Homeless fighter

Irina Viner is a legendary Russian rhythmic gymnastics coach. Her athletes have won a myriad of accolades in the biggest international competitions. Take a look behind the scenes of their incredible performances and find out what it takes to train star gymnasts.

They can hold their breath for several minutes and slow their heart rate to almost nothing. Free divers plunge to incredible depths with no scuba gear. They push themselves to the limit to break new records but despite the serious risks involved, they can’t resist the call of the deep.

They can hold their breath for several minutes and slow their heartrate to almost nothing. Free divers plunge to incredible depths with no scuba gear. They push themselves to the limit to break new records but despite the serious risks involved, they can’t resist the call of the deep.

The schoolgirls of Shaolin Epo Wushu College have little time to play with dolls. In their boarding school, they live by a tight schedule and strict discipline. Every day they train to fight with knives and swords. Living a Spartan lifestyle, they work hard to make their teachers and their country proud but only students who pass the exams are allowed to continue their education.

To them, boxing is more than just a sport: it gives freedom, empowerment and the confidence to stand up for themselves. They're the students of Karachi’s first boxing school for girls. Training here, they feel better able to protect themselves but more than that, they also know they achieve more than what their conservative society expects of them.

Kok Boru is an ancient sport played with a dead goat. Similar to polo, two teams on horseback compete for control of its body and are rewarded for scoring goals at either end of a large field. While other games have evolved into sanitised modern versions, this ancient nomadic tradition is still thriving in the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan.

See James Brown have super cool adventures in the snow. Meet adrenaline junkies practicing ice speedway and the tech heads designing radical mega-slippers for a thrill-seeking ride of their own. Ice hockey minus the blades and kite-flying in a winter wonderland.