Sporting Witness

In the 1950s, Angela Buxton and Althea Gibson formed a unique partnership in women's doubles. As a British Jew and an African-American respectively, both women had faced prejudice in their home countries, but in 1956 they pulled off a stunning win at Wimbledon. Angela Buxton talks to David Whitty.(Photo: Angela Buxton and Althea Gibson with their Wimbledon trophy. Credit: Getty Images).

In 1984, the Chicago Bulls picked arguably the greatest basketball player of all time in the NBA draft. Rod Thorn, the Bulls general manager, was the man who selected Jordan. He gives the inside story of the draft to Alex Capstick. PHOTO: Michael Jordan in action for the Chicago Bulls (Getty Images Sport).

Shaiza Khan and Kiran Baluch are two cricketers who pioneered the women's game in Pakistan - despite opposition and death threats from Islamist extremists. They went on to set world records in their sport and to become two of the first female members of the MCC.PHOTO: Kiran Baluch (personal collection).

In the 1980s, a Hawaiian-born wrestler took the traditional world of Japanese Sumo by storm. Known as The Dumptruck because of his huge size, he won legions of fans and paved the way for the internationalisation of the sport. The Dumptruck shares his love of Sumo - and Hawaiian hula music - with Sporting Witness.(Photo: The Dumptruck in his prime. Credit: Getty Images).

How Tegla Loroupe, an unknown Kenyan runner, became the first marathon champion from Africa, with an exceptionally fast finish. She tells us how a tough upbringing in the mountains of her homeland shaped her whole approach to breaking barriers.(Photo: Tegla Loroupe. Credit: Michael Loccisano/ Getty Images)

An insider's account of Pele's shock move to a soccer team in the United States in 1975. We hear from Clive Toye, the former General Manager of the New York Cosmos, who persuaded Pele to play football in the US.(Photo: Pele in action for NY Cosmos during an American Soccer League match. Credit: Getty Images/Allsport UK /Allsport)

In 1964, East German cyclist, Dieter Wiedemann, defected to the West to be with the woman he loved and to fulfil his dream of riding the Tour de France Photo: Dieter Wiedermann racing in the 1967 Tour de France (Credit: Dieter Wiedemann)

In the late 1970s, three black West Bromwich Albion players revolutionised English football. Laurie Cunningham, Brendon Batson and Cyrille Regis had to face racist abuse, but won many fans thanks to their attacking flair. The three footballers even earned the affectionate nickname The Three Degrees, after a famous pop group of the time. The programme is a Whistledown Production and was first broadcast in 2012.PHOTO: Cyrille Regis (BBC)

In 1986, Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox made one of the most famous errors in baseball history. With his team about to claim their first victory for 68 years, Buckner let the ball slip between his legs on a crucial play. The misfield spelled defeat for the Red Sox and convinced many fans that their team was cursed. Will Yates talks to veteran Boston Globe sports reporter Dan Shaughnessy and to a Boston fan. The programme is a Whistledown Production.PHOTO: Bill Buckner (Getty Images).

In 1974, the British Lions rugby team made a famous and controversial tour of South Africa. As well as political controversy over Apartheid, the matches became legendary for their on-pitch violence and off-pitch partying. Alex Last talks to the Welsh winger, J.J WilliamsPHOTO: J.J Williams on the tour of South Africa (Getty Images Sport).

In 1948 at the 'austerity' Olympics, newly independent India won gold on the hockey pitch. One of the stars of the Indian team was Balbir Singh.(Photo: Balbir Singh scoring a goal against Great Britain. Credit: AP Images)

In 1991, the best golfers from the USA and Europe went head-to-head in one of the most bitter confrontations in the history of the Ryder Cup. Played shortly after the First Gulf War, some of the European team objected to the militaristic and fiercely partisan atmosphere encouraged by their American hosts. The tension spilled over into the tournament itself, which was decided on the last hole. Will Yates speaks to golfers Hale Irwin and Paul Broadhurst.(Photo: Getty Images)

In 1988, the Canadian sprinter was disqualified 48 hours after winning the Olympic 100 metre final and setting a new world record. It was one of the biggest doping scandals in the history of sport. Simon Watts introduces Ben Johnson interviews from the BBC archives.

In 1967, the Scottish football team travelled to Wembley to play England, then the holders of the World Cup. In a match that would become legendary in Scotland, the visitors won 3-2 and taunted the English in the final few minutes of the game by playing keepy-uppy. David Whitty talks to Jim McCalliog, scorer of the winning Scottish goal.(Photo: Jim McCalliog beats English goal-keeper, Gordon Banks. Credit: Getty Images)

In the summer of 1968, the South-African-born batsman put in a match-winning performance for England in a test match at the Oval. The ensuing row over whether Basil D'Oliveira should be picked for a tour of his country of birth led to the 25-year sporting isolation of apartheid South Africa. Sporting Witness speaks to D'Oliveira's England colleague, Norman Gifford, and his biographer, Peter Oborne.PHOTO: Getty Images.

In the summer of 1968, the first games for athletes with intellectual disabilities was held in Chicago. They were promoted by the Kennedy family, one of whom had learning difficulties. Sporting Witness talks to Frank Olivo, who won the 50-yard race, and Anne Burke, a Chicago schoolteacher who helped organise the event.Picture: Members of the US Special Olympic team (Private Collection)

In 1992, newly independent Lithuania managed to get its basketball team into the Barcelona Olympics after American rock band Grateful Dead agreed to help with fundraising. A brilliant generation of Lithuanian players then won a bronze medal in a grudge match against the former Soviet Union. Witness speaks to Arvydas Sabonis and Gintaras Krapikas, two members of the Lithuanian side.With contributions from journalist Ramunas BogdanasPicture: The Lithuanian team in their Grateful Dead shirts, Credit: Getty Images Sports Classic

In 1978, a US naval officer and his wife invented an extreme form of triathlon which is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Called Ironman, John and Judy Collins' creation consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile cycle ride and a 26.2 mile running marathon. They talk to Ashley Byrne about how the event was first launched in Hawaii. The programme is a Made in Manchester Production for BBC World Service.Picture: A recent edition of Ironman in Hawaii, Credit: Getty Images

In 1979, a freak storm hit a prestigious ocean race in the Irish Sea, killing 15 sailors and 3 rescuers. Matthew Sheehan tells Sporting Witness how hurricane-force winds engulfed his yacht as it headed towards the Fastnet rock, killing his father. This programme was first broadcast in 2010.PHOTO: Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

In 1958, Milkha Singh became the first Indian to win a track-and-field gold at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. Singh - later nicknamed the Flying Sikh - had been orphaned in the violence that followed the Partition of India. He overcame the trauma by discovering athletics while serving in the Indian army. He talks to Sporting Witness.PHOTO: Getty Images