Home  >  Sporting Witness  >  The 5-19 football riot in China in 1985
Sporting Witness
The 5-19 football riot in China in 1985
Sporting Witness
May 17, 2025

In May 1985 Hong Kong inflicted an unexpected footballing defeat on their neighbours and rivals China in a World Cup qualifying game in Beijing.

The disappointed Chinese fans rioted and the Hong Kong team had to flee to the safety of their hotel. They later returned home to a hero's welcome.

In 2022 Ashley Byrne spoke to former Hong Kong manager, Lawrence Kee Yu Kam. A Made in Manchester production for the BBC World Service.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: The Hong Kong team are mobbed by fans on their return. Credit: South China Morning Post via Getty Images)

More Episodes
May 10, 2025
Creating ‘HawkEye’ and goal line tech

In 2000, keen cricketer Paul Hawkins wanted to turn his passion into innovation when he created the technology we now know as ‘HawkEye’ and goal line technology.

It was first used in cricket in 2001.

Then, after several controversial sporting moments, involving Serena Williams and Frank Lampard, it was introduced in tennis and football.

Now it’s used in more than 25 sports around the world.

50-year-old Paul Hawkins tells Megan Jones he’s not ready to hang up his bat, racket, or boots just yet.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: Dr. Paul Hawkins, inventor of the Hawk-Eye system. Credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass)


10min 48sec

May 3, 2025
The Flying Mother and the first Giro D'Italia Femminile

The story of the longest consistently run cycling grand tour for women. Now known as the Giro Rosa, the Giro D'Italia Femminile was first raced in 1988. The race featured a total of nine stages with an average of 87km per day. The winner was Italian Maria Canins. When she started cycling, she was nicknamed ‘Mama Volante’ – ‘The Flying Mother’ – as she was a 32-year-old mother who was originally an accomplished cross country skier. She tells Tom Whalley about that first race. A TBone production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: Maria Canins in the 1986 Tour de France Feminin. Credit: Rene Boulay/ Creative Commons)


09min 55sec

Apr 26, 2025
Kwame Nkruman-Acheampong: The Snow Leopard

In 2003, Kwame Nkruman-Acheampong put skis on for the first time. Seven years later, he was competing in slalom at the Vancouver Olympics, the first Ghanaian to ever qualify for the winter games. Kwame grew up in Ghana, but in 2002, at the age of 28, he moved back to UK. To support himself through his masters degree, Kwame decided to get a job and ended up working at the local indoor ski centre in Milton Keynes. Dubbed the "Snow Leopard," he tells Harry Stott how he qualified for the games. A Message Heard production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: Kwame Nkruman-Acheampong competing in Vancouver 2010. Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)


09min 09sec

The 5-19 football riot in China in 1985

--:--
--:--