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Australian swimmer Daniel Smith had dreamed of representing his country since the age of five. But his life spiralled out of control as he became caught up in a life of drink, drugs and crime. He tells the story of how he went ‘through hell and back’, before being selected for the Olympic Games in Rio, and of how his faith has made him a new person.
South African 60m and 100m sprinter Carina Horn had a great 2015 season and equalled the 100m national record in a time of 11.06, a record which had not been equalled or broken for 25 years. Carina missed out on the 2012 Olympics and was disappointingly left out of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. However, this increased her motivation, and she made it through to the semi finals of the 100m at Rio 2016.
Michael Johnson had a distinguished career in track and field where he won 4 Olympic Gold medals and 8 World Championships and still holds the 400m world record of 43.18 seconds. He has been the only one to win both the 400m and the 200m at the same Olympics.
Since retiring from the track in 2000, Johnson has continued to develop sports business opportunities as well as acting as an athletics pundit and been involved in charitable sports ventures such as the Laureus programme.
Passion For Sport reporter Norman Brierley asked the 4 time Olympic gold medallist what was the most significant part of his illustrious career so far and if progress was being made on the issue of drug abuse in the sport.
This week's Planet Sport programme is up, presented by Adrian Barnard!
With the Olympic Games in Rio now well underway we talk to visitors outside Olympic Park and hear from Planet Sport correspondent Tom Ellis in Rio about the atmosphere and highlights from the first week's events. And we talk to double Olympic 400m hurdles champion, Felix Sanchez from the Dominican Republic about his Olympic triumphs and his faith as a follower of Jesus Christ that is the foundation of his life.
One of the talking points before the Rio Olympics, and no doubt it will continue after, was what will the legacy of the games be in Rio de Janeiro?
There are definitely lots of issues arising from this question and I am sure there are locals and people who know Rio better than I do who can offer some great insight into this.
It is also an issue I hope to revisit in the next ten days or so while we are still here in Rio de Janeiro.
However I couldn’t help but feel positive after a last minute decision to visit the port area of the city on Tuesday night.
Two years ago this area of Rio was pretty rundown. I should know as myself and Tom Ellis got lost there one time and were trying very hard get away from there pretty quickly.
A concrete flyover ran through the centre of it creating a dark and dingy area underneath. The surrounding area consisted of shells of a bygone factory era.
But fast forward to 2016 and it is like the place has had one of those miraculous makeovers you see on daytime television.
The area is now one of the designated Olympic Live Sites and I could not believe the transformation. The place was alive with people.
The features which are there to stay (obviously much of the Olympic sponsorship nonsense will go) include a new tramway system which has replaced the now knocked down flyover. A new museum on the port front. A new graffiti mural which is one of the longest in the world. And much more open plan and modernised setting.
This area of Rio has now become a place to stay rather than a place to escape from. The mural especially is fantastic and reflects the colour and vibrancy of the city. Those who live near the area told us they could not believe the change.
It is only a small example, and I know there are lots of negative points to do with the Olympic legacy in Brazil and specifically in Rio. I doubt, for example, that many of those who are without good sanitation and drainage will care about the rejuvenation of an old port area.
But it is important though to find positives and the turnaround of this small area in Rio over the space of two years is quite remarkable.
Hopefully there will be many more transformations to come.
Andy Bloss is one of our English language producers working with Tom Ellis to gather material from around Rio during the Olympics. He was part of the Passion for Sport team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and, in this blog, he comments on his experiences of his return to Rio.
There is nothing quite like singing for one of your own.
For those of you who follow a football team or any sporting team I am sure you agree that seeing one of your club’s homegrown players do well fills you with a sense of pride.
On a larger scale if we think back to London 2012 and to that magical evening of 'Super Saturday', one of the reasons why it was extra special was because we, as Brits, witnessed sporting success on our own turf.
Watching Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford win gold for Great Britain, in Great Britain was a moment we will never forget. For those who were lucky enough to be inside the stadium that night it would have been electric.
Here in Rio de Janeiro, four years later, I have already been fortunate enough to sample the home crowd atmosphere and it was better than I could have anticipated.
On Saturday, day one of the Olympics, we had tickets to boxing in the morning and football in the evening. Both events (I find it strange to call football an ‘event’) featured Brazil.
