East Germany at the Olympics

East Germany at the Olympic Games

Flag of the German Democratic Republic
IOC code  GDR
NOC National Olympic Committee of the GDR
Olympic history
Summer Games
Winter Games
Other related appearances
Germany (1896–1936, 1992–)
Unified Team of Germany (1956–1964)

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

Medal tables

Medals by Summer Games

Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank
1896–1936 as part of  Germany (GER)
United Kingdom 1948 London did not participate
Finland 1952 Helsinki
1956–1964 as part of  Unified Team of Germany (EUA)
Mexico 1968 Mexico City 226 9 9 7 25 5
West Germany 1972 Munich 297 20 23 23 66 3
Canada 1976 Montreal 267 40 25 25 90 2
Soviet Union 1980 Moscow 345 47 37 42 126 2
United States 1984 Los Angeles did not participate
South Korea 1988 Seoul 259 37 35 30 102 2
1992–Present as part of  Germany (GER)
Total 153 129 127 409 9

Medals by Winter Games

Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank
1924–1936 as part of  Germany (GER)
Switzerland 1948 St. Moritz did not participate
Norway 1952 Oslo
1956–1964 as part of the  Unified Team of Germany (EUA)
France 1968 Grenoble 57 1 2 2 5 10
Japan 1972 Sapporo 42 4 3 7 14 2
Austria 1976 Innsbruck 59 7 5 7 19 2
United States 1980 Lake Placid 53 9 7 7 23 2
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1984 Sarajevo 56 9 9 6 24 1
Canada 1988 Calgary 53 9 10 6 25 2
1992–Present as part of  Germany (GER)
Total 39 36 35 110 11

Medals by summer sport

   Leading in that 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

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

History

Division of Germany

After the division of Germany following World War II, three separate states had been founded under occupation. After the Allies denied attempts made in 1947 to continue the participation of Germany at the Olympics, 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. This was later recognized by the IOC as representing both German states. The small French-occupied Saarland and its NOC (SAA) joined the Federal Republic of Germany after 1955, having not been allowed to join the German counterparts previously.

The East German Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Ostdeutschland authority refused to send their athletes to the 1952 games as participants of an all-German team, demanding a team of their own. This was denied by the IOC.

United German Team

They agreed to participate in 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 by the IOC as EUA, 'Équipe unifiée d'Allemagne'.

Success of East Germans

The socialist GDR erected the Berlin wall in 1961, during the Cold War. They renamed their NOC to Nationales Olympisches Komitee der DDR in 1965. It was recognized as an independent NOC by the IOC in 1968. Following this, the GDR ceased participation in the United German team and sent a separate East German team from 1968 to 1988, other than absences in the summer of 1984 in support of the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

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

It is widely believed that doping (predominantly anabolic steroids) allowed East Germany, with its small population, to become a world leader in the following two decades. It won a large number of Olympic and world gold medals and records. A number of athletes subsequently failed doping tests and others were suspected of taking performance enhancing drugs.[1][2] However, in many cases where suspicions existed, no proof of wrongdoing was uncovered. As a result, the majority of records and medals won by East German athletes still stand. Aside from an extensive doping programme, East Germany invested significantly in sport, particularly in Olympic sports, for reasons of prestige, propaganda and rivalry with West Germany. It had an extensive state bureaucracy to select and train promising athletes and world-class coaches.

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

Germany Reunited

The German Democratic Republic ceased to exist in 1990, joining the Federal Republic of Germany in the process of German reunification. Accordingly, the "NOC of the GDR" joined the "NOC of Germany" on 17 November 1990. German athletes competed at the Olympic Games as a single team again from 1992 onwards. Athletes from the Eastern part of Germany contributed disproportionately to the medals won by Germany, particularly in the first decade after reunification. This is thought to indicate that doping was not the only reason East Germany was so successful (and more successful than West Germany in particular) in the Olympics, with professional training conditions also being significant. The practice of doping was implemented by a separate state, a former rival who was far less successful. The medal tally of reunited Germany after 1990 was more comparable to that of East Germany before 1990 than of West Germany before 1990. For example, of the twenty nine medals Germany won in the 2006 Winter Olympics East German born (containing one-fifth of the population of Germany) athletes won fourteen (six gold). West German athletes won only nine medals (three gold), with six medals won in mixed teams. In recent years, some centres of German top-class sport have relocated to the West, for example winter sports to Bavaria. However, the East is still performing better than the West. Trainers from East Germany (e.g. Uwe Müßiggang) were important in producing sporting success for United Germany. Also, many top-class German athletes who today live in the western part of Germany started their professional sport careers in the East, and can be seen as part of the large-scale exodus of young people from the East to the West since reunification.

See also

References

  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

External links

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