{"id":529827,"date":"2023-06-21T05:15:39","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T12:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=529827"},"modified":"2023-06-21T05:15:39","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T12:15:39","slug":"an-agonizing-anniversary-50-years-since-the-doping-fueled-rise-of-east-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/an-agonizing-anniversary-50-years-since-the-doping-fueled-rise-of-east-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"An Agonizing Anniversary: 50 Years Since the Doping-Fueled Rise of East Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Agonizing Anniversary: 50 Years Since the Doping-Fueled Rise of East Germany<\/strong><\/p>\n

From 1973 to 1989, the swimming world watched women swimmers from the German Democratic Republic rise from mediocrity (at best) to a fire-breathing presence that left the competition in ashes. Such was the power of the systematic-doping program launched by the communist nation.<\/em><\/p>\n

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It was the summer of 1973, and the sport was about to change. For the better? Yes. For the worse? Unfortunately, that was an affirmative, too. Sometimes, that\u2019s how things work. For every positive, there can be a corresponding negative, and as FINA introduced a World Championships for the first time, the unveiling arrived at the dawn of a dark moment.<\/p>\n

Through 1972, the premier athletes in swimming were largely limited when it came to shining on the world stage. They had the Olympics, of course, but that was a once-in-four-years spectacle, their efforts otherwise regionalized to meets such as the European Championships, Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games and national championships.<\/p>\n

In an effort to provide its athletes with another global showcase, FINA designed the World Championships, with the first edition set in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Going forward, the meet would serve as a midpoint\u2014of sorts\u2014between Games, and provide the best of the best with an additional chance to flash their skills and engage in elite battles with rivals.<\/p>\n

However, as much as FINA (now World Aquatics<\/a>) was moving in the right direction, it couldn\u2019t derail a rising monster that was realizing the benefits of a systematic-doping program.<\/p>\n

THE BEGINNINGS OF A DOPING-FUELED PROGRAM<\/strong><\/p>\n

The medals table from the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City reflects a three-medal haul by the East German women. More, five medals were collected by the East German women at the 1972 Games in Munich. These efforts depict a country that enjoyed select success in global competition, but nothing that suggests impending dominance.<\/p>\n

However, at the inaugural World Champs, East Germany reigned with 18 medals in women\u2019s competition. That total accounted for nearly half of the available podium positions, and the country won 10 of the 14 women\u2019s titles.<\/p>\n

What changed?<\/p>\n

Well, this wasn\u2019t a scenario in which an influx of talent changed fortunes. Rather, a doping-fueled program was at work, and Belgrade was just the beginning.<\/p>\n

The female athletes wearing the colors of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) starkly contrasted their competitors. Their musculature was significantly more defined. Their voices were low. Acne breakouts were the norm. And their performances\u2014including numerous world-record outings\u2014reflected an improvement curve that was anything but typical.<\/p>\n

When the East German dominance prevailed at the 1975 World Championships\u2014and then the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal\u2014what was unfolding was clear. East Germany had implemented a government-run doping program that changed the landscape of swimming\u2014and other sports. Yet, with this doping program ahead of the drug-testing protocols in place at the time, punishment was avoided. More, officials didn\u2019t want to acknowledge the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to the 1976 Olympics, the East Germans had just blown us away in the World Championships,\u201d said Jack Nelson<\/strong>, the coach of the United States women at the Olympic Games in Montreal. \u201cAnd our girls were honestly bothered by the fact that they had been the greatest team in the world for a while and then suddenly the East Germans just are blowing us away. We knew while we were there that they were beating up on us with steroids and whatever, and there was nothing we could do about it, right? Plus, we didn\u2019t want to be the nasty Americans at the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n

1976: A TIPPING POINT<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Shirley-Babashoff-Mission-V

Photo Courtesy: Swimming World Magazine<\/p><\/div>\n

If the 1973 World Championships served as the door-opening moment in East Germany\u2019s rise, the 1976 Olympics represented the tipping point for foes of the Wunderm\u00e4dchen<\/em>. As East Germany buried the opposition and rewrote the record book, frustration grew. Dutchwoman Enith Brigitha<\/strong>, a black woman in a predominantly white sport, was robbed of Olympic and world titles. The same could be said for several Americans, including Shirley Babashoff<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It was Babashoff who broke the silence regarding the East German regime. While coaches and athletes discussed the situation in private, it was Babashoff who went public with accusations of doping. But instead of igniting an investigation into East Germany\u2019s overwhelming rise, Babashoff was admonished for her comments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had gotten so big, and when we heard their voices, we thought we were in a coed locker room,\u201d Babashoff said. \u201cI don\u2019t know why it wasn\u2019t obvious to other people, too. I guess I was the scapegoat. Someone had to blame somebody. Something bad had to happen, and it had to happen to me. I didn\u2019t get the gold. I got the silver, so I was (considered) \u2018a loser.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

INCREDIBLE DOMINANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

While 1973 launched the start of East Germany\u2019s illicit doping program, it was not a short-lived operation. The use of performance-enhancing substances remained in effect through 1989, when the Berlin Wall crumbled. Afterward, documents from the Stasi, the East German secret police, revealed the details of the process. Meanwhile, statistics emphasize the incredible dominance of the era:<\/p>\n