Day 4: Patience is a virtue

Jereem 'The Dream' Richards- Trinidad & Tobago

As we enter Day 4, it seems unbelievable that we are half way through our trip to the Gold Coast. Time has flown and now that the medals are being dished out thick and fast, the battle of Australia vs England to end up on top of the table is hotting up. 

To this point, we've patiently been waiting for the Games to kick off, for interviews to come through and for our work to take shape. We are now building momentum and seeing some great opportunities present themselves, in the shape of great athlete stories, testimonies and networking with other organisations. 

Our preparation which started a week before the Games began is now bearing fruit and we are very encouraged with what we are able to produce, our shows will hopefully be testament to that!

Aussie swimmer Dan Smith: 'I needed a miracle'

This week's Planet Sport comes from the Gold Coast, Australia, and the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games! We hear from locals and sports fans about what the Games brings to the Gold Coast and Planet Sport's Tom Ellis and Liam Flint report on the unfolding spectacular event from the beach at Surfers Paradise. And we catch up with Australian Olympic swimmer, Dan Smith, as he tells us his remarkable story about how he rediscovered his love for swimming after losing everything. Listen to the story of how he went from young swimming sensation, to a life of crime, homelessness and addiction, before finding his faith and competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio:

Listen to "05 Apr: Commonwealth Games & Australian Swimmer Dan Smith" on Spreaker.

Day 3: Australia start strongly & so do we

By Liam Flint

The last couple of days have seen a sharp rise in activity on the Gold Coast, transport has been maxed out as ticket-holders look to reach venues and the tourist hotspots. Australia's strong start, especially in the pool, has given locals an air of excitement and truly ignited the underlying passion that everyone is feeling towards the Games.

The carnival and festival scene has also really kicked off along the coast, supplying beach-goers on Surfers Paradise with 'voices from the commonwealth' every evening. 

Njiel Amos- Botswana

We have done a lot of travelling, up and down the Gold Coast tram link, in our attempts to be in the best spot at the right time. We have been capturing features for our Planet Sport show, soaking up the atmosphere and busily arranging interviews with athletes from around the Commonwealth.

We spoke to Botswana runner Nijel Amos, the Commonwealth Games reigning champion over 800m. He is always a great character and he has a real zest for life, he is always more than happy to talk about his faith, what it means to him and how much God is his motivation for being the best.

Charl Du Toit- South Africa

The Para events are being run alongside the Commonwealth Games schedule at this Games, which is a big step in the right direction for equal coverage and Games reputation. On this note, we spoke to South African runner in the T37 category, Charl Du Toit about this shift in how things are done. He was excited to be in and around the entire Team South Africa and fancies his chances at a medal. He did stress that he wasn't looking as high as Gold though! 

The Games have begun!

By Liam Flint

We were fortunate enough to attend the opening ceremony at the iconic Carrara Stadium, home to the Gold Coast Suns AFL team. It was a spectacle packed with colour, world-class choreography and a detailed history of what it is to be Australian. The 35,000 capacity arena was sold out, the spectators made themselves heard and even though rain threatened to derail the start of the live coverage, it did not dampen any spirits. 

The pace of the evening kept everyone on the edge of their seats and there was no moment for anyone to catch their breath, from singing, to dancing, to tributes and interview there was always something interesting going on.

Perhaps one of the most-loved elements of any opening ceremony is when the competing athletes parade around the track under their country's flag. It was fascinating to see some of the smaller nations and territories that had come to the Games to compete for those 275 Gold medals. Unsurprisingly Team Australia stole the show with their record turnout of 473 athletes. Team England weren't too far behind but the passionate crowd roared their local heroes all of the way round. 

To top the evening off, the Games were officially declared open by the Prince of Wales, representing the Queen, the head of the Commonwealth.

Now into Day 2 of these Games, we have already seen some great stories developing and some surprises, thrown in with some shocks. From a Team England viewpoint, the two Brownlee brothers missing out on medals in the Triathlon was a nightmare start but currently they are sitting pretty at the top of the medal table.

Long may it continue!

Happy Easter from Gold Coast

Our media producers Tom Ellis and Liam Flint have arrived on the Gold Coast, Australia, ready to report on the 2018 Commonwealth Games. From 4-15 April, over 6,600 athletes and team officials from 70 nations and territories will gather for 11 days of world class sporting action across 18 sports.

