Sportshour

Ukrainian Olympic Swimmer and World Record holder Andrii Govorov tells us about getting his wife and young child out of the country just before Russia invaded. Govorov - who was born in Crimea – also gives us an insight into the Russian Psyche and believes people have been brainwashed to accept the conflict. He explains why he believes all Russian athletes should be banned from international competition and tells us how he feels seeing Ukrainian athletes sign up to fight in the war.Sweden’s Minister for Sports - Anders Ygeman - tells us sporting boycotts do work and that Vladimir Putin holds the key to getting Russia readmitted into the international sporting fold.Adelaide United striker Fiona Worts tells us about the challenge of combining a job in McDonalds with firing her side into the A-League Women play-offs for the first time. Worts is the competitions top scorer and recently hit a record-equalling five goals in a match against Brisbane Roar.And - Andy Stevenson brings us the latest news on the Winter

We speak to the Ukrainian Tennis player Illya Marchenko who tells us that, for him, this is sadly all too familiar. His war started eight years ago when he was forced to flee from his home in Donetsk. He and his wife packed a bag and have never returned. Despite what Russia is doing as a country, Illya explains why he wouldn’t necessarily support a ban on Russian sportspeople competing internationally – he says he has Russian friends in the Tennis world and they don’t necessarily agree with what their country is doing.After Uefa announced that the 2022 Champions League Final would be taken away from St Petersburg, and Formula One stated it would be “impossible” to stage the Russian Grand Prix, we examine the future of sporting events – both those due to feature teams representing Ukraine, and also those events that would normally be welcoming Russian participants or relying on the country as a host. Would sporting sanctions work? Richard Mills, an Associate Professor in Modern European History from the U

We speak to a female athlete, who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban retook control of her country. She managed to leave on a flight with the help of paperwork, which she thought would lead to her starting a new life in Canada. That hasn’t proved to be the case and she’s currently living with other evacuees in eastern Europe. She tells us she believes she would have been killed if found by the Taliban and about her fear for her family still living in Afghanistan.Henry Cabelus explains what the sport of extreme pogo involves ahead of him performing at the NBA All-Star weekend. Cabelus, who holds a number of world records – including the most consecutive back-flips in a row – tells us he hopes his sport will be included in the X Games in the future.Olivia and Chandler McDaniel discuss their new found fame after they helped the Philippines reach next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup. They have been stopped for selfies in the supermarket and been to meet boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. Olivia was the star performer in

All the excitement and colour from LA ahead of the most watched annual sporting event anywhere in the world. We look at what the Super Bowl means to America through the eyes of three former NFL players. One who only got to the game once he retired, one who lost on the day but won a bigger prize and one who ended up a champion but paid an incredibly high price for his success. And all three have gone on to have a great impact off the field.Former San Francisco 49er George Visger tells us about the horrific cost of winning his Super Bowl ring. During the course of his career he suffered many concussions and now years later and after several brain surgeries, he has been left fighting not only for his memory but for his medical bills to be paid. He lost his house, his business and his family, but despite all of that and his severe medical condition George is a leading campaigner and advocate for the protection of athletes in sport.Jeff Rohrer never made it to the Super Bowl as a player, but as one of TV’s most re

We join our correspondent Alex Capstick live in Beijing with the Winter Olympics well underway. We also hear from Olympic skiing Gold medallists Lindsey Vonn and Picabo Street about their friendship and the new documentary Vonn has co-directed about Street’s life. Vonn discusses her first meeting with her idol as a 9 year old child, while Street opens up on the difficult issues in her personal life that are explored in the film. United States men’s Ice Hockey coach – David Quinn – discusses the challenges of putting a team together without National Hockey League players and Simon Gleave from the data company Gracenote tells us who he expects to do well in Beijing.Sporting Witness has a Winter Olympics theme as we hear from Vonetta Flowers. At the 2002 games in Salt Lake City, she became the first black athlete to win a Winter Olympic Gold medal, as she and Jill Bakken topped the podium in the two-woman Bobsleigh event.Iceland midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir opens up on combining motherhood and a career as a p

On this week's Sportshour with Caroline Barker, we speak to the President of the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee, Valeriy Sushkevych, about the tensions at the Russian border and how this is affecting the countries athletes ahead of the Winter Paralympics in Beijing. Plus, we’ll hear from Jack Jablonski who was an aspiring ice hockey player, who suffered a terrible spinal injury ending his chances. Despite his injury, he’s now working for a professional ice hockey team in the US. Photo: A view of Humvees given to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. (Credit: TASS via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabian women competed in the Dakar Rally for the first time in 2022, with Dania Akeel and Mashael al-Obaidan completing the race earlier this month. They join us to reflect on making history and discuss how competing in one of the world’s most gruelling automobile rally races has changed them. They also give their thoughts on whether they see themselves as inspirational figures for women in their country. Shanwayne Stephens tells us about helping Jamaica qualify a four-man bobsleigh team for a first Winter Olympics in 24 years. Stephens is the team’s pilot and discusses his hopes for the Beijing Games, what he makes of his team being compared to the 1988 team, which inspired the film Cool Runnings and who would play him in the movie if they made a sequel.Vegan endurance runner Robbie Balenger joins us to discuss pushing his body to its limits while maintaining a plant-based diet, his spiritual connection to running and to reflect on some of the challenges he has completed. Balenger holds the record f

