大象传媒

Representing your country as a sports-person for some is the highest accolade you can achieve, but being part of an elite group of competitors that have the hopes and dreams of a nation in their hands comes with its own pressures.

Whilst black sports men and women have represented these shores for decades, these events have come with their own series of reactions - some pleasant, some less so.

From seeing 22 year old Viv Anderson donning the three lions in 1978 and becoming the first black player to play football for England, to Paul Ince the first Black captain of the national side in 1993 and Ashley Cole reaching the magical 100 cap mark, the influence of black players in all sports cannot be underestimated.

These accolades are not just the domain of male sports stars. Women have been carrying the torch for years with Tessa Sanderson taking home gold in javelin in 1984 and Dina Asher-Smith becoming the fastest British women in History.

With the unprecedented rise of women鈥檚 sport and the recent success of the Lionesses, there is a nationwide focus on young female sports stars.

Black international female sports stars have broken barriers at an incredible rate.

Today鈥檚 show looks at the experiences of our female international sports women who have represented the UK - the ups, the downs, the voyages of discovery and much more.