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Sporting Witness: Eric Liddell - from Chariots of Fire to World War II

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Eric Liddell - from Chariots of Fire to World War II

06/08/2011

BBC World Service - Sporting Witness, Eric Liddell - from Chariots of Fire to World War II

The extraordinary life of Eric Liddell, the runner featued in the film Chariots of Fire

The extraordinary life of Eric Liddell, the Scottish runner featued in the film Chariots of Fire.

The Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell, is famous for refusing to run on a Sunday in the Paris Olympics of 1924.

But, as depicted in the film Chariots of Fire, he went on to win Gold in a different event - the 400 metres.

After the Olympics, Eric Liddell became a Christian missionary in China, where he died in an internment camp during World War II.

Sporting Witness tells the extraordinary story of Eric Liddell's life using archive material and an interview with Steve Metcalf, a survivor from the camp.

PHOTO: Getty Images

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