Planet Sport

Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom has played representative football at five levels for England from the Under-16s to the Under-21s. This season he has been playing on loan at Sint-Truidén in the Belgian Pro League. The 22-year-old forward talks about his hopes and dreams and pays tribute to Arsenal Wenger, the Arsenal manager who has left the Emirates after 22 years at the club. We also hear from Ugandan rugby international, Phillip Wokorach, who was part of Uganda's Rugby 7s team at the recent Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Phillip tells us about his love for the sport and the impact on his life and sporting career of his faith as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Behind the scenes at many professional sports clubs and major sporting events today you will find chaplains. While coaches provide physical and technical training for the elite sportsmen and women, chaplains complement the holistic approach by providing emotional and spiritual support, not just for the players but for the wider staff at the clubs and events. This week we take an inside look at the role of chaplains as we hear from Charlton Athletic chaplain, Matt Baker, and two of the chaplaincy team at the recent Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, New Zealander Ross Georgiou and Steve Jones from Wales.

United States international footballer Matt Miazga plays in defence for Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch Eredivise. The 22-year-old is on loan from Chelsea, for who he played two Premier League games in April 2016. Miazga tells us how his love for football began as the child of Polish parents in New York before joining the New York Red Bulls Academy and quickly moving up through the ranks. He has now represented the USA at Under-18, Under-20, Under-23 and senior levels, and since 2015 has won 5 senior caps and scoring one goal. He also tells us about the impact of his faith on his sport and life.

South Africa's Akani Simbini caused a shock in the men's 100 metres final at the recent Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia when he defeated the hot favourite, Jamaica's Yohan Blake, to claim the Commonwealth title. Victory was all the more sweet as silver medallist Henricho Bruintjies made it a one-two success for South Africa. Planet Sport's Tom Ellis spoke to Simbini and Bruintjies the day after their medal success at the Games to find out more about their sport and motivation and what their win means for the development of sprinting in South Africa.

Jamaica's Ronald Levy won the 110 metres hurdles at the recent Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. He tells us what it means to be Commonwealth champion and tells us about the influence in his life of his Christian heritage and personal faith. And our reporters at the Games, Tom Ellis and Liam Flint, share their reflections on the 21st edition of the Games which ended on Sunday and consider whether the Commonwealth Games as an event is still relevant today?

Reporters Tom Ellis & Liam Flint at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia visit Southport Bowls Club to experience the related sports of lawn bowls and barefoot bowls and have a lesson from club member, Adriaan. And we catch up with Peace Proscovia, captain of the Ugandan netball team, the She Cranes, to find out about her career, faith and mission to encourage girls in Uganda into the sport.

We're in Gold Coast, Australia as the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games gets underway from 4th-15th April. We hear views 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 living a life of crime fuelled by alcohol and drug addiction.

We talk to one of Africa's top up-and-coming mountain bikers, Zimababwe's Kombo Bere, to find out about his love for the sport, his faith and his hopes for a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. And with the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia getting underway next week we talk to the Head of the Games Organising Committee, Peter Beattie.

In August 2017 United States shot putter Darrell Hill threw a massive personal best of 22 metres 44 at the Van Damme Memorial Diamond League meeting in Brussels, putting him 13th in the all-time list of shot put performers. Planet Sport's Norman Brierley spoke to Darrell after he finished 6th at the recent World Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham to find out about his sport, his faith and his hopes for a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

We talk to two world champions at the recent World Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Double Olympic triple jump silver medallist, Will Claye from the United States, won the World Indoors title ahead of Brazil's Almir Dos Santos and Nelson Evora from Portugal. He talks about the consistency of his performances over the past six years and the impact that his faith as a follower of Jesus Christ makes on his life and career. And South Africa's 2017 long jump world champion, Luvo Manyonga, tells us how he overcame his troubled teenage years and an 18-month ban to become champion of the world. Finally United States sprint hurdler, Sharika Nelvis, tells us how her faith helps her in life on and off the track.

