East German doping victims lack adequate support, new report finds

Athletes who were subjected to doping by the East German state have "no suitable means for support, even though those affected still urgently need help,” a new report said on Wednesday.

The findings were presented by Evelyn Zupke, the German government's commissioner for victims of the socialist dictatorship at Hohenschönhausen Memorial, a former detention center of the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police.

According to the report, forced doping constituted "a flagrant abuse of political power," that reduced athletes "to mere objects of state action, thereby severely violating their human dignity."

Zupke called for changes to current legislation to ensure victims can access adequate support.

In a separate report in January, Zupke said she was "convinced that addressing the consequences of state-sponsored doping in the GDR is not just a matter for those affected and for historians."

"It is equally important for Germany's self-image as an enthusiastic and successful sporting nation," she said, pointing to Germany's bid to host the Olympic Games in the next decades.

Why did East Germany dope its athletes?

Socialist East Germany introduced a sweeping state-sponsored doping program in 1974.

The goal was to help the GDR earn more medals at international competitions, who could then be celebrated as evidence of the state's prowess.

By 1989, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 young people had been systematically given performance-enhancing substances — predominantly anabolic steroids — often without their knowledge or consent. Some were as young as 13.

Doping helped transform East Germany into a sporting powerhouse, with the country winning second-highest number of medals at both the 1976 and 1980 Olympic games.

Following German reunification in 1990, the full scale of the doping program emerged, casting a shadow over East Germany's sporting achievements.

"Shadow of dictatorship is long"

Beyond doping, Zupke's report gave a positive assessment of laws adopted in early 2025 that offered compensation to victims of the East German regime.

"Our reunified country is on the right track to providing the best possible support and recognition for the victims of the SED dictatorship," said Zupke, referring to the ruling Socialist Unity Party.

"But the shadow of the dictatorship is long: many victims continue to suffer from the health consequences."

Edited by: Zac Crellin