Tested cover art

Tested

Tested

By: CBC + NPR
Listen for free

About this listen

Who gets to compete? Since the beginning of women’s sports, there has been a struggle over who qualifies for the women’s category. Tested follows the unfolding story of elite female runners who have been told they can no longer race as women, because of their biology. As the Olympics approach, they face hard choices: take drugs to lower their natural testosterone levels, give up their sport entirely, or fight. To understand how we got here, Host Rose Eveleth (they/them) traces the surprising, 100-year history of sex testing.

Copyright © CBC 2025
Episodes
  • Introducing: Tested

    Introducing: Tested
    Jul 12 2024

    Since the very beginning of women’s sports, there has been a struggle to define who, exactly, gets to compete in the women’s category. A century later, this struggle is still very much alive. Host Rose Eveleth will explore a question that goes far beyond sports: What is fair and who decides?
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
  • Episode 1: The Choice

    Episode 1: The Choice
    Jul 15 2024

    Would you alter your body for the chance to compete for a gold medal? That’s the question facing a small group of elite athletes right now. Last year, track and field authorities announced new regulations that mean some athletes can’t compete in the female category unless they lower their body’s naturally occurring testosterone levels. In this episode you’ll meet one of those runners, Christine Mboma, a reigning Olympic silver medalist, and hear about the difficult choice she faces.


    For early access to Tested episodes and to listen ad-free, subscribe to CBC's Stories channel here.
    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • Episode 2: Questions of a Physical Nature

    Episode 2: Questions of a Physical Nature
    Jul 18 2024

    We go back to the beginnings of women’s inclusion in elite sports. It turns out that men had an odd variety of concerns about women athletes. Some doubted these athletes were even women at all. And that skepticism resulted in the first sex testing policies.


    For early access to Tested episodes and to listen ad-free, subscribe to CBC's Stories channel here.
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
No reviews yet