Sporting Witness

Lin Dan has dominated badminton for several decades. The Chinese star nicknamed 'Super Dan' clinched the sport's Super Grand Slam - winning 9 major titles by the age of 28 and the first player to achieve the feat. But it was his Olympic Games Gold medals which are particularly special to him. He speaks to Wendy Tang about how he got to be a world great. This is a Made Manchester Production for the BBC World Service.(Photo: Lin Dan competing in the Australian Badminton Open in 2017. Credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The Elfstedentocht is one of the toughest sporting events there is. It’s an ice skating race around the lakes and canals of the northern Dutch province of Friesland – and it can only take place when it is particularly cold. The last one was in 1997, but the most notorious happened back in January 1963, when only 69 of the 10,000 skaters made it to the end of the 200 km course. The rest were stopped by the appalling weather conditions. One of the few to complete the race was the then 24-year-old skater Leffert Oldenkamp. He tells Matthew Kenyon about the extreme race.(Photo: Competitors in the 1963 Elfstedentocht. Credit: Eric Koch/Dutch National Archive)

In 2000, Sven-Goran Eriksson got the job as manager of England’s men’s football team. He was the first non-English person to do the job.Some in England were sceptical about an overseas coach when Sven moved from his post at Lazio in Italy to succeed Kevin Keegan as England boss.Sven tells Uma Doraiswamy about the media’s reaction to this sporting first, his quest to understand the Liverpudlian accent of some of his new players and how it felt to go out of tournaments on penalties. The Swede led England to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup and 2004 Euros.He spoke to Sporting Witness a few days ago, on the day he told the world that having been diagnosed with cancer he has, at best, a year to live.(Photo: England coach Sven Goran Eriksson at the 2002 World Cup. Credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima was leading the Men’s Marathon with six kilometres to go. What happened next shocked the millions of fans watching and propelled Vanderlei into becoming a universal role model for sportsmanship. He relives those last kilometres with Uma Doraiswamy.(Photo: Vanderlei de Lima being attacked by Cornelius Horan. Credit: Jiro Mochizuki/ AFP via Getty Images)

In 1970, Yuichiro Miura became the first man to ski on Mount Everest, starting from the height of the ‘death zone’, an elevation where there isn't enough oxygen to survive for long. His daring ski run saw him reach a speed of 160 kilometres per hour, before he crashed into a boulder and narrowly avoided falling into a crevasse.Not satisfied with this achievement, he also became the oldest person to climb the mountain when he was 80 years old. He spoke to Emily Uchida Finch about his experiences on Mount Everest. This is a Whistledown production for the BBC World Service.(Photo: Yuichiro Miura at the summit of Mount Everest in 2013. Credit: Miura Dolphins)

Caster Semenya was just 18-years-old when she won gold in the 800 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Her victory was controversial because the South African runner was facing questions over her gender. So much so, that she was made to take a gender test on the eve of the final. The test revealed that the teenager had been born with internal testes and no womb. It meant she had higher levels of testosterone; a hormone that increases muscle mass and strength.She has been speaking to Matt Pintus after the launch of her memoir, The Race to Be Myself.(Photo: Caster Semenya at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Credit: Getty Images)

In 2003, arguably one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Roger Federer won the Wimbledon Men’s title. Aged just 21, it was his first major win and was the start of a record eight men’s single titles at the championships. Uma Doraiswamy goes through the BBC and Wimbledon archives where the Swiss champion looks back on his momentous win.(Photo: Roger Federer holds the trophy after his victory over Mark Philippoussis in the Men's Singles Final at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships on July 6, 2003 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, in Wimbledon. Credit: Getty Images)

In December 1993, EA Sports released Fifa International Soccer, also known as Fifa 94.The football game sold half a million copies in its first month and went on to become a cultural phenomenon.Coder Jan Tian was the lead developer. He tells Vicky Farncombe how his devotion to the task landed him in hospital.(Photo: Fifa International Soccer, the first Fifa game. Credit: Fifa/EA Sports/ Moby Games)

In 1978, first division football side West Bromwich Albion became the first professional British club to visit communist China. The visit came as the communist country wanted to improve relations with the West after the death of Chairman Mao Zedong. The team played five exhibition matches, including one against the Chinese national team in Beijing in front a crowd of 90,000 people. Alex Last spoke to West Brom legend, Brendon Batson, about his memories of the historic tour. (Photo: The team sightseeing at the Great Wall of China. Credit: BBC)

In 2003, Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh, came up with the idea of combining two of his passions – chess and boxing. Using the cerebral strategy of chess along with the physicality of boxing, the winner is decided by either a checkmate or knockout. Ashley Byrne speaks to Jean-Louis Veenstra, who fought Rubingh at the inaugural World Chessboxing Championship in Amsterdam. This is a Made in Manchester production for the BBC World Service.(Photo: Ricky Rock and Jack Page in the ring during the Chessboxing 2012 Season Finale in London. Credit: Getty Images)

