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A signed Saracens Tee is up for grabs!
We are really pleased to announce that we are running a giveaway competition to celebrate our latest release of the Rugby Podcast.
The prize up for grabs is an official Saracens Rugby T-shirt, signed by Saracens and Australia pro Will Skelton! To be in with a chance to win, head over to our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and follow the entry requirements! Go on, treat yourself!
On the latest Podcast we feature Saracens and Australia Rugby star, Will Skelton, who talks about his thoughts ahead of the Rugby World Cup next year in Japan and he tells us how important his faith in Jesus is to his on-field game.
That’s not all! USA Rugby’s Carlin Isles, the world’s fastest Rugby player, also joins us to play the ‘This or That’ game. Is he as quick with his words as he is with his feet?
Listen to the Planet Sport Rugby Podcast below:
Image Credit: Alasdair Massie
Photo cred: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin
Planet Sport caught up with Canadian basketballer, Ruth Hamblin to talk about what it means to represent her country, the perks of being 6ft 6" and how important her faith is to her.
Listen to the full Planet Sport interview below:
South Africa v New Zealand (Commonwealth Games 2018)
Keenan Horne plays for South Africa's Hockey team. At 26, he has broken into the national side and featured in their recent tournament at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.
Planet Sport's Liam Flint spoke to the man himself, on Gold Coast, Australia, in amongst the busy competition schedule, to find out more about the number 10 and see what has propelled him to the top of the sport:
Listen to the full Planet Sport interview with Keenan below:
Jamaica have long been known for producing world-class athletes, one of the current generation is Ronald Levy. The 25-year-old Hurdler came home with Gold from the Commonwealth Games, with his fellow-countryman Hansel Parchment, taking Silver.
Planet Sport caught up with the champion to reflect on what it means to be the best and to pick his brains on how to bounce back from life's challenges.
Listen to the full Planet Sport interview with Ronald below:
26-year-old Scott Sio plays for Australian Super Rugby side, Brumbies, and has also been capped by the Wallabies 43 times to date.
The world-class forward took time out to chat to Planet Sport, about following in the sporting footsteps of his father, what it means to pull on the green and gold and how his faith in God helps him in life.
Listen to the full Planet Sport interview with Scott below:
Dyan Buis (L) with Charl Du Toit (R)
Dyan Buis and Charl Du Toit are the epitome of a competitive friendship, the two South African Para athletes, both medaled at this year's Commonwealth Games, running in the same T38 category event. Fierce competitors on the track, they also share a deep friendship off it, where they share a common love for their sport and their faith in Jesus.
Planet Sport's Tom Ellis caught up with the pair, before and after their medal-winning exploits to talk about what it means to represent their country together and how the focus on para-athletes is growing.
Listen to the full Planet Sport interview below:
Nicole Seekamp (L) & Cayla George (R)
The Australian women's basketball team, The Opals, took the Commonwealth Games by storm on Gold Coast and cruised through to win outright Gold. Planet Sport caught up with two of their key players, Connecticut Suns' Cayla George & Adelaide Lightning's Nicole Seekamp to talk about their international success, what the secret is and how much it means to compete on home soil:
"Its definitely special and exciting to play on the beautiful Gold Coast. To have an event like this in Australia is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Listen to the full Planet Sport interview below:
South Africa's Akani Simbine & Henricho Bruintjies
South Africa's Akani Simbine, is a rising star in world athletics and he took things to a new level with an eye-catching Gold medal run in the Commonwealth Games. In pipping the much-fancied Jamaican, Yohan Blake, he is officially the fastest man in the Commonwealth over 100m.
Planet Sport's Tom Ellis caught up with the Simbine and his fellow countryman, Henricho Bruintjies who clinched Silver on Gold Coast, Australia.
Here's what they made of their one-two podium finish:
Nicole Seekamp (L) and Cayla George (R)- Australia Basketball
By Liam Flint
Being on the Gold Coast, we wanted to grab some home-athlete perspective and so caught up with Cayla George and Nicole Seekamp from the Women's Basketball team, who are romping through the tournament so far and favourites to win Gold!
