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Sporting Witness

BBC World Service
Football
Manchester United
Boxing
World Cup
Ayrton Senna
Nelli Cooman
Winter Olympics
Women's Rugby World Cup
Colonel Gaddafi
Athletics
FIFA
West Germany
Women's World Cup
Premier League
Muhammad Ali
NBA
European Indoor Athletics Championships
Alpine Skiing
1990 World Cup
Hockey

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear f... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes680Founded15 years ago
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SportsHistory

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Artwork for Sporting Witness

Latest Episodes

The American swimmer Trischa Zorn-Hudson is the most decorated Paralympian in history.

Across seven games, Trischa, who was born blind, has won 55 medals.

In that time, she also saw the Paralympics go through drastic changes, as competitors campa... more

On 5 June 1982, a teenage refugee from Vietnam became the first Rubik's Cube world champion. Representing the United States, 16-year-old Minh Thai took on contestants from 19 countries at the championship in Hungary.

He made history by solving the ... more

In 1981, Norway pulled off one of the biggest shocks in football history, beating England 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Oslo. But the match is remembered just as much for what happened after the final whistle. Norwegian radio commentator Bjørge Lil... more

Alice Annum won two silver medals at the 1970 Commonwealth Games. It led to her becoming known as ‘Baby Jet’. She was also the first woman to represent Ghana at the Olympics and competed in the 100m, 200m and long jump.

Years after her accomplishme... more

Key Facts

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Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Witness History
Witness HistoryBBC World Service
The History Hour
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The Documentary Podcast
The Documentary PodcastBBC World Service

Recent Guests

Minh Thai
Rubik's Cube World Champion, 1982
United States (USA)
Episode: The first Rubik's Cube world champion
John Murray
BBC football correspondent
BBC
Episode: Norway v England 1981: 'Your boys took a hell of a beating'
Marius Lillelien
Director at NRK, son of the commentator
NRK
Episode: Norway v England 1981: 'Your boys took a hell of a beating'
Alice Annum
Original Baby Jet, Ghanaian sprinter
Ghana/athletics
Episode: ‘Baby Jet’ Ghana’s sprinting superstar
Asamoah Gyan
Ghanaian footballer nicknamed Baby Jet
Football (Sunderland, national team)
Episode: ‘Baby Jet’ Ghana’s sprinting superstar
David Dein
Former Vice-Chairman of Arsenal and the Football Association
Arsenal and Football Association
Episode: Creating the English Premier League
Maini Schildt
Finnish Ultimate Frisbee player and key early member of the Finnish team
Finnish national team / Player
Episode: The first Ultimate Frisbee World Championship
Juliene Brazinski Simpson
Co-captain of the U.S. women's basketball team at the 1976 Olympics
U.S. Olympic team
Episode: The first time women played basketball at the Olympics
Gary Mackay
Former Hearts player, key interviewee
Heart of Midlothian
Episode: When Hearts’ dream season turned sour

Host

Tim O'Callaghan
Host of Sporting Witness

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 165 ratings
  • Fantastic

    I love this podcast, so many inspirational stories and interesting facts, I often find myself delving deeper into the subject matter after listening. If they ever run out of ideas, doing slightly longer podcasts to revisit some of the most popular ones would be great!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    PoppyKey
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • These are fabulous glimpses of history

    I love these these 10 minute glimpses into history speaking to people there at the time. A fantastic taster to sometimes research certain subjects further and evidence of what the BBC are really good at educating us in an informed way !

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jazz Puppy
    United Kingdom8 months ago
  • Amazon Swimmer

    Loved the interview with the man who swam the Amazon. Great story will listen to more of these.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ItunesDon
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • Good but too short

    Plenty of scope for this series, but really, 9 minutes is far too short to cover any topic except in the most rudimentary detail. Half an hour would have been better.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Charlie1745
    United Kingdom3 years ago
  • PM

    Love this podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    PMcFlegal
    United Kingdom4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Many praise the program for bringing pivotal moments to life with eyewitness voices.
Guests who can provide fresh archival material or firsthand accounts tend to resonate well with the audience.
Listeners appreciate the concise, story-driven history and archival depth.
Some listeners wish episodes were longer to allow deeper exploration of topics.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#236
Ireland/Sports

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Mexico’s Cachirules scandal
Q: Did you have any indication that it was going to be such a big scandal when you discovered it?
I did not expect the scale because I assumed the directorate would deny it, but once we had solid evidence and external verification, the case could not be dismissed, and FIFA decided to take it seriously.
The Juventus match-fixing scandal
Q: As a reporter who'd worked in Italy for decades, were you surprised by the scandal?
I was surprised by the resilience of Italian football and the country's long-standing history of corruption, but the simultaneous rise in footballing brilliance and national pride during the World Cup years made the scandal feel even more jarring.
The Fabiola Rule
Q: But what exactly is vert skating?
Vert skating is performed on a large U-shaped ramp, typically four meters high, where skaters perform aerial tricks and combinations judged by complexity, height, and execution.
The English samurai
Q: How did you feel after the three days of racing and training?
Michael describes being totally exhausted yet filled with a sense of accomplishment and relief, recognizing the extreme physical and mental demands of participating in such a perilous, ceremonial event.
Mira Rai: Child soldier to sky runner
Q: Were you scared?
No, I wasn't scared really. I learned a lot with my friends and our leaders.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
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Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Sporting Witness

What is Sporting Witness about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Sporting Witness presents vivid, eyewitness accounts and archival material to recount pivotal moments in sporting history, often told through first-person memories from athletes, coaches, journalists, and designers. Episodes span a wide range of sports and eras, from foundational moments and breakthrough performances to iconic missteps and cultural phenomena, all framed by host narration and interviews with participants or close observers. The show tends to highlight human stories, resilience, strategy, and the social context surrounding big sports moments, with a notable focus on underreported or forgotten chapters. A standout quality is the ability to turn short, nine-minute episodes into memorable, story-led histories that are accessible... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Sporting Witness?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Sporting Witness. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Sporting Witness and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Sporting Witness get?

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What are the audience demographics for Sporting Witness?

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How many subscribers and views does Sporting Witness have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Sporting Witness has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Sporting Witness?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Sporting Witness:

1. Witness History
2. The History Hour
3. From Our Own Correspondent
4. The Documentary Podcast
5. The Audio Long Read

How many episodes of Sporting Witness are there?

Sporting Witness launched 15 years ago and published 680 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Sporting Witness?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Sporting Witness?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Sporting Witness from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Sporting Witness?

Recent guests on Sporting Witness include:

1. Minh Thai
2. John Murray
3. Marius Lillelien
4. Alice Annum
5. Asamoah Gyan
6. David Dein
7. Maini Schildt
8. Juliene Brazinski Simpson

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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