In 2006, Lindsey Jacobellis was riding high in the world of snowboarding and arrived at that year’s Winter Olympics in Turin in Italy, a firm favourite to win gold in the inaugural Snowboard Cross event. What followed was the most infamous moments of that year’s games, as Lindsey’s Olympic dream came crashing down in a split second. Nearly 20 years later, Lindsey speaks to Jorja McAndrew to talk through the events on the mountainside and whether she’s been able to move on from it. This is a TBI Media Production for the BBC World Service.(Photo: America's Lindsey Jacobellis in action on last jump during the Ladies' Snowboard Cross Finals at Bardonecchia in Italy. Credit: Getty Images)

In January 2010, Egypt beat Ghana 1-0 in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations to complete an unprecedented treble, having won in 2006 and 2008. It was also the seventh time they won the cup, a feat unmatched by any of their rivals in the African Confederation. Justice Baidoo speaks to Egyptian fullback Ahmed Fathy and Ghanaian defender Samuel Inkoom. This is a Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service.(Photo: Egypt celebrates beating Ghana 1-0 in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations at Universitaria Stadium on January 31st 2010 in Luanda, Angola. Credit: Liewig Christian/Corbis via Getty Images)

In 2003, England beat Australia in Sydney to win the Rugby World Cup. The match was famous for England's fly-half, Jonny Wilkinson, kicking the winning points in the dying seconds.England's coach, Sir Clive Woodward, and Australia's captain, George Gregan, recount that night to Ben Henderson.(Photo: Sir Clive Woodward lifts the Rugby World Cup trophy. Credit: Joe Mann/Offside via Getty Images)

Joseph Pilates developed a system of strengthening exercises which are now practised all over the world. He called it "contrology", but it's now better known as just Pilates.We hear from Mary Bowen, one of the Pilates Elders, who studied with Joseph Pilates and his wife Clara in New York in the 1950s.(Photo: Joseph Pilates, inventor, physical fitness guru and founder of the Pilates exercise method demonstrates a technique on his 'Bednasium' in his 8th Avenue studio on October 4, 1961 in New York City, Credit: I.C. Rapoport/Getty Images)

Nearly 60 years ago, New South Wales in Australia hosted the first official World Surfing Championships. The competition attracted around 200 entries, including surfers from France, USA, South Africa, England, Peru and New Zealand.The event was held in May at Sydney's Manly Beach and pulled in a crowd of up to 60,000 people.Australian finalist Mick Dooley speaks to Patrick Kiteley about competing in the competition and how the weekend heralded a new wave of surf lovers in his country, making it a catalyst for the phenomenon the sport has become there today.(Photo: Bernard 'Midget' Farrelly surfing during the First World Championships held at Manly beach, Sydney, Australia, on Sunday May 17 1964. Credit: Australian National Maritime Museum Collection. Gift from Dawn and Jack Eden)

The Netherlands embarrased England at Lord's on the opening day of the 2009 T20 Cricket World Cup. The top scorer for the Dutch was Tom de Grooth and he speaks to Matthew Kenyon about the famous victory.(Photo: Tom De Grooth of Netherlands plays a reverse shot watched by James Foster of England during their ICC World Twenty20 Cup match at Lord's cricket ground in London, on June 5, 2009. Credit: Ian Kington/AFP via Getty Images)

Australian tenpin bowler Cara Honeychurch on her incredible streak of becoming World Champion and Bowler of the Year in 1996, then winning three golds at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur.She speaks to Ashley Byrne in this Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service. (Photo: Cara Honeychurch bowling in Melbourne, Australia in 2003. Credit: Jeff Crowe / Sport the Library)

In 2012, Zahra Lari from the UAE, made history by becoming the first figure skater to compete in a hijab. When she was 17 she took part in her first international competition, and although her routine went well, the judges deducted points for her headscarf. After the competition, she met with the International Skating Union and convinced them that the rules should allow the hijab to be worn, with no further deductions being made.(Photo: Zahra Lari of UAE competes during FBMA Trophy for Figure Skating 2017 at Zayed Sports City on 5 January, 2017 in Abu Dhabi. Credit: Getty Images)

When part-time fighter Chuck Wepner is given a shot to fight heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in 1975, no one gives him a chance. But his heroism in the ring knocked down all expectations, including those of the champ, and inspired a cinematic saga in the process. He speaks to Ben Wyatt about the build up and the big fight itself.This is a Comuniqé production for the BBC World Service.(Photo: Chuck Wepner takes a swing at Muhammad Ali in the second round of their heavyweight title bout in March 1975. Credit: Getty Images)

In 2015, Japan’s Rugby Union team pulled off one of the greatest sporting upsets of all time, when they beat South Africa in their opening match of the World Cup in England. The Brave Blossoms’ win over one of the giants of world rugby would have been unimaginable before the team’s remarkable transformation under its captain Michael Leitch and head coach Eddie Jones. Michael Leitch spoke to Theo Whyte about the match, and how a last minute decision changed Japanese rugby forever. This is a Whistledown production for BBC World Service. (Photo: Karne Hesketh of Japan scores the winning try during the 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between South Africa and Japan at the Brighton Community Stadium on September 19th 2015. Credit: Getty Images)