I know us Brits have a friendly rivalry with our Australian friends but even I felt a bit of sympathy for Eric Jason Whateley as he walked out for his fight at the Riocentro Arena.
Whateley was up against Brazilian, Juan Nogueria, and as he entered the ring the crowd treated him like a pantomime villain. Boos and whistles rained upon him from all sides.
Compare that to Nogueria’s welcome. The Paulista (born in Sao Paulo) was greeted not just as a Brazilian but one of Rio’s own. The arena erupted as he strode into the ring, people stomping their feet, banging their seats, singing his name. The place was alive and kicking.
Poor Eric Whateley, this was just not his show. Every jab, hook and block made by Nogueria was met with a cacophony of noise. He responded. Seeing off Whateley 3-0. As the judges announced their verdict the home crowd went bonkers, Nogueria went bonkers, it was pure home-made passion. This is what it's all about, I thought.
What came next however took the atmosphere at the boxing to a whole new level. Next stop was the Olympic Stadium to see Brazil take on Sweden in the women’s football.
It is common knowledge that Brazilians love their football. It is one of their great passions. Their men’s and women’s teams are gold medal hopefuls but even with this at the back of my mind I was still not exactly sure what to expect.
After all the last time I had watched a game of football featuring Brazil with Brazilian fans, they had lost 7-0 to Germany during the 2014 World Cup.
As we approached kick off the stadium was a sea of yellow. Youngsters were jumping around excitedly, ready to see some of their heroes, everyone seemed to be there.
Speaking to those around us it was obvious that women’s football was not just a sideshow, it has a big following and they were excited. Especially as Brazil’s golden girl and captain, Marta Vieira da Silva (Marta), was playing.
When the teams walked out the noise was like a cup final. You could sense the anticipation of the crowd. They wanted a big result. The national anthem was sung with gusto and carried on as the teams had their pre match photo.
I just wanted to take it all in, it is not often you get to experience these kind of nights.
The game itself could not have gone any better for Brazil. They played with flair and imagination. Marta, the mercurial number 10, ran the show. Scoring two goals and producing some sublime moments of skill. The crowd lapped it up. There were people dancing in the aisles as Brazil ran out 5-1 winners.
People say this a lot about events in Brazil but I am not exaggerating or lying by saying the evening was just pure carnival. It was fun, exciting, loud and passionate.
What made it even more extraordinary was both these events, the boxing and football, were just the preliminary rounds. There were no medals at stake here as the Brazilian fans chanted and danced their way out of the stadium.
There is nothing quite like singing for one of your own.
Andy Bloss is one of our English language producers helping Tom Ellis to gather material from around Rio during the Olympics. He was part of the Passion for Sport team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and, in this blog, he comments on his experiences of his return to Rio.
Former South Africa footballer Sdu Mthethwa used to find her identity through sport. Now she's part of an outreach group (Athletes in Action) in Rio de Janeiro, sharing the story of her new found freedom, and identity in Jesus, with those competing.
Andy Bloss is one of our English language producers working with Tom Ellis to gather material from around Rio during the Olympics. He was part of the Passion for Sport team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and, here, comments on his first thoughts upon returning to Rio.
I had a strange sense of deja vu on Monday as I strolled down Atlantic Avenue in Rio de Janeiro.
It is the main road which runs adjacent to Copacabana beach and as I walked down it was like I had never been away following the World Cup in 2014.
The sun, the sea, the sand, the sounds, the beautiful backdrop of Sugar Loaf mountain in the distance. It is all still there and it is still magical.
However despite this feeling of nostalgia there is obviously a lot of differences as the 2016 Olympics looms ever closer.
Unlike the World Cup which was spread around Brazil, the Olympics is very much putting the spotlight on Rio.
Over the next few weeks the world’s greatest sportswomen and men will be in one place and I can’t think of a city that deserves it more.
There are quite a few people (including those who live in Rio) who would disagree with that last sentiment.
It has been well reported, especially in England, about the downsides of Rio. This time the usual examples of crime and economic woes have been trumped by the spread of the Zika virus.
There is no doubt these are troublesome issues. Gang crime is seeping back into some communities following the pacification programme and Zika has reportedly impacted a huge number of families.
