03, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
A new era is beginning at Manchester United with former Braga and Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim officially installed as head coach. He'll take charge of his first match against Ipswich Town, but who is Ruben Amorim and what makes him tick? In a special Sportsworld podcast, United We Stand fanzine editor Andy Mitten joins Delyth Lloyd to find out more about Amorim from those who know him best - his childhood friends, former colleagues, players who have worked with him, as well as discovering what it takes to manage one of the biggest clubs in the world. Photo: Ruben Amorim visits Old Trafford on November 13, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Credit: Manchester United via Getty Images)
Ahead of the start of the Paralympics in Paris which will see 4,400 athletes competing in 22 sports, Mani Djazmi looks ahead to the Games.
Mani is joined by 16-time British Paralympic gold medallist Tanni Grey-Thompson, Australia’s most successful Paralympian Ellie Cole and journalist Andy Stevenson.
Indian shooter Avani Lekhara explains how sport has transformed her life, while French wheelchair tennis superstar Stephane Houdet expresses his excitement about the prospect of competing in a home Games.
Photo: A general view of the 'Three Agitos' Paralympic symbol as it is installed at the Arc de Triomphe ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games on June 28, 2024 in Paris, France. Paris will host the Summer Paralympic Games from August 28 till September 8, 2024. (Credit: Getty Images)
After 16 days of competition across 32 sports with 329 gold medallists the Olympic Games in Paris has drawn to a close.
Lee James is joined by French broadcaster Julian Laurens to assess the impact of the Games and the legacy they can have on the city of Paris and the nation of France.
The team look back at the memorable moments and athletes from the Games, and what may be to come in Los Angeles in 2028 with the help of USA Today’s Rachel Bowers as well as Sportsworld's Ed Harry and Ade Adedoyin.
Image: A general view inside Eiffel Tower Stadium following the Women's Semifinal match between Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy of Team Australia and Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa of Team Brazil on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on August 08, 2024 in Paris, France. (Credit: Getty Images)
BBC World Service introduce you to the five bosses who’ll be making their managerial debuts in the Premier League this season.
Find out all you need to know about the managers including Pep Guardiola’s former assistant, the man following in Jurgen Klopp’s footsteps and the youngest permanent coach in Premier League history. Plus two managers who are tipped for big things after winning promotion last season.
Sportsworld’s John Bennett is joined by former Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong and journalist Carl Anka, plus four experts who’ll give you an insight into the personality of the new head coaches you’ll be hearing during Sportsworld’s Premier League coverage this season.
Image: Head coach Arne Slot of Liverpool yells from the side line in the first half during their pre-season friendly against the Real Betis at Acrisure Stadium on July 26, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
In Rio 2016, African competitors won 45 medals, with 10 of them golds. At the last Games in Tokyo - that number slipped to 37 medals overall.
But Africa does have its first medal. On the opening day, South Africa won bronze in the men's Rugby 7s.
BBC Sport Africa's senior reporter Celestine Karoney. George Addo Junior and Nishat Ladha joined Sportsworld’s Lee James at our Olympic hub to take a look at Africa’s medal chances.
Photo: Bronze medallist Mohamed Elsayed of Team Egypt celebrates on the podium during the Men's Épée medal ceremony on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Grand Palais on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Credit: Getty Images)
Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred is this year’s World Indoor champion for the women’s 60 metres. She’s aiming to win Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal, and would like it to be gold.
After a stunning US Collegiate career, Alfred reached the final of both the 100 and 200 metres at the 2023 World Championships, just missing a medal in the longer sprint. In 2024, her first season as a professional, she made history for Saint Lucia, winning the island’s first World Indoor gold, taking the 60 metres title in Glasgow.
Julien describes just how tough the pathway to the top of the sport can be. She explains how hard it was relocating to Jamaica as a young teenager in order to join a coaching group. We also gain a real insight into the role of her coach, Edrick Floreal, and the value he places on supporting his athletes – not just on the track, but in terms of their mental well-being.
Over the winter of 2023, Dina Asher-Smith joined Alfred’s training group – so what’s it like working each day alongside one of your main rivals?
What was it like when she returned home to Saint Lucia from this year’s World Indoor championships with that 60 metres gold? How much pressure is she putting on herself to deliver the country’s first Olympic medal of any colour? Plus, even when you are truly world class at 100 and 200 metres, does that necessarily mean you enjoy both events?
Image: Gold medallist Julien Alfred of Team Saint Lucia poses for a photo after winning the Women's 60 Metres Final on Day Two of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 at Emirates Arena on March 02, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Canada’s Marco Arop is the reigning World champion for the men’s 800 metres. He describes being inspired to take up the event after finding the video of David Rudisha breaking the world record to win Olympic gold in 2012.
Marco tells The Warm Up Track that he watched it repeatedly. Fittingly, it was the Kenyan who presented him with his World gold in Budapest in 2023. For Marco, that moment was even better than winning the race and, in the near future, he hopes that they can find time to sit down together and talk all things 800 metres.
Having made his name as a front-runner, an athlete who likes to lead a race from gun to tape, Marco was finding it hard to hold on and win races at the highest level. He’s very candid about just how hard it was it for him go against his natural instincts and change his tactics, and how not making the final at the Tokyo Olympics was part of that difficult journey.
In the late 1990s, Marco’s family fled the war in Sudan, eventually settling in Canada. So how much contact does he have now with his family in Sudan?
Also, while he represents Canada, how aware is he of being a symbol of hope for refugees everywhere?
Finally, with some incredible times being clocked this year in his event, does Marco think that Rudisha’s world record is on borrowed time?
Image: Gold medallist Marco Arop of Team Canada reacts after winning the Men's 800m Final during day eight of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 at National Athletics Centre on August 26, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Larissa Iapichino is the European long jump silver medallist indoors and out. She talks to The Warm Up Track about being the daughter of Fiona May, winner of two long jump World titles and two Olympic silver medals.
Larissa is coached by her father, Gianni, who was also an elite athlete and coached her mother too, so how do they keep athletics and their family life separate?
How does Larissa cope with having a famous mum and the inevitable comparisons that come with that? She tells us why it’s important to pay attention to all of her life’s different ‘spheres’; because she’s not only an athlete, she’s a friend, a sister, a daughter and much more besides.
With her mother Fiona May competing first for Great Britain and later for Italy, what’s it like being a child of both places? Why does Larissa love the rain in Derby, but not Italian rain?
While her mother is her mentor, she’s also a bag of nerves when her daughter is jumping – so where in the stadium was she when Larissa was winning European silver in Rome?
Plus, you’ll also find out why the BBC conjures up memories of visiting her grandparents in the English Midlands.
Photo: Italy's Larissa Iapichino competes in the women's long jump final during day six of the 26th European Athletics Championships - Rome 2024 at Stadio Olimpico on June 12, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Credit: Getty Images)
Valarie Allman is reigning Olympic champion for the women’s discus and has also won bronze and silver at the last two editions of the World Championships.
She tells The Warm Up Track how she and her coach figured out ‘the master of all puzzles’ to win Olympic gold in Tokyo. Valarie explains how, starting out, they sought to break the mould of how previous US throwers had prepared for global championships, and that strategy was to face her main rivals as often as possible on the circuit. But, having succeeded in that, the pandemic then took away that opportunity to compete.
Valarie says that actually helped her fall back in love with the sport – all of which set up her Olympic gold medal winning season in 2021. She tells us how it felt silly telling herself she was going to win Olympic gold – but how, after a while, those affirmations began to feel authentic.
Young Valarie was a dancer, so what was it like to be around the TV show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ at weekends, and then being back in Middle School during the week?
Also find out how the prospect of a spaghetti dinner encouraged her to try out for the discus in High School and what it meant the day she could throw as far as the prairie dog hole on the school field. Plus, how having an older brother helped develop her competitiveness, and which Frank Sinatra song she’s really taken to heart.
Image: Valarie Allman of Team United States celebrates with her countries flag after winning the gold medal in the Women's Discus Final on day ten of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 02, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Seventeen-year-old Maria Sharapova shocked the tennis world when she won Wimbledon in 2004.
The teenager beat top seed and defending champion Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam singles title in one of the most memorable finals in history.
Twenty years on, Sportsworld’s Delyth Lloyd looks back on Sharapova’s rise and route to the Wimbledon title with insight from her former doubles partner Tamarine Tanasugarn, her second round opponent Anne Keothavong, and tennis commentator Barry Millns, who commentated on the final for BBC World Service.
After winning Wimbledon, Sharapova went onto win a career Grand Slam and became the highest paid women’s sports star in the world for over a decade.
Forbes reporter Matt Craig shares what it is that made Sharapova so marketable, while Tanasugarn and Keothavong both reflect on Sharapova’s career and legacy.
Image: Maria Sharapova, 17 year old Russian from Siberia who won the women’s singles championship at Wimbledon 2004. (Credit: BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images)
It's 20 years since Greece caused one of the biggest shocks in the history of football by winning Euro 2004.
Greece were 80/1 outsiders before a ball was kicked, and had never even won a match or scored a goal at a major tournament.
They had a two-man coaching team and a squad of unknowns, but became champions of Europe.
Sportsworld’s Mani Djazmi looks back on their triumph in Portugal and in a special podcast, you’ll hear from members of the Greek squad including Angelos Charisteas, Nikos Dabizas and Traianos Dellas.
Photo: Greece players lift the Euro 2004 trophy, having beaten hosts Portugal 1-0 at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal. (Credit: AFP via Getty Images)
The oldest of the continental tournaments - the Copa America - begins its 48th edition on 20th June.
It's being hosted in the United States and the World Cup holders Argentina are defending the title they won in Brazil three years ago.
Sportsworld's Mani Djazmi and guests have your essential guide to the Copa America of 2024.
Photo: Lionel Scaloni, Head Coach of Argentina, presents the Copa America trophy during the official draw of CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 at James L. Knight Center on December 07, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Credit: Getty Images)
Sada Williams of Barbados is the reigning Commonwealth champion for the women’s 400m and also won bronze at the last two editions of the World Championships.
Williams is among the favourites for Olympic gold in Paris but, when she isn’t racing, she’s not someone who seeks the spotlight.
In a rare interview, she explains how being the centre of attention is not her thing – and that extends to her gold medal winning moment on the podium at the Commonwealth Games. As happy as she was, she was thankful when the anthem ended and the whole stadium stopped focussing exclusively on her.
Williams shares how she has suffered from anxiety in her career, and some of the strategies she’s used to overcome that – including no longer following what her opponents are doing. In fact, she barely follows track and field at all when she’s not actually at a meet or a championships.
Plus, as reigning Commonwealth champion, she expresses her hope that the 2022 Games in Birmingham don’t turn out to be the last.
Photo: Sada Williams of Barbados following the women's 400m hurdles finals during day five of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. (Credit: Getty Images)
Delyth Lloyd is in Berlin for the start of the men’s European Championship. She travels across the German capital and visits famous sports teams such as Bundesliga side Union Berlin and basketball club Alba Berlin to understand how you build a successful team in the city.
She also gets to hang out with Berliner and future Olympic rower Maren Volz as she prepares for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Image: The Olympiastadion in Berlin during the men's European Championship. (Credit: BBC)
Grenada’s Kirani James discusses winning his first global medal aged 14, and the Olympic title at 19. He also describes being diagnosed with the thyroid condition Graves’ Disease in 2017, and the impact that had on him.
He tells us where he keeps his full set of Olympic medals, and explains what it’s meant to stand on the podium in the same event at the last three editions of the Games.
