> > > I’ve heard rumors about this, and I doubt it. Especially when there was an American athlete who claimed that’s what happened to her… > >

East Germany was an authoritarian state with state controlled media and propaganda. They experimented on children for ideological and propaganda reasons. It’s hardly surprising they’d lie to test subjects, when the programme was clandestine. The stasi files, and related court cases/verdicts, indicate as much. Those responsible invariably defended themselves, by saying it was legal and/or that they were forced to do it by the state.

Why would they tell guinea pigs the truth when they could lie? The DDR lied to its people on a daily basis. There were no consequences.

In an authoritarian state you are robbed of the freedom not to do things AND to think things. People were sentenced to years in jail for telling relatively mild political jokes or questioning the offical government line.

Hell, that’s how the DDR made money. They’d arrest people, then West Germany would pay 40,000DM and they’d be sent to West Germany. Quite profitable.

Of course, there are likely athletes who did know they were being doped. They got away with cheating, won a medal, and get to pretend it was won fairly, despite many of East Germany’s records not being broken to this day.