Report: Former senior East German official admits systematic doping in sports in new book

Report: Ex-East German official admits doping

BERLIN — A former senior East German sports official has reportedly acknowledged widespread state-sponsored doping during the 1970s in a new book.

German news agency DPA said Tuesday it obtained Thomas Koehler’s “Two Sides of the Medal” before publication. DPA says Koehler wrote that if East Germany wanted to be competitive “there was no choice but to allow the use of doping substances.”

East Germany’s doping program has been widely known for years, but Koehler’s admission is the first by a top official.

Koehler was a sports official in the 1970s and 1980s. He became deputy president of East Germany’s DTSB sports organization. He said some minors were involved in doping, “if athletes were included from age 16.”