The Diplomatic Context of Doping in the Former German Democratic Republic: A Revisionist Examination

Author: Hunt Thomas M.   Dimeo Paul   Bowers Matthew T.   Jedlicka Scott R.  

Publisher: Routledge Ltd

ISSN: 0952-3367

Source: The International Journal of the History of Sport, Vol.29, Iss.18, 2012-12, pp. : 2486-2499

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Abstract

Paying particular attention to political dynamics within the Eastern-bloc, this article seeks to outline the diplomatic context of what remains the most notorious episode of state-level doping in modern sport history: the cold war-era doping program run by the German Democratic Republic's Stasi national security police and intelligence organisation. To do so, it aims to integrate archival research on the subject with high-level geopolitical analysis. This approach offers more nuanced perspectives on the diplomatic meaning of sport and performance-enhancement in East Germany than is present in the existing literature.