When he won at London 2012, he went online to check the words of Grenada’s national anthem, because he knew all 105 thousand residents of the island would be watching him sing.
Still only 31, James believes he can reach the Olympic final again in Paris and tells us why, once there, all things are possible. He also reveals that, whatever happens in the French capital, he wants to compete at LA 2028, and that desire grew out of a conversation he had last year with his former coach Harvey Glance, before he passed away in June of 2023.
Photo: Grenada's gold medallist Kirani James celebrates on the podium of the men's 400m at the athletics event during the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 7, 2012 in London. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (Credit: AFP via Getty Images)
World 400 Hurdles silver medallist, Kyron McMaster, describes in detail losing his coach in 2017.
Xavier Samuels was killed when Hurricane Irma hit The British Virgin Islands and McMaster believes that, together, they would have broken the world record.
The twice and reigning Commonwealth champion describes how coach Samuels’ words and methods have continued to shape the athlete he’s become in the years since, and explains why the world record and Olympic gold medal can still be his.
He also discusses how different his career might have been if he’d chosen to represent Great Britain, instead of the British Virgin Islands.
There’s also a visit to see King Charles to be planned to collect his OBE. He might even celebrate by buying a new PlayStation, or maybe he’ll keep the old one a while longer, even if it does sound like a fridge or a boat engine. Plus, the benefits of listening to some Beethoven are all on the agenda.
Photo: Kyron McMaster of Team British Virgin Islands celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Men's 400m Hurdles Final on day nine of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium on August 06, 2022 on the Birmingham, England. (Credit: Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp is the smiling, bear-hugging coach who leaves Liverpool having led the club to eight trophies – including winning the Champions League and a first Premier League title.
But what do you know about his Black Forest roots, and his journey from second division footballer to managerial master?
Sportsworld’s John Bennett takes you to Klopp's home village of Glatten, to Mainz where he was a player for a decade, then tasted promotion and relegation as a manager - and to Dortmund where he won trophies, became a celebrity and had a pop song written in his honour.
Hear from school friends, players, executives and fans about how he developed his coaching philosophy, his big personality, his gifts as an orator and the man-management skills that set him apart from many of his peers.
This programme - which won an SJA award for best audio documentary in 2021 - is the comprehensive back story of one of the most revered coaches of modern times, and it’s been updated to include Klopp’s nine years at Anfield and the legacy he leaves in Liverpool.
Photo: Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp (L) and his players pose with the Premier League trophy during the presentation following the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on July 22, 2020. (Credit: AFP)
After British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group were confirmed as new minority investors in Manchester United - a deal which saw them take control of United's football operations - will this new era return the club back to their perch at the top of English football? The BBC’s Chief Football News Reporter, Simon Stone; Carl Anka who covers Manchester United for The Athletic; and United fan Beth Tucker, presenter of The United Stand, join Sportsworld’s Lee James to discuss what can be expected from their involvement at Manchester United. We'll also hear at length from Sir Jim Ratcliffe himself, who spoke to BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan after the deal was completed. Image: A billboard near Old Trafford shows a picture of Sir Jim Ratcliffe above the words 'Welcome To Manchester' prior to the Premier League match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford on December 09, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The Asian Cup is football’s second oldest continental championship and the 18th edition – which gets underway in Qatar on 12 January 2024 – will see the continent’s best football nations go head-to-head to be crowned this year’s Asian champions.
Who are the main contenders? Which team could spring a surprise? What can be expected? Mani Djazmi is joined by Asian football journalist Michael Church, Japanese sports journalist Kumi Kinohara and BBC Persian Service’s Iran reporter Pooria Jafereh to preview the tournament.
Also hear from South Korea’s manager Jurgen Klinsmann, Palestine’s midfielder Mohammed Rashid, India’s goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and tournament debutants Tajikistan’s Amirbek Juraboev.
Image: Qatari footballer Hassan al-Haydos carries the Asian Cup trophy during the draw for the AFC Asian Cup in Doha on May 11, 2023. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)
As 2023 winds down, Delyth Lloyd tests the sporting knowledge of you and some familiar names from the BBC World Service Sport team in a special Sportsworld quiz.
Will it be Team World Cup’s Maz Farookhi and Katie Smith, Team Sportsworld’s Lee James and John Bennett or Team Warm Up Track’s Ed Harry and Ade Adedoyin who will be crowned the ultimate sporting quiz champions of 2023?
Photo: The sportsworld quiz teams (Credit: BBC)
It's been another sensational athletics season with multiple gold medallists and world record breaking performances on the track, the road and in the field.
From the highs of the World Championships in Budapest to Diamond League glory and marathon supremacy, who are the athletes who have impressed the most in 2023?
Sportsworld’s Lee James is joined by The Warm Up Track’s Ed Harry and Ade Adedoyin who name their top 10 athletes of the year, with additional insight from BBC Africa’s Celestine Karoney.
Image: Noah Lyles of Team United States reacts after winning the Men's 4x100m Relay Final during day eight of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 at National Athletics Centre on August 26, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton at the age of 86, here’s another chance to listen to the Manchester United and England legend select his all-time World Football XI.
During his illustrious career – which included winning the World Cup with England, the European Cup with Manchester United and also the Ballon d’Or – he played alongside and against many of the world’s best.
Who makes his all-time World Football XI? Charlton talks the BBC’s Mike Costello through his squad selection of footballing greats.
This was first broadcast on BBC World Service in 2001 and recorded at Old Trafford.
Image: Sir Bobby Charlton during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United at Vitality Stadium on April 18, 2018 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
In a special Season-ending episode The Warm Up Track welcomes two brand new world champions from Budapest, Hurdler Danielle Williams and Long Jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou.What’s it like winning your second World title eight years after your first?How do you win Gold with your last jump of the competition?Who celebrated their Gold medal with a slice of chocolate cake?Danielle also explains her ideas for improving and evolving the sport of Track and Field as we look at what Budapest did well and the lessons that can be learned for future world championships. More broadly, we also explore how Athletics can and should be making a bigger impact as a global sport. Miltiadis explains how his success has led to Greece embracing the Long Jump and plenty of young people taking up the sport of Athletics in his home town and across the country. We also look ahead to Paris 2024. Danielle will be looking to qualify for the Games for the first time, while Miltiadis will hope to make a successful defence of the title he won in Tokyo. Photo: Danielle Williams of Jamaica poses for photos following the women's 100m hurdles final during day six of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 at National Athletics Centre on August 24, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Credit: Getty Images)
In this special episode of The Warm Up Track, we’re joined by some of the stars of the very first World Athletics Championships as the event prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
1500m gold medallist Steve Cram explains how important the ’83 Worlds were, at a time when the Olympic Games was beset by political boycotts. He also outlines plans by Athletics’ world governing body, the IAAF, to make the World Championships their equivalent of the FIFA World Cup and make the Olympics track and field’s second tier competition for under-23s only.
Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, who won sprint relay bronze, describes a Jamaica team where you had to bring a sewing kit to make adjustments to the vest and shorts you’d been given. She also recalls how all of the teams stayed in university halls of residence, and how the cafeteria was the place to be, a real melting pot of nations where life-long friendships were made.
Jamaica’s first World Champion Bert Cameron says that, as he received his 400m gold, he saw his life in flashback – leaving him with the belief that God had given him his talent to lift his family out of poverty.
While Arto Bryggare, whose 110m hurdles silver was host nation Finland’s first medal of the Championships, recalls how he took time to speak with his team-mate Tiina Lilak during his lap of honour to say “stop playing, start throwing”. Lilak was involved in the Javelin final, and would go onto win gold that same night. Arto was in doping control when he heard the crowd “exploding” as she claimed the win. As for Arto, he says the silver is “the number one thing” in his career because it was a medal of “standing the pressure”.
Image: Steve Cram of Great Britain crosses the finishing line to win the 1500 metres final from Steve Scott of the USA and Said Aouita of Morrocco during the 1983 World Championships held on August 14, 1983 at the Olympic Stadium, in Helsinki, Finland. (Photo by Tony Duffy/Getty Images)
After more than 600 wickets, England fast bowler Stuart Broad has decided that the final 2023 Ashes Test against Australia at The Oval would be his last.
Broad has become synonymous with the famous rivalry between England and Australia, saving many of his best performances for Ashes battles.
We hear from Broad himself and his former England captains Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook before Lee James speaks to Daily Mirror cricket correspondent Dean Wilson and Australian commentator Jim Maxwell about the bowler and his legacy.
Photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Season Three of the Warm Up Track continues with Ryan Crouser, reigning World and Olympic champion and World Record holder for the men’s shot put.
Why does Ryan believes the 24 metre barrier can be broken?
Would he rather a third Olympic gold, or a world record that could stand for 30 or 40 years?
How has watching MMA and UFC fighters made him a better thrower?
Where in Eugene might you find Ryan serving you your pizza?
Ryan also explains why, despite playing American Football growing up, the potential for head injuries dissuaded him from pursuing it as a career. He breaks down the changes in technique which have already allowed him to improve his own world record and explains how, just months before he won Olympic gold in Rio, he was ready to walk away from the sport.
Photo: Ryan Crouser of United States competes in Men's Shot Put during Athletissima, part of the 2023 Diamond League series at Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Credit: Getty Images)
Summer marks the 50th anniversary of the WTA - the Women's Tennis Association.
Billie Jean King, along with Rosie Casals and many others, led the way in forming an organisation to give women equal rights in tennis.
They've helped pave the way for the many great players who have graced the women's game since - Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graff, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek and many, many more have won Grand Slam titles since the formation of the WTA in 1973.
In a special Sportsworld podcast, Delyth Lloyd celebrates a milestone moment for women’s tennis.
Photo: Ann Kiyomura-Hayashi, Penelope Moor, Pam Whytcross, Helen Gourlay, Rosie Casals, Ingrid Löfdahl Bentzer, Betty Stöve, Billie Jean King, Françoise Dürr, Christina Sandberg, Ilana Kloss, Trish Bostrom and Sue Lightbody pose, as the WTA celebrates their 50th with iconic founder Billie Jean King and several founding members on June 30, 2023 in London, England. (Credit: Getty Images)
The Warm Up Track is back! Season Three continues with World Indoor 60m Champion Mujinga Kambundji and World 200m Finalist, Joseph Fahnbulleh.
Who can’t remember the biggest race of their career – and what’s it really like when you’re in ‘The Zone’?
Which athlete is like a big brother to one of our guests – and what’s it like when one of your siblings is also an elite athlete?
What’s the most important non-Track and Field item which will be going in the suitcase for the World Championships?
Joseph also discusses at length why he chose to represent the country of his parents’ birth, Liberia, and why his first visit to the country will be with his Mother. Plus we discuss how our guests, and others, are making the sprints truly global and no longer simply the United States versus Jamaica.
Photo: Canada's Aaron Brown, Liberia's Joseph Fahnbulleh and USA's Noah Lyles competes in the men's 200m semi-finals during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 3, 2021. (Credit: AFP via Getty Images)
Test match cricket is played over five days - the red-ball version of the game is still seen as the true test of how you measure up to the games greats.
But there are now more and more shorter format competitions - the Indian Premier League is the most lucrative, but T20 franchise cricket is being played around the world.
The big three nations - Australia, India and England still play bilateral test series against each other with commercial appeal but elsewhere there are fewer Test matches.
So, what does the future hold for cricket’s purest form of the game? Sportsworld’s Lee James has been to Lord’s to investigate.
