East Germany at the Olympics

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East Germany at the Olympic Games

Flag of the German Democratic Republic
IOC code  GDR
NOC Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Ostdeutschland
Olympic history
Summer Games
1952 • 1956* • 1960* • 1964* • 1968 • 1972 • 1976 • 1980 • 1984 • 1988
Winter Games
1952 • 1956* • 1960* • 1964* • 1968 • 1972 • 1976 • 1980 • 1984 • 1988

*With FRG as the Unified Team of Germany
Other related appearances
Germany Germany (1896–1936, 1992–)

The German Democratic Republic (GDR), often called East Germany, had founded a separate National Olympic Committee for socialist East Germany on 22 April 1951 in the Rotes Rathaus of East Berlin, as the last of three German Olympic committees of the time. It was not recognized by the IOC for over a decade.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Division of Germany

After the division of Germany following World War II, three separate states had been founded under occupation. After attempts made in 1947 to continue the tradition of Germany at the Olympics, which had started before 1896, were denied by the Allies, no German team could participate in the 1948 games. Finally, in 1949, the National Olympic Committee for Germany was founded in the Western Federal Republic of Germany, later recognized by the IOC to cover both larger German states. The small, French-occupied Saarland and its NOC (SAA) had, for about a decade, not been allowed to join the German counterparts, but joined the Federal Republic of Germany after 1955.

East German authorities of the Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Ostdeutschland denied to send their athletes to the 1952 games in an all-German team while demanding a team of their own, which was denied by the IOC.

[edit] United German Team

They agreed to participate for 1956, German athletes from the two remaining states competed at the Olympic Games in 1956, 1960 and 1964 as the United Team of Germany. While this team was simply called Germany at the time, it is currently designated EUA by the IOC.

[edit] Success of East Germans

During Cold War, the socialist GDR erected the Berlin wall in 1961, and renamed their NOC to Nationales Olympisches Komitee der DDR in 1965. It was recognized as an independent NOC by the IOC in 1968. Thus, the GDR left the United Team of Germany and started to send a separate East German team between 1968 and 1988, being absent in Summer of 1984 in support of the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

While the history of the GDR, a small state with a population of about 16 million, is short, and even shorter at the Olympics, it was rather successful. From 1976 to 1988, they came second in all of their three summer Olympics, behind the Soviet Union, and well ahead of larger West Germany. This was even bettered at five winter games, with 4 second place rankings, and even a first in the 1984 Winter Olympics.

Anabolic steroid doping allowed East Germany, with its small population, to become a world leader in the following two decades, winning a large number of Olympic and world gold medals and records.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

An important figure in the GDR was Manfred Ewald (1926-2002), member of SED central committee since 1963. He was 1952 to 1960 president of the "Staatliches Komitee für Körperkultur und Sport" (Stako). Since 1961, he became president of the "Deutscher Turn- und Sportbund" (DTSB), governing all sport in the GDR, and in 1973 also of the NOC. He is considered the organiser of the "GDR sports miracle". His post-1990 autobiography was titled "I was the Sport". He fell from grace in 1988, being removed from the DTSB office. In 2001, he was sentenced for his role in doping.

[edit] Germany undivided

The German Democratic Republic ceased to exist after 1989, with their states joining the Federal Republic of Germany in the process of German reunification in 1990. Accordingly, the "NOC of the GDR" joined the "NOC of Germany" on 17 November 1990. The German athletes competed at the Olympic Games in a single team again from 1992 onwards.

[edit] Medal tables

See also: All-time Olympic Games medal count

[edit] Medals by Summer Games

Games Gold Silver Bronze Total
1952 Helsinki did not participate
1956 Melbourne/Stockholm Part of the United Team of Germany
1960 Rome
1964 Tokyo
1968 Mexico City 9 9 7 25
1972 Munich 20 23 23 66
1976 Montreal 40 25 25 90
1980 Moscow 47 37 42 126
1984 Los Angeles did not participate
1988 Seoul 37 35 30 102
Total 153 129 127 409

[edit] Medals by summer sport

Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total
Athletics 38 36 35 109
Swimming 38 32 22 92
Rowing 33 7 8 48
Canoeing 14 7 9 30
Gymnastics 6 13 17 36
Cycling 6 6 4 16
Boxing 5 2 6 13
Shooting 3 8 5 16
Wrestling 2 3 2 7
Diving 2 2 3 7
Sailing 2 2 2 6
Weightlifting 1 4 6 11
Judo 1 2 6 9
Football 1 1 1 3
Handball 1 1 1 3
Volleyball 0 2 0 2
Fencing 0 1 0 1
Total 153 129 127 409

[edit] Medals by Winter Games

Games Gold Silver Bronze Total
1952 Oslo did not participate
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Part of the United Team of Germany
1960 Squaw Valley
1964 Innsbruck
1968 Grenoble 1 2 2 5
1972 Sapporo 4 3 7 14
1976 Innsbruck 7 5 7 19
1980 Lake Placid 9 7 7 23
1984 Sarajevo 9 9 6 24
1988 Calgary 9 10 6 25
Total 39 36 35 110

[edit] Medals by winter sport

Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total
Luge 13 8 8 29
Speed skating 8 12 9 29
Bobsleigh 5 5 3 13
Biathlon 3 4 4 11
Figure skating 3 3 4 10
Nordic combined 3 0 4 7
Ski jumping 2 3 2 7
Cross-country skiing 2 1 1 4
Total 39 36 35 110

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Tagliabue, John. - "Political Pressure Dismantles East German Sports Machine" - New York Times - February 12, 1991
  2. ^ Janofsky, Michael. - "OLYMPICS; Coaches Concede That Steroids Fueled East Germany's Success in Swimming" - New York Times - December 3, 1991
  3. ^ Kirschbaum, Erik. - "East German dope still leaves tracks" - Rediff from Reuters - September 15, 2000
  4. ^ Ungerleider, Steven (2001). Faust's Gold: Inside The East German Doping Machine. Thomas Dunne Books ISBN 0312269773
  5. ^ "Little blue pills and a lot of gold..." - Shorel.com
  6. ^ Culture & Lifestyle: "Sports Doping Statistics Reach Plateau in Germany" - Deutsche Welle - February 26, 2003
  7. ^ "The East German Doping Machine" - International Swimming Hall of Fame
  8. ^ Culture & Lifestyle: "East Germany's Doping Legacy Returns" - Deutsche Welle - January 10, 2004
  9. ^ Longman, Jere. - "East German Steroids' Toll: 'They Killed Heidi'" - New York Times - January 26, 2004
  10. ^ Harding, Luke. - "Forgotten victims of East German doping take their battle to court" - The Guardian - November 1, 2005
  11. ^ Jackson, Guy. Winning at Any Cost?: "Doping for glory in East Germany" - UNESCO - September 2006
  12. ^ "Ex-East German athletes compensated for doping" - Associated Press - (c/o ESPN) - December 13, 2006
  13. ^ "East German doping victims to get compensation" - Associated Press - (c/o CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) - December 13, 2006
  14. ^ Starcevic, Nesha. - "East German doping victims to get compensation" - Associated Press - (c/o San Diego Union-Tribune) - December 13, 2006
  15. ^ "Germany completes $4.1M payout to doping victims" - USA Today - October 11, 2007
  16. ^ "East Germany’s Secret Doping Program" - Secrets of the Dead - Thirteen/WNET - May 7, 2008

[edit] External links