But having arrived in Rio you start to get a sense of perspective. We are staying in Curicica, a community not far away from the Olympic Park, and speaking to some of the locals here they couldn’t hide their smiles as I doused myself in mosquito repellent. It is easy to forget it but this is winter in Rio de Janeiro and “mozzie” danger is at its lowest.
In terms of crime and danger on the streets, I get the impression once again, just like two years ago, that picturing Rio as some kind of warzone would be doing a disservice to the brilliant people that live here. I have lost count already at the amount of times I have been helped by “Cariocas” who have obviously taken pity on me and my dreadful Portuguese.
Over the course of the next few weeks I hope we can highlight some of the issues in Rio but show, in a positive light, how the people of Rio and local churches are tackling them. We'll also be aiming show what the Olympic atmosphere is about and exploring Rio’s culture further.
To be here in this city during the 2016 games is a huge privilege. There is no doubt that there are some rough edges here in Rio and these need to be highlighted, but it is also true to say (and no pun intended here) that the city also has a heart of gold. Bring on the games.
My top five things I am looking forward to (in no order):
'Super Saturday' on August 13th (Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and the 100m women's final)
Witnessing some of the great social projects put on by local churches
Acai smoothies
Learning more about the culture and history of Rio
Make sure you keep up to date with our Destination Rio project, and all that our team are doing in Brazil!
So, after months of planning, discussions and fundraising events, it’s finally time to travel to Rio and begin the Destination Rio project at the 2016 Olympics Games.
Out team of five media professionals (see below) is ready and looking forward to bringing the sights and sounds of the big event to our worldwide audiences via radio, websites and social media. This will be the seventh successive Summer Olympics Games we have attended and we know how important it is to actually be in the thick of the action in order to give our listeners a first-hand experience of what it’s like to be there.
Four of our team (Norman Brierley, Peter Ellis, Tom Ellis and Andy Bloss) are travelling on Sunday 31st July followed by Pedro Arias on Tuesday 2ndAugust. We will be based at a church in Rio de Janeiro just north of the Olympic Park which is on the western edge of the city. This will allow us to travel daily to the various venues where we will record interviews with athletes and sports fans as well as reporting on the many Christian events taking place during the games.
It will be three weeks of packed schedules and late nights as we negotiate the public transport system and get to as many events as we can.
You can follow our progress on the Passion for Sport website blog or via our social media accounts. You can also subscribe to our email updates which we’ll be sending out during the games – see below.
Please pray for the team as we cope with the practical arrangements of the public transport system, security and staying healthy!
Pedro watches back Colombian James Rodriguez's wonder-goal on the big screen at the Fifa 2014 World Cup.
Pedro Arias has been a missionary for 27 years and he’s been serving the Lord at major sporting events such as the Olympic Games for the past 24 years. Originally from Colombia he is a sports journalist by profession. He also leads three churches in London.
Pedro has worked for different media companies as Editor-in-Chief and as both a TV and radio host. He has reported for several international media agencies at events such as the Olympic Games and Fifa World Cup and at an ATP professional final in Hannover, Germany.
He currently is one of the Spanish-speaking hosts of two international television sport programmes: Gillette World and Mobil 1.
In 2012 Pedro worked directly with the London Olympics Host Broadcasters broadcasting live to Spanish-speaking audiences worldwide.
Pedro covered his first Olympic Games as a radio reporter in Barcelona in 1992. Since then he has reported from Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008). Throughout this time his reports have been designed with a specific aim, to introduce sports fans to Jesus. Since those early days in 1992 there has been a steady increase in the number of Christian and secular stations that benefit from his reports for the Spanish-speaking world, across the USA, Spain and Latin America. In 2014 radio listeners to over 800 Spanish-speaking stations around the world heard Pedro’s reports, features and interviews from the Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
This summer Pedro returns to Rio, the city he got to know at the World Cup two years ago. This time he will be using his professional skills and experience to report on the Games with a Christian perspective with the hope and prayer that many sport fans will come to Jesus and acknowledge Him as their Lord and Saviour.
Follow Passion for Sport’s reporting from Rio here.
Pedro Arias is seconded to Passion for Sport from Reach Beyond, a global mission that works to transform lives through media and healthcare.
From left to right: Tom Ellis, Nicholas Surridge, Phil Dominy, Pete Ellis.
