Amazing Sport Stories

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The unfriendly friendly Jan 22, 2024

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It’s 1998 and Iran have just played the USA in one of the most eagerly awaited matches of the World Cup in France. Now on the eve of the final, in a building on the Champs-Elysees, two acquaintances – one Iranian, one American – are hatching a plan. They’re hoping to change geopolitics, through football. This is the story how their idea for a simple friendly match would lead to death threats, an FBI decoy and the closure of American airspace.

Audio scenes have been re-created. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

Ear wrestlers and high kickers Jan 15, 2024

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Hundreds of years ago, the Native people of Alaska's coastal whaling settlements had a unique way of communicating when a hunt had been successful. A messenger would run inland and, when within sight, jump and kick both feet into the air. The passage of time has seen that disappear, but once a year the tradition is revived. This is the story of what’s officially known as the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and those who take part in events like the high-kicks, the ear pull and the seal hop, to preserve a rare part of Alaskan culture.

Audio scenes have been re-created for your enjoyment. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

Surfing the ocean’s mountains Jan 08, 2024

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Looking out from a balcony in Nazare, over slumped, drying wetsuits, you can see it all. The stretch of sand, the salt haze, a spike of cliff and a scarlet lighthouse. Most of all, you can see the waves, a backdrop of bubbling white water and that distinctive churning white noise. This is the story of Nazare, a small town in Portugal where you’ll find the world’s biggest waves, some the size of a 10-storey building. It’s also the story of the people who surf those waves, putting their lives in the ocean’s hands - while also putting Nazare firmly on the map.

Audio scenes have been re-created for your enjoyment. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

The long ride home Jan 01, 2024

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It's a scorching hot June afternoon in the middle of an Italian heatwave. Two sisters are in the foothills of the Dolomites, about to start a 10km climb. They’re elite cyclists Fariba and Yulduz Hashimi, two of the best from their country, but they're not used to riding around bends, with cars in their way. It's far from the dusty landscape of northern Afghanistan where they come from, where often the rubbly roads aren’t even suitable to walk on. This is the story of how Fariba and Yulduz made a life and career from cycling in one of the most remote, conservative provinces of Afghanistan, where it was practically unheard of to see women cycling, and of their subsequent escape from the Taliban.

The Long Ride Home has been adapted from an article by Ivana Scatola on the Insight pages of the BBC Sport website. Audio scenes have been re-created for your enjoyment. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

The Christmas truce Dec 25, 2023

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The deafening roar of shells exploding, a cacophony of bullets whizzing past, the air thick with smoke. This is Belgium, 1914 and life in the trenches for British and German soldiers is the definition of misery. But for one beautiful, spontaneous moment, peace and football replaces the fighting with a Christmas Truce. This is the story of what happened that day in no man's land on the Western Front during World War One.

The Curse of County Mayo - Ep 3 Dec 18, 2023

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As Mayo prepare for the All-Ireland Championship, a formidable obstacle stands in their way. Will the men from Mayo finally win the coveted tournament and vanquish talk of the curse once and for all? Meanwhile, the truth about what really happened that day in Foxford more than 70 years ago is finally within reach. Episode 3 of 3. Let us know what you think of #AmazingSportStories

The Curse of County Mayo - Ep 2 Dec 11, 2023

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Was County Mayo’s Irish football team really cursed in 1951? Sports reporter Dave McKenna hears from the last remaining member of the 1951 Mayo All-Ireland squad. Does he remember a priest cursing the team? And does he believe the curse is real? Dave’s investigation leads him to the town of Foxford, the site where legend dictates it all began. And sad news changes the course of the investigation. Episode 2 of 3. Let us know what you think of #AmazingSportStories

The Curse of County Mayo - Ep 1 Dec 04, 2023

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Is County Mayo’s Gaelic football team cursed? Irish-American sports reporter Dave McKenna investigates this curious case to find out if a decades old hex is behind their recent failures. Did the team really disrespect a funeral in 1951? And did that cause the mysterious bad luck that’s plagued the team ever since? You might have heard of the “Curse of Bambino” for the Boston Red Sox in US baseball. This is the story of Ireland’s equivalent. Episode 1 of 3.

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The Curse of County Mayo - Trailer Nov 27, 2023

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Ireland’s “cursed” Gaelic football team – our next amazing sport story. Can County Mayo’s failure to win the All-Ireland Championship really be the result of a curse put on the team more than 70 years ago?

The three-part season with Dave McKenna is coming soon.

The never-ending tunnel Nov 20, 2023

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At 200 miles, it might not be the world's longest race, but Tunnel Ultra is certainly the darkest. It's a gruelling two-day endurance event where competitors run underground laps in single-file, to a backdrop of classical music. Headphones are banned but hallucinations are all but guaranteed, with sightings of abominable snowmen, giant slugs and orange blobby monsters all reported. So why do people do it? This is the story of those who do, including one who suffered temporary blindness... then thanked the race organiser for the privilege. The Never-Ending Tunnel has been adapted from an article by Justin Goulding on the Insight pages of the BBC Sport website. Audio scenes have been re-created for your enjoyment. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

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