With fan favorites like Formula One docuseries, Drive to Survive, Netflix seems to have found its footing in the sports world, and it is only getting more ambitious. The platform keeps expanding its lineup with gripping stories about competition, pressure, and the people behind the performance. But unlike shows that explore the personal and professional lives of athletes, Icarus is quite different. 

This project revolves around sports, but soon turns into something far bigger as it deals with shocking and unexpected revelations. And perhaps that is what makes it worth watching.

Icarus is a sports documentary that follows filmmaker and amateur cyclist Bryan Fogel, who teams up with Russian scientist Grigory Rodchenkov to test the doping system in cycling. However, it spiraled when former Moscow laboratory director Rodchenkov became a whistleblower and showed evidence of doping programs of his country. 

This documentary, based on a true story, also won the Academy Award in 2018, becoming Netflix’s first feature film to do so. An all-new experiment by Fogel and shocking scandals are what make it worth watching. And this documentary, which runs for 2 hours and a little more, is now available to stream on Netflix.

Now, over time, Netflix has continued to inch toward sports by bringing more stories. Full Swing focuses on the golfers, while specials like NFL Christmas Gameday also gain massive traction. On the other hand, Netflix is also home to the acclaimed UNTOLD sports documentary series, which brings stories of different athletes.

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Recently, the streaming giant also brought an intriguing live event, Skyscraper Live, which followed Alex Honnold on a new adventure.

Skyscraper Live on Netflix made quite the noise last month. It showed climber Alex Honnold climbing one of the tallest buildings in the world, Taipei 101, and that too without any ropes. The entire climb was captured live on Netflix. 

Before the event, the climber had also opened up about how climbing a rock and a building were different. 

“One of the big differences between climbing a building and rock climbing is that there really isn’t a hardest single move,” he told Tudum

The event is now available to stream on Netflix. Now, both the live event and the challenge were indeed quite rare for the streaming platform. So clearly, Netflix is hunting for something new and bold every year when it comes to sports documentaries and shows. 

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What do you think about Icarus? Let us know in the comments.