Doping for Gold is a documentary film which premiered on US television (PBS) in 2008.
It is an episode of the long-running program Secrets of the Dead.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Produced and directed by Alison Rooper
** Historical consultant: Dr Giselher Spitzer
** Narrated by Liev Schreiber
** Released on DVD in 2008
** Available on YouTube
** Run time: 54 minutes
This is the story about East Germany – known in German as DDR - and the secret doping program that was established in order to win fame in international sport, in particular the Olympic Games.
The program gave some significant results: the tiny state won numerous gold and silver medals in numerous disciplines. But there were some serious side-effects, which were covered up: some of the athletes involved in the program were hit by physical and mental problems.
After the Berlin Wall stopped working (1989) and the Cold War ended (1990), the truth about the secret program began to be revealed.
This film explains what happened back then and shows that while East German is long gone, the victims of the program are still suffering today.
The participants
Several persons are interviewed in the film. Here are the names of the participants:
# 1. Former athletes from different countries
** Ute Krause, DDR, swimmer 1972-1980
** Rica Reinisch, DDR, swimmer 1975-1981
** Katharina Bullin, DDR, volleyball 1972-1981
** Andreas Krieger, DDR, former champion shot putter Heidi Krieger
** Petra Thümer, DDR, swimmer, Olympic Gold Winner 1976
** Wendy Boglioli, US, captain, US Olympic Team 1976
** Tessa Sanderson, UK, Olympic Javelin Thrower 1976-1996
# 2. The mother of a former DDR athlete
** Maria Rossberg, mother of Verena Rossberg (1964-1996)
# 3. Scholars and writers
** Dr Ulrich Sünder, DDR, deputy sports doctor, Berlin 1973-1990
** Dr Rainer Hartwich, DDR, former head of clinical research, Jenapharm
** Professor Werner Franke, molecular biologist, German Cancer Research Centre
** Dr Wilhelm Schänzer, director, laboratory for doping analysis, German Sports University, Cologne
** Dr Giselher Spitzer, sports historian
Dr Giselher Spitzer, historical consultant on the film, is the author of numerous books and articles about the secret doping program in East Germany, but they are all written in German. That is why I have not listed them here.
The secret doping program
The tiny East German state wanted to make a mark for itself in international sports.
The leaders of the state wanted to prove that socialism was better than capitalism. It was an element of the Cold War between east and west.
While the resources of the state were limited, the leaders decided to give priority to the world of sports.
The secret doping program, which began in the 1970s, was mainly focused on female athletes in the following disciplines: gymnastics, track and field, cycling, rowing, swimming, and volleyball.
In this film, the focus is mostly on swimming.
The athletes were never told what was going on. Doctors and coaches would talk about “vitamins” which sounded quite innocent. The athletes were young, some as young as 12 years old.
At the time, there was not much talk and little knowledge about doping anywhere in the world, so it is not surprising that it was possible for the authorities to deceive the athletes.
Over two decades, around 10,000 athletes were involved in the program, which was controlled by Stasi, the secret police. Informants were everywhere.
Doctors and coaches would report on the athletes, if they started to ask difficult questions. If they were too difficult, they would be kicked out of the program.
Being an athlete in the DDR was a big thing. The athletes were part of the elite. They had access to things that most people could never get. They were allowed to travel abroad, even to the west, which was impossible for most people.
There was a lot of pressure on them; pressure to perform; to do what they were told and not make any problems for themselves or their families.
The first results could be seen during the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, where the DDR won 40 gold medals. The East German swimmers won almost every discipline.
The members of the US Olympic Team could not understand what was going on. They suspected foul play, but they could not prove anything.
Thirty years later, Wendy Boglioli, captain of the US Olympic swim team, comes to Germany to meet with Petra Thümer, Olympic Gold Winner in Montreal, to talk about what happened then.
Wendy thinks everything can come out now. She thinks there is no need to hide anything anymore. But she is disappointed. Petra Thümer does not admit anything; she shows no sign of remorse for what happened.
Some former East German athletes do not want to say anything bad about their performance back them. Petra Thümer is one of them.
The other former East German athletes who appear in the film are quite different. They all speak out. They feel betrayed.
They say they were victims of an unjust system. They did not know what was going on. If they felt something was wrong, they had no power to stop it.