Photo: A general view inside the Lord’s cricket ground as Stuart Broad of England appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne of Australia during Day Three of the LV= Insurance Ashes 2nd Test match between England and Australia in London, England. (Credit: Getty Images)
In a special Sportsworld podcast, Lee James looks back at five key moments in the evolution of women's cricket.
Photo: Australia celebrate after winning the ICC Women's T20 Cricket World Cup Final match between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 08, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Credit: Getty Images)
England’s record-breaking pace bowler James Anderson is now starting his third decade as an international cricketer.
Now aged 40, England’s leading Test wicket taker is playing in his 10th Ashes series, but shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Hear from Anderson and players who have played alongside and against him including former England captain Sir Alastair Cook and Australia’s Peter Siddle as Sportsworld’s Lee James celebrates the England bowler’s two decades at the top.
(Image: James Anderson of England celebrates taking the wicket of Alex Carey of Australia during Day Three of the LV= Insurance Ashes 1st Test match between England and Australia at Edgbaston on June 18, 2023 in Birmingham, England. Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
The Warm Up Track is back! Season Three continues with Commonwealth 1500m Champion Oliver Hoare and World 200m Finalist, Luxolo Adams.
Who could have made it as a professional footballer?
Whose Dad woke the neighbours up honking the car horn when his son won?
What’s the strangest thing an opponent has done to win the psychological battle pre-race?
How do you process being compared to one of your country’s all-time greats, who was winning their medals more than 60 years ago?
We also discuss track and field’s new fly-on-the-wall documentaries – being shot this season – and the need for the sport to find characters and tell their stories.
Plus, we hear first-hand how the visa issues which affected a number of athletes before last year’s World Championships impacted directly on one of our guests.
Photo: Oliver Hoare of Team Australia celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Men's 1500m Final on day nine of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium on August 06, 2022 on the Birmingham, England. (Credit: Getty Images)
The Warm Up Track is back! Season Three continues with World Shot Put Champion Chase Ealey and World Heptathlon Bronze medallist, Anna Hall.
How does the first injury sustained during a Warm Up Track recording happen? Whose Dad had to tell them that the 1500 metres/High Jump double wasn't a thing at the Olympics? What's it like when your event's world record holder marks you out for greatness? Who might you see spinning in unlikely places?
We also hear why the language and attitudes around body shape in sport have to change. Plus, why female athletes need to come up with specific coaching solutions and techniques to achieve their goals, rather than just copying the men.
Photo: Chase Ealey of Team United States competes in Women's Shot Put during Meeting de Paris, part of the 2023 Diamond League series at Stade Charlety on June 09, 2023 in Paris, France. (Credit: Getty Images)
The Warm Up Track is back! Season Three begins with World Champion hurdler Grant Holloway and Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, World and Olympic 1500 metres finalist.What happens when a shot-putter needs to borrow your jacket?Who might have made it as a speed skater?Who might need a couch to do a 5K?Plus, why something as simple as dyeing your hair can resonate way beyond the track and how athletes can use their platform to speak out about causes close to their heart.(Image: Grant Holloway of USA celebrates after winning the Men's 60m Hurdles during the World Athletics Indoor Tour - Birmingham at Utilita Arena Birmingham on February 25, 2023 in Birmingham, England. Photo by Stephen Pond - British Athletics/British Athletics via Getty Images)
A new documentary revealing the untold stories behind Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s journey to the top.In Barcelona, former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina relives his time sharing bunk-beds with Arteta at the world-famous La Masia academy, declaring that the boy from the Basque country was “born to be a manager”.Presenter John Bennett travels to Arteta’s home town of San Sebastian to meet his childhood coach at a small club, next to a hair salon, that has become an amazing football talent factory.Hear from former team-mates at Everton, Arsenal and Rangers, from where Dutch great Ronald De Boer remembers Arteta stepping up aged 21 to score a stoppage-time penalty to snatch the title from Glasgow rivals Celtic: “To take that responsibility, at such a young age, in such an important game and moment of that decisive title race against Celtic was impressive.”And find out why the Welsh city of Newport played such an important part in Arteta’s journey into coaching.Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger and former Man City captain Vincent Kompany also feature in this documentary, which paints a picture of a single-minded, intelligent and meticulous man, schooled in the Barcelona style of play, who is now mixing it with the top managers in the game and has got Arsenal fans dreaming of glory once again.Producer: Sam SheringhamMikel Arteta, pictured in March 2023 (Credit: David Klein/Reuters)
Sportsworld’s Lee James is in Mumbai, the venue for the inaugural Women’s Premier League final, to reflect on the ground-breaking new women’s cricket competition.Delhi Capitals captain Meg Lanning joins us to discuss how the competition is “on another level” to anything else she’s experienced. Former Indian cricketer Anjali Pendharkar tells us how women’s cricket has evolved over the last 30 years, plus we will speak to India journalist Zenia D’Cunha who tells us how the tournament has been perceived. And Mumbai Indians head coach Charlotte Edwards discusses her experience of coaching in India.Photo: Smriti Mandhana of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Meg Lanning of Delhi Capitals at the toss during the WPL 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals at Brabourne Stadium on March 5, 2023 in Mumbai, India. (Credit: Getty Images)
John Bennett travels to Rabat, capital city of Morocco to find out the secrets behind the countries' football success. He visits the King Mohammad VI complex; the new headquarters of the football federation and home to the men's and women's national teams. John gets an inclusive look behind the scenes of the complex and speaks to the backroom staff who helped develop the countries football philosophy. Following their fourth place finish in Qatar, John speaks to members of the men’s team, including manager Walid Regragui, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and midfielder Ilias Chair about becoming the first African and Arab team to reach the semi finals of the World Cup. He also speaks to the women’s head coach Reynold Pedros and forward Rosella Ayane ahead of the women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. (Image: Morocco men's national team, Credit: Getty Images)
Mondo Duplantis, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Noah Lyles are among Ed Harry’s guests as Sportworld reflects on the year in Track and Field and looks ahead to 2023. Also joining Ed are the former global 800 metres medallist, Jenny Meadows, along with Ade Adedoyin and Katie Smith. Plus, we’ll hear from two of the sport’s rising stars, Erriyon Knighton and Adriana Vilagos.Photo: Armand Duplantis of Team Sweden reacts after setting a world record and winning gold in the Men's Pole Vault Final on day ten of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
As the BBC World Service celebrates its 90th anniversary, we look back on nine decades of sports broadcasting. From the launch of Saturday Special in 1959 through to the present day, this is the history of BBC World Service sport featuring iconic sporting moments, familiar theme tunes and memories of presenters past and present.Mike Costello, Russell Fuller, Caroline Barker, Lee James and Nishat Ladha join Delyth Lloyd to take a trip down memory lane.Photo: Sportsworld presenter Lee James at the 2018 Fifa World Cup. (Credit: BBC)
Former US goalkeeper Brad Friedel, former Congo defender Chris Samba and football reporter Maz Farookhi join Delyth Lloyd as they discuss who will make the team of the tournament for the 2022 World Cup. There are some rules: the formation is 4-3-3 as it’s been the most used during the competition, the panellists could only select 3 players from one nation and Delyth will have the final say on who will be going into the BBC World Service World Cup XI.
World Cup winners Frank Leboeuf and Heather O'Reilly, former Leicester City and Celtic manager Martin O'Neill, former Brazil goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes and Iceland midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson reveal the secrets about navigating the knockout stages of a football tournament. We'll also hear about how players can prepare for these huge matches away from the pitch thanks to Professor Steve Peters, who specialises in mental health and the functioning of the human mind. Narration by Delyth Lloyd. (Image: France win the World Cup, Credit: Getty Images)
As the World Cup kicks off Delyth Lloyd is joined by the BBC’s Sports News Correspondent Alex Capstick to examine a range of issues that have overshadowed Qatar 2022, starting with the initial awarding of the tournament, which the former Fifa President Sepp Blatter has since told the BBC was a “mistake”.
Yasmine Ahmed from Human Rights Watch joins us to talk about the conditions for migrant workers in the country and says while they have improved, more must be done to compensate workers, and the families of those that have been injured or died in the country.
Dr Nasser Mohamed, a gay Qatari now living in the USA, opens up about his experience growing up as a gay man in Qatar, and explained what he hopes to achieve by founding the “Proud Maroons”, a LGBTQI+ fans group for the country’s national team.
We also examine the claims around the environmental impact of the tournament, which Fifa insists will be the first carbon-neutral World Cup, and hear from leading environmentalists who’ve told the BBC that claim is "dangerous and misleading".
And we assess what impact hosting the tournament has had on the country, and what legacy Qatar’s Supreme Committee and Fifa hope it will leave behind.
Image: Fans of gather at the Corniche Waterfront ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Credit: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Ghana and Uruguay created one of the most dramatic and controversial moments in World Cup history in 2010, when “the Black Stars” were the width of a crossbar away from becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals.
Uruguay's Luis Suárez was sent off in the last minute of extra time for handling the ball on the line and then celebrated wildly when Ghana's Asamoah Gyan's penalty hit the bar. Ghana went on to lose a penalty shoot-out, a continent was heartbroken and Suárez became public enemy number 1 in Africa.
Twelve years on, and the two teams will meet again at the World Cup in Qatar and Sportsworld's John Bennett delves into why revenge is so important for Ghana's football fans. He speaks to Gyan, gets the view from Uruguay and speaks to journalists and fans who lived and breathed that epic first match.
(Photo: Luis Suárez of Uruguay handles the ball on the goal line, for which he is sent off, during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa during a quarter-final match between Uruguay and Ghana at the Soccer City stadium on July 2, 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Credit: Getty Images)
We discuss the financial situation at Barcelona, their moves in the transfer market, hopes for the new season and the success of their women’s team.
Sportsworld's Delyth Lloyd is joined by the Athletic’s Pol Ballus, Ernest Macia of Radio Catalunya, finance expert Kieran Maguire, German football journalist Constantin Eckner and former Barcelona Femení forward Toni Duggan.
Photo: General view of the Camp Nou Stadium prior the LaLiga Santander match between FC Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano. (Credit: Getty Images)
We look ahead to the 22nd Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Sportsworld's Delyth Lloyd hears from defending women's Triathlon champion Flora Duffy, England hockey player Sam Ward, Birmingham local and squash player Sarah-Jane Mee and E-Sports Athlete Josh Byrne.
We also discuss swimming with Olympic medallist Steve Parry and athletics with the BBC's commentator, Ed Harry.
Photo: The Queen's baton is placed against the 3 bridges, Queensferry crossing, Forth road bridge and Forth bridge during the Birmingham 2022 Queen's Baton Relay in Scotland, United Kingdom. (Credit: Getty Images for the Birmingham 2022 Queen's Baton Relay)
Sportsworld's Lee James is joined by the former Arsenal, West Ham and Wolves striker Jeremie Aliadiere, the Reading and England striker Natasha Dowie, and the Independent's chief football writer Miguel Delaney to look ahead to the new Premier League season. The panel discuss how the winter World Cup in Qatar will impact on the season, how Manchester City and Liverpool will evolve with their two new number nines, and whether big spenders Spurs can put up a genuine title challenge. We'll hear from Sadio Mane on his decision to leave Anfield, from Martin Odegaard on Arsenal's hopes for the new season, and from Raphael Varane on having no regrets on swapping Madrid for Manchester.
Photo: Fernandinho of Manchester City lifts the trophy after the Premier League match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad Stadium on May 22, 2022. (Credit: Offside via Getty Images)
Can Erik ten Hag bring the glory days back to Old Trafford? Sportsworld’s John Bennett finds out more about the career history, personality and the football philosophy of Manchester United’s new manager.
