Power Of Sport Podcast

Chester Koyana is a key figure at the LIV Village in Cottonlands, where together with his own family and under the guidance of Liv Founders Tich and Joan Smith he makes a lasting impact on the community. Chester is first in a brand new series profiling great South Africans doing their part to improve lives through sport. #PowerOfSport presents... the sporting heroes among us that we all should know.

Over $400,000 was raised by the incredible Just Challenge Africa trek that took place in South Africa in an event that championed Sport for Good, and also saw five Laureus-backed programmes around the world benefit. 100 people from all across the globe laced up their hiking boots traversing over 100km through the Drakensberg World Heritage site in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that proved to be a serious physical feat. In the latest episode of the Power of Sport the likes of rugby legends Bryan Habana, Brian O'Driscoll, Jean de Villiers together with fellow ambassadors Annabelle Bond and Dan Nicholl tell the tale of this extraordinary event.

The latest episode of the Power of Sport is action-packed! We have an exclusive catch-up with our newest Ambassador, Dean Furman, not just about what the recognition means to him but also about the exciting news of Bafana Bafana's qualification for AFCON and Dean's take on what expectations are ahead of that; we hear from Proteas batsman Aiden Markram on their day out with Waves for Change in Cape Town, Ron Rutland checks in from Iran on his latest, crazy adventure riding his bike from London to the start of the Rugby World Cup - in Japan - and not trying not to curse the Springboks, again, AND Banyana coach Desiree Ellis spends a very special afternoon at LIV Village. It's a must-listen!

What a night! The 19th Laureus World Sports Awards, which took place in Monaco, once again wowed the sporting world. There were a whole host of special moments including speeches from Arsene Wenger, Jelena Djokovic, as well as her husband Novak, Lyndsay Vonn, the inspiring work done by the Yuwa programme in India and many more - you don't want to miss listening back to this. Plus, also in this episode we had a little inside help too: we enlisted a number of the star South African contingent on the ground in Monaco to share their experiences as we weave together a unique local-flavoured tapestry encapsulating sport's grandest spectacle. Enjoy!

One of South Africa's great sports stories of 2018 was the success of Banyana Banyan qualifying for a first ever World Cup Finals. We speak to the coach of the team and Laureus Ambassador Des Ellis to reflect on her last 12 months and the major challenge now ahead for her team. Plus, it's a bumper sporting year so we find out what the likes of Zanele Mdodana, Shaun Pollock, Schalk Brits and Corne Krige are most looking forward to while the Laureus World Sports Awards are just around the corner; and it's a final chance to push for Springbok captain Siya Kolisi to take his place on the famous red carpet of Monaco!

A visit to the LIV Village in Cottonlands is always a hugely inspiring occasion. And in this episode of the Power of Sport it was perhaps even more so. A whole host of our ambassadors joined our proud new partner, the Ignition Group, for a truly humbling experience. That was capped off by a special event in Umhlanga to announce the new partnership and an Ambassador's Forum that brought together some of the most influential figures from both past and present to share their experiences of the Power of Sport.

In this episode 23 inspiring Laureus South Africa Youth Empowerment through Sport (Yes) graduates celebrated their special day in Johannesburg as they continue their journey in spreading the Sport for Good message in the communities in which they live and work. And we travel to Cape Town and the official residence of the UK High Commissioner His Excellency Nigel Casey where special guest Johann Rupert joined a host of programmes and ambassadors before heading to Muizenberg to see Waves for Change, Polo Africa and United Through Sport in action. Don't miss it!

130 programmes from around the world, 200-odd delegates, Academy members, Ambassadors and Sport for Good - the 2018 Laureus Global Summit in partnership with Allianz was a huge success.  This special edition of the Power of Sport travelled to Paris for the 3-day gathering that brings the Laureus family together to tell that story. We speak to delegates from across the world as well as the likes of Sean Fitzpatrick, Steve Waugh, Bryan Habana, Daley Thompson, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Fabian Cancellara and Jens Lehmann as they all continue to champion Sport for Good.

Not even the man himself could probably have imagined that The Dan Nicholl Show would have reached the 100 episode mark. And so in order to honour the fantastic achievement Jean Smyth sat down with the Laureus Ambassador in Paris to reflect on some of his favorite memories over the years and what Sport for Good means to him. Plus, there’s the small matter of an on-the-record admission that Bryan Habana will likely be keen to hear!

