Amazing Sport Stories

In 2003, Namibia's Rudie van Vuuren became the first - and, to date, only - man to have played at both the cricket and rugby World Cups. His feat was made all the more impressive by the fact that he was also working full-time as a doctor. His sporting career saw him take on stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Shoaib Akhtar and James Anderson; though Namibia rarely won, he still managed to find some small victories of his own. This is the story of a unique sporting life, and why he's still keeping company with big names away from the pitches.

On 22 March 2016, a bomb attack killed 16 people at Brussels Airport. Basketball player Sebastien Bellin was one of the survivors. He says sport, and a meal he ate the night before, helped save his life that day. This is the story of how he found a way to survive amid chaos, and what happened next: a long road to recovery, and a new sporting journey that helped rebuild his future.

Following the unexpected and shocking death of heroic wrestler Gholamreza Takhti, Tehran is a tinderbox. Hundreds of thousands of people gather in the streets as tensions and rumours rise to a pitch. Everyone wants someone to blame for this terrible loss. Rana hears about those volatile days, and the state-sanctioned silence that follows. She wrestles with the myth to catch glimpses of the real Takhti, and to seek the legacy that he left behind. Through the years, quietly, the myth of Takhti as a true heroic and gentle figure endures. Gholamreza Takhti remains a figure that inspires athletes and others in Iran today. He was the first Iranian wrestler to win a medal at an international competition. Rana meets Afsoon Johnston, the first Iranian woman to do so, and hears how Takhti’s legacy shapes hers, even down to how a legendary bout plays out. And finally, Rana considers how in many ways, she feels connected to Takhti’s story. Whatever the truth, it seems that everyone has their own version of him now.

You can listen to this podcast in Persian here: https://www.bbc.com/persian/podcasts/p0703hz7

Heroic wrestler Gholamreza Takhti is dead. Rana Rahimpour goes back to that terrible night in January 1968, hearing from perhaps the last person to see him alive. We speak to his teammate Abdollah Movahed about the immediate impact of his death, and then take a closer look at his relations with Mohammed Reza Shah. Everything in Iran is political, and sport is no exception. To understand why, Rana takes us through the story of Mossadegh, Iran’s National Front, and how the wrestling houses were co-opted by forces much bigger than themselves. She explores Takhti’s own political leanings, as wrestling, politics and power all combine in an explosive and volatile situation, and the many ways that the regime exerts influence on its athletes. Takhti is unstoppable in the ring, but outside of it, gradually everything that makes him a great man is being taken away.

You can listen to this podcast in Persian here: https://www.bbc.com/persian/podcasts/p0703hz7

Gholamreza Takhti is a hero. In Iran, a nation full of wrestlers and wrestling fans, he’s the most beloved wrestler of them all. But unexpectedly, tragically, the great champion is found dead in a hotel room in Tehran, in the early days of 1968. Presenter Rana Rahimpour grew up with Takhti’s legend all around her; his image plasters her childhood memories. But now she wants to understand how Takhti, and wrestling, became so intertwined with Iranian history and why this man, amongst all others, became such a figurehead.

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Exploring Iranian wrestling legend Gholamreza Takhti’s journey in life, death and his legacy. The Iranian wrestler was the people's hero: a multiple gold Olympic medal-winner, who embodied the spirit of Iran. He was well loved, even by those who fought against him.

Then, in January 1968, Takhti was found dead in a Tehran hotel room. He was 37.

Presenter Rana Rahimpour delves into the man behind the myth and sheds a light on the complex relationship between Iran and its heroes. Sport, politics, and power wrestle with each other, as we get to the heart of what it means to be a hero and how we can hold onto them.

Presenter: Rana Rahimpour Producer: Lucy Greenwell Sound design: David Crackles

Iraqi weightlifter Raed Ahmed was proud to carry his country's flag at the opening ceremony for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. But the honour came with a strict instruction: he was not to look at the American President, Bill Clinton. Iraq's Olympic Committee was led by Saddam Hussein's son, Uday, a man with a reputation for brutality.

