Sporting Witness

The end of the Cold War in 1989 spelt the demise of a little-known, but surprisingly popular sport behind the Iron Curtain – high-speed telegraphy competitions. With the help of two of Czechoslovakia’s best former Morse-coders, we revisit the inaugural World Championship in Moscow in 1983 when the Soviet Union rolled out the red carpet for teams from across the Communist bloc. Ashley Byrne reports. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production. PHOTO: A Morse code machine in action (Getty Images)

In 1999, Nigeria’s women’s football team – the Superfalcons – went on a dazzling run at the Women’s World Cup in the United States. The Nigerians became the first African side to reach the quarter-final stage, before losing an epic game against Brazil. The Superfalcons’ performance is now regarded as putting the women‘s game on the map in Africa. Emma Barnaby talks to former Nigerian goal-keeper, Judith Chime. (Photo: Nigeria's Prisca Emeafu celebrates scoring against Brazil. Credit: Getty Images)

In 1998, India hosted the inaugural edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup – a format of the game based on sound. Seven nations took part in the tournament, which was supported by cricketing greats such as Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, and is credited with changing perceptions of the blind and partially-sighted in India. Claire Bowes talks to the founder of the Cricket World Cup, George Abraham. PHOTO:Blind Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Fayyaz in action (Getty Images)

In November 1991, the basketball legend Magic Johnson stunned America by announcing that he’d tested positive for HIV. Johnson’s determination to raise awareness about safe sex and the importance of testing is credited with changing the perception of the virus in the US. Ade Adepitan talks to Michael Mellman, the LA Lakers team doctor who broke the news to Magic Johnson. The programme is an Audio Always production. PHOTO: Magic Johnson in 1992 (Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images)

In November 2009, the world of football was shocked by the death of German international goal-keeper Robert Enke, who killed himself after years of suffering from depression. In 2010, Eleanor Oldroyd spoke to Enke’s agent, Jorg Neblung, and friend and biographer, Ronald Reng, about what lay behind his death. If you are affected by the issues in this programme you can find information about support organisations on the Befrienders Worldwide website: https://www.befrienders.org/ Image: Robert Enke in 2009 (Getty Images)