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As the 2026 Winter Olympics kick off in Italy, we look to the most powerful woman in sport - the International Olympics Committee President, Kirsty Coventry.
The most decorated African Olympian of all time, the 42-year-old mother-of-two made history as both the first African and the first woman to hold the title when she was elected last year.
Kirsty began swimming from an early age, in the family pool in Harare, Zimbabwe, where her mother gave swimming lessons to local children. Her talent was soon spotted, and she competed in her first Olympics in at just aged 16, going on to compete in four more.
With seven Olympic medals and several World Records under her belt, she decided to take on a role at the International Olympic Committee, quickly climbing the ranks.
Her reign is being closely watched by both her supporters and her detractors - from the decisions she makes around Russian and transgender athletes being allowed to compete, to the challenge global warming creates for running the competition. So, as the Winter Olympics begin, Mark Coles examines how she got here.
Production Team:
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Keiligh Baker and Katie Solleveld
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman
Sound: James Beard
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive:
Olympics.com
AFP
IOC
Dominican Convent Primary School Harere
Sporting Witness BBC World Service
Sky News

The fatal shooting of two Minnesota residents by federal agents has contributed to the fiercest public backlash yet against the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policy. The man widely seen as the driving force behind this controversial approach, is White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller.
Born in 1985 and raised in liberal Santa Monica, California, Miller is the grandson of Jewish refugees. Outspoken from an early age, he made his name as a teenager through conservative talk radio appearances and student newspaper columns, before gaining national attention at Duke University defending members of the lacrosse team falsely accused of rape.
From fringe political outsider to trusted adviser, Miller has gone on to shape some of the most consequential policies of the Trump era, including the so-called Muslim travel ban and family separations at the border. So, as immigration once again dominates the US news agenda, Becky Milligan examines how he got here.
Production Team:
Presenter: Becky Milligan
Producers: Laurie Kalus, Katie Solleveld, Sophie Van Brugen and Keiligh Baker
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman
Sound: James Beard
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive:
Fox News
Paramount
Miller Brewing Co.
ABC

The Secretary General of NATO has been dubbed the Trump whisperer after talks with Donald Trump at Davos appeared to help trigger a sudden U-turn on Greenland and threatened tariffs.
Mark Rutte was born in The Hague in 1967, began his career in business at Unilever and entered politics in 2002 eventually becoming the Dutch prime minister where he steered the Netherlands through economic turmoil, domestic crises and global shocks. Appointed Secretary General of NATO in October 2024 he has led the organisation through a tumultuous time in global politics.
Mark Coles takes a closer look at Mark Rutte’s life.
Production Team
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Keiligh Baker, Katie Solleveld, Sally Abrahams
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele & Gemma Ashman
Sound: Neil Churchill
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive:
Guardian News, 2024
Sky News
tv47
BBC TV
Bloomberg News

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that US President Donald Trump’s threat to take Greenland would spell the end of Nato, the trans-Atlantic defence alliance. So who is the woman standing toe to toe with Trump?
A career politician in the truest sense, she was first elected as a member of the Danish Parliament in 2001, the day after her 24th birthday. After nearly two decades at the heart of the country’s politics, where she held roles including Justice Minister and Minister for Employment, she was elected Prime Minister of Denmark in June 2019, aged 41, the youngest leader in Danish history.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing - her premiership has survived a pandemic, an early election, and inflation driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, as the jam-making mother-of-two faces her biggest international challenge to date - Stephen Smith looks back at the life and career of the woman named the ‘second most powerful person in Europe in 2026’ by Politico.
Contributors:
Magdalena Andersson, former Swedish Prime Minister
Kasper Kildegaard, Danish journalist
Kasper Fogh Hansen, friend
Ane Halsboe-Jorgensen, Danish Taxation Minister and friend
Stig Jensen, Danish academic and tutor
Tobias Hamann, Great Danish Bake Off winner
Producers: Laurie Kalus, Katie Solleveld and Keiligh Baker
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young
Sound: Gareth Jones
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive:
BBC News
Danish Presidency of the council of the EU 2025
Danish Social Democrats
Denmark Broadcasting Corporation

The newly-appointed British ambassador to the United States, Sir Christian Turner, is a career diplomat whose experience spans almost three decades. He was about to take up the role of the UK's ambassador at the UN but after Lord Mandelson was abruptly pulled from his ambassadorial role in the US late last year, Sir Keir Starmer diverted Turner to replace him.
Born in Crawley in 1972, Turner attended the prestigious Marlborough College, before pursuing English literature at the University of Manchester, and later a doctorate at York. After flirting with documentary-making, he pivoted to public service, entering the Cabinet Office in the late nineties. He has closely advised several prime ministers, including Theresa May with whom colleagues say he shared his love of card games.
After an initial posting to Washington ended in 2006, his career has flourished at the foreign office. Mark Coles finds out more about the UK’s new man in DC, as he prepares to navigate ties with the Trump administration in a delicate moment for the so-called ‘special relationship’.
Contributors:
Lord Peter Ricketts, former National Security Adviser
Sir Simon Fraser, former Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and current chair of Chatham House.
Tom Fletcher, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
Rachel Barber-Mack, sister-in-law
Richard Cooke, Royal Choral Society musical director
Jerry Koehler, Royal Choral Society singer
James Perry, friend
Richard Warlow, friend
Joel Burden, friend
Production team:
Producers: Ben Carter, Katie Solleveld and Laurie Kalus
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Katie Morrison
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive:
KTN News Kenya
BBC News
APTN
Note of Correction: 
In this episode we incorrectly referred to the Mau Mau tribe in Kenya. It should have been the Mau Mau uprising.