But Raed had already begun to think of escape. And that night, with a single glance, he made up his mind. This is the story of how he took the most dangerous decision of his life, and what happened next.

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Breaking, or breakdancing, has its origins in the gang culture of 1970s New York. It evolved on the floors of huge parties, where dance replaced violence as an outlet for neighbourhood bravado. But artist and entrepreneur Michael Holman saw an opportunity to turn the nascent culture in something much larger, a scene that could have global appeal.

Four decades later, breaking makes its debut as an Olympic sport, with competitors from all over the world bringing their best moves to Paris to compete for gold. This is the story of how it got there. Audio scenes have been re-created. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

Since the 1950s, basketball's Harlem Globetrotters have entertained audiences with their showboating, dunks and pranks in exhibition games all over the world. Their perennial opponents, the Washington Generals, have endured more than 17,000 defeats at their hands, with crowds booing and mocking them as the Globetrotters bamboozle them with flashy skills, tricks and dribbles.

So what's it like to play for a team whose only job is to lose? Some former Generals say it's one of the best jobs they've ever had, even if it did involve being humiliated on the court every night.

That is, except for the one night that it didn't...

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In 2016, Nick Butter was searching for a way to raise £250,000 for a prostate cancer charity. He knew he wanted to undertake some kind of running challenge, but wasn't sure what - until he discovered nobody had ever run a marathon in every country in the world. Two years later, he headed to Canada to embark on an epic journey, not realising just how challenging it would be. On his travels, he would be shot at, mugged at gunpoint and attacked by dogs, in addition to pushing his body far beyond anything he'd ever endured. But did he reach the finish line?

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Between 1946 and 1966, the ball boys at one of the world's most prestigious tennis tournaments, Wimbledon, were selected from children's homes run by the Barnardo's charity. Two of them were Winston Norton and Sam Hill. Sam had been taken into care because his parents' home was too small to house their six children; Winston because his mother could not cope with the abuse she'd received for having a mixed-race child. At their children's home in Hertfordshire, north of London, they were put through a strict exercise regimen, hoping to be one of the 60 boys selected to work at that year's tournament. When they made the grade, they found themselves on court with the game's biggest names. It was an experience that would change their lives.

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One year after the crash, Zambia awaits the Africa Cup of Nations final. Football writer Ponga Liwewe and superfan Melody Mwala describe the fever-pitch atmosphere of hope in the country. Fast-forward 18 years, and Zambia are preparing for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations final in Libreville, Gabon, near the 1993 crash site. Despite fading on the international scene, Zambia’s run to the final is remarkable. Facing Africa’s best team, Ivory Coast, led by stars like Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, Zambia’s underdogs have a chance to honour the legacy of the team whose future was snatched away from them. #AmazingSportStories

The newly formed Zambian football team begins to honour the legacy of the KK11, and the players start to defy all odds. The resilience of a nation is witnessed as the new team is met with a wave of support and jubilation. We hear Zambians cheer on their team with the iconic Chipolopolo chant as the players stage an important comeback in a World Cup qualifier which ensures they climb the ranks for the Africa Cup of Nations. #AmazingSportStories

The families of Zambia’s fallen football players grieve their loved ones, as a new national team is formed. The nation mourns the squad at the Independence Stadium in Lusaka, as relatives begin their fight for justice and truth. The newly assembled line-up begins training. Danish manager Roald Poulsen will be their coach. Three players from the original team, but who were not on the flight - Kalusha Bwalya, Johnson Bwalya and Charles Musonda - are among them. They try their luck in World Cup qualifiers and then start their journey to the biggest contest on the continent, the Africa Cup of Nations.

