German Sports, Doping, and Politics
A History of Performance Enhancement
Christian Becker author Michael Krüger author Stefan Nielsen author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield
Published:9th Apr '15
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
In the Cold War era, sport was not just a symbol of the power and strength of a nation-state, but of certain ideological systems of politics. With the pressure for athletes to succeed at its zenith, many East German athletes were given anabolic steroids by their country’s own sport federation. While doping in East Germany has been intensely researched in the past decades, the state of West German athletics during this time has remained largely a mystery. In fact, doping was a common practice on both sides of the Iron Curtain. But how many athletes were involved? And who knew about these practices? In order to answer these questions, the Federal Institute for Sport Science in Germany supported a research project to shed light on the other, West German side of doping history. Based on analyses of authentic documents and archives, German Sports, Doping and Politics: A History of Performance Enhancement is a unique study spanning from 1950-2007. Translated from its original German, and supplemented with new material written especially for an international audience, this innovative book addresses many important questions about a topic with worldwide implications. Part I deals with the history of doping in the post-war period of the 1950s and ‘60s; Part II focuses on the apex of doping, as well as the beginnings of the anti-doping movement; and Part III considers the development of doping since the Reunification and the foundation of the World Anti-Doping Agency and the National Anti-Doping Agency in Germany. Written for a global audience, German Sports, Doping, and Politics explains and reveals the truly remarkable processes of doping and anti-doping that have evolved since the Cold War. While sports historians will find this book of great interest, it is also a significant study for anyone who wants to look beyond the surface of sports and doping as reported by the media.
Those knowledgeable about sporting history know that athletes have sought performance-enhancing substances since antiquity. The literature on recent sports history includes extensive research on doping in East Germany. Now Krüger, Becker, and Nielsen (all sports historians based in Germany) document a research project—sponsored by the German Olympic Sports Federation—examining the history of doping, and anti-doping, in West Germany from 1950 onward. Contending that the doping problem is contextual rather than individualized, the authors consider the role West German politics, sports organizations, and officials played in the history of doping. The book moves from doping during the 1950s and 1960s, to the increased focus on anabolic steroid use and coordinated efforts in anti-doping, to doping and anti-doping in the context of German reunification. The authors base their claims on thorough research of the archives of sources such as German sports federations and academic publications and on written documentation from notable politicians and sports officials. Though this book will appeal to anyone interested in the Olympics or sports history, it will be most valuable to those studying doping and anti-doping movements in sport. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. * CHOICE *
An extensively researched history of doping in German athletics. * USA Today Sports Weekly *
German Sports, Doping, and Politics is an exhaustive study that provides a detailed history of doping and anti-doping in Germany. The authors visited a noteworthy amount of archives and utilized an impressive variety of sources, including scientific reports, scholarly papers, and popular accounts, for the publication. Perhaps the greatest strength of the book is how it chronicles both the scientific support of and fight against doping. . . .German Sports, Doping, and Politics is an important addition to the doping canon. Importantly, Krüger, Becker, and Nielsen highlight the paradox of modern sport: the push for absolute excellence without artificial enhancement. * Sport in American History *
ISBN: 9781442249202
Dimensions: 234mm x 162mm x 24mm
Weight: 531g
268 pages