You’ll hear from players and coaches who have worked with him at four of his former clubs and several United legends have their say on whether the Dutchman will be a hit or a miss in English football.
John is joined throughout the show by Carl Anka from the Athletic and Dutch football journalist Marcel Van Der Kraan.
Photo: Manchester United Manager Erik ten Hag talks to the players during a first team training session at Carrington Training Ground. (Credit: Manchester United via Getty Images)
BBC World Service presenter John Bennett is joined by the Athletic's Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee, Borussia Dortmund podcaster Stefan Buckzo and the Man City legend Paul Dickov. Plus you'll hear from ex Norway striker Jan Aage Fjortoft, Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch, Haaland's first ever coach Alf Inge Bernsten, Norwegian football journalist Arilas Oluld-Saada and former Manchester United defender Henning Berg.
The Warm Up Track is back! Season Two continues with World Champion Javelin thrower Anderson Peters, and World Indoor Long Jump bronze medallist, Lorraine Ugen.
Who started off wanting to be like Usain Bolt? Which guest showed, at 16, they were no pushover? What do our field eventers think of the 'Final Three' format? How hard would it be to throw left-handed, or jump off your other leg?
We also discuss why some athletes are living off their savings, and Lorraine's solution when she found herself dropped by her sponsors. Plus, the big question - how to attract new fans to the sport.
Photo: Bronze Medallist Lorraine Ugen of Great Britain poses during the Women's Long Jump Medal Ceremony on Day Three of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 2022. (Credit: Getty Images for World Athletics)
In the second part of Sportsworld's guide to the teams that'll be taking part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar we'll profile groups E, F, G and H.
John Bennett is joined by World Football's Mani Djazmi, African broadcaster Usher Komugisha, South American football commentator Juan Arango and European football journalist Alvaro Romeo for your guide to the groups.
Lutz Pfannenstiel, sporting director from St Louis City SC, joins us to talk about how his former Hoffenheim colleague Hansi Flick has transformed the fortunes of the German national team, Canadian Goalkeeper Paul Dolan, who was part of the side when they last made the World Cup in 1986 shares his optimism for the side that ended their 36 year wait for an appearance on football's biggest stage, and JoyFM's George Addo explains how Ghana are strengthening their side ahead of Qatar.
(Photo: The FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy is pictured prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final Draw. Credit: Alexander Hassenstein - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
In the first part of Sportsworld's guide to the teams that'll be taking part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar we'll profile groups A, B, C and D.
John Bennett is joined by World Football's Mani Djazmi, African broadcaster Usher Komugisha, South American football commentator Juan Arango and European football journalist Alvaro Romeo for your guide to the groups.
We'll also hear from the Qatar coach Felix Sanchez as the hosts prepare for their World Cup debut, Australia's Aziz Behich tells us what it means to be back at the World Cup after their playoff win and French Football journalist Sara Menai examine's the defending champions' recent poor form.
(Photo: The FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy is pictured prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final Draw. Credit: Alexander Hassenstein - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Season Two continues with Commonwealth 100 metres champion Akani Simbine, and the reigning Diamond League Shot Put champion Maggie Ewen.
Who doesn't like strawberries? What happens in the call room before a 100 metres race? Will having the Worlds on home soil convince Americans to watch Track and Field? What's it like to finish fourth?
We're also discussing body image and why athletes don't have to look a certain way to do a particular event. Plus, why the Commonwealth Games needs to come to Africa.
IMAGE: Akani Simbine of South Africa celebrates winning gold in the Men's 100 metres final during the Athletics on day five of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Carrara Stadium on April 9, 2018 on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
The Warm Up Track is back! Season Two starts with a Jamaica Special. We're joined by Olympic 100 hurdles bronze medallist Megan Tapper, and reigning Commonwealth 400 hurdles champion, Janieve Russell.
Why will this year's Worlds feel like a home from home for Jamaican athletes? Who was a Champs Legend? Who was on course to be an Olympic gymnast? Plus, who's always wanted to be a flight attendant?
There's also more serious discussion about why Jamaica's outstanding female sprinters should have been celebrated more during the Usain Bolt years, not just in the years since his retirement.
Photo: Megan Tapper of Team Jamaica celebrates winning the bronze medal in the Women's 100m Hurdles Final on day ten of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Credit: Getty Images)
Delyth Lloyd and Ade Adedoyin take a look back at the life and career of Florence Griffith-Joyner, one of the most flamboyant track and field athletes of all time.
Over three decades ago, she broke the women’s 100m world record, a mark which still stands today, while she was also an icon off the track.
We discuss her legacy with athletes who competed against her and contemporaries who were inspired by her - Grace Jackson, Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn and Dawn Harper-Nelson.
We’ll also look at whether the record could be broken in 2022, with Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelley-Ann Fraser Pryce pushing each other ahead of the World Championships in Oregon.
Photo: Florence Griffith Joyner of the USA celebrates her 100m win during the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. (Credit: Allsport)
With the semi-finals for the Women’s Cricket World Cup confirmed as Australia against West Indies and England against South Africa.
Sportsworld’s Delyth Lloyd is joined by Australian spin bowler Alana King, Emily Windsor who plays for the Southern Vipers and the Trent Rockets in the UK, Alexis Nunes who covers West Indies cricket for ESPN Cricinfo and Aslam Khota cricket commentator with SABC in South Africa.
They discuss who they think will be lifting the trophy in Christchurch.
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
Tributes from across the cricketing world have been paid to Australia legend Shane Warne, who died from a suspected heart attack aged 52.
Sportsworld's Lee James is joined by ABC cricket commentator Jim Maxwell, Australian cricket journalist Melinda Farrell and Indian cricket commentator Prakash Wakankar, as well as hearing at length from Warne's former teammate and roommate Stuart Law.
The legendary spin bowler took 708 Test wickets the second most of all time, in 145 matches across a stellar 15-year international career.
Photo: Shane Warne of Australia bows to the crowd at the end of day three of the fifth Ashes Test Match between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. (Credit: Getty Images)
Sportsworld’s Lee James is joined by Sports News Correspondent Alex Capstick and Winter Olympic Reporter Katie Smith as they preview the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
We also hear at length from USA Hockey head coach David Quinn and Swiss alpine skier Michelle Gisin.
Image: A general view of the Shougang Big Air venue on January 29, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Sportsworld’s Lee James is joined by a team of experts looking ahead to a huge year of global sporting events in 2022.
We hear from the BBC’s Katie Smith and John Bennett, current Everton and England midfielder Izzy Christiansen, New Zealand journalist Rikki Swannell and assistant group head of sports at RJRGleaner Communications Group in Jamaica, Kayon Raynor.
(Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
With the news that FIFA are staging a global summit on 20th December when plans for reform of the football calendar are to be discussed along with the staging of a biennial World Cup, Sportsworld considers the pros, and cons of holding FIFA’s flagship tournament every two years.
The proposals have been developed by a technical advisory group, led by the former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is now the chief of global football development at FIFA.
Joining Sportsworld’s Lee James are former Nigeria captain and manager Sunday Oliseh, Africa football expert Mark Gleeson and former New Zealand international turned FIFA Women's World Cup manager, Bex Smith.
Photo: The FIFA World Cup Trophy at the official award ceremony after the final match between France and Croatia at FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 (Credit: TASS via Getty Images)
We saw leaders from around the world meet at the Cop 26 summit in Glasgow, as urgent collective action is needed to bring climate change under control.
The world is warming because of emissions from fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. We are experiencing extreme weather events linked to climate change - including heatwaves, floods and forest fires - which are intensifying. The past decade was the warmest on record.
It's becoming increasingly apparent that the climate crisis touches everything including sport and that time is running out.
We hear from the US Nordic skier Annika Landis, New Zealand international footballer Katie Rood and the former France Rugby international Julien Pierre.
(Photo credit OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
30 years ago on November 16th 1991, the inaugural Women’s World Cup was staged in China. At the time, it was called the The Fifa Women’s World Championship For The M&Ms Cup. The tournament was contested by 12 teams who played 80 minute matches, and was won by the USA, who beat Norway at Guangzhou’s Tianhe Stadium in front of 65,000 people.
We take you back to reflect on the impact the tournament had on women's football around the world with the Golden Ball winner Carin Jennings (now Carin Gabarra,) as we find out what it took for the USA team to lift the trophy- from gruelling flights, a punishing playing schedule to a thanksgiving meal with Pele.
(Photo credit TOMMY CHENG/AFP via Getty Images)
On November 10th, 1991, South Africa were welcomed back into international cricket after a twenty-one year apartheid boycott.
The one-day international series against India came four months after readmittance to the world game, and just five since the formation of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, which bought rival white and black cricket authorities together.
Many believed the 1992 World Cup would be too soon for South Africa's return, but when Pakistan pulled out of a visit to India, that the door opened for South Africa to step in, and they were given just a week to get there.
The side were given a hero's welcome on arrival in Calcutta and 100,000 supporters turned up for the opening match at Eden Gardens. An emotional South African captain Clive Rice said, "I know how Neil Armstrong felt when he stood on the moon”. It was that kind of day. It was that kind of tour, relieved here by the BBC's Mo Allie and those involved.
Photo: South African captain Clive Rice shakes hands with India captain Mohammad Azharuddin at the coin toss before the 1st ODI between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens. (Credit: Allsport/Getty Images)
During the Tokyo Olympics, many athletes have made public their problems with their mental health, whether it be during the games like US Gymnast Simone Biles or before the games like Dutch Cyclist Tom Dumoulin. Delyth Lloyd presents a Sportsworld special on sport's relationship with mental health. She is joined by Team Bath Coach Anna Stembridge, former kickboxing world champion Caradh O'Donovan and former cricketer, now sports psychologist Jeremy Snape to cover three topic areas: athlete welfare, to coaching and the role of the governing bodies.
On this special Sportsworld podcast, Maz Farookhi is joined by BBC Sport's Simon Stone and football journalist and editor of the United We Stand fanzine Andy Mitten to reflect on the career of a player and now a manager whose life will always be intrinsically linked with Manchester United, nearly 25 years to the day since he first arrived at Old Trafford. We look back at his early career at Old Trafford, including hearing at length from his former United teammate Raimond van der Gouw who was unveiled as a United player on the same day as Solskjær, and discuss how his winning goal in the 1999 Champions League Final defined his United career. Norwegian football journalist Jonas Giæver tells us how Solskjær is viewed in his homeland, and the panel discuss his journey back to Old Trafford as manager.
(Image: Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates at the end of the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou on May 26, 1999 in Barcelona, Spain. (Credit: Ben Radford/Allsport/Getty Images/Hulton Archive)
John Bennett is joined by former Spurs defender Ramon Vega and journalists Daniel Storey and George Addo to discuss the upcoming domestic football season. The panel discuss a variety of different topics, from Manchester United's increased transfer activity, Harry Kane's future, the new managers in the Premier League and what's next for Lionel Messi and Barcelona. (Photo: Patrick Vieira, Credit: Getty Images).
Mariko Oi presents a BBC Sportsworld special documentary about the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The games catapulted Japan into the 20th century, introducing new infrastructure that is still being used to this day like the bullet train. We'll hear from residents about what the experience was like hosting the games and we'll also hear from Olympic champions Billy Mills and Ann Packer as well as cyclist Victor Vincente of America about their experiences of competing in Japan.