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The stars of Zambia's national football team are killed in a deadly plane crash in 1993, and a dream is shattered. Former international player Robert Earnshaw goes back to his roots in Zambia to interview football writer Ponga Liwewe and the families of the legendary players, including relatives of Godfrey Chitalu, and David Efford Chabala. The team had been nicknamed the KK11 in honour of President Kenneth Kaunda, a proud football fan, after their famous victory against Italy at the Olympics. They had set their sights on being the first Zambian team to compete at the World Cup and they had just begun playing qualifier matches for the tournament when disaster struck. #AmazingSportStories

A nation’s dreams were shattered when Zambia's football team was killed in a plane crash. Against all odds, a new squad was assembled. This is the story of the “Copper Bullets” and what happened next – a story no one could possibly have imagined. Former international footballer Robert Earnshaw sets out to tell this amazing sport story – coming soon.

In 1971, women in Brazil were banned from taking part in organised football. Lea Campos had spent most of her life being steered away from the game, but the fascination had never left her, and she began to wonder if she could get involved by becoming a referee. However, future Fifa president Joao Havelange was determined to maintain the status quo.

With this seemingly insurmountable obstacle in her path, Lea decided to appeal to one of the few men more powerful than Havelange: General Emilio Garrastazu Medici, Brazil's brutal military dictator. But would he be willing to listen?

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Caroline Brouwer was one of very few women working in English men's football in the 1980s - and she found her home in one of its most infamous dressing rooms.

The Wimbledon team of the late 1980s featured some of the game's most intimidating players: Vinnie Jones, Dennis Wise, John Fashanu. The press labelled them the 'Crazy Gang', notorious for their riotous behaviour and direct, physical tactics. Their fans loved them; the football establishment turned up their noses. But as they rose through the leagues, they became impossible to ignore.

As one of Wimbledon's physiotherapists, Caroline helped the players deal with the rigours of a punishing training regime, but also lent a sympathetic ear away from the dressing room. Then in 1988, she was on the touchline as the team faced their greatest challenge: an FA Cup final against Liverpool, the newly crowned champions of England. What happened next would make history.

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Antonio Esfandiari's heart was beating like a drum. $18 million was stacked up about 12 feet away from where he was sitting. Only one other poker player stood between him and the biggest prize in the game's history.

Everyone held their breath as the dealer revealed the final card.

For Esfandiari, it represented the culmination of a career which began in very different circumstances; for poker itself, the change was immeasurable. This is the story of how a card game went from smoky back rooms to the global sporting mainstream.

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We have a winner – or so we think. Questions are being asked, as an earlier climb comes under scrutiny. If you don’t actually reach the summit, can you still claim the title of first woman to scale the fourteen highest peaks? The mountaineers risked their lives on the ultimate challenge – can they make peace with what has happened?

The mountaineers are climbing the final peaks, and three of them are neck-and-neck. The other two are close behind. They say it’s not a race, but their sense of competition is intense. Can they all make it?

This episode was updated on 17 May 2024, to correct an error in the temperature on the summit of Nanga Parbat.

Then there were five. Two super-fast new challengers are powering up the peaks, and the pressure is on. Edurne Pasaban, Gerlinde Katlernbrunner and Nives Meroi have been climbing the world’s highest mountains at a rate of around one a year. With the arrival of the South Korean climbers Oh Eun-sun and Go Mi-young, the stakes are supercharged.

A near-death experience motivates a mountaineer to scale the world’s highest peaks. But two others are trying at the same time. They say this is not a race, but they are locked in competition to be the first woman to reach the summit of the 14 peaks.

The female climbers vying to make history. Their challenge? To scale the fourteen highest peaks in the world. They come from South Korea, Spain, Italy and Austria to pit themselves against some of the harshest environments on earth, more than 8000 metres high in the Karakoram and Himalayan mountains. It is a dangerous quest. Who will realise their dream?

The four-part season, with Joanna Jolly and Kathy Karlo, is coming soon.

On Easter Monday, 1957, stewards waited near the start of a half-marathon race in Doncaster, in the north of England. They each clutched a photograph of a man who, they had been told, must not be allowed to compete under any circumstances. That man, John Tarrant, was lurking in the crowd in disguise, ready to once more defy those who tried to stop him.

