Category:Soviet Sport

From Eurêka

Soviet Sport

Soviet sport At first the Soviet dictator, Stalin rejected sport, competition and the Olympic games as anti-collectivist and capitalist, but as the Cold War gathered pace, he changed his mind completely and decided to create a centralized government-sponsored sports system with the aim of showing the superiority of Communism.

East German Model

East German model Centralized government-sponsored sports system that achieved remarkable success for a country with only a 16.7 million population. This was somewhat discredited because of systematic government-sponsored doping,

1. Government-sponsored doping State system of giving banned substances, primarily muscle-building steroids, to lift athlete’s performances, given to as many as 10,000 athletes mainly in the individual sports such as track and field, swimming and cycling, women’s sports being particularly emphasized.

Manfred Ewald (1926-2002) Minister of Sport of East Germany, who was awarded the Olympic Order (1985), 1961-1988.

Research Institute for Fitness in Sport Leading organization for the administration of drugs in sport, Leipzig, East Germany.

Magdeburg program East German national swimming program in which anabolic steroids were given at the national swimming school in East Berlin, 1975-85.

1. Supporting means Code for use of Oral-Turinabol in the Magdeburg program, 1975-85.

Kipke trial Lothar Kipke, head doctor of the East German Swimming Federation, who oversaw the Oral-Turinabol drug program 1975-85, was convicted on charges of doping and causing bodily harm to 58 swimmers, January 2000.

Note Taking Oral-Turinabol results in liver damage, hardening of back muscles, change in physical appearance when taken by women such as muscle-bound with deep voice, depression, and subsequently giving birth to children with birth defects.

East German record After winning 20 gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics, East Germany won 40 at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, including 11 of the 13 events in women’s swimming.

Australian Model

Australian Institute of Sport National sport institute set up on the East German model after Australia’s dismal performance at the Montreal Olympics 1976, began January 1981.

1. Howland scandal Javelin thrower Sue Howland tested positive for steroids and then implicated coaches and other athletes in the sports institute, 1987.
   1. Government inquiry Critical report of the sports institute’s drug-prevention efforts, particularly in track and field and weightlifting, and the institute was stripped of some of its autonomy, 1989.