By Tom Ellis
People love to run for all kinds of different reasons. To keep fit, to be sociable, to overcome a challenge, to get some thinking space, or just to get from A to B. For some it’s simply a passion. Last weekend, I was part of a team of four representing Passion for Sport in the Vitality British 10K London Run. We were raising money for our Destination Rio project, taking place in Brazil this summer.
It was a great experience to run alongside over 10,000 people, all representing different charities and aiming for different goals. The route took us through the heart of central London, past iconic landmarks such as Big Ben and Trafalgar Square. Usually packed with black cabs and double-decker buses, the streets where cordoned off to make way for those taking part, for supporters cheering on friends and family and for the bands scattered along the course, adding to the atmosphere of the occasion.
My personal goal was to complete it in under 40 minutes. The first 5K felt good, the second 5K, not so much! Approaching the 8K mark, a race official, shouting out positions, informed me I was currently 109th. Wanting to ensure I achieved my goal of sub 40, and keen to break into the top 100, I pushed on past the Houses of Parliament (not much going on there at the moment, anyway, right?) towards the Whitehall finish line. It’s quite a funny thing to do, when you stop and think about it – pushing through pain in order to reach a goal – but the feeling you get crossing the finish line, knowing you’ve achieved what you set out to, is a great one!
Although we all probably had a few of our own personal reasons for running, one of the great things about this event was the coming together of thousands to run for something other than ourselves.
We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out in person to cheer us on and to those who supported us through sponsorship. So far, we have raised the brilliant total of £1,500 for our Destination Rio project, which will make a real difference. There’s still time to sponsor us, so if you’d like to then please do!
Here’s how the team did (times):
Tom Ellis – 39:32
Phil Dominy – 55:20
Nicholas Surridge – 55:23
Pete Ellis – 55:34
Sanya Richards-Ross at London 2012 (third from left).
Last weekend the reigning Olympic women’s 400 metres champion, Sanya Richards-Ross from the USA pulled up in her heat at the United States trials in Eugene, Oregon. Less than three weeks earlier she’d suffered a bad hamstring injury and this now means she will miss the Olympic Games in Rio next month and the chance to defend her title.
Sanya was clearly moved as the crowd of over 20,000 gave her a standing ovation, realizing they were witnessing the end of a wonderful career.
Afterwards she told the waiting media: “I’ve been so blessed, I Can’t cry, can’t complain. I’ll keep my head up.”
London 2012 was the pinnacle whens he finally won the Olympic title her career deserved. She won her first major title at the World Championships in Paris back in 2003 as part of the United States 4x400 metres relay team. Since then she’s own individual titles at the World Championship and World Indoor Champions and three successive Olympic relay titles.
In a previous interview, Passion for Sport reporter Norman Brierley asked her about her faith.
“My faith means everything to me. I think it is the one thing that keeps me going because I do believe in God and I believe everything happens for a reason. I think even the tough moments are all going to work together for my good.”
For more about Sanya Richards-Ross, listen to this week’s edition of Planet Sport.
Passion for Sport reporter Norman Brierley was at the Diamond League Athletics in Birmingham last month. If you missed his thoughts on the event, you can catch up here.
Whilst there he spoke with the USA 800 metres runner, Chanelle Price, and asked how her training is going.
“Right now we’re just working on that strong finish. Everyone can get to the six but now we’ll decrease our load and put in some speed work these next 3-4 weeks and work on that strong finish.”
“The sport is a lot of sacrifices. You don’t get to live the average life. Everything we do – what we eat, what we drink, when we go to bed, what we do during the day. There’s always something we can be doing to get better. You get tired sometimes but what keeps me motivated is knowing that God requires that I give my all.”
At the time Norman spoke with Chanelle she had her eyes on Rio but sadly she has failed to make the cut after the US Trials last weekend.
Sunette Viljoen competes in javelin for the RSA and has won medals at almost every major championship. She’s a four time African Champion, she’s won gold in the Afro-Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games. And she’s twice won bronze at the World Championships – most recently last year in Beijing. But there’s one major event where success has so far eluded her – the Olympic Games.
“I look forward to Rio very much. I know what I can do. I have a lot of training that can be done. I just need to find that one solid throw I’m looking for - I know I have in me. Come Rio, I’ll be ready, I know I will be.”