One of Britain's finest long-distance athletes of the late 1950s and 1960s, Tarrant ran multiple world records, but was denied his full share of glory by stubborn authorities who banned him from racing. But he wouldn't let them stop him. He was a dogged and brilliant competitor. A numberless outlaw. They called him the Ghost Runner.

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The first Brazilian striker to play for Barcelona scored more times than Ronaldo and Romario combined, had a better goals-to-games ratio than Neymar or Rivaldo and got the goal that knocked Real Madrid out of the European Cup for the very first time - before crossing that bitter divide two years later.

For Brazil, he holds a goalscoring record that Pele never matched, yet was prohibited from playing at the 1958 World Cup. As a manager, he led 16 different teams, including Iraq, where he worked alongside Saddam Hussein's son.

This is the story of Evaristo.

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When Leon Edwards was nine years old, he moved with his mum and younger brother from a one-bedroom shack in Kingston, Jamaica, to start a new life in Birmingham, England. Four years later, his mum got a phone call at 2am. Leon could her crying. His dad, a gang leader, had been murdered.

Over the next few years - the "darkest" of his life - Leon was himself drawn into a world of gang violence. This is the story of how, against the odds, he found a way out by forging a path in mixed martial arts - and went on to win the sport's biggest prize. Audio scenes have been re-created. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

From the Curse of the Bambino, to the Drake Curse, the Curse of the Billy Goat and the Curse of County Mayo... this St Patrick’s Day, we’re exploring why some sports fans and players believe their teams could actually be cursed. Why are sport and superstition so intrinsically linked? Whether it’s wearing lucky pants on match days, sitting in the same spot for every game or even peeing on the field before kick off - why do some of us seem to believe cosmic forces could help lead us to victory?

After investigating an apparent 70-year-old curse on County Mayo‘s Gaelic football team, Irish-American sport reporter Dave McKenna is back for this special episode. He’s delving into the minds of fans and athletes to try to understand why sport and superstition seem to be so entangled.

For Dave’s full, three-part investigation into the Mayo curse, scroll back to episodes of Amazing Sport Stories from the end of 2023 or search for The Curse of County Mayo, wherever you get your podcasts.

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"The audacity!" Roberta 'Bobbi' Gibb had just received a nine-word slap to the face: "Women are not physiologically capable of running a marathon." That was the reply she received when she applied to enter the Boston Marathon. She crumpled the letter and threw it on the floor. Bobbi knew she’d be running the race - whether they let her or not.

This is the story of one woman’s battle against derogatory sideswipes and archaic attitudes, and how far she went to remove the barriers that kept women from running practically every marathon in the world. Audio scenes have been re-created. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

When former Dutch boxing champion Barry Groenteman used to visit his grandmother at her retirement home, he would often see an older man shadow-boxing. "He showed me his ring with the Star of David on it. And my grandmother would whisper: 'That's Ben Bril.'"

This is the story of a Jewish boxer from Amsterdam who had his life transformed by invasion, violence and anti-Semitism. A champion forced into hiding, then captured and sent to the Nazi concentration camps - after being betrayed by a former Olympic teammate. Audio scenes have been re-created. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

There had been no apology. The “Black 14” moved on. Decades later, was that about to change? The American footballers had tried to take a stand against racism but they can’t forget what happened that day in 1969, back in Laramie, Wyoming. It has affected the entire course of their lives. Then, one of them receives a phone call.

This four-part season includes interviews with eight of the Black 14: Guillermo Hysaw, Ted Williams, Ron Hill, John Griffin, Tony McGee, Joe Williams, Mel Hamilton, and Lionel Grimes.

Kicked off the Wyoming Cowboys, the “Black 14” watch the next game from the stands. Then, they turn to the courts to try to seek justice. It is October 1969 and word of their dismissal, for wanting to stage a protest against racism, has spread around the university campus. Their story is about to go national. The next match is against Brigham Young University, but they cannot play. This four-part season includes interviews with eight of the Black 14: Guillermo Hysaw, Ted Williams, Ron Hill, John Griffin, Tony McGee, Joe Williams, Mel Hamilton, and Lionel Grimes.