Sportsworld's Lee James is joined by our football reporter John Bennett, Italian football expert Mina Rzouki and the Independent's chief football writer Miguel Delaney to preview the final of Euro 2020 between England and Italy at Wembley. Lee speaks at length to England forward Danny Welbeck, who was part of Gareth Southgate's England squad, which reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, about the culture of the England squad under Southgate, Raheem Sterling's mentality and the emergence of Bukayo Saka. Italy midfielder Marco Veratti tells John about his boss Roberto Mancini and veteran centre backs Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, while legendary Italian manager Claudio Ranieri tells Mani Djazmi how Mancini has restored pride to the national team.
(Image: Composite image of Roberto Mancini and Gareth Southgate. Credit: Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
After a year's absence due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Wimbledon is back. Sportsworld will be covering the action across the 2 weeks and what better way to whet your appetite than listening to Lee James and guests - players Jill Craybas and Taylor Townsend preview this year's tournament. There will also be appearances from current champions Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Ashleigh Barty.
The European Football Championships has always been an exciting tournament whether it's the unexpected winners to shock results. Join Lee James as he speaks to players who have experienced the highs of European Championship glory such as: Kim Vilfort who helped Denmark win the 1992 title, Germany legend Bastian Schweinsteiger on his countries chances of regaining some pride and Iceland's Johan Berg Gudmundsson on their shock Euro 2016 campaign and their historic win over England. Lee will also be speaking to Finland captain Tim Sparv on leading his country into their first senior men's competition.
Sportsworld's Lee James is joined by guests who featured on Sportsworld 12 months ago, to catch up and reflect on a year of destruction caused by the Covid pandemic.
On April 22nd 1996, sporting history was made when the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) was founded. It was a huge moment for women's basketball and sport. The concept of a professional women's basketball league wasn't new. Previous attempts to start a women's pro league had failed but the WNBA had two things going for it: the backing of the NBA and the determination of many women to make the league a success.
Hear from the women who scrapped and fought to help the WNBA become a giant in women's sport. The Trailblazers who made the WNBA. Produced by Tom Paton
The dates have changed but the goals remain the same , the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have been billed as a symbol of human kinds victory, over the coronavirus, but will the ongoing global pandemic really allow the Olympic flame to provide the light at the end of the tunnel?
Sportsworld’s Lee James is joined by Japanese Sports Journalist Yuko Suzuki, European correspondent for the Australian Newspaper Jaquelin Magnay, Celestine Karoney from BBC Africa and BBC parasport reporter Kate Grey. He ask the question what can the world expect from Tokyo’s covid games?
In March 1996 Sri Lanka pulled off one of the biggest shocks in cricket history by winning the World Cup.
Having been knocked out in the first round of four of the previous five World Cups, and finished eighth in the other, Sri Lanka were never taken seriously as an international side.
This is the story of how that changed, told by those involved. And how a proud island nation overcame bombings, boycotts and near-bankruptcy at the cricket board to reach the top of the world.
Photo: Sri Lanka fans celebrating (Getty Images)
Sportsworld looks ahead to the upcoming 2021 Formula One season, as Lewis Hamilton looks for a record-breaking eighth world title. Joining Sportsworld’s Lee James, is former Red Bull & Williams driver Mark Webber. We also hear from Alpine driver Esteban Ocon and Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer.
Photo: Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton walks on the grid during 2021 F1 Testing. (Credit: Formula 1 via Getty Images)
50 years on since the "Fight of The Century," Sportsworld looks back at that historic fight between Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier and speaks to the last unified heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis.
Photo: Boxer Muhammad Ali steps away from a punch thrown by boxer Joe Frazier during their heavyweight title fight dubbed the “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in 1971. (Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images)
How inclusive is sport to LGBT+ athletes, and what more needs to be done?
Sportsworld presenter Lee James speaks with England and Aston Villa defender Anita Asante, San Diego Loyal midfielder Collin Martin and Jamaican swimmer Michael Gunning, who is aiming to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. All are openly gay and came out while playing their sports.
Photos: Aston Villa’s Anita Asante in action during a Barclays FA Women's Super League match. (Credit: Aston Villa FC via Getty Images); Collin Martin runs with the ball against the Montreal Impact. (Credit: Getty Images); Jamaican swimmer Michael Gunning competes during the Men's 200m Butterfly Heats. (Credit: Getty Images)
In the United States of America, February is Black History Month - an opportunity for all Americans to reflect on the historical contributions of African Americans in the country's history and is now perhaps more poignant than ever following events in the USA over the last year.
The death of George Floyd last May sparked a worldwide reaction of shock and horror at police brutality towards black people in America and led to the worldwide Black Lives Matter movement, with protests and demonstrations taking place around the globe. Many sports stars used their platform to show support.
USA World Cup winner Crystal Dunn, tennis player Taylor Townsend and Olympic triple jumper Will Claye have been discussing their own experiences along with Nashville striker and former US men's international, CJ Sapong who joined Sportsworld’s Lee James to discuss racial injustice and social inequality.
Photo: Philadelphia 76ers players and Toronto Raptors players kneel in honour of the Black Lives Matter movement during the national anthems prior to an NBA game at The Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. (Credit: Getty Images)
Back in 1975, Lee Elder braved death threats to become the first African American golfer to play at the Masters. It was one of the last colour barriers in US sport and made him a hero to many black sportsmen and women, including Tiger Woods.
But 45 years on, and in the wake of the death of George Floyd, what progress has been made to make golf more inclusive and accessible to the black community?
To discuss this, Delyth is joined by Maurice Allen, who was the first African American player to become World Long Drive Champion in 2018, and current LPGA Tour player Mariah Stackhouse, who was the youngest African American woman to compete in the US Open and first African American woman to compete in the Curtis Cup.
Jeff Benedict, journalist, and co-author of the number one New York Times bestselling biography of Tiger Woods, joins us to discuss whether golf has failed to capitalise on Tiger's success, and whether Tiger himself has done enough to promote diversity in the sport.
We'll hear from Joseph Bramlett about his experiences of being one of only four black golfers currently playing on the men's PGA Tour. Bramlett was the first black golfer to graduate from the tour's qualifying school since Adrian Stills in 1985.
And we'll hear from Vernel Bennett, president and co-founder of the United Black Golfers Association, who's been telling Delyth about the work his organisation's been doing to encourage more black people to take up golf at a grassroots level.
Photo: Lee Elder was the first black golfer to compete in the Masters in 1975. (Credit: Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
We celebrate the athletes who rarely step foot on the pitch - only ever cross the white line to bring on drinks - and some who are able to lead the race but never reach the finishing line.
It's the tales of the substitutes, the 12th players, the bib wearers and the pace setters.
Lee James chats to England cricketer Jack Leach, former Netherlands and Tottenham keeper Michel Vorm and Olympic 800m runner Jenny Meadows on benchwarmers.
Photo: Mark Wood of England on 12th man duties (Credit: Getty images)
Nigeria’s UFC world welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says it’s become ‘normalised’ to face racism in the United States.
Last month, Usman was subjected to racist comments from UFC fighter Colby Covington – who said the backlash he received from fellow fighters was “unwarranted”.
UFC President Dana White said he doesn’t want to "muzzle fighters, we let everybody speak their mind. I don't know what he said that was racist.”
Usman, who was born in Nigeria but moved to the United States at the age of 8, has become one of the biggest names in the sport and is nicknamed the Nigerian nightmare.
Usman and female UFC bantamweight fighter Sijara Eubanks have been talking to Sportsworld's Maz Farookhi about the challenges they’ve faced in their careers, being role models and how they felt when they heard those racist comments.
Photo: Kamaru Usman (Getty Images)
In 2010 the Los Angeles Lakers were the kings of the NBA. The Lakers, thanks to legendary coach Phil Jackson and Laker great Kobe Bryant, defeated the Boston Celtics in game 7 of the NBA finals. But in the following the decade, the fortunes of the franchise changed. Phil Jackson left, franchise owner Jerry Buss died and the championship team was broken up. So what happened? Sportsworld’s Delyth Lloyd is joined by former Lakers coaches and players to discuss the Lost Lakers.
Photo:Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates after the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game Seven of the 2010 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 17, 2010 (Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Remember the date – 26th August 2020 – the day athletes across US professional sports boycotted games. An unprecedented and historic protest for racial justice and the end to police brutality in America.
Players were responding to the death of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot by police in Wisconsin.
It was led by several Women's NBA teams and reached across the entire basketball leagues and across other sports...as America's courts, pitches and fields fell silent.
Lee James speaks to star of the WNBA and LA Sparks player Tierra Ruffin-Pratt and former Washington Wizards and Oklahoma City Thunder NBA player and now motivational speaker and author Etan Thomas.
Photo: Sug Sutton looks on while standing with teammates Jacki Gemelos, Kiara Leslie, Leilani Mitchell, Myisha Hines-Allen, Tianna Hawkins and Emma Meesseman of the Washington Mystics during the WNBA postponement announcement at Feld Entertainment Center on August 26, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida. The Washington Mystics are wearing white T-shirts that spell out Jacob Blake on the front and seven bullet holes in the back to protest the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Credit: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Ferrari – the biggest name in Formula One.
Iconic cars, a global brand, a Formula One team that comes under more scrutiny than any other. As Ferrari marks its 70th anniversary and it’s 1000th Formula One race at the Tuscan Grand Prix this weekend, we’re taking a look at what makes the name such a dominant force within the sport.
From the origins of the iconic Prancing Horse logo, their cars and their famous owner Enzo Ferrari to the current day – what’s it like to drive for the most iconic brand in F1?
What’s the pressure like, the scrutiny, how does it change your life and what’s it like walking through the gates of the famous Maranello factory for the first time?
Felipe Massa, Jody Scheckter and Eddie Irvine all have their say.
Plus Shabnam Younus-Jewell is joined by Italian journalist and designer Giorgio Piola and the BBC’s Formula One reporter Jennie Gow.
Photo: Ferrari fans supporting the team at Monzo for the Italian Grand Prix (Getty Images)
What's it really like to play for the obsessive and demanding Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa?
We’ve spoken to some of the people who have got closest to the 65-year-old Argentine through his well-travelled career – from Buenos Aires to Bilbao and Mexico to Marseille - to try to find out more about how he operates.
Bielsa carries a mythology with him - but how many of the remarkable stories about him are actually true?
As his exciting Leeds United team prepare to take on the Premier League, it makes for a revealing portrait of a fascinating but flawed character who is embarking on a tantalising new chapter in his career.
Photo: Marcelo Bielsa (Getty Images) Presenter: John Bennett Producer: Sam Sheringham
As Leeds United make their return to the Premier League after a 16 year wait, we take a look at their fall from the top, and their return to glory under manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Joined by special guests Lucas Radebe, Jon Newsome and the Kaiser Chiefs, we unravel the last two decades of football in Leeds. From the glory days of Eric Cantona, Rio Ferdinand and Lee Bowyer, to their significant and rapid decline in the early 2000s, and their return to the top flight of English football in 2020.
This is the story of Leeds United and their rise, fall and rise again to the Premier League.
Photo credit: Leeds United win promotion to the Premier League in 2020 (Getty Images).
Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce is one of just a few black head coaches in the NBA, but says now is the time athletes around the world are ‘speaking louder and being heard’.
Pierce was joined by This Is Us softball player Kiki Stokes for one of a series of BBC discussions about racism and whether we will see change following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May which sparked protests around the globe.
Earlier this year Stokes quit the Houston-based Scrap Yard Dawgs club along with her team mates following a now deleted tweet from the team’s general manager Connie May about the national anthem.
