The Lost Olympians Podcast with Patrick Cairns, Lesley Cairns-Falk cover art

The Lost Olympians

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About this listen

Introduction by Executive Producer Jessica Biel

In 1971, 12-year-old Lesley Cairns was a South African swimming phenom with big Olympic dreams. But because she was classified as “coloured” by the apartheid regime, you won’t find her swimming scores in the record books. Or anywhere. She crossed a line she didn’t know existed—one that led to a harrowing visit from the secret police. In this four-part series, Lesley and her brother, Patrick Cairns, dive into a family secret that reveals the role that sport played in their country’s liberation movement.

©2022 ATTN: Inc. (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC
Africa Sports Water Sports
Episodes
  • Trailer
    Jul 27 2023

    In 1971, 12-year-old Lesley Cairns was a South African swimming phenom with big Olympic dreams. But because she was classified as “coloured” by the apartheid regime, you won’t find her swimming scores in the record books. Or anywhere. She crossed a line she didn’t know existed - one that led to a harrowing visit from the secret police. In this four-part series, Lesley and her brother, Patrick Cairns, dive into a family secret that reveals the role that sport played in their country’s liberation movement.

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    1 min
  • Part One: Sink or Swim
    Jul 27 2023

    Lesley and her brother, Patrick, revisit the swimming event that landed her in the crosshairs of the South African security police - the law enforcement branch that brutally cracked down on opponents of apartheid.

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    30 mins
  • Part Two: No Normal Sport
    Jul 27 2023

    Lesley and Patrick set out to understand the forces at play in 1970’s South Africa under apartheid and the lines that Lesley didn’t even know she’d crossed. They examine the role that boycotts played - not only in Lesley’s swimming career, but in the liberation movement.

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    34 mins
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