Speaking about her faith, she said:
“You have to have an anchor. I don’t know how you can’t have an anchor – to pray for calmness and to pray for focus and to pray for strength on such big events. And you have to trust the Lord and you have to praise him whether it goes good or bad.”
“Mud, mud, glorious mud, nothing quite like it for cooling the blood.” So went the lyrics of The Hippopotamus Song made popular by the British duo Flanders and Swann back in the 1960s.
At The Gathering 2016 we had plenty of mud, mud, glorious mud. Organised by Christian Vision for Men, The Gathering was staged “in a field near Swindon” on the same weekend as Glastonbury, where, incidentally it’s always muddy too. Any self-respecting hippopotamus would have felt quite at home.
Despite the mud (did I mention it was muddy?) over 2000 men came from all around the country to hear inspiring speakers and challenging Christian teaching. There were football tournaments, classic car displays along with bar skittles, archery and chess, for those who preferred less active competition.
Passion for Sport went along to chat to delegates about the work we do to introduce sports fans to Jesus through media. Appropriately enough, our stand was in the Mess Tent….
There was plenty of interest in our National Ten Pin Bowling Competition in October, designed to provide a great social event for men’s groups and raise money to help Passion for Sport introduce sports fans to Jesus through media. Find out how your group can be involved here.
One of the people who visited our stand was Arthur White. Arthur is a former World Champion powerlifter who once had everything until cocaine, steroids and an affair wrecked his life leaving him with nothing. Then he met the living Lord Jesus and his life completely turned around. Today he has a passion to tell others about God’s mercy and love. We recorded his amazing story to share with listeners to our Planet Sport programme.
God is still in the business of changing lives. That’s why we’re so passionate about introducing sports fans to Jesus. You can help us today by making a gift here and by praying that the sports fans we meet through media will become committed followers of Jesus and in time tell others about the love and mercy of God themselves.
Many things unite people. Family, faith and football are just three.
Our genes unite us to our biological families and while for many that’s a happy experience for others it’s quite the opposite.
A shared faith can unite people from different cultures, background and experiences. The Christian church is often called a family with members looking out for one another and supporting each other.
Football unites people too. Sadly that can mean uniting a minority of fans who are bent on violence, as we have seen recently in France during Euro 2016, but far more often football unites people for good. Back in May Manchester United fan, Moses Kamara travelled 7000 kilometres from Sierra Leone to watch his beloved team play their final Premier League game of the season against Bournemouth. But when he arrived the match was called off following a security scare at Old Trafford. Moses cried but his tears soon turned to tears of joy as friends from the Manchester United Supporters Trust came to the rescue. They not only helped Moses get a ticket for the rearranged match, they also got him a ticket for the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace and rearranged his flight home. Ian Sterling, Vice-chairman of MUST said: “When we heard the game was abandoned we had to tell Moses and the poor lad was distraught. That was his dream. But we’re trying to do the right thing for a friend.” United by name, united by nature.
Our weekly radio programme Planet Sport Football Africa unites fans of African football around the world. Most of our listeners live in Africa but we’ve heard from fans in Korea, Italy and the United States. The show is heard on 40 stations in 14 countries, online and via our phone app. This week alone we have had over 100 responses through Whats App and social media from fans in Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Namibia, Malawi, The Gambia, Scotland and Libya.
Our listeners are united by a love of football. The Passion for Sport team is united by both a passion for sport and a passion for Jesus. Our aim is to introduce sports fans to Jesus and Planet Sport Football Africa provides us with a great opportunity.
You can show your support for Planet Sport Football Africa by praying that God will use the programme to build his Kingdom and by making a gift here.
By Adrian Barnard
Chat, banter, ribbing and good humour – all this and more can be heard in a new podcast for football fans launched Monday 13th June.
Up In The Gantry, a joint monthly production of Passion for Sport and Cross the Line, takes three current footballing issues, kicks them in the air and gets a team of passionate fans to bounce the ideas around.
The team includes Adrian Barnard from Passion for Sport and Crystal Palace fan, and Ollie Baines from Cross the Line who supports Norwich City.
This first edition features the joys and pains of supporting teams battling for promotion to the Premier League, José Mourinho’s appointment as Manchester United Manager and England’s quest for Euro 2016 success.