Pierce and Lloyd talk about their own experiences of racism with Ade Adedoyin and discuss what needs to change, and whether sport and politics should be discussed at the Olympics in 2021.
Photo: Atlanta Hawks Head coach Lloyd Pierce on the sidelines during their game against the Boston Celtics in February 2020. Credit: Omar Rawlings/Getty Images
The 2020 NBA season has been far from normal - due to covid restrictions the action returned without home court advantage, with no fans and with all games played in a bio-bubble in Disneyworld. But with the play-offs just two days away, would winning in this extraordinary season crown the career of one of the game's most extraordinary players, LeBron James
On Sportsworld we find out more about the basketball legend who is aiming to lead a third different side to the NBA title, and discuss how key the next couple of months are going to be in determining where he stands in the on-going debate about who is the greatest of all time.
We speak to Dru Joyce, his basketball coach at St Vincent St Marys high school in Ohio, his Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers teammate DeAndre Liggins and basketball journalist Bonnie-Jill Laflin.
Photo: LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Staples Center (Credit: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Will George Floyd's death lead to change? NFL player Sam Acho, WNBA Chicago Sky player Gabby Williams and England and Harlequins rugby union player Shaunagh Brown discuss their own experiences of racism in light of Floyd's death.
"It's not politics it's our lives, we're trying to erase the line between our blackness and our sport.”
George Floyd was an African American man killed during an arrest in Minneapolis in May. It sparked protests around the globe about racial injustice and racism. What changes do these athletes want to see in their sport and society? This is the first in a series of BBC discussions about racism across the globe and whether we will see change.
Photo credit: Gabby Williams wearing a 'Black Lives Matter' shirt whilst warming up before the Chicago Sky match against Seattle Storm (Getty Images).
This programme explores the sad and controversial life of Jim Thorpe - the American Indian who was the star of the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, where the Swedish King famously told him 'Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world'.
Thorpe had grown up on the Sac and Fox Indian reservation in Oklahoma and then, as a teenager, was sent 1500 miles away to a boarding school in Pennsylvania whose purpose was to 'civilise' Indian children by eradicating their culture. Its motto was 'Kill the Indian and save the man'. The pupils were forced to wear military uniforms, have short hair, and were punished if they spoke their own languages. 'The last phase of the Indian wars was fought in the classroom', says one contributor.
Thorpe was saved by sport and became the school's great star at both athletics and American football. He's often described as the 'first international sporting superstar'. But in 1913 it came out that he had been paid a few dollars to play minor-league baseball and the elite amateurs who ran US athletics rushed to condemn him as a professional. He was summarily stripped of his medals. But the public were on his side and his status in America is that of a popular hero victimised by those in power.
He went on to become the first great professional football player, but he could never cope with fame and died in near poverty in 1953. His widow arranged for him to be buried in a small town in Pennsylvania which offered to build a memorial to him. They town even changed its name to 'Jim Thorpe', but his Indian tribe are pursuing a legal battle to have his remains returned to Oklahoma.
As Liverpool end their 30-year wait for the league title, we chart the rise of their remarkable manager Jurgen Klopp.
We take you to Klopp's home village of Glatten in the Black Forest and to Mainz where he was a player for a decade, then tasted promotion and relegation as a manager.
Then we travel to Dortmund where he won trophies, became a celebrity and had a pop song written in his honour. And finally to Anfield, where he has ended fans' yearning for a 19th league title.
We'll speak to school friends, players, executives and fans to learn about how he developed his coaching philosophy, his big personality, his gifts as an orator and the man-management skills that set him apart from many of his peers.
This is the comprehensive back-story of one of the most revered coaches of modern times.
Photo: Jurgen Klopp (Getty Images)
Sarah Mulkerrins is joined by Former New Zealand Captain and Global Director of Women’s football for Copa 90 Bex Smith and Former FIFA Director of Women’s football, now head of Women’s Football for Switzerland Tatjana Haenni to look back on the 2019 World Cup and the legacy it created for women's football.
The tournament staged in France was considered a huge success, but what impact did it have on the sport in some of the competing nations? French football journalist Loic Tanzi assess the changes in the host nation, South Africa coach and former Banyana Banyana captain Desiree Ellis reflects on their World Cup debut and we're joined by a World Cup winner, USA's Jessica McDonald.
Picture: The trophy of FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019 is displayed during a press conference to present the FIFA Women's World Cup. (Getty Images)
The 2020 Champions League final was due to be held at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday May 30th, exactly 15 years after the most extraordinary night in the competitions history as Liverpool completed “The Miracle of Istanbul”.
AC Milan had a star studded line up and were overwhelming favourites, especially after they raced into a 3-0 lead. However Liverpool launched the most amazing second half comeback that culminated in winning the trophy in a penalty shootout.
To mark that anniversary, we take you back to that iconic night with those who were there - including penalty saving hero, Jerzy Dudek.
Plus broadcasters and fans, each with their own unique perspective on the moments that made the match the most talked about for years.
Photo: Jerzy Dudek saving Andriy Shevchenko's penalty to win the Champions League in 2005 (Getty Images)
There may be no FA Cup final on FA Cup final day, but we've decided to put our panel of guests to the test on their knowledge of the famous old trophy, and you can play along.
Sportsworld's Lee James is joined by Rob Green, Robyn Cowen and Rene Meulensteen as they pick their six-a-side team of the season in the format of a US draft. Six picks from each respective field position and you can only have one player from each Premier League team. Join the madness as the team fight to get their top picks of the season into their teams. Who would you pick?
Photo Credit: Sadio Mane playing for Liverpool FC (Getty Images)
Lee James is joined by Andy Murray's former coach Miles Maclagan, former US professional Jill Craybas and tennis journalist Gigi Salmon to create their ultimate Wimbledon champion.
From forehands, serve and return to tricks, heart and champion spirit, they select the best attributes from the world's best tennis players to make a Wimbledon GOAT.
Photo: Serena Williams & Roger Federer (Getty Images)
Nearly 400 players from 30 different nations across the African continent have graced the Premier League.
But who is the best?
Lee James is joined by Janine Anthony, John Bennett and George Addo to somehow come up with a list of the top eight African players in the Premier League. There’s also a special appearance from former Nigeria, West Brom and Stoke winger Peter Odemwingie, who puts forward his case to make the final list...
And then we head to a lockdown knockout with the top eight going head-to-head in the quarter-finals, in a battle to be crowned champion.
Sarah Mulkerrins, Mo Allie, Melissa Reddy and the ex-Tottenham, Norwich and Cameroon defender Sebastian Bassong have the unenviable task of picking the winner – so who will they decide?
Photo: L-R Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure & Michael Essien (Getty Images)
We discuss the impact the coronavirus is having on the mental well-bring of athletes and across sport.
Lee James is joined by former West Ham and Wales midfielder turned MLS side Atlanta United Academy coach Jack Collison. Along with former Aston Villa player welfare and liaison officer Lorna McClelland. We explore what athletes are doing to support each other and keep themselves busy.
Jeremy Snape, who is now a sport psychologist, talks about the mental challenges facing athletes during the pandemic. And bowler for English County cricket team Warwickshire, Olly Hannon-Dalby, tells us about the #MakeTheCall initiative - which aims to reach out and talk to vulnerable members of the community who may be isolating.
Picture: An empty football pitch in England (Getty Images).
Eight time Paralympic medalist Oksana Masters and BMX world champion Alise Willoughby give their views on the unprecedented postponement of this summer's Olympics. The pair talk about how their training schedules have suffered due to lock-down caused by the coronavirus pandemic and how their preparations will have to change in order for them to be at their best when the Games finally take place. They also talk about coping with having to stay at home from a mental point of view and the measures they're taking to stay in a positive mindset.
Picture: The newly-built Japan National Stadium, the main venue for the 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo on March 25, 2020, the day after the historic decision to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. (Getty Images
Jurgen Klopp is the smiling, bear-hugging coach who has steered Liverpool to the brink of the Premier League title.
But what do you know about his Black Forest roots, and his journey from second division footballer to managerial master?
In a Sportsworld special, we'll take you to Klopp's home village of Glatten, to Mainz where he was a player for a decade, then tasted promotion and relegation as a manager - and to Dortmund where he won trophies, became a celebrity and had a pop song written in his honour.
We'll speak to school friends, players, executives and fans to learn about how he developed his coaching philosophy, his big personality, his gifts as an orator and the man-management skills that set him apart from many of his peers.
This is the comprehensive back-story of one of the most revered coaches of modern times.
Photo: Jurgen Klopp (Getty Images)
On 24 July, the Olympic flame will be lit and the Summer Games will officially begin.
With just 6 months to go, BBC Sportsworld takes a look at the new sports which will feature during Tokyo 2020.
Photo: Surfers make their way towards the water during a surfing test event in Tokyo, Japan. (Getty Images)
On the 10th November, 2009, Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke committed suicide in the city of Hanover.
Enke, who won eight caps for the German national side and played for Benfica, Barcelona and Hanover 96 amongst others, had suffered from three bouts of depression during his life and never felt comfortable to openly talk about his battles.
So what has football learned and how have attitudes towards mental health changed in the sport since Enke's tragic death?
German football journalist Raphael Honigstein and former Liverpool and England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, who has also suffered from depression, join John Bennett to discuss Enke's story, why he struggled with his mental health and what has changed in the sport to help players feel more able to talk about their feelings.
During the podcast, we speak to Enke's wife Teresa about what the last 10 years has been like, why 'Robbie' couldn't reveal his depression publicly and how the Robert Enke Foundation is helping tackle mental health issues.
We'll also hear from Enke's agent, Jorg Neblung, and the outgoing Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness.
If you suffer from any of the issues raised in the discussion, then you can visit www.bbc.co.uk/actionline for mental health support.
Photo: Robert Enke greets fans after his last ever football match (Getty Images)
Oksana Masters was born two years after Chernobyl with several radiation-induced birth defects. This included tibial hemimelia (resulting in different leg lengths), missing weight-bearing shinbones in her calves, webbed fingers with no thumbs, and six toes on each foot.
She was abandoned by her birth parents at a Ukrainian orphanage where she lived until age 7 when she was adopted . Since then Oksana has won eight Paralympic medals including two golds.
She tells Ed Harry her story.
Photo: Oksana Masters of the United States wins gold in the women's 1.1km cross-country skiing final in the sitting category at the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games (Getty Images)
Mike Powell, Long Jump World Record Holder, and Olympic High Jump Champion, Stefan Holm, are our guests.
How was Doha? What’s Tokyo going to be like? This season-ending Warm Up Track asks two legends what they think about the 2019 Worlds and the 2020 Olympic Games.
How good can Noah Lyles be, and what was it like training with Noah’s dad?
Whose child would now win a jump off with their father?
Mike and Stefan also discuss the challenges facing athletics; doping, changes to the Diamond League for 2020 and whether they are optimistic or pessimistic about the future of Track and Field. Plus, why Mike wouldn’t make a very good poker player.
Image: Mike Powell of the United State celebrates on the podium with silver medallist Carl Lewis (R) and bronze medallist Larry Myricks (L) after making his world record leap during the Long Jump event at the IAAF World Athletic Championships on 30th August 1991 at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo: Mike Powell/Getty Images)
This week, multi-event royalty. Golden couple Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton join us in Doha to reflect on who won their old events and talk about the birth of their first child, which isn’t too far away.
Why didn’t anyone in Doha follow Ashton’s example and wear an ice helmet?
Find out why all of the Heptathletes and Decathletes should have a banquet.
