
Sporting Witness is a short BBC World Service podcast that tells the biggest stories in sport through the people who were actually there. Each episode is about nine minutes – roughly the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea – and is built around one person’s memories.
You don’t even have to follow sport to get hooked on our podcast. A lot of the episodes are about so much more – like identity, obse... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 687 | Founded | 15 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | SportsHistory | |||

In 2007 Faroese swimmer Pal Joensen competed in the 12th International Island Games held on the Greek island of Rhodes.
Athletes often describe the International Island Games as a mini-Olympics for small nations, designed for athletes from islands a... more
In 1973, the head of the alcohol brand Jägermeister, Gunter Mast, decided he wanted to sponsor his local football team Eintracht Braunschweig.
However, under the rules of the West German Football Federation, the DFB, advertising on shirts was banne... more
In 2016, a new team competed at the Rio Olympics, made up of refugee athletes from around the world.
800m runner Rose Lokonyen fled South Sudan as a child to a refugee camp in Kenya.
She tells Rachel Naylor about how when she was scouted, just mon... more
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Manchester City supporters became famous for an unusual sight on the terraces: inflatable bananas. What began as a light-hearted joke soon turned into one of the most memorable fan crazes in English football.
Uma D... more
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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!!
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 !
Loved the interview with the man who swam the Amazon. Great story will listen to more of these.
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.
Love this podcast.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #128 | |
Apple Podcasts | #245 |
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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
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4. The Inquiry
5. The Documentary Podcast
Sporting Witness launched 15 years ago and published 687 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Sporting Witness include:
1. Pal Joensen
2. Bernd Gersdorff
3. Rose Nathike Lokonyen
4. Gary James
5. Imre Varadi
6. Mark Taylor
7. Julius Yego
8. Magi Haroun
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.