The Eastern Cape is the beating heart of Mercedes Benz in South Africa, with a rich history. The world’s premier motoring company is a proud partner of Laureus South Africa and in 2018 held a series sporting-themed breakfasts delivering key insights into the latest happenings in the sporting world as well as the Laureus Foundation. This episode provides a highlights reel of those events as we hear from some of sport's biggest names including the likes of Zolani Tete, Jeremy Brockie, Amanda Dlamini, Morne du Plessis and Elana Meyer. This audio journey is a spiritual homecoming to the famous Mercedes Benz plant in East London, of sorts, as we trace the impact Nelson Mandela had on Mercedes Benz South Africa, the Laureus Foundation and to millions around the world.

"Please, please my child; never stop going to school because look at what's happened to you because of this.....the ululating, the happiness, you can't explain it." Those the words of the Hlawula Vutomi's Doc Mabila who we speak to in the latest Power of Sport podcast as he, along with Morne du Plessis and Corne Krige, held a special event in the Kruger National Park to showcase the work this incredible programme is doing not only for sport but also conservation. And, he's done it again, death-defying Grant Lottering has conquered not only the Pyrenees but also the Alps, in a single feat, and all in the aid of Laureus SA. We check in with him to ask him how it was possible!

There are few South African sporting figures who have garnered more attention in the media in the last few months than Springbok captain Siya Kolisi. For this episode of the Power of Sport Jean Smyth went to meet up with him and got unique insights into family, leadership, guilt & the meaning of inspiration.

In the year that Nelson Mandela would have turned 100, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and its South African Chairman, Morne du Plessis, walked its own road to Ellis Park to pay tribute to his memory. The hallowed turf upon which Madiba’s Magic united a nation, Ellis Park, played host to programmes from around the country who gathered, in many ways, to pay tribute to his legacy on Mandela Day. In this special edition, Jean Smyth hears from real-life South African heroes living among us who, through sport, are changing lives and granting hope to where before there was only despair.

He's still fairly new in the job but the CEO of Laureus Jonathan Hill, has already made a big impact! The man from Leeds, with an illustrious career in sport, fills us in on his background, his drive and what his vision is for the organisation going forward. Plus, he reveals his guilty sporting pleasure and tells us about his role in creating one of football's most prominent catch-phrases.

Laureus South Africa is going on another exchange! This time the incredible team from Fight with Insight travel to Rio de Janeiro not just to hone their boxing skills but to share knowledge and gain valuable life experience. Plus, Football World Cup fever will be gripping the nation hoping to put the despair of 2014 behind them in Russia 2018! And Ambassador Dan Nicholl, never one for the conventional, celebrated his birthday by inviting all of his friends to a cricket tournament letting them loose with bat, ball and on the mic all in the spirit of Sport for Good!

In this episode Jean Smyth catches up with Schalk Brits who spent just two weeks in retirement before being called up to the Springboks. An extraordinary story featuring: golf, Ibiza, Vincent Koch, Rassie Erasmus & mojitos! Plus, we kick off our annual series of sporting themed breakfasts with Mercedes Benz delving deep into the cycling world.

Do you know who’s going to win the Football World Cup in Russia? Go on then, tell us.While you’re sending your tweet or compiling your Facebook post, download and listen to the latest Power of Sport podcast where some of the most compelling reasoning can be found as to who will be crowned World Champions on 15 July in Moscow can be found. That’s right: none other than former World Cup winner Marcel Desailly, Bafana Bafana midfielder Dean Furman, the Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis and former Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund all weigh in with their predictions. It’s not to be missed and you can send us yours too. Plus, we hear back from Ryan Sandes on his incredible feat of conquering the Great Himalaya Trail in record time along with partner Ryno Griesel.

What a night! The Laureus World Sports Awards, yet again, wowed all with Roger Federer taking top honours. Power of Sport host Jean Smyth goes 'behind the scenes' to bring you this Special Edition featuring unique insights into one of the sporting world's most high-profile events. Hear from Federer at his majestic best, as well as Bryan Habana, Caster Semenya, Steve Waugh, Edwin Moses, Sean Fitzpatrick, Ryk Neethling, Dan Carter, Morne du Plessis, Akani Simbine, Craig Nossel and Mercedes Benz SA as they walked the red carpet. And then we go inside the Salle des Etoiles where Hollywood star Benedict Cumberbatch played host to the event in which the true Power of Sport was celebrated.

In this episode Springbok record try-scorer and Laureus Ambassador Bryan Habana gives the strongest hint yet that he’s on the verge of retiring from the sport. We also gain an insight into South African production house T&W whose founder Gareth Whittaker talks about the emotions he has watching work produced by his company at the Laureus Awards is viewed by 200 million people across the globe. And, Jean Smyth chats to former US football star goalkeeper Hope Solo for her view on former Banyana Banyana coach Vera Paauw and why her fight for equal pay for men and women at the top of the sport is about ensuring that she finds herself “on the right side of history”.