"was challenged on" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when a person or idea was questioned, argued against, or disagreed with on a particular point. For example: "The policy was challenged on its effectiveness."
It's hard to blame them: of the five major telecom mergers in the last decade, not one was challenged on antitrust grounds.
The concept, while highlighted by climate campaigners, was challenged on two levels — one on technical points about the number of wedges of avoided carbon dioxide that would be needed by mid-century and the other on the broader interpretation (which was never in the work originally) that this meant the challenge of limiting warming was not that hard.
Everywhere Mr. Williams went, he was challenged on topics of local authenticity; at one point, he was even quizzed on the location of a few of the city's 100-plus neighborhoods.
Emanuel's eligibility for office was challenged on the basis of his lack of residency in Chicago for one year prior to the election.
Cameron was challenged on flooding by Huw Irranchairvies, chair of the environment audit committee, who quoted one expert stating that the UK's "current approach to flooding was not only inadequate, but has no likelihood of ever being adequate".
Boris Yeltsin's hold on power was challenged on many occasions.
The Ethicist was challenged on his extramarital advice.
Schorske's thesis — or, at least, this simplified version of it — was challenged on many fronts.
The Social Security Act of 1935 was challenged on remarkably similar grounds to the health law.
Last year that rule was challenged on at least two fronts.
At an event, Kaine was challenged on his right to govern a majority-black city.
