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In the world’s largest amateur soccer tournament, the Pelad¥o, 700 teams battle it out for victory and recognition over a period of four months. The competition runs in parallel with a beauty pageant. Each beauty queen is assigned to a soccer team and her success can further the squad’s chances in the overall results, even if it loses.

A unique initiative in Britain sees talented youngsters aged between 12 and 15 improving not only their performance on the soccer pitch but also their language skills. Arsenal stars such as Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Serge Gnabry often stop by to offer advice and encouragement. It’s a very special opportunity for kids from a variety of social backgrounds to broaden their experience.

In the Rames Guyane race, rowers from all over the world attempt to cross the Atlantic using sheer muscle power. The film observes three men as they set out from Senegal, bound for French Guiana, in special rowing boats fit for the rigors of the high seas. In their solo battle against the forces of nature and their own physical limits, one thought should keep them going: The way is the goal.

The world’s most dangerous slums are found in the city of Rio de Janeiro. For many children and youngsters living in the favelas, everyday life is defined by poverty, violence and a lack of prospects. As well as offering a welcome diversion, soccer can also go some way to addressing the lack of social infrastructure. A coach from the German Soccer Association supports a number of local initiatives, helping kids improve their game and their social skills.

The region of Ladakh in the very north of India lies on a high plain, and it’s freezing cold there for many months of the year. Ice hockey is a very popular sport, and it’s attracting an increasing number of women. One of the most successful female teams is that of the SECMOL youth program. Ice hockey is an important element of the curriculum for this educational initiative.

Women from a Peruvian village in the Andes play soccer at an elevation of 4,000 meters – in full traditional costume and according to their own set of rules. One of the ways they train for their matches against other female teams is to undertake long and strenuous hikes. The effort pays off – their sporting success even helps them to attain political influence in their local community.

Three sportswomen are striving to establish the sport of surfing in Iran. At first, the idea met with criticism in this male-dominated society; but before long entire families were turning out to watch the women surf, dressed in neoprene suits and hijabs. The sport has even found favor with a local member of parliament in this remote corner of southeastern Iran, and the decision has been taken to teach youngsters here how to surf.

Every year, thousands of swimmers from all over the world pit themselves against the tides of the Indian Ocean. In the Rottnest Channel Swim, contestants have to cover a distance of 20 kilometers out in the open sea. Rough waters, unpredictable weather and the enormous distance make this event one of the world’s most dangerous swimming competitions.

For more than 50 years, Lucio Zurlo has been running a boxing studio in a poor and tough neighborhood of Naples. He is a successful coach: several of his protégés have won titles. Though the ‘maestro’, as everybody calls him, is approaching 80, he still personally looks out for his students every day, and has helped many stay away from a life of crime.

Teshya’s life revolves completely around judo and wrestling. Her family is totally supportive, accompanying her to every competition, convinced that one day Teshya will be the best. This is the story of an elite athlete on her way to the top of her sport and of a girl facing the challenges of growing up.

Wadi Rum, Jordan’s best-known desert landscape, provides the backdrop for an iconic endurance race. Once a year some 70 participants from all over the world compete in the race over a distance of 120 kilometers. Heat, sand and powerful gusts of wind make this a hugely challenging event for both the horses and their riders.

The Tour du Faso is regarded as the friendlier African version of the Tour de France. In temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius in the shade, African pros and more adventurous European riders compete over a 10-stage course across the savannah of Burkina Faso. When European perfectionism meets the African fighting spirit, and sand tracks meet high-tech, it quickly becomes clear that anything is possible.

German football has long been regarded as a success story, certainly since the national squad won its fourth world championship title. This success is based on a unique system of promoting gifted young players that involves a nationwide network of talent scouts, intensive training at special centers, right through to the U21 national team. A look behind the scenes of the German Football Association’s recruitment and coaching program.

The Triqui tribe lives in the Oaxaca highlands of southern Mexico. Their main sport is basketball. And although space is in short supply up in the mountains, there’s always room for a small court where players, most of them barefoot, can train for the next tournament. Every year, some 300 children try out for one of the sought-after spaces on the junior coaching program.

Herb Schneider fled Nazi persecution in Austria and found refuge in Cuba in 1941. Two years later he settled in the US. Seven decades on, his young grandson Mica, who is crazy about baseball, finds out that poor kids in Cuba also love the sport but often can’t find or afford the right equipment, so he comes up with an ambitious plan to help.

A former Moroccan surfing pro is using the allure of the waves to try to secure a better future for street children: He teaches them how to surf at his beach club, and thereby also imparts values such as environmental awareness and community spirit. But only those who get good grades at school are allowed to join in.

The Al Galayel Championship in Qatar is the most important hunting and falconry contest on the Arabian Peninsula. Every year, teams compete against each other in traditional Arab hunting techniques. German national Laura Wrede will be the first woman ever to take part. She has been practicing her camel handling and training with her falcons every day in preparation for the event.

Axel and Nik are among the best divers in Germany and thrive on extreme adventures. As one explores a narrow cave complex or searches for a shipwreck, the other aims to break the world record in freediving under ice. Both are acutely aware of their limits, as in diving hubris can be fatal.

For girls in India, football can promote empowerment, women’s rights and gender equality. More than a hundred took part in the Discover Football Festival in Goa. Farheen is a Muslim from Mumbai, who is new to the game; Cynthia, a Christian from Goa, who dreams of becoming a professional; and Tsomo, a Buddhist from Tibet. They all love football and have come to Goa to play together.

Surfers are discovering the extreme charms of the remote Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia, where the scenery is spectacular, the waves excellent, and the air and water shockingly cold in winter. A dedicated group of Russian surfers is keen to prove to foreign surfers and fellow Russians that surfing is totally cool, literally.

Their pitch may be surrounded by high walls, but a match means 90 minutes of freedom. The team is made up of prisoners. For coach Gerd Mewes, what matters is not the crimes the men have committed but their soccer skills. The prison squad takes part in the local league. The only constraint is they can’t play away games.

When Manchester United was purchased by a billionaire in 2005, a group of devoted fans, dismayed by the commercialization of British soccer, founded their own football club – United of Manchester – under the banner ‘Fans First!’. It’s owned by its fans and is semi-professional. It is proving rather successful, but is there a risk it might lose sight of its original down-to-earth character?

Since 1996, Brazil’s Inter Tribal Council has been hosting national Indigenous Games. They are intended as a celebration of the culture, traditions and spirituality of native peoples. Athletes test their strengths in a variety of disciplines including tug-of-war, shooting with blowpipe and bow and arrow, canoeing and ball games. But above all else, this gathering enables participants to travel, get to meet other ethnic groups and discuss shared interests.

Because it was hard to get their autistic son Mikey into a sports club where they live in New Jersey, USA, Maria und Mike decided to found their own swim team for autistic youngsters. The joint training sessions are invigorating and give them new confidence. The swimmers have already clocked up numerous successes, boosting their self-esteem and helping them manage the challenges of their daily lives.

Several years ago, the French entrepreneur Frédéric Sausset was afflicted by a life-threatening infection with multi-resistant bacteria. As the infection spread, his left arm, right hand and both of his lower legs had to be amputated. Despite his compromised physical condition, he decided he wanted to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race. Against all the odds, he found sponsors and team partners – and completed the race!