Sports played better than politics on Sunday, May 25, as the fourth edition of CBC’s Test the Nation, co-hosted by Wendy Mesley and Ron MacLean, bested the premiere of the MOW Elijah, about aboriginal politician Elijah Harper.

Test the Nation: Sports generated 396,000 viewers at 8 p.m., with athletes, sportscasters and Olympians competing in a real-time quiz of their knowledge of sports. Celebrity participants included figure skater Elvis Stojko and hockey legend Paul Coffey. (All numbers are 2+.)

The numbers are a far cry from ratings for the first three editions of Test the Nation, however, which premiered last year with 1.5 million viewers, dipping to 900,000 for the grammar-minded TTN: Watch Your Language, and 858,000 for a general-knowledge version. CBC spokesman Jeff Keay says the numbers are ‘not bad’ considering the sunny weather over the weekend.

Meanwhile, CTV’s Elijah averaged 378,000 viewers, peaking at 421,000 during its final half-hour. Produced by Vancouver-based Anagram Pictures, the story follows aboriginal leader Elijah Harper and his refusal to accept the Meech Lake Accord. It stars Billy Merasty (Moose TV) and Corner Gas‘ Lorne Cardinal and Gabrielle Miller.