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Artwork for Sporting Witness

Sporting Witness

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

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes665Founded14 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistorySports

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Artwork for Sporting Witness

Latest Episodes

In 1988, a scandal took place in Mexican football, which saw the men’s team banned from the 1990 World Cup.

Mexico had fielded over-age players for the under-20s CONCACAF tournament, which was discovered by sports journalist Antonio Moreno.

When ... more

When Shakhtar Donetsk won the UEFA Cup in 2009, it was meant to be the start of a new chapter for independent Ukraine. However, when war broke out in 2014, the team's ambitions were put on hold. The captain, Darijo Srna, tells Andy Brassell how he an... more

In 2016, Leicester City pulled off one of football’s greatest shocks.

The club won the English Premier League despite starting the season as 5000:1 outsiders. Just a year earlier, they had narrowly avoided relegation.

Captain Wes Morgan looks bac... more

At the Sydney Olympics in 2000 the Nigerian 4x400m relay team surpassed expectations by winning silver in dramatic fashion.

But, in the years that followed revelations about doping in the winning USA team began to emerge.

Twelve years after the o... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Antonio Moreno
Sports journalist and president of the International Football Hall of Fame in Mexico
International Football Hall of Fame (Mexico)
Episode: Mexico’s Cachirules scandal
Darijo Srna
Former Shakhtar Donetsk captain and long-time club figure
Shakhtar Donetsk
Episode: Shakhtar Donetsk win the UEFA Cup
Wes Morgan
Leicester City captain during the title-winning season
Leicester City Football Club
Episode: Leicester City’s Premier League win
Enefiok Udo-Obong
Athlete (Nigerian 4x400m relay team member)
Nigerian Olympic team
Episode: Nigeria’s 12-year wait for gold
Innocent Eboniki
Coach of the Nigerian 4x400m relay team
Nigerian athletics
Episode: Nigeria’s 12-year wait for gold
Paddy Agnew
Irish journalist based in Rome who covers Italian football
Journalist, author
Episode: The Juventus match-fixing scandal
Russell Osman
Former Ipswich Town player who appears as himself recounting experiences on the Escape To Victory set
Ipswich Town
Episode: Making Escape To Victory
Fabiola Da Silva
Brazilian rollerblader, pioneer of women in vert skating
Individual athlete
Episode: The Fabiola Rule
Nicky Salapu
American Samoan goalkeeper who played in the 31-0 match
American Samoa national football team
Episode: International football's biggest ever beating: 31-0

Hosts

Tim O'Callaghan
Host of Sporting Witness; BBC World Service
Simon Watts
Host of Sporting Witness; BBC
Guy Kilty
Host of Sporting Witness
Marta Medvešek
Presenter of the Sporting Witness podcast

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 Kingdom3 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 Kingdom4 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 Kingdom2 years ago
  • PM

    Love this podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    PMcFlegal
    United Kingdom3 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Short episodes are perfect for commutes and quick research.
High-quality archival storytelling with credible voices.
Consistently strong for fans of sports history and human-interest angles.
Some listeners wish for longer episodes or deeper dives into topics.
Useful, well-researched history in accessible soundbites.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#75
Hong Kong/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#116
China/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#230
Ukraine/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
Professions
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?

This show curates eyewitness accounts and archival material to bring historic sports moments to life in short, narrative-led episodes. Listeners get vivid backstage moments from events ranging from Olympic debuts and groundbreaking women's competitions to pivotal coaching breakthroughs and cultural milestones in sport. The format tends to spotlight personal journeys, rivalries, and the broader impact of sports on society, often through first-person recollections and archive-driven storytelling. Notable strengths include concise, vivid storytelling, access to rare perspectives, and a track record of high-profile historic moments spanning multiple disciplines. Potential listeners who enjoy immersive history, archival interviews, and concise, ... more

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How many listeners does Sporting Witness get?

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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. Great Lives
3. From Our Own Correspondent
4. It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
5. The Explanation

How many episodes of Sporting Witness are there?

Sporting Witness launched 14 years ago and published 665 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.

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What guests have appeared on Sporting Witness?

Recent guests on Sporting Witness include:

1. Antonio Moreno
2. Darijo Srna
3. Wes Morgan
4. Enefiok Udo-Obong
5. Innocent Eboniki
6. Paddy Agnew
7. Russell Osman
8. Fabiola Da Silva

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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