We speak to a refugee held in the Park Hotel about life as a detainee. 24-year-old Adnan Choopani left Iran to seek asylum nine years ago and has been held in a variety of Australian detention facilities ever since. He explains the impact living at the Park Hotel has had on his mental health and how he hopes the world doesn’t forget the residents now Novak Djokovic has left. Adnan is joined by David Glanz from the group Refugee Action Collective, who details the poor conditions people face in the hotel – including a lack of fresh air and maggot-infested food. Two-time Olympian and double Commonwealth Games Heptathlon silver medallist Jessica Zelinka explains the barriers women athletes face when transitioning into coaching. Zelinka – who is head track and field coach at the University of Calgary – explains why she feels more women don’t take up coaching, the unique perspectives women can provide and discusses the work Commonwealth Sport Canada are doing to prepare more women for high performance coaching ro

Ice Hockey fan Nadia Popovici tells us how she helped save the life of Vancouver Canucks assistant equipment manager Brian Hamilton after she spotted a cancerous mole on the back of his neck during a game between the Canucks and the Seattle Kraken. She warned him about the mole by banging on the plexiglass and typing a message on her phone. Popovici says she’s grateful Hamilton took her advice and had the mole removed as it was found to be cancerous. The Canucks and Kraken have then come together to award Popovici a ten thousand dollar scholarship to help with her costs at medical school. The president of World Netball – Liz Nicholl – tells us she believes the sport still has a huge role to play across the Commonwealth as we approach the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The event in Birmingham is the last Commonwealth Games in which Netball – along with a host of other sports – is guaranteed a place. Craig Bromfield joins us to discuss how a chance encounter with Brian Clough as a child led the legendary football m

A look back on some of the athletes we met at the Tokyo Games and look ahead to Beijing including Switzerland’s Jolanda Neff who won the cross-country mountain bike event, Spanish Paralympian Desirée Vila who was competing at her first Games and Georgie Cohen who will be representing Israel at the Winter Games in February, and honouring the legacy of her grandfather Maurice Cohen.Image: Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

We look back at some of the stories we covered and people we met in 2021 including Haley Carter the former assistant coach of the Afghan women's team and also a US Marine veteran. We hear from Janelly Farias, who was called "the Mexican Rapinoe" on social media for her willingness to bring to light the prejudiced faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Mexico. Nav Bhatia who was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame an honour normally confined to those who perform on the court, tells us about devotion to his beloved Toronto Raptors. Australian cyclist Lachlan Morton on the challenge of completing his own remarkable Tour de France.Photo: Haley Carter coaches the Afghan women's football team (Credit: Haley Carter) Photo supplied and used to ensure no players can be identified

UFC strawweight Kay Hansen opens up about how she discovered she had an eating disorder and how she believes it could be linked to the trauma she endured as a teenager. Hansen was sexually abused in her teens and says not eating and over training was her way of coping. Her issues around food came to a head when she was forced to pull out of a fight in March as her body was effectively shutting down on her. We explore the world of pillow fighting ahead of PFC 3, which will be broadcast on pay per view television across the globe, with FightPFC chief executive Steve Williams and professional pillow fighter Terrell Jenkins. Williams believes pillow fighting is set to become the next big combat sport and explains how it works, while Jenkins tells us how he sent his last opponent to the hospital.Stacey-Lee May tells us how being bullied during childhood led to a career in motorsport. The South African competes in spinning, which is a more extreme version of drifting, with the driver hanging out of the car as it is

The BBC’s Formula 1 reporter Jennie Gow joins us from Abu Dhabi, ahead of the final race of the season, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fighting for the Drivers World Title. Verstappen is aiming for his first world title and we hear from his mentor when he started out in Formula 3. Frits Van Amersfoort tells us it became clear, within one hour of working with Max, that he was a special talent, says he hasn’t changed his approach since racing for him and compares Verstappen’s rivalry with Lewis Hamilton to the one Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost shared. Van Amersfoort also tells us he’s worked in motorsport for forty years and he’s never known people in the Netherlands as interested in the sport as they are now because of Verstappen’s success.Paddy Lacey joins us ahead of his fight on the undercard of Katie Taylor’s defence of her undisputed lightweight titles against Kazakh challenger Firuza Sharipova. Lacey played in the same Liverpool youth team as Wolves and England defender Conor Coady before a failed

The Football Association director of the Women’s Professional Game – Kelly Simmons - tells us 5 December was chosen as the date for this year’s women’s FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea as it marks the 100 anniversary of the governing body banning women’s football. Simmons describes that decision as probably the lowest point in the history of the game and says the FA are keen to be positive about the day and celebrate how far the women’s game has come in the years since. Simmons also discusses what needs to change in international football following a series of one sided Fifa World Cup Qualifiers – including England’s 20-0 win over Latvia this week. Jamaica netball captain Jhaniele Fowler tells us how she didn’t let a serious heart condition she developed as a child, stop her pursuing a career in sport. Fowler has only just stopped taking medication for rheumatic heart disease. She also tells us how her playing schedule and the Covid-19 pandemic have combined to keep her and her daughter apart for th

