Mediocre Male Beats Strong Women, But Justice Prevails / Should XC Running Be In The Winter Games? / Concussion Prevention Illusions

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Nov 27, 2025

The hosts dive into the heated topic of whether cross-country running should be included in the Winter Olympics, discussing potential benefits and challenges. They also tackle the controversy surrounding a male competitor winning a women's strength event, highlighting implications for fairness in sports. Additionally, they evaluate the effectiveness of concussion-prevention gear in the NFL, while exploring the broader issues of safety in sports. They finish with insights on the evolution of Test cricket and the impact of luck on sporting outcomes.

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INSIGHT

Cross-Country Could Globalize Winter Games

Sebastian Coe wants cross-country in the Winter Olympics to broaden the Winter Games' global reach.
Ross Tucker argues it could attract medal-winning nations currently absent from winter sports markets.

INSIGHT

SRY Tests Create Cost Barrier For Athletes

UK Athletics advises elite women to get SRY testing and the athlete often bears the cost.
Gareth Davies flags the £160–£180 fee creates a principle and access issue for athletes and juniors.

ANECDOTE

Strongman Title Reversed After Investigation

At the World's Strongest Woman event a transgender male originally won, then was disqualified after organizers investigated.
Ross Tucker praised the swift correction and urged pre-event screening to prevent recurrences.

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07:35 - XC at the Winter Games?

17:40 - UK Athletics and the cost of FACT

22:35 - Mediocre Male Beats Strong Women

29:55 - Do Guardian Caps work?

39:55 - And Finally - Fine margins in sport & 2 day tests

Show notes

Today on Spotlight, a news show that begins with a brief look at our recent interview with Travis Tygart, the USADA CEO. Gareth raises an interesting question about USADA's partnership with its athletes and perceived impartiality, and Ross reflects on some of Tygart's strong views.

Sebastian Coe is trying to get Cross Country running into the Winter Olympics. It's not on snow or ice, so the Winter Games family are not all that enthusiastic. It would bring new nations to the medal table, but where should the Games draw the line at expansion?

Then it's on to some news from the always controversial world of sex in sport. UK Athletics have encouraged all their female athletes to get the SRY screen done to ensure eligibility for women's sport. A good step, but one that comes at a financial cost to the athlete.

it's a cost that many would consider worth incurring to protect women's sport, as demonstrated by this week's controversial victory, and then disqualification, of a male in the World's Strongest Woman event in Texas. We pick up on some views expressed by listeners to discuss the relevance of this story, and how Official Strongman, the organization in charge, reacted swiftly and decisively to correct the wrong.

Onto the NFL next, for a brief chat about Guardian caps. Promoted as reducing concussion risk by 50%, these soft-shell devices don't appear to have a plausible mechanism by which work, based on recent published research. This leads us to talk about the dilemma faced by sports authorities, who often throw everything they think works at the problem, but can't do robust, quality science to know what might, or might not, be working

And finally, we speak about the tiny margins between success and failure, sliding doors moments in sport, and take a brief look at why Test cricket just isn't what it used to be!

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