What happened to East Germany in the Olympics?

Question

I remember in 1988, when I was shocked to see that, not only did the USA lose to the USSR, but they also lost to little East Germany. Now, East Germany has been joined to West Germany, and you would think they would be even more powerful as a result. Instead, Germany is doing dismally in the Olympics. What happened in those 20 years?

Answer 1

Germany isn't doing too badly. They are ahead of Australia.

East Germany was proven to be cheating by using state sanctioned drug programs.

All East German records and results should be seen as suspect today.

The Communist East German Government ploughed much more money and resources into Sport than the German government does now.

In short less money and a cleaner (hopefully) drug free German team means less medals.

But a much more respected team.

Answer 2

I remember talking to a friend from W Germany at the time of the unification and he said it would just take a short amount of time for the East Germans to be pulled down to the level of the West Germans at the Olympics.

Those totalitarian countries pump lots of money into preparing for the olympics and have no qualms about taking the best from all over the country away from their families and sticking them into grueling training programs.  If they burn out or falter they are discarded along the way. As others have said they had sophisticated drug treatment programs. No concern was given to their health, mental or physical.They were tools of the State to be used as propaganda for how great their communist system was. Now, Russia has faltered, East Germany. No more top Romania gymnasts. No Bulgarian weight lifters. etc.

China does it that way still and with their enourmous population, that is why they will dominate the Olympics for  quite some time..

Answer 3

Germany, East Germany, was caught to use anabolics and other illegal rugs..not just the,,USSR too and, other communist countries.

It was a part of communist propaganda, as how ´´great´´ sportsman a communism has.

Pathetic, really

Answer 4

Quite frankly drug testing became more effective.

The East Germans had a state based doping program.

Those Athletes and there children are still paying the price of all that success with their health and in some cases their lives.

Answer 5

Various documentaries have been made about systematic doping in the old East Germany.

Famously Aussie athlete Raelene Boyle (and tireless crusader against drug cheats since the 1970's) was beaten to a silver medal by an East German women who later admitted to cheating and apologised for claiming the gold.

Germany united still does quite well.

Answer 6

Just saw this story again earlier this week. It's about an German man who competed as a woman for East Germany in the 80s. He/She blames the East German government for turning her into a man through aggressive doping.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/26/sports...