"One word to describe arriving in the Gold Coast is contrast! Our reward for powering through a long twenty-hour flight was the heat that greeted us, a welcome break from the threat of cold and snow in the UK! There is a real buzz around the Gold Coast as everyone prepares to welcome athletes from around the Commonwealth. Our Australian education has already begun, in the form of an Australian Football league (AFL) game at the Gabba, still no idea what was going on. As teams and fans steadily stream into this idyllic setting, we are eagerly anticipating the start of the Games and hearing some powerful athlete stories!" Liam Flint   

"With temperatures pushing 30 degrees and 70km of coastline, the Gold Coast makes for a warm welcome following the recent 'Beast from the East’ snow storm we experienced in Britain. We spent our first day in Queensland testing out the newly installed tramline, top-notch media facilities, and yes we did make it down onto the beach, just for a little look! On our first evening we drove an hour or so up the road to the Gabba in Brisbane for a real taste of Oz – an AFL game between Brisbane Lions and Melbourne Demons. No mention of ball tampering this time around though.

I've already noticed the Church seems to have a strong presence on the Gold Coast, and we look forward to joining 3000 people at an Easter celebration organised by Beyond Gold - a partnership between local churches to serve and love the city during the Games. A wonderful statment of unity we can only hope to see spill over into the next couple of weeks!" Tom Ellis

Back from Birmingham...

We've just got back from our latest sporting event: the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where reporter and Africa Development Manager Norman Brierley recorded interviews with over 20 athletes, coaches and officials of which at least nine featured some degree of Christian witness or testimony. These will feature on our programme Planet Sport this week and the weeks ahead, so make sure you tune in and check them out!

Please join us in praying for Norman as he returns home for some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Pray also for the impact of the testimony interviews in the minds and lives of our Planet Sport listeners and that in some small way God will use these to build Christ’s kingdom here on earth.

Our next big assignment is a trip to the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games. Tom Ellis and Liam Flint will flying from the UK to Brisbane in just under a month, and will be gathering and producing content from the games for our audience of sports fans across the world!

Introducing sports fans to Jesus

Over the next couple of months, we'll be reporting and gathering content from two international sporting competitions. Please pray for these projects, for the logistics, funding, access and interviews, as we carry out our mission of introducing sports fans from across the world to Jesus Christ.

World Indoor Athletics, Birmingham, 1-4 March

Over 400 athletes from 150 countries will be competing at this global event in Birmingham at the beginning of March.  Passion for Sport will be there too with Norman Brierley (left) reporting for our Planet Sport radio programme. Give thanks that Norman has received his media accreditation and pray that he will have opportunities to record quality interviews with Christian sportsmen and women to challenge and encourage our listeners about the joy of following Jesus.

Commonwealth Games, Australia, 4-15 April

On 29 March media producers Liam Flint and Tom Ellis head to Gold Coast, Australia to report from the Commonwealth Games for our radio, online and social media followers. Passion for Sport has reported from each of the last five editions of the Games going back to Manchester in 2002. Over 6,600 athletes from 70 Commonwealth nations will be competing at the Games. Give thanks for the Christian family that has generously offered accommodation and pray that Liam and Tom will be guided to athletes with a strong passion for Jesus willing to share their stories with our listeners and online followers.

Scott Sio on family and faith

26-year-old Scott Sio (above centre with ball) has a fine rugby heritage. His father, David, played in the 1991 Rugby World Cup for Samoa but Scott is a proud Australian having been born and raised in Sydney. Loosehead prop Scott plays his club rugby for the Brumbies in Super Rugby. In 2013 he made his debut for the Wallabies and since then has played 43 times for Australia including the 2015 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand. Scott talks to us about his rugby career and the importance of his family and faith as a follower of Jesus Christ both on and off the field.

Listen to the interview here:

Listen to "08 Feb: Scott Sio, Australian Rugby Forward" on Spreaker.

Ristananna Tracey: "Without God we can do nothing"

Read our track & faith interview with Jamaican Hurdler, Ristananna Tracey. After a bronze medal at the World Champs, we caught up with her at the Birmingham Diamond League meet:

You are part of a really talented generation of Jamaican track athletes, how do you keep producing high quality performers?

"I think our facilities can be better so we work with whatever we have, we work extremely hard and we train extremely hard. I think that is what leads to our success."

You actually started out with the high jump, how did you then find the hurdles?

Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. -Bill Bradley.… https://t.co/F6GCXxHRgu

— Ristananna S Tracey (@ristananna) August 5, 2017

"I was doing high jump and my high school coach came to me and he said 'oh we have this tall girl and she is just wasting her talent over here' because I wasn't doing that well. He asked me, why not try the 800 metres? So from there I started training for the 880 metres and I started competing. Each time I competed I realised that my times were going down and they kept on improving. At that time I decided to try the 400 metre hurdles and did well at the event, from there people saw that I had potential and I just continued to do it."

What are the keys to becoming a world-class hurdler?

"Most definitely, I think the 400m hurdles is one of the hardest track events, you need to have endurance and I solely depend on it in most of my races. I'm not as fast as the other girls, their flat 400 races are faster than mine and so I think strength, endurance and technically is a big part of it."

Off the track your faith in Jesus is important to you, does it impact your athletics?

"Most definitely, I mean without God we can do nothing. I believe that with him everything is possible. All the glory goes to him."

And what difference does knowing God make to your life?

"I put all my believe in him, I put all my trust in him so when I am going out to race, my mum always told me not to be afraid to go down on my knees and pray. I do exactly that before my races, ensuring that I pray before I go out to race and when I pray I realise that I am achieving whatever I am asking for. That then makes me believe in Him more."

How much does your faith help you in difficult times?

"Injuries do come and sometimes you feel like giving up but I always have people around me, telling me that better days are coming. I pray about it and believe."

Coming Soon: Passion for Sport AGM

We extend a very warm invitation to join us at our Annual General Meeting on Saturday 27 January. This will be held from 1.30-3.00pm at Findon Valley Free Church, Lime Tree Avenue, Worthing, BN14 0DJ.

Come along and join us to give thanks to God for the past year, and to find out about our plans for the future. This is a great opportunity to meet the Board and staff members, and join us to pray for the ministry.

Board members Paul Aylett (Chair), Stuart Dearsley (Treasurer), Gabriel Ajala, Chris Lawther and Luke Hamilton will be there to share our vision and answer questions along with staff members Adrian Barnard, Norman Brierley, Pete Ellis and Liam Flint.

We very much hope you will be able to come and look forward to meeting you there!

CHAN 2018 kicks off in Morocco

On this week's Planet Sport Football Africa we focus on the 2018 African Nations Championship, the CHAN, which has just kicked off in Morocco. It's a wide-open tournament, and Cameroon are hoping to do well. We speak to their coach, Indomitable Lions legend Rigobert Song.

Also we go back to last week's CAF awards, where Liverpool and Egypt's Mohamed Salah took the 2017 African Footballer of the Year title. Stuart has a profile of Salah.

Listen to the show here: 

Listen to "12 Jan: Cameroon Coach, Rigobert Song & Mo Salah, CAF award winner" on Spreaker.

Behind the stumps with Proteas wicketkeeper Mangaliso Mosehle

We caught up with South African wicket-keeper batsman, Mangaliso Mosehle as he continues to push his way into the Proteas plans, after making his international Twenty20 debut in the last year!

The 27-year-old has always been on the national side's radar and has come up through the ranks, playing for the South Africa U19s and going to the World Cup. We spoke to Mosehle about how his faith in Christ impacts his outlook on the game and how he plays it. 

Check out the full interview with Planet Sport below:

Listen to "22 Jun: South Africa cricketer Mangaliso Mosehle & Iranian footballer David Parinejad" on Spreaker.

The power of sport with Tianna & Tiffany

On our latest Planet Sport programme we catch up with reigning Olympic long jump champion Tianna Bartoletta (above) from the USA to find out how she first got into the sport and what she is doing today to encourage and inspire a new generation of young athletes. We also talk to British 100 metres hurdler and 2013 World Championship bronze medallist Tiffany Porter about her sport, ambition and faith.

Listen to the interviews below:

Listen to "23 Nov: Tianna Bartoletta and Tiffany Porter, World Class Athletes" on Spreaker.

Nijel Amos: Botswana could dominate world athletics

At the London Games in 2012 Nijel Amos won Botswana's first ever Olympic medal when he won silver in the 800 metres. In August he came 5th in his event at the World Championships in London. Nijel told Planet Sport's Tom Ellis what it meant to win his country's first Olympic medals and about his faith and hopes for the future. 

Meanwhile, 400 metres runner Baboloki Thebe has his sights set on winning Botswana's second Olympic medal in Tokyo in 2020. At the age of just 20 he is already the African Champion and he came 4th in 400m final at this year's World Championships. He talks to us about his faith, his hopes and dreams and his love for running.

Listen to both interviews here:

Listen to "09 Nov: Nijel Amos & Baboloki Thebe, Botswana athletes" on Spreaker.