There are many podcasts for football fans in the UK but what makes Up In The Gantry different is that every participant shares not only a passion for football but also a passion for Jesus.
Have a listen and let us know what you think.
The IAAF Diamond League meeting in Birmingham is a prestigious occasion in the athletics calendar taking place every year in June. The event is the sixth leg of the IAAF Diamond League, the global series comprising of the world's 14 best athletics meetings.
Athletes compete to win points in their event which accumulate over the year. The Diamond Race champions then receive their trophies after the series finals in Zurich and Brussels.
The meeting in Birmingham did not disappoint! Eight stadium records and six world leading times this year were recorded. There was even a new British Record as the crowd’s favourite, Mo Farah, broke David Moorcroft’s 34-year record for the 3,000 metres in a time of 7 minutes, 32.62 seconds. Mind you it was only broken by seventeen-hundredths of a second!
That was not the only exciting event of the day. Kenya's 800 metres Olympic Champion David Rudisha ran the rarely-run 600metres shot away from the start determined to prove he still has the speed and energy for the shorter run. What added to the excitement was that he didn't have it all his own way as he just held off Pierre-Ambroise Bosse of France to win in a time of 1 minute, 13.10 seconds.
It was clear that many of these athletes were laying down the gauntlet in their event in preparation for the Olympic Games in less than nine weeks.
Another Kenyan, World Champion Asbel Kiprop bettered his own world leading time this year and set a new meeting record in the 1,500 metres.
The issue of drugs cheating in sport refuses to go away. Earlier in the week I was able to chat with Asbel about the requirements set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for a robust national anti-doping agency in Kenya that has powers to enforce bans and establish drug-testing labs. I asked Asbel how it had affected him:
Kenyan athletes seemed to dominate this meeting, not least in the 3,000 metres steeplechase for men where the first six places were taken up by Kenyans. However it was Conseslus Kipruto who maintained his stranglehold on this Diamond League event by setting a new meeting record in a fast time of 8 minutes and twelve hundredths of a second, nearly breaking the magic 8-minutes barrier.
Finally, I must mention the fight for the line between two other Kenyan athletes in the longest run of the day, the women’s 5,000 metres. It wasn't a particularly fast race but in the end only six-hundredths of a second separated first and second, with the diminutive Vivian Cheruiyot conquering her colleague and friend Mercy Cherono in a time of 15 minutes 12.79 seconds.
The last word goes to Mercy, who with Vivian, have only one thing on their mind now and that is the Kenyan trials selection for the Olympic Games taking place at the end of June.
By Norman Brierley
Life stories are fascinating and Passion for Sport provides a platform for people to have their say. Whether in an interview with a sports personality or in a round table discussion on moral and ethical issues arising in sport, individuals can put their opinions across to an audience of sports fans who listen to our programmes.
I have always worked in media, TV, radio and the internet, and Passion for Sport allows me to combine my engineering gifts with my desire to see others have a relationship with Jesus. When I started working there were only three TV channels in the UK and hardly any Christian radio stations. The Christian message is worth hearing and is life changing so we need to be using all available media to get that message out.
An increasing number of people get their information and form their beliefs from what they read, hear and watch on the internet. People can now choose when and how they listen and watch. It’s mass communication but at the same time very personal. What’s even more exciting is that the communication can now be a two way conversation.
We have traditionally broadcast our programmes across a network of radio stations around the world. We still do but additionally we now have Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and YouTube channels where our audiences can chose when they want to listen and can respond to us if they have something they’d like to say.
Jesus was a great communicator. He identified with his listeners by talking to them about their issues - fishing, taxes, sickness, relationships - and we need to communicate in a relevant way to our society just as Jesus did. Sport and Christian values overlap (Determination, positive thinking, belief, hard work, commitment, playing by the rules) and these provide great opportunities for Passion for Sport to promote a Christ-centred world view.
Our two weekly programmes Planet Sport and Planet Sport Football Africa expand on many of these issues and with years of experience our presenters produce programmes that are relevant and of a high quality. My job is to make sure that the programmes get heard reliably to as wide an audience as possible as we strive to introduce sports fans to Jesus through media.
