/
GANDHINAGAR: Calling all sports enthusiasts and casual listeners alike! The BBC World Service and BBC Sounds have launched a captivating new podcast series titled “Amazing Sport Stories.”
This isn’t your typical sports podcast focused on champions, transfers, and high-priced athletes. “Amazing Sport Stories” delves deeper, exploring the human spirit pushing boundaries in the face of adversity. Think underdogs, captivating mysteries, and unexpected drama.
The podcast promises a global journey, featuring stories from Zambia, Iran, the Himalayas, and even sports you might not even know exist! Each tale will be presented in mini-seasons of 3-4 episodes, with shorter one-off episodes adapting fascinating stories from BBC’s Sport Insight articles.
The podcast began on October 30, 2023 with the first mini-season hosted by Canadian ice hockey legend Cassie Campbell-Pascall, a double Olympic gold medalist and renowned broadcaster. She tells the inspiring story of a young Canadian girl who fought for her right to play ice hockey alongside boys, taking her fight from the ice rink to the courtroom.
Listeners can also look forward to a later series exploring a mysterious curse plaguing a legendary Gaelic football team, and the powerful narrative of 14 Black American footballers who were ostracized for planning a protest against racism.
“At the heart of every episode of this podcast is an amazing, unputdownable story. Some are about glorious achievements against all odds, others are about mystery and wonder and then there are heart-wrenching tales of hope turned to dust. With the BBC World Service’s global reach, these stories come from all over the world.” says Jon Manel, BBC World Service Podcast Commissioning Editor.
Anna Doble, another BBC World Service Sport Commissioning Editor, emphasizes the podcast’s unique approach. “We’re not focused on scores and fixtures. We celebrate the human spirit and the incredible journeys undertaken in pursuit of excellence. These are stories that will stay with you, and stories you’ll want to share with others.”
Anna Doble, BBC World Service Sport Commissioning Editor says: “This is a sport podcast where we don’t care about score lines and fixtures, we care about the human instinct to try to be the best. These stories capture the emotion, struggle and sometimes plain craziness that those ambitions involve. I’m very excited about revealing these stories and I guarantee you’ll want to retell them to your friends.”