Plus, why both knew it was right to retire after the Rio Olympic Games and what it’s like knowing that the next World Champs will be held on your old University campus.
Photo credit: Brianne Theisen Eaton of Canada is congratulated by her husband Ashton Eaton of the United States after winning gold. (Ian Walton/Getty Images for IAAF)
It's been 10 years, since Jamaica's Usain Bolt broke his own 100 metre World Record at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin. We hear from three men who were lucky enough to be in the stadium when Bolt finished in 9.58 seconds. Antigua and Barbuda sprinter Daniel Bailey, race starter Alan Bell and commentator Márton Gyulai talk about their experiences of watching Bolt race towards the finish line. Former Jamaica sprinter Grace Jackson and journalist Kayon Raynor discuss the future of Jamaican sprinting and who could challenge Bolt's record.
Sportsworld brings you a special podcast previewing this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.
20 teams will battle it out for rugby’s biggest prize, with New Zealand hoping to defend their crown after winning in 2015.
Shabnam Younus-Jewell is joined by former England 7’s player and broadcaster, Rob Vickerman, and editor of World Rugby, Sarah Mockford, to discuss all the key talking points ahead of the tournament.
We’ll chat about New Zealand, Australia, England, Wales and the world number one team, Ireland.
Former South Africa international Thinus Delport joins us to chat about the Springboks' hopes of winning the trophy and he discusses the recent passing of his friend and former teammate, Chester Williams – who was the only black player in South Africa’s 1995 World Cup-winning squad.
Plus, Namibia coach Phil Davies tells us about their preparations ahead of a very tough group that includes both New Zealand and South Africa!
Photo: New Zealand celebrate winning the 2015 Rugby World Cup (Getty Images)
This week, two of the best of all-time at what they do. Double Olympic and three-times World Champion for the Triple Jump, Christian Taylor, and the World Indoor Pole Vault gold-medalist Sandi Morris.
What’s it like co-writing a song and singing it to a sold-out stadium? Why the best jumps just feel like you’re flying, and why you need help remembering them. Plus, what pole vault poles would say if they could talk.
Those questions answered, as well as more serious discussions about whether their events will have a future in next season’s slimmed-down Diamond League and how giving athletes microphones could improve everyone’s understanding of the sport.
This week, Eilish McColgan and Donavan Brazier. Both are heading to the Worlds on the British and US teams as brand new national champions in the 5000 and 800 metres.
There really are plenty more fish in the sea, which is why one of our guests wants to be a professional fisherman! What’s it like running in the cities and on the tracks where your Mum won golds and broke records? Plus, why Eilish’s dog wouldn’t like it in Doha and who was an award-winning writer at the age of ten.
Those questions answered, as well as more serious discussions about body shaming and why we should stand up to trolls on social media.
Photo: Eilish McColgan (Getty Images)
This week, Omar McLeod and Kelsey-Lee Barber join the team on the eve of the London Anniversary Games ... Jamaica's Olympic and World sprint hurdles champion and the Australian who 'threads needles through the sky' - we're learning the art of javelin throwing from a World Championship medal favourite.
Is Omar's English accent more EastEnders than Mary Poppins? Who demands to be taken to Buckingham Palace and who wants to chill at Borough Market? What's home life like when you're married to your coach? Plus, who was winning biscuits long before they were winning medals?
Those questions answered, as well as Omar's first-hand account of being on the Jamaican relay team the night Usain Bolt's career ended in injury and agony.
This week, Noah Lyles and Shaunae Miller-Uibo ... two of the fastest people on the planet! We’re in Monaco with the Olympic 400 metres champion from Bahamas and the US sprinter who’s favourite for 200 metre gold at the World Champs.
What socks is Noah wearing? Which of the X-Men is Shaunae? Who is building their own Lego city? Who started competing for their country when they were nine years old?
Those questions answered, as well as more serious discussions about comparisons with Usain Bolt, and whether some of the older women’s world records are holding the sport back. (Photo: Getty Images)
This week, we’re going the distance with two kings of the five and ten thousand metres. Joining us is the Commonwealth champion for both, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, and the Olympic 5000 metres silver medalist, Paul Chelimo from the United States.
Strong words on the future of long distance running - find out why Joshua and Paul are against plans to remove their events from the Diamond League.
Who would rather not pose for selfies? Will either man reveal where they keep their medals? Plus, why Kenyan-born Paul signed up for the US Army.
This week, Armand Duplantis and his sporting family. He's tipped to break the Pole Vault world record one day soon. He's our guest, and so is his Dad. Not because it's a 'bring your father to work' day, but because Greg was a Pole Vaulter first and was pretty good too.
Find out what happens when you miss the mat and land on a table (one of Dad's stories) and what's it like when your 17-year-old son beats your lifetime best.
One of Mondo's elder brothers, Antoine, plays Major League Baseball ... but is that down to Greg's genes or his wife Helena's? She was a Heptathlete for Sweden, the country Mondo has chosen to represent on the international stage rather than the United States.
We're in California, where Superman once foiled a deadly plot by Lex Luther. So, what super power would we all like to have? These are the questions, along with a more serious consideration of when Mondo believes he can break the world record.
Photo: Armand Duplantis of Sweden reacts in the Men's Pole Vault final during day six of the 24th European Athletics Championships (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
This week,strawberries! Why it’s not just Wimbledon where fruit shares top billing with the world’s best sportspeople. The BBC’s Ed Harry and Ade Adedoyin are in Oslo, where they’re joined by World 100 metres silver medallist and World Indoor champion sprinter, Christian Coleman, and World steeplechase gold medallist, Emma Coburn. The Head of European Athletics, Svein Arne Hansen, is our guide to the Strawberry Party.
But which is the best fruit, and is fruit discrimination wrong? Find out who is super competitive when it comes to Pictionary and at whose house games of cards can end in tears, even on Christmas Eve.
We’re discussing much bigger issues too. Christian explains why people make the mistake of underestimating him, while Emma pays a personal tribute to Gabe Grunewald.
Photo: Christian Coleman of United States celebrates as he wins the 100m Mens Final during the IAAF Diamond League (Getty Images)
The 2019 Men's AFCON gets underway in Egypt shortly so we are looking ahead to the competition.
John Bennett is joined by North African football expert Patrick Juillard and Calvin Emeka from Nigeria.
Photo: Morocco players celebrate after scoring a goal during Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group B soccer match between Morocco and Malawi (Getty Images)
Welcome to our new athletics podcast, The Warm-Up Track, where we take you behind the scenes at the Diamond League, bringing together global superstars for the track and field conversation you never get to hear.
This week the BBC's Ed Harry and Ade Adedoyin are joined by the World 400 Hurdles champion, Kori Carter, and a rising star of the 200 and 400 metres, Michael Norman, to chat all things track and field and everything in between.
Who has a dog named after a character from the Lion King? Who lists ‘not cooking’ as being among their interests? Who warms up to Beyonce? Who has a list on their phone of things they want to eat?
If you could have an ‘eat-cation’, like a vacation but all about eating what you want, what would be Kori and Michael’s ideal single day menu? Have a listen and find out ...
Photo: Michael Norman (Getty Images)
Welcome to our new athletics podcast, The Warm-Up Track, where we take you behind the scenes at the Diamond League, bringing together global superstars for the track and field conversation you never get to hear.
This week the BBC's Ed Harry and Katie Smith are joined by the World Long Jump champion, Luvo Manyonga, and the Oceania record holder for the 800 meters, Joe Deng, to chat all things track and field and everything in between.
How do you get from a refugee camp in Kenya to representing Australia? How do you break a cycle of drug addiction and become a global gold medalist?
Who’s better at ping-pong and who sings his own warm up track for us?
Have a listen and find out ...
Milos Raonic, Indian Wells’ winner Bianca Andreescu and now the male pair of Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime are just a few of the stars flying the Canada flag high at the moment, so BBC Sportsworld takes a look at what could be in store for Canada's brightest tennis stars.
Canadian tennis writer Stephanie Myles, former Canadian number 1 ranked singles player Carol Zhao and Andre Labelle - National Coach at Tennis Canada, join us explain why there's been a sudden increase in talent and why it seems the majority of their emerging stars are actually coming from immigrant backgrounds.
Welcome to our brand new athletics podcast, The Warm-Up Track, where we take you behind the scenes at the Diamond League, bringing together global superstars for the track and field conversation you never get to hear.
This week the BBC's Ed Harry and Ade Adedoyin are joined by World and Olympic champions Tianna Bartoletta, Dalilah Muhammad and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake to chat all things track and field and everything in between.
What can Nethaneel never travel without? Why is Tianna frustrated with track-side journalists? Does Dalilah think athletics can thrive without Usain Bolt? And how do they feel about the CAS ruling against Caster Semenya?
Have a listen and find out.....
Photo credit: Tianna Bartoletta, Dalilah Muhammad and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Getty Images)
Sarah Mulkerrins is joined by football journalists Caitlin Murray and Sophie Lawson to look ahead to this summer’s World Cup.
We’re in France to see how the hosts are coping with the weight of expectation ahead of the finals. Jamaican striker Khadija Shaw takes us through her remarkable journey to the national team and explains how she got the nickname bunny. Sweden Defender Nilla Fischer tells us about life under their new coach Peter Gerhardsson, and we assess whether a lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation affect their hopes of retaining the trophy.
Photo credit: The USA win the World Cup in 2015 (Getty Images)
Kenyan Cyclist Samwel Mwangi crashed while racing the 2016 Tour of Rwanda and lost his left leg from the knee down. Now he wants to compete at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Photo: Samwel Mwangi (Getty Images)
Karsten Warholm was the breakthrough star of the World Athletics Championships. In London's torrential rain the 21-year-old Norwegian stunned himself and the rest of the world by winning the 400 metres hurdles gold. The former decathlete was propelled into the limelight, with his winning scream expression going viral.
But how has life changed for the boy from the small Norweigan harbour town? Sportsworlds Lee James has been to visit him back on the track in Oslo, where he achieved his first major win over the hurdles at the Diamond League meeting at Bislett.
Former NBA all star Gary Payton takes Sportsworld back through his 17 year career.
The USA Olympic medallist is best known for his time with the Seattle SuperSonics, and battles with Chicago Bull's star Michael Jordan which earned him the nickname of 'The Glove'
Payton also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, winning the NBA championship with the Heat.
(Photo: Gary Payton playing for the Sonics defending Michael Jordan, Credit: Getty Images)
Join Mike Williams and special guests to preview the new NFL season. Thomas George, national columnist at SBNation, Patricia Traina, writer for Inside Football, and Melissa Jacobs, editor of football girl.com, all look ahead to the new campaign.
Serena Williams won the Australian Open whilst six week pregnant. Unusally, she says she intends to come back to play and being a mother won't stop her career.
But how will the American be able to juggle both roles? And what challenges will she face?
John Bennet is joined by Olympic football gold medallist, Norway's Solveig Gulbrandsen and the Zimbabwe born former doubles player Cara Black.
(Photo: Serena Williams pregnant on the red carpet, Credit: Getty Images)
The Sportsworld Premier League Preview panel weighs up the chances of every Premier League team and puts reputations on the line by telling you who will win the league, who is destined for European football and who will be relegated!
Mike Williams is joined by The New York Times football correspondent Rory Smith, Former Manchester United striker Danny Webber and Sportsworld's football reporter John Bennett to look ahead to the 2017/18 Premier League season.
We've divided the Premier League into four groups of five teams based on where they are in the table right now... In other words in alphabetical order!
