The 1928 Amsterdam Olympics marked the first time women competed in track and field. Linda Radke's gold medal win in the 800 meters, although a world record, was misinterpreted by the media, leading to discussions about banning women from the sport due to concerns about their physical capabilities.
First Olympics with women in track and field
800-meter race sparked controversy
Concerns about women's physical capabilities in sports
We go back almost 100 years, to the beginning 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 their skepticism resulted in the first policies requiring sex testing. Tested is a six-part series, you can binge all the episodes now in the Embedded podcast )and the CBC feed).Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)