Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE starting June 12 2026

`Name names' over West German doping

Germany's athletics federation chief has called for the complete publication of a study into doping in West Germany from 1950 to the present.

Germany's athletics federation chief has called for names of those involved in doping in sport in former West Germany to be published.

"We have to name names," DLV president Clemens Prokop told reporters in Munich.

Prokop called for the complete publication of the study into doping in West Germany from 1950 to the present.

A shorter version of the 800-page study, a report and summary were published Monday.

Prokop said that revealing the names of those suspected of involvement in doping would remove a "general suspicion".

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Prokop said he was surprised that doping reached beyond athletics into other sports including football.

"What shocked me was that research was obviously carried out with state finance and that obviously many leading officials in sport knew about it," he said.

Germany's Olympic chief Thomas Bach said an independent commission of the Olympic association DOSB would analyse the study and make recommendations to the association.

Lars Mortsiefer, the head of Germany's anti-doping agency NADA, said he would also like to know the names of doctors or coaches involved.

The study, which says athletes in West Germany were doped with government funding, was carried out at Berlin's Humboldt University and the Westfaelische Wilhelms University in Muenster.

Although the final report had been ready since April, publication had been delayed over data privacy laws.

The study claims that systematic doping and anabolics research funded by the state took place in the 1970s and 1980s.

While a state-run and sponsored doping program was uncovered in East Germany after reunification in 1990, the study is the first to deal with doping practices in West Germany.

Several former East German athletes said they were not surprised to hear of doping in West German sport.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world