I asked them how much the home support and opportunity to play in the Aussie backyard was a factor in how well they were doing:
"It's definitely special, it helped us get motivated and we've had some pretty decent wins. It certainly helps having a great crowd. We aim to go out there and jut play and it seems to work out for us, we've got a really good team and a lot of depth."
When asked about what motivates them and where their success comes from, they were both quick to point to their personal faith in Jesus:
Cayla: "I'm not here without God, first and foremost, he has blessed me with the talent and he's blessed me with this platform. So why not use it to shine his light?"
Nicole: "At the end of the day I believe that God has got a plan for all of us and he's leading me down a path."
Both players will be eager to secure Gold for their country and, so far, the stats suggest that they are favourites to do just that!
Stay tuned to upcoming episodes of Planet Sport for full coverage of our interview with George & Seekamp!
Team South Africa 'medal winners' Press Conference
By Liam Flint
Over the past few days Tom and I have been investing a lot of time into securing interviews which will give exclusive access and content to our listeners from around the Commonwealth.
We have seen a real flurry of openings and have had the opportunity to interview some of the biggest names at these Games, about their medal-winning performances and their faith in Jesus.
100m Gold Medalist- Akani Simbine
South Africa's Akani Simbine, is officially the fastest man in the Commonwealth, after pipping the much-fancied Yohan Blake (Jamaica) to the Gold medal. We managed to catch up with Akani the day after his triumph to get some fresh reaction and his thoughts on his huge achievement.
He spoke honestly and openly about how the result, in his eyes, was no surprise and that he always knew he was capable of the Gold. Very early on he stated that it was through his faith in Jesus, that he was given this success and he is passionate about 'shining his light' to others around the world. He was humble in victory and even has the word 'faith' tatooed on his arm.
Ugandan Rugby star- Philip Wokorach
Our most recent interview was with Uganda Rugby Sevens star, Philip Wokorach, a man who is highly regarded in the world game as a world-class talent. We spoke to Philip about how much it means for the country of Uganda to be at the Commonwealth Games. This is a man who has come back to the top of his sport, twice after breaking his leg and he gave all the credit to Jesus, quoting his favourite bible verse as Philippians 4:13. We look forward to watching him as the Rugby Sevens finally gets going over the next few days!
Beach Volleyball- Coolangatta
By Liam Flint
Vision FM
Yesterday we traveled further down the Gold Coast, towards Coolangatta, known for being the home of Beach Volleyball at this Commonwealth Games. This sand-filled sport is making its Games debut and there aren't many better spots around the globe to accommodate for the beach location, the surf and the party atmosphere. Beach Volleyball has a unique atmosphere which sets it apart from other venues and sports, it's a constant feed of music, exhilarating back and forth rallies and crowd participation. All fans who attend a game are expected to get up out of their seats and make some noise, from Mexican waves to 'kiss cam', they will get you!
Robbo and our first Koala sighting
This morning was an early start, as we paid Vision FM a visit, to feature on their Rise and Shine Breakfast show. This was a great opportunity to share about what we are doing over on the Gold Coast and also educate listeners on the Passion For Sport mantra. Hosted by Andrew Robinson aka 'Robbo', a friend of Passion For Sport, we had a great time discussing our Australian experience and even played a quintessentially British game based on Cheese Rolling! Oh the stereotypes!
'Robbo and Friends' game segment
In return we tried to educate Robbo and his audience on the game of 'Conkers' but seeing as there aren't any Horse Chestnut trees in Australia, that was wasted on them. We were then put through our paces in a variation of Cheese Rolling, using 'Cheezels', an Aussie snack. Tom and I had to blow/roll our Cheezel from one end of a table to another and place it in a cup for victory. Long story short, we let England down and slumped to defeat.
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!
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!
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!