We report from the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham 1-4 March and hear from three medallists: winner of the men's 60 metres, Christian Coleman from the United States, Sam Kendricks also from the US who won silver in the men's pole vault and Kenya's Bethwell Birgen, bronze medallist in the men's 3000 metres. We also hear from Ghanaian 60 metres sprinter Flings Owusu-Agyapong as she talks honestly about her disappointment in failing to reach the final as she now sets her sights on next month's Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. And we get an insight from Dube Jillo, former marathon runner and now Technical Director for the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, into how Ethiopia is working with young people at grassroots level to produce a new generation of distance runners.

We talk to athletes at last Sunday's Muller Indoor Athletics Grand Prix in Glasgow ahead of this week's World Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham. We hear from 2012 Olympic 110m metres hurdles champion Aries Merritt from the United States and reigning World and Olympic women's pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi from Greece. And we talk to South African fast bowler Hardus Viljoen, one of only 20 players in the history of Test cricket to take a wicket with his first delivery.

At the next Summer Games in 2020 in Tokyo, four sports will be making their Olympic debuts: karate, surfing, speed climbing and skateboarding. We talk to James Hope-Gill, CEO of Skateboard England to find out how the sport managed to join the elite band of Olympic sports and what fans can expect when they see the sport on their televisions during the Games.

As Ireland and England lead the race for this year's Six Nations Championship after two rounds of matches, we get a Southern Hemisphere perspective from former Samoa scrum-half, Tu Nu'uali'itia in Auckland. Tu shares his thoughts on the unfolding competition and tells us about playing alongside fellow Samoan Tavita Sio during the 1991 Rugby World Cup. In last week's show we featured an interview with Tavita's son Scott, who plays international rugby for Australia. And following the link back to the 1991 World Cup we revisit our interview with Nick Farr-Jones who led Australia to victory in the 1991 World Cup final against England at Twickenham.

26-year-old Scott Sio has a fine rugby heritage. His father, David, played in the 1991 Rugby World Cup for Samoa but Scott is a proud Australian after being 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.

The northern hemisphere's biggest international rugby competition, the Six Nations, gets underway this weekend. Defending champions England will be looking to become the first team to win the title three years running. We talk to two England players, scrum-half Danny Care and full-back Mike Brown (above, second from left) to find out their thoughts on the upcoming Championship. And we present our tribute to Cyrille Regis, the former England, West Bromwich Albion, Coventry City and Aston Villa striker and pioneer for black footballers in the UK, who died last month at the age of 59.

Last month the Brazilian footballer and 2007 Fifa World Player of the Year, Kaka, retired from the game after a sparkling career spanning over 17 years. He played 92 times for Brazil helping them to win the 2002 World Cup. He also won the UEFA Champions League with AC Milan before joining Spanish giants, Real Madrid. He spent the last three years of his career at MLS side Orlando City. In the second part of our appreciation of Kaka we talk to people who worked with him including Orlando City chaplain Andy Searles and author Liam Flint and we hear from Kaka himself as he reflects on his career and his faith as a follower of Jesus Christ.

In December 2017, the 2007 Fifa World Player of the Year, Kaka, announced his retirement at the age of 35. Over his 17 year career he helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup, won the UEFA Champions League and was a stand-out player for AC Milan and Real Madrid. The last three years of his career were spent with Orlando City in the MLS. In the first of our two-part tribute we talk to people who knew and worked with him including Orlando City chaplain Andy Searles and journalist Stuart Weir. We also hear from Kaka himself as he reflects on his career and the impact that his faith as a follower of Jesus Christ has had on his football and life.

Andrea Montalvo from the United States is a top professional in the fast-growing sport of CrossFit. CrossFit is defined as "constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity”. CrossFit workouts are based on functional movements which reflect the best aspects of fitness regimes such as gymnastics, weightlifting, running and rowing. Andrea talks to us about her love for the sport and it's impact on her faith as a follower of Jesus Christ.

We look forward to an exciting year of sport as Planet Sport correspondent Stuart Weir looks ahead to the Fifa World Cup in Russia, the Commonwealth Games in Australia and the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England. We get into the mood for the World Cup as we recall our visit to the Maracanã Stadium in Rio for the 2014 World Cup quarter final between Colombia and Uruguay and we hear from the head of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games organising committee, Peter Beattie.