By Peter Ellis (Operations Manager)
There are thousands of regional and local FM stations in Africa reaching unique audiences within a 30-mile radius of each station. Some are high powered commercial or government-run stations. Others are private, educational, religious, and community radio stations. There are talk stations and music stations and many are a mixture of news, talk and music and this is aside from the increasing number of web-based stations where there is no boundary. We are engaging with station and programme managers throughout Africa informing them about our two international sports programmes, Planet Sport and Planet Sport Football Africa, that they can schedule alongside their local sports programmes and so increase listenership to their station.
It's a struggle for many stations to maintain 24/7 presence on the air and many programme managers are grateful that someone else has done the research and produced a regular and complete sports programme from an international perspective. Many stations can compile a results-based sports programme as they too have access to the internet, but the Passion for Sport programmes are different as we discuss issues that arise from the sport from a moral, ethical and spiritual perspective. In addition we interview sportsmen and women many of whom are able to share their faith and life experiences as followers of Jesus Christ.
Since January eight new stations have engaged with us for the first time, from West through to Southern Africa.
Moses Nyantee, station manager at ELWA in Monrovia Liberia commented: “These programmes will increase our listenership because our young people love sports.”
He went on to say that Planet Sport Football Africa is “very exciting – thank you plenty.” A couple of months later he wrote to say, “our folk love the programme.”
Martin Okudi from Usalama FM in northern Uganda and close to the South Sudan border assures us that our 15 minutes weekly multi-sport programmePlanet Sport can 'fit well' in their broadcast schedule. He added: “I have listened to the programme that has arrived and it is awesome and I will air it today!” This is a station seeking to bring peace in the midst of war and hardship to the refugees of South Sudan.
One Love Radio in Lusaka joins two other stations in Zambia carrying our programmes. Station Manager Kaluwa Tembo says “I love the content and I know our listeners will enjoy the programmes. We really appreciate the great job that you guys are doing.” Thanks Kaluwa, that makes our day!
We've had a new addition, just a couple of weeks ago, and that is the first station in Nigeria to be taking our programmes – WE FM in Abuja. Whilst our Planet Sport Football Africa correspondent Solomon Izang Ashoms was taking part in a WE FM programme, he was able to introduce Production Engineer, Austin Kyunni to our programmes and now the talk station airs both programmes weekly.
West Coast Radio in the Gambia has had exclusive rights to our programmes in the country for the past three years and it is clear from the listener participation in ourPlanet Sport Football Africa programme that it is a popular programme across the nation.
One listener to Worship 101.7 FM in Liberia gets the whole family listening because, he says, “it is such a great time.” The programmes are heard on four stations scattered along the lengthy Liberian coastline. Another listener, Roland says, “I am so glad to 101.7 FM when I hear this programme. I love it. I love it. I love it. Please guys don't stop this programme. I'm appealing for time to be extended.”
The final word goes to George S who also listens on Worship FM, Liberia, “I'm excited about this programme Planet Sport,” he says. “I am a great lover of sport. Big thanks to the whole crew and I can't wait for the next edition.”
You can hear these programmes by downloading the two free apps Planet Sport andPlanet Sport Football Africa or going on the website www.planetsport.tv.
Social media allows us to engage with people who we might not otherwise have the ability or opportunity to. It lends itself to sharing and interaction, which is ultimately a huge part of what Passion for Sport is about. Our purpose is using media to share the good news of Jesus with sports fans around the world, so social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram provide us with new and more opportunities to do this.
We currently have over 2,000 fans of Planet Sport Football Africa on Facebook, and this number grows every day. Every week, we’re able to reach football fans across Africa with our radio programme and facilitate discussions via our topical posts.
When ‘Instagramming’ from sporting events, other users are able to find our posts via event hashtags – we’re especially looking forward to exercising this in Rio de Janeiro in August, as we aim to reach those following the summer sporting action out there!
On Twitter, we’ve had the opportunity to engage with, and encourage, sports fans as well as top Christian athletes such as Trayvon Bromell, Michelle Carter, Christian Taylor and Wayde van Niekirk. It’s also provided an opportunity for us to cheer on and even collaborate with other sports ministries in the UK and beyond.
Here are some examples of interactions we’ve had on Twitter recently…
Please do get in touch and join the conversation!
Twitter:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/planetsporttv
www.facebook.com/planetsportfootballafrica
Instagram:
passionforsport
