July 12, 2024; WASHINGTON – Since the beginning of women’s sports, there has been a struggle to define who, exactly, gets to compete in the women’s category. Tested, a new limited series from NPR's original documentary podcast Embedded and CBC, Canada’s national public broadcaster, traces the 100-year history of the practice of sex testing female athletes in elite sports. The six-episode series hosted by Rose Eveleth (Flash Forward) will launch on July 15 everywhere podcasts are available, ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Last year, track and field authorities of World Athletics announced new regulations that mean some athletes cannot compete in the female category unless they lower their body’s naturally occurring testosterone levels. Tested follows the unfolding story of two of these athletes: Christine Mboma, an Olympic silver medalist from Namibia, and Maximila Imali, who holds two Kenyan national records. Mboma and Imali are not trans athletes. Assigned female at birth and raised as girls, they have never questioned their gender identity.
Through the eyes of Mboma, Imali, and a whole cast of historians, scientists, doctors, and other athletes, host Rose Eveleth explores a question that goes far beyond sports: What is fair and who decides?
Some argue that Mboma’s and Imali’s bodies give them an “unfair advantage.” As the Olympic Games approach, these new rules put athletes in a difficult position. They must choose between altering their bodies, giving up on competition at the elite level, or trying to fight.
“Women’s leagues in the United States are booming and breaking attendance and viewership records left and right,” says Eveleth. “People watching this incredible moment unfold may not realize that there has been this century-long battle over what female athletes are supposed to look, sound and be like. I hope listeners of Tested will experience the same eye-opening journey that I did while reporting this story. I hope it encourages them to examine their prior assumptions, to contemplate complicated questions of fairness and equity and to maybe reimagine the world as a lot more interesting and complex than it might seem.”
Tested is a co-production of CBC and NPR’s Embedded, created by Bucket of Eels. Embedded+ supporters get access to episodes early and sponsor-free. More details available at plus.npr.org/embedded or on the Embedded channel in Apple Podcasts. Episodes of Tested are also available early and ad-free on CBC’s Stories Premium channel on Apple Podcasts
About CBC Podcasts
From Canada’s public broadcaster, CBC Podcasts is a richly diverse collection of award-winning podcasts that engage, enlighten and entertain. CBC is the #1 Canadian podcaster, reaching more Canadians than any other podcast publisher with more than 65 million downloads each year and more than 45 series in genres such as true crime, comedy, human interest and audio fiction.
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