Sportshour

We reflect on history being made in the Women’s Champions League after a record crowd of 91,553 people attended the second-leg of Barcelona’s quarter-final against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou. Maz was at the game and we hear from fans, Ballon d’Or winner Alexis Putellas, and from the club about their vision for women’s football moving forward. Courtney Winfield-Hill tells us about her plans to represent England at the Rugby League World Cup. The Australian-born former cricketer tells us she feels at home in England and how she’ll be supporting her wife, England batter Lauren Winfield-Hill, in Sunday’s Cricket World Cup final against Australia. Liz Mills discusses being a pioneer in men’s basketball in Africa. Mills is the only woman coaching at this season's Basketball Africa League - which is a joint NBA-FIBA competition. She's leading Morocco's AS Sale - which also makes her the first female coach in the Arab World. She previously made history by leading Kenya at the men's AfroBasket in 2021. This wee

Leonid Grigoriev tells us how he returned to his home city of Mariupol to rescue his parents this week. Grigoriev – who swims for Ukraine’s national team – describes the devastation brought about by the Russian Army and says his car was almost hit by a bomb during his rescue mission. He says residents of the city looked like they were ready to give up their lives and that he also helped evacuate a woman and her child to Poland.Former Australia netball and Australian Rules Football player Sharni Norder gives us her thoughts on what could be next for Ash Barty after she announced her retirement from tennis this week. Barty has already enjoyed success in cricket, so could she make the move to Netball or Aussie Rules next?Faye West tells us about being one of only two women on Great Britain’s wheelchair rugby team at the recent European Championships and how her long-term goal is to make the team for the next Paralympics.Lavonte Stewart and Jalil Anderson from Lost Boyz explain how they use baseball to tackle you

Oleksiej Zorin is an American Football player and team owner. His family are in Poland under the care of the team he plays for, while he is unable to reach players based in Mariupol, who play on the team he owns, after the city came under heavy attack from Russia. He admits he is scared for the players he can’t reach and grateful his team in Poland got his family out of Ukraine. He tells us about the work he is doing to help the people of Kyiv and how he has considered joining the army. Zorin says he doesn’t fear death but he does fear for the future. Lowri Norkett joins us in a week which saw her make her debut for Wales and then be selected for their 6 Nations squad. Norkett only took up rugby union after her sister Elli – who was a Wales international – was killed in a car crash five years ago. Lowri tells us about wearing her sisters boots and how she is always with her. The incoming NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman tells us about rebuilding trust between the league and the players following allegatio

The vice president of Wisla Krakow, Maciej Bałaziński and Anna Mioduska, who is the chair of Legia Warsaw’s foundation, tell us how their clubs are helping people displaced by the conflict in Ukraine. Both clubs have been aiding the effort to collect supplies for Ukrainian refugees, while Wisla have also given sanctuary to the youth team players from Dynamo Kyiv. Legia have been providing football sessions for children and have plans in place to provide a creche for young children and their mothers. Katie Smith brings us the latest news from the Winter Paralympics and we hear from Canadian legend Brian McKeever. Camille Herron tells us her attitude to ultrarunning is a mix of the fictional characters Ted Lasso, Forrest Gump and Billy Elliott. The American recently broke her own 100-mile women’s world record averaging around 7:37 minutes per mile over the 12 hours and 41 minutes run. And - David Diamante joins us to reflect on the motorcycle accident that could have cost him his life and making his retur

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