(Photo: Mane, Kane, Sanchez and Lukaku, Credit Getty Images)
The 2017 UEFA European Champions will kick off in the Netherlands in July.
Sarah Mulkerrins is joined by Former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown Finnis, Iceland coach Freyr Alexandersson, the current Swedish goalkeeper and 2017 nomiee for BBC's Woman Footballer of the Year award Hedvig Lindahl.
(Photo: Germany celebrate at the 2013 Euros, Credit: Getty Images)
The Women's Rugby World Cup takes place in August 2017.
To look ahead to the event Christ Latchem is joined by Canada's World Cup runner from 2014 Magali Harvey, Ireland's Jackie Shiels, who was a semi finalist three years ago , And Catherine Spencer, the former England captain who starred at two World Cups.
As we discuss the growth of the game and take a look back at the first ever World Cup in 1991.
(Photo: Jackie Sheiels, Catherine Spencer and Magali Harvey, Credit: Getty Images)
As Lionel Messi celebrates his 30th birthday, we bring you a special show dedicated to one of the greatest footballers in history.
Sportsworld’s John Bennett is joined by Ernest Macia, from Radio Catalunya in Barcelona, Spanish foootball broadcaster Alvaro Romeo, Argentine sports writer Marcela Mora y Araujo, and midfielder Julio Arca to enthuse about the midfield maestro.
John Bennett is joined by travel writer Simon Parker as we look at extreme sports and the people that take part in them.
(Photo: Cycling at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, Credit: Getty Images)
Sarah Mulkerrins is joined by World Cup winners Charlotte Edwards and Enid Bakewell at the famous cricket ground Lords, as Sportsworld previews the 2017 tournament.
(Photo: Sarah Mulkerrins and guests in Lords, Credit: @CricketWorldCup)
Usain Bolt ran in his home country for the final time on Saturday 10th June 2017.
The 8 times Olympic champion over 100 and 200 metres is still in pain following the tragic death of his good friend Germain Mason, a British high jumper who was killed in a motorcycle accident in April.
But Bolt knows that a man close to his heart would have wanted him to go out and do his best.
He is used to winning, and in front of 35 thousand people better described as worshippers rather than fans, he simply could not lose....and as usual, he didn't.
Sportsworld's Ed Harry and Ade Adedoyin were in Kingston, Jamaica.
(Photo: Usain Bolt on his knees on the track in Jamaica, Credit': Getty Images)
Who makes Sportsworld's European XI of the season?
Gigi Buffon or David De Gea? Luka Modric or Eden Hazard? Harry Kane or Romelu Lukaku?
Sportsworld's Mike Williams, the Guardian's Paolo Bandini, Spanish expert Alvaro Romeo, and European commentator Paul Sarahs decide who make the cut.
For the fifth season in a row Bayern Munich have been presented with the Bundesliga trophy.
They also said farewell to club legend and captain Philipp Lahm as well as the Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso.
German football journalist Raphael Honeigstein and German broadcaster Taufig Khalil join Lee James as we review the season.
(Photo: Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso celebrating, Credit: Getty Images)
There are 10 questions and we've got 90 minutes - it's the final word on the Premier League season.
The former Everton midfielder Leon Osman, former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen and England international striker Sue Smith are alongside Lee James on the BBC World Service.
With questions from amongst others Mark Schwarzer, Chris Sutton and John Hartson.
Sarah Mulkerrins and guests reveal this year's nominees and how to vote
(Image: BBC WFOTY Logo Credit: BBC Sport)
John Bennett brings you an N'Golo Kanté special, as we focus on the man taking the Premier League by storm.
We go to Paris to find out where his football career began, and hear from his current and former team-mates, as we discover what makes him so special.
Picture credit: N'Golo Kante (Getty Images)
World champion boxer Heather Hardy and journalist Steve Bunce join Sarah Mulkerrins to examine if there's a place for Olympians in professional boxing.
We'll hear from Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor and Nicola Adams, while top boxing promoter Lou Dibella explains why he's challenging the sexism in his sport.
(PHOTO: Claressa Shields (L) Katie Taylor and Nicola Adams (R), CREDIT: Getty)
Better infrastructure, less crime, more housing, a boost to sport and tourism and equality for people with disabilities. All promised to the residents of Rio as a result of hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games. Four months on Sportsworld returns to Rio to ask whether these will ever be fulfilled. Lee James travels around the city to meet the Paralympic gold medallist Daniel Dias and the Olympic gold medallist Rafaela Silva.
Image: Rio skyline, Credit: Getty Images
Speaking more than fifty years go, Castro said "Anybody who truly loves sport and feels sport" had to prefer the Cuban way to professional sport "by a thousand times"
The US blockade on Cuba, which has lasted for more than 50 years and includes restrictions on the nation's sporting institutions, has not stopped them from becoming the most successful Latin American country in Olympics history - despite having a population only slightly greater than that of New York City.
Lee James was joined by Cuban born Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria, author of The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball, Film maker and author Brin-Jonathan Butler, who's Cuban memoir the Domino Diaries explores Cuba through sport and fromer Cuban triple jump champion Yamile Aldama.
Photo: Castro surrounded by the Cuba baseball team, Credit: Getty Images
Andre Ward survived a second-round knockdown to beat Sergey Kovalev on points and claim the Russian's IBF, WBA and WBO light-heavyweight titles.
Sarah Mulkerrins is joined by former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi, former British boxer and now trainer Joe Gallagher and boxing writer for the LA Times Lance Pugmire to debate the details of the fight.
(Image: Andre Ward, credit: Getty Images)
Sarah Mulkerrins is joined by South African football commentator Mo Allie and Algerian football journalist Maher Mezahi to profile the nominees for the 2016 BBC African footballer of the year.
The shortlist includes West Ham and Ghana Forward Andre Ayew, Borussia Dortmund and Gabon Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Leicester City and Algeria Winger Riyad Mahrez, Liverpool and Senegal Forward Sadio Mané and Manchester City and Ivory Coast Midfielder Yaya Toure.
Hear from African football experts and the superstar footballers themselves.
(Image: Nominees for African player of the year, credit: Getty Images)
Women's Sport Week is designed to celebrate, raise awareness and increase the profile of women's sport across Britain. But what about globally? What are the issues being faced by the world's greatest sportswomen?
Sarah Mulkerrins is joined by South Africa's Olympic javelin silver medallist Sunette Viljoen and leading sports journalists Anna Kessell and Jacqulein Magnay. We also hear from England rugby World Champion Danielle Waterman and Lianne Sanderson, the England striker who plays her club football in the United States.
(Photo: Danielle Waterman Sunette Viljoen and Lianne Sanderson, Credit: Getty Images)
John Bennett reflects on the biggest football story of the transfer window so far. Listen to the coaches who guided him from age 13, then hear from the man himself.
Paul Pogba is back.
(Image: Paul Pogba, credit: Getty Images)
How will we know if the Rio Paralympics have been a success? Gold medal winning sprinter, April Holmes, plus husband and wife athletes Stef Reid and Brent Lakatos are among Sarah Mulkerrins' guests for a Sportsworld special.
What impact do the Games need to have on Brazil as a country? And what needs to change before we see more African nations appearing in the medals table?
Picture: Canada's Brent Lakatos. Credit: Getty Images.
As Manchester United look set to confirm that Louis Van Gaal's time in charge at Old Trafford and Jose Mourinho is preparing to take over, we round up the latest news on football's worst kept secret.
We'll hear how it got to this stage from the BBC's Simon Stone, former Manchester United player and coach Phil Neville gives his thoughts on the potential appointment, we'll get a personal insight on Jose Mourinho from his first youth academy product at Benfica, Diogo Luis, Dutch football journalist Marcel van der Kraan discuesses what the future could hold for Louis Van Gaal and we examine what the move would mean for Ryan Giggs.
(Photo; Mourinho at Olt Trafford, Credit; Getty Images)
Sarah Mulkerrins announces the five nominations for the 2016 BBC Women's Footballer of the Year award.
Find out more about Cameroon and FC Rosengard forward Gaelle Enganamouit, France and Lyon Midfielder Amandine Henry, Scotland and Seattle Reign midfielder Kim Little, USA & Houston Dash midfielder Carli Lloyd and USA and Kansas City defender Becky Sauerbrunn.
Voting is open from 1800 GMT on Sunday 24th April 2016 and closes at 0800 GMT on Monday 9th May 2016.
(Picture: Asisat Oshoala, credit: Getty Images)
After 20 years playing basketball, on Wednesday 13th of April, 19,000 adoring fans crammed into the Staples Center to see Kobe Bryant play his final game. But what made Kobe one of the best players of all time?
Sportsworld takes a look back at the life and career of the NBA legend.
Joining Sarah Mullkerrins was the basketball author Roland Lazenby who has written autobiographies on the likes of Michael Jordan and the man of the moment - Kobe Bryant.
And the first female scout in the NBA, who worked with the Lakers, Bonnie Jill Lafflin.
(Image: Kobe Bryant, credit: Getty Images)
The world of football pays tribute to one of the game's greatest ever players, Johan Cruyff, following his death aged 68.
Ade Adedoyin is joined by our football reporter Steve Crossman; Marcel van der Kraan from De Telegraaf newspaper; the former Barcelona striker Steve Archibald; and the former Netherland coach Raymond Verheijen, as they discuss the life of the Dutch master.
(Image: Johan Cruyff lining up for the Netherlands. Credit: Getty Images)
The beautiful game is suffering one of the ugliest periods in its history, but will that change when the race to succeed Sepp Blatter as the head of world football is decided on Friday.
We profile the five men bidding for the top job at Fifa with the President of the Sierra Leone FA, Isha Johansen; Alexandra Wrage, who works in anti-corruption and transparency as the Head of TRACE International; Andrew Orsatti from the world players' union, FIFPRO; And Ramon Vega, the former Tottenham and Switzerland international defender who was considering running as a Fifa presidential candidate.
(Image: The five men aiming to become the next Fifa president. Credit: PA)
What next for heavyweight boxing after Tyson Fury's unanimous points win over Wladimir Klitschko ended the Ukrainian's nine year reign at the top of the sport?
Joining Sarah Mulkerrins are Ade Adedoyin, who was ringside for the BBC World Service in Dusseldorf, Boxing writer for ESPN Dan Rafael and the former WBA welterweight champion, Paulie Malignaggi. We also hear from Lennox Lewis.
(Picture: Tyson Fury, credit: Getty Images)
Five players are in with a chance of adding their name to an exclusive list of BBC African Footballer of the Year award winners.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Andre Ayew, Yacine Brahimi, Sadio Mane and Yaya Toure have the chance to being crowned this year's winner.
Nigerian Football expert Oluwashina Okeleji, South African Football Journalist Mo Allie, Ghanaian Journalist Michael Oti Adjei and our football reporter Steve Crossman debate who deserves to win the award.
(Image: 2015 BBC African Footballer of the Year nominees. Credit: Getty Images)
Over the last few months, the media has been dominated by images and news of the world-wide refugee crisis. While the issues continue to be debated by politicians, we hear two remarkable stories of refugees-turned-footballers who fled the atrocities of war and succeeded at the highest level of the game.
We speak to Afghanistan captain Zohib Islam Amiri, who shares his story of half-time executions and signing for Zico, and Sierra Leone striker and former Norwich player Kei Kamara, who says: "As a kid seeing executions in front of you or seeing dead bodies every day... you know, waking up and seeing vultures eating through them, it’s never what you wished on anyone."
(Image: Refugees playing football. Credit: Getty Images)