Warning: this episode contains the use of racist language.

After facing racism on the field, “the Black 14” American footballers have made a decision. They’re going to ask the Cowboys’ head coach, Lloyd Eaton, if they can wear black armbands to protest at their next game against the Mormon-run Brigham Young University (BYU). They don’t expect convincing him will be easy. But they’re totally unprepared for his reaction, which will rock their lives forever.

This four-part season includes interviews with eight of the Black 14: Guillermo Hysaw, Ted Williams, Ron Hill, John Griffin, Tony McGee, Joe Williams, Mel Hamilton, and Lionel Grimes.

Content warning: This episode contains lived experiences which involve the use of strong racist language.

Sport, racism and protests are about to change the lives of “the Black 14” American footballers. It’s 1969 in the United States. They’ve arrived on scholarships at the University of Wyoming to play for its Cowboys American football team. It was a predominantly white college. The team is treated like a second religion. Then, the players make a decision to take a stand against racism in a game against another university.

This four-part season includes interviews with eight of the Black 14: Guillermo Hysaw, Ted Williams, Ron Hill, John Griffin, Tony McGee, Joe Williams, Mel Hamilton, and Lionel Grimes.

Content warning: This episode contains lived experiences which involve the use of strong racist language.

Podcast artwork: D8 Promotional artwork: Photography by Stephanie Wolf. Mural by Adrienne Vetter for the Laramie Mural Project.

Audio for this episode was updated on 2 February 2024.

In 1969 Wyoming, racism is rife and 14 young black American footballers decide to take a stand. But the repercussions will change their lives forever. BA Parker takes us back to America’s turbulent 1960s to explore the injustice suffered by the “Black 14”.

The four-part season is coming soon.

It’s 1998 and Iran have just played the USA in one of the most eagerly awaited matches of the World Cup in France. Now on the eve of the final, in a building on the Champs-Elysees, two acquaintances – one Iranian, one American – are hatching a plan. They’re hoping to change geopolitics, through football. This is the story how their idea for a simple friendly match would lead to death threats, an FBI decoy and the closure of American airspace.

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Hundreds of years ago, the Native people of Alaska's coastal whaling settlements had a unique way of communicating when a hunt had been successful. A messenger would run inland and, when within sight, jump and kick both feet into the air. The passage of time has seen that disappear, but once a year the tradition is revived. This is the story of what’s officially known as the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and those who take part in events like the high-kicks, the ear pull and the seal hop, to preserve a rare part of Alaskan culture.

Audio scenes have been re-created for your enjoyment. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

Looking out from a balcony in Nazare, over slumped, drying wetsuits, you can see it all. The stretch of sand, the salt haze, a spike of cliff and a scarlet lighthouse. Most of all, you can see the waves, a backdrop of bubbling white water and that distinctive churning white noise. This is the story of Nazare, a small town in Portugal where you’ll find the world’s biggest waves, some the size of a 10-storey building. It’s also the story of the people who surf those waves, putting their lives in the ocean’s hands - while also putting Nazare firmly on the map.

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It's a scorching hot June afternoon in the middle of an Italian heatwave. Two sisters are in the foothills of the Dolomites, about to start a 10km climb. They’re elite cyclists Fariba and Yulduz Hashimi, two of the best from their country, but they're not used to riding around bends, with cars in their way. It's far from the dusty landscape of northern Afghanistan where they come from, where often the rubbly roads aren’t even suitable to walk on. This is the story of how Fariba and Yulduz made a life and career from cycling in one of the most remote, conservative provinces of Afghanistan, where it was practically unheard of to see women cycling, and of their subsequent escape from the Taliban.

The Long Ride Home has been adapted from an article by Ivana Scatola on the Insight pages of the BBC Sport website. Audio scenes have been re-created for your enjoyment. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

The deafening roar of shells exploding, a cacophony of bullets whizzing past, the air thick with smoke. This is Belgium, 1914 and life in the trenches for British and German soldiers is the definition of misery. But for one beautiful, spontaneous moment, peace and football replaces the fighting with a Christmas Truce. This is the story of what happened that day in no man's land on the Western Front during World War One.

