The Real Science of Sport Podcast Podcast By Professor Ross Tucker and Mike Finch cover art

The Real Science of Sport Podcast

The Real Science of Sport Podcast

By: Professor Ross Tucker and Mike Finch
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World-renowned sports scientist Professor Ross Tucker and veteran sports journalist Mike Finch break down the myths, practices and controversies from the world of sport. From athletics to rugby, soccer, cycling and more, the two delve into the most recent research, unearth lessons from the pros and host exclusive interviews with some of the world's leading sporting experts. For those who love sport.

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Professor Ross Tucker and Mike Finch
Episodes
  • Female-only Women's Sport: The IOC Announces New Policy On the Protection of Women's Sport

    Female-only Women's Sport: The IOC Announces New Policy On the Protection of Women's Sport
    Mar 26 2026

    The International Olympic Committee, under its new President Kirsty Coventry, has announced new guidelines for eligibility in women's sport. The central decision is clear: the boundaries around women's sport will be protected, with no males — whether they identify as transgender or are athletes with specified differences of sex development (DSDs) — eligible to compete in the women's category. Women's sport is now female only.


    This is a strong, unified position. The policy mandates the eligibility requirement across all Member Federations, establishing a central global standard that should help bring an end to the fragmentation that has affected the sporting landscape in recent years. It also sets out a clear process for determining eligibility: screening for the presence of the SRY gene, followed by further testing where needed to confirm the specific diagnosis, and then a decision on inclusion or exclusion. specifies that eligibility for women's sport must be confirmed through a process involving screening for a gene (SRY), followed by testing to diagnose the specific question, and then inclusion or exclusion.


    This represents a significant moment for women's sport. It reverses generations of policies that allowed males into women's competition, often at the expense of fairness and safety. In this short podcast, we examine the finer details of the new policy, what remains unclear, how we arrived at this point, and what the changes may mean for sport and for female athletes going forward.


    Links


    The IOC policy

    The IOC's statement accompanying the policy

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    50 mins
  • Banned But Allowed: Inside the World of Therapeutic Use Exemptions in Sport / Pogacar's Dominance / World Indoor Championships

    Banned But Allowed: Inside the World of Therapeutic Use Exemptions in Sport / Pogacar's Dominance / World Indoor Championships
    Mar 25 2026

    Become a member, keep us ad free! Plus, you get access to our world-class community chat, and live sport chat groups. Become a supporter for a small monthly pledge at Patreon.


    Show notes


    Today the Spotlight falls on Therapeutic Use Exemptions, or TUEs, that are given to athletes when they have a medical condition that requires the use of an otherwise banned substance. Last week, the International Testing Agency published the record of TUE applications for 56 sports, going back six years, and we cast our eye on some of the notable drugs, sports and cases. We explore why Growth Hormone TUEs are prevalent in gymnastics, why stimulants top the list of substances, and open up some philosophical conversations about whether TUEs should be allowed at all?


    Also in the show, a 'triathlon' of sports news, starting with cycling recaps of Milan San Remo where Pogacar produced an extraordinary display of dominance to win one of the two monuments missing from his resume, and from the Cape Epic, where women raced shorter distances than men this year, and we explore how the rationale for this is a little shaky. From the track, we look back at the World Indoor Championships from Poland, and in the pool, a World Record in the 50m warrants some musing on how records are fallen despite tech bans.


    And finally, Gareth notes with some pleasure that NFL superstars where humbled by flag football specialists, reminding us that getting to the top of any sport is not an automatic right!


    Links


    • Thoughts on cycling and the need to question as read out by Gareth
    • Cameron McEvoy's 50m freestyle world record
    • The original ITA TUE Dashboard
    • Paper from the Olympics showing prevalence < 1% in the Games
    • The study on methylphenidate's performance enhancing effects
    • Does gymnastics training inhibit growth in young girls?
    • Intensive training and growth in female gymnasts
    • Jon Pike's philosophy article on TUEs in sport
    • World Boxing's statement on Lin Yu-Ting's eligibility
    • Watch some NFL starts get bamboozled in flag football

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • How to Beat van der Poel in San Remo / A 2:10 Women's Marathon (again) / Sprinting to Cardiac Arrest

    How to Beat van der Poel in San Remo / A 2:10 Women's Marathon (again) / Sprinting to Cardiac Arrest
    Mar 18 2026
    Join our Science of Sport Supporters Club, and get all the perks mentioned on the show, including access to our listener community and their great questions and insights, and also our Live Sport chat, which resume this weekend with the Milan San Remo races. Make a monthly pledge to become a member!In this Spotlight, we run our eye and offer our insights on the world of sport, covering a range of sporting events. We start with the Six Nations, which went beyond the wire in a spectacular tournament that shows the health of "the product". We discuss the ongoing Cape Epic, where the pairs format throws up some pacing and tactical challenges for unbalanced teams. And we preview the year's first Monument, where Tadej Pogacar will have to test and challenge Mathieu van der Poel's durability and 5-min power to win the elusive title. We discuss the requirement for Pogacar and UAE to extend the efforts above FTP and even VO2max to climbs even before the Cipressa, in order to make van der Poel vulnerable to a five minute effort on the decisive Poggio climb.Switching to running, we briefly discuss the remarkable 2:10 performance by Fotyen Tesfay in Barcelona, and why it's the de factor WR, but may be as questioned as the incumbent WR by Ruth Chep'ngetich. Another dramatic finish in Los Angeles, a marathon decided by 0.01s where the 'loser' went the wrong way, and didn't, apparently, take in a single gram of carbohydrates in the race.While on the subject of dramatic finishes, recent research shows that the odds of a cardiac arrest are significantly higher in the final kilometer of running races (20km and half marathon). We compare that to triathlons, where the odds of cardiac arrests are way higher in the first part of the race, in the swim. We discuss the physiology and emotional reasons for these risk increases.We then move into the resistance training space, to talk briefly about the American College of Sports Medicine's position stand on resistance training. It says what many people know, but challenges what a lot of people think, and the reaction has been enlightening!And finally, a few short results and discussion points from around the world of sport, including an unprecedented reversal of an entire tournament result, and a rare "defeat" (on a technicality) for Johannes Klaebo in cross-country skiingLinksRelevant to the discussion on recovery after high intensity efforts, here's an article on how our 'battery' is recharged, or reconstitutedArticle on Fotyen's 2:10:51 marathonGood insights on Fotyen from Letsrun.comThe research out of Paris showing the higher risk of cardiac events in the final kilometer of racesA similar study on cardiac arrests in triathlonThe LA Marathon finish and race are discussed in this articleThe ACSM Position Stand on Resistance TrainingStuart Phillips' posts on the ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 34 mins
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