The world’s only blind cricket commentator - Dean du Plessis - tells us he is now losing his hearing and discusses the impact it is having on his life and career. Du Plessis says not being able to hear properly is more frightening to him than the sky dive he completed in 2007 and the journey he took on the back of a motorbike that was travelling around three hundred kilometres an hour. Du Plessis is Zimbabwe’s most recognised voice in cricket but says he may need to consider moving to a country were conditions are better for blind people. However, he is staying positive and he even sings a bit of his favourite band - Def Leppard - for us.Thalea Smidt joins us in the week her team – Mamelodi Sundowns – completed an historic treble, including them winning the first ever Women's African Champions League. The midfielder tells us becoming champions of the continent is amazing and the reality of the achievement is still sinking in. She also believes the South African sides success could open the door for more girls

As rugby union's Autumn Internationals end we look at England women's success ahead of World Cup year in 2022 with the woman who lifted the trophy for England in 2014, Katy Daley-McClean MBE. We'll also hear from South Africa's World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi ahead of the men's clash with England.Venus and Serena Williams, Phil and Gary Neville, Yaya and Kolo Toure. Have you ever noticed how many sporting siblings there are?! But are you born with it? Is it down to hard work? Or is it something completely different? Sportshour’s Rachael Rhodes has been finding out about new research into the area and hearing from MMA legend Ken Shamrock.The Jamaican bobsleigh team that competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics, and had a movie made about them, have become the standard by which all unusual sporting endeavours are judged! Well despite the 2022 games in Beijing coming just a little too soon, the next chapter of unlikely sport combinations isn't too far away. Cool Slidings. It's time to meet Alistair Fyfe, origi

Has has the past two weeks been a decisive moment for athlete climate activism? As COP26, the United Nations climate change conference, ends what impact has sport had on delivering for the future? Athletes, organisations and members of the sporting community have signed a manifesto calling on, amongst other things, net zero and to protect communities and natural habitats. We hear from English cricketer Joe Cooke, one of those who signed the manifesto. Plus Fiona Morgan is the Global Director of Purpose & Impact at SailGP, a championship that races all over the world but has added a sustainability aspect to the action, rewarding teams as much for their speed on the water as their impact on the environment. She told us about the role sport is playing at COP26 and what it's like to take part in one of the panel discussions at the summit.It's been a busy month for Vivianne Miedema, banging in the goals for Arsenal, nominated for the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year and alongside her partner, West Ham's Lisa

The NHL, the professional ice hockey league in North America, has been rocked by allegations of sexual abuse and failure to investigate them when they were first made. It revolves around a law suit a former Chicago Blackhawks player has brought against the team after he allege he was abused by one of the coaches. That player, Kyle Beach, spoke out publicly this week in an emotional interview with TSN journalist Rick Westhead. We hear part of that interview and from Rick on exposing sexual abuse in the NHL and the cover up.As COP26 continues in Glasgow we look at what role sport can play in protecting the planet. And whilst Baseball's World Series crowned its champion this week, for Milwaukee Brewer’s pitcher Brent Suter the work on making the sport environmentally conscious continues. Proudly known as the "greenest man in baseball" he tells us about the challenges he's faced trying to change minds and habits of team mates and fans.Seeing our favourite stars doing their bit does have an impact because as fans

As Namibia's men continue to make history at their first T20 Cricket World Cup we speak to Dr Rudie van Vuuren, a two-sport international for the country. These days Dr van Vuuren combines his passion for sport with a passion for conservation. He recalls playing at both the Cricket and Rugby World Cups in 2003 and tells us what he would like to see come out of the COP26 Climate Change Conference.We put the same question to Seyi Smith. He’s a Summer and Winter Olympian who's co-founded 'Racing to Zero' in his native Canada. The aim is to make small-scale, local sporting events carbon neutral. Seyi was a sprinter who represented his country at London 2012 and then at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Bobsled. But he’s also an engineer by trade. Once his track career had ended, it was a speech by the former US President Barack Obama which convinced him he needed to encourage grass-roots change to tackle the climate crisis.Great Britain Rower, Melissa Wilson, joins us as she prepares to attend COP26 as a representative

When the first whistle blows in the Premier League most players will drop to one knee as a way of highlighting racial injustice and supporting positive change. It's something that has happened at Premier League matches since the death of George Floyd in 2020. But has 'taking the knee' lost its impact? We hear from former athlete Michelle Moore whose new book 'Real Wins' is described as an urgent call to action from one of the most influential women in sport.With the UCI Track Cycling World Championships taking place in France we hear from Canadian sprint legend Gordon Singleton, the only man to hold all three sprint world records at the same time, about just how special it is to win a world title.Plus as the W-Series, the premier women’s driving championship comes, to an end this weekend we preview the final round of races with one of the drivers, Jessica Hawkins. But you won’t just see Jessica on the track she’s on the big screen too, in the latest Bond film! Jessica tells us how she juggles being a racing c