As Mayo prepare for the All-Ireland Championship, a formidable obstacle stands in their way. Will the men from Mayo finally win the coveted tournament and vanquish talk of the curse once and for all? Meanwhile, the truth about what really happened that day in Foxford more than 70 years ago is finally within reach. Episode 3 of 3.

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Was County Mayo’s Irish football team really cursed in 1951? Sports reporter Dave McKenna hears from the last remaining member of the 1951 Mayo All-Ireland squad. Does he remember a priest cursing the team? And does he believe the curse is real? Dave’s investigation leads him to the town of Foxford, the site where legend dictates it all began. And sad news changes the course of the investigation. Episode 2 of 3.

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Is County Mayo’s Gaelic football team cursed? You might have heard of the “Curse of Bambino” for the Boston Red Sox in US baseball. This is the story of Ireland’s equivalent. Irish-American sports reporter Dave McKenna investigates this curious case to find out if a decades old hex is behind their recent failures. Did the team really disrespect a funeral in 1951? And did that cause the mysterious bad luck that’s plagued the team ever since? Episode 1 of 3.

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Ireland’s “cursed” Gaelic football team – our next amazing sport story. Can County Mayo’s failure to win the All-Ireland Championship really be the result of a curse put on the team more than 70 years ago?

The three-part season with Dave McKenna is coming soon.

At 200 miles, it might not be the world's longest race, but Tunnel Ultra is certainly the darkest. It's a gruelling two-day endurance event where competitors run underground laps in single-file, to a backdrop of classical music. Headphones are banned but hallucinations are all but guaranteed, with sightings of abominable snowmen, giant slugs and orange blobby monsters all reported. So why do people do it? This is the story of those who do, including one who suffered temporary blindness... then thanked the race organiser for the privilege. The Never-Ending Tunnel has been adapted from an article by Justin Goulding on the Insight pages of the BBC Sport website. Audio scenes have been re-created for your enjoyment. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

The backlash becomes serious, but Justine Blainey refuses to give up. Will her long journey for equality on the ice rink be finally over? She’s stayed strong through the backlash from haters and a succession of court cases. She is now breathtakingly close to her dream of playing for a boys’ ice hockey team. Hosted by double Olympic gold medallist Cassie Campbell-Pascall. Episode three of three.

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Justine takes her fight to court. If she’s the best, why does her gender matter? The legal team argue it is her constitutional right. Despite supportive family and teammates, Justine is only 12 and the pressure is getting to her. The judge is about to make the ruling. Can Justine win her case? Hosted by double Olympic gold medallist Cassie Campbell-Pascall. Episode two of three.

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“You're good enough but you’re a girl”. Twelve year old Justine just wants to play ice hockey – with the boys. When she’s told she can’t, she writes a letter which will change everything. Double Olympic gold medallist and former Canadian team captain Cassie Campbell-Pascall tells the story of Justine Blainey. Episode 1 of 3.

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“Yes you’re good enough, we wish we could take you. But you’re a girl.” Schoolgirl Justine’s fight for the right to play in a boys’ ice hockey team. She is a talented player who wants to get to the top of her game. And her fight to change the rules takes her all the way to Canada’s highest court of justice. Presented by double Olympic ice hockey gold medallist Cassie Campbell-Pascall. Season 1 of Amazing Sport Stories: Frozen Out launches on 30 October 2023.

Sport but not as you know it. Imagine being stranded in the “death zone” on one of the world’s highest mountains. How about running 200 miles in a dark tunnel? We’ve been searching the world for the most amazing sport stories. Other podcasts bring you the scores and team news. This one tells the stories you’ll wish you’d known about and now probably won’t forget. You don’t need to be obsessed with sport to find yourself immersed in our mini-seasons and short stories.

Amazing Sport Stories kicks off on 30 October 2023.