Some of them have had serious problems as a result of the secret doping program. Former champion shot putter Heidi Krieger was given so many male hormones that she began to feel like a man.
Eventually, she had a sex-change-operation, and today Heidi Krieger is Andreas Krieger.
The film mentions two cases where the doping program is blamed for the death of an athlete.
In the first case, the death is attributed directly to the program. In the second case, the death may be an indirect consequence of it.
# 1. Jörg Sievers, a young swimmer was found dead in the pool. He was only 16 years old. The autopsy, which was kept secret for decades, revealed that his inner organs – his liver and his heart – had been damaged by the numerous injections and pills.
At the time, his parents were told he had been swimming while he had the flu and this was the official cause of his death.
# 2. Verena Rossberg was a young swimmer, who developed cancer as an adult. When she died in 1996, she was only 32 years old.
Her mother Maria Rossberg believes the cancer was caused by the numerous injections and pills.
Today it is not possible to prove this suspicion, but it cannot be ruled out.
Facts and figures
Doping for Gold is a powerful film about a horrible history. Thousands of young athletes became victims of an injustice. They were used as pawns in the global struggle between east and west.
In the DDR, it was not possible to talk about this question in a rational way. After the Berlin Wall stopped working and the Cold War ended, the truth is starting to come out.
The Stasi recorded everything (perhaps we can say: with German efficiency).
Since the Stasi files are now available to the public, it is possible for the victims to find the evidence they need in order to prove what the state did to them in order to make them win gold medals for the state.
The facts are presented in this film. We are told how and why this happened. We are also told how the victims of the program try to cope with the consequences of it.
Their bodies were seriously disturbed by numerous injections and pills at a crucial time when they were changing from teenagers to adults.
It is not easy to overcome the results of this, even though it happened many years ago.
The participants are well-chosen. The former athletes give the story a human and personal face, while the experts provide the medical, political, and social facts which are needed in order to place the story in a historical context.
I like this film and I want to give it a good rating. The film-makers have done a very good job here.
I noticed only two minor flaws:
# 1. They claim the young swimmer Jörg Sievers was found dead in the pool in 1972. The year is wrong. It was in 1973 - on 17 January.
# 2. Ines Geipel (born 1960) is a former East German athlete. When she was young, she was known under her maiden name Schmidt.
Today, she is one of the most outspoken critics of the secret doping program, but she is not interviewed in the film; she is not even mentioned.
You can google her name to find more information about her - and check out the references below.
Conclusion
Doping for Gold is a film about sport. But it is much more than that. It is about the relation between sport and politics; it is about human rights.
While East Germany is long gone, the issue of doping is not. This issue is still with us today and therefore the story about doping in the DDR is still relevant.
If you are interested in the history of the modern world - in particular the history of the Cold War between east and west - this film is definitely something for you.
It is highly recommended.
PS. What do reviewers say about this film?
On IMDb it has a rating of 72 percent.
On Amazon it has a rating of five stars which corresponds to a rating of 100 percent.
If you ask me, the rating on IMDb is too low, while the rating on Amazon is more appropriate.
REFERENCES
# 1. Books
Faust’s Gold:
Inside the East German Doping Machine
by Steven Ungerleider
(Hardcover 2001)
(Paperback 2013)
Sport under Communism:
Behind the East German ‘Miracle’
by Mike Dennis & Jonathan Grix
(2012)
# 2. Items available online
“The Price of Gold: The Legacy of Doping in the GDR,” Spiegel International, 17 August 2009
Mike Costello, “East German athletes were chemical field tests,” BBC Sport, 23 April 2013
Brent Rutemiller, “Doping’s darkest hour: the East Germans and the 1976 Montreal games,” Swimming World Magazine, 28 November 2013
Elisabeth Braw, “East Germany’s Steroid Shame,” Newsweek, 8 June 2014
“The victims of East Germany’s doping program are still suffering,” Deutsche Welle, 6 November 2014
(this item is an interview with Ines Geipel)
** Matthew Scofield, “East Germany’s doping legacy lives on, 25 years later,” McClatchy DC, 13 February 2015
*****
Faust's Gold:
Inside the East German Doping Machine
By Steven Ungerleider
(First edition 2001)
(Second revised edition 2013)
*****
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