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The Sunday Story: The History of Sex Testing in Sports

Dani Pendergast for NPR

Who gets to compete? Since the beginning of women's sports, there has been a struggle over who qualifies for the women's category. A Martinez speaks with Rose Eveleth, the host of a new podcast series called Tested from NPR's Embedded and CBC in Canada, which traces the surprising, 100-year history of sex testing in elite sports.

The series follows the unfolding story of elite female runners who have been told they can no longer race as women, because of their biology. They face hard choices: take drugs to lower their natural testosterone levels, give up their sport entirely, or fight.


This episode was produced by Andrew Mambo with help from Rhaina Cohen and edited by Liana Simstrom with help from Alison MacAdam. Our engineers were James Willitts and Patrick Murray.

We'd love to hear from you. Send us an email at TheSundayStory@npr.org.

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Copyright 2024 NPR

Rose Eveleth
Rose Eveleth is an award winning reporter and writer who explores how humans tangle with science and technology. They’re the creator of hit independent podcast Flash Forward and have covered everything from fake tumbleweed farms to million dollar baccarat heists. You can find their stories in The Atlantic, CBS, VOX, Scientific American, Eater, The New York Times, 99 Percent Invisible, ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast, and more. Their work has been nominated for an Emmy, a Third Coast, and an Eisner Award, and has appeared in the Best American Science and Nature Writing. [Copyright 2024 NPR]