Olympic chiefs vow to not stop sports awarding medals to victims of East German doping regime

While the IOC is remaining steadfast Olympic medals will not be retrospectively awarded, it will not interfere with sports recognising the victims of East German doping regime.

Another significant stumbling block has been removed in the interminable fight to recognise all the clean athletes who were cheated out of medals by East Germany’s notorious doping regime.

Fearing potential lawsuits, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) remains steadfastly opposed to any moves to retrospectively award medals to the victims, insisting it is powerless to act because the window to take action has long since closed.

But with the youngest women now in their 50s and the oldest in their 70s, the fight for justice is still being ramped up, with Olympic chiefs making some small concessions.

Australia’s John Coates, the IOC’s vice-president, told this masthead that while there are currently no plans to retrospectively present Olympic medals to any athletes who missed out, the IOC would not interfere with other sporting federations that chose to award medals for their own events, such as world championships.

“We wouldn’t stop them,” Coates said. “It’s their responsibility.

“But the IOC, and I think there’s been discussions (although) I wasn’t involved in them, have just pointed out the risk that you run in exposing yourself.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency has an eight year statute of limitations on dealing with offences. Picture: AFP

That’s an important acknowledgment because a number of major sports, most notably swimming, have already said they intend to right the wrongs of the past before it’s too late – but don’t want to become embroiled in a row with the IOC.

World Aquatics, which has been the first sport to break through the wall on a number of curly issues since undergoing a recent change of leadership, is already on public record promising it will recognise female swimmers, which include around a dozen Australians, who missed out on medals at world championships in the 1970s and 1980s.

True to its word, World Aquatics in 2022 became the first sport to ban transgender swimmers from competing in women’s events, but the challenge officials face with redressing the East German medal issue is how they can do something without exposing themselves to any potential legal threats.

Coates, who is also president of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, says that may be impossible.

While he said the IOC would not stand in the way of independent federations taking matters into their own hands, he also sent a thinly-veiled warning to sports about the potential repercussions.

“That’s their call but they have to understand and I believe they do understand that they might be exposing themselves legally,” Coates said.

“They’ve got the problem too that they are signatory to the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) Code.

“So they’ve got that and then they’ve also got the problem that the damage they may be doing to the reputation of the one who has the medal.”

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. Picture: AFP

Under the WADA Code, there is an eight-year statute of limitations for any action to be taken on redressing doping offences.

The East German system operated from the late 1960s to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 – well outside the time frame.

“The statute of limitations of eight years binds all of the signatories,” Coates said.

“But if you put that to one side, the difficulty you have, and I know this was considered in swimming recently with their world championships when you say, ‘we’ll give out medals to anyone who finished behind a Russian or East German or whatever’, then you are opening yourselves to litigation from the other person.

“Is it enough that your name is in the Stasi file when there’s no test? Is it enough?

“Then, even in the World Anti-Doping code, as you have it now, when you’ve got athletes who are let off, then the onus is on them to show no fault or negligence on their part.

“So, did these athletes from East Germany who we read took drugs know they were taking drugs that were on prescribed lists.?

“Did they know? Or did they just do what they were told? It’s very complex

“If swimming suddenly went out and gave everyone a second medal, then the ones who had the first medal might say, ‘look, I was good, show me otherwise. That’s an insult to me and you’ve damaged my reputation.“

Raelene Boyle thanks John Coates after being presented the AOC Order of Merit award in 2019. Picture: AAP

A lawyer by profession, Coates always chooses his words carefully, but his actions have also hinted at someone who may have some empathy with the victims of one of the filthiest crimes in sporting history.

At the Opening Ceremony for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Coates personally selected runner Raelene Boyle – perhaps Australia’s best-known victim of East German doping – as one of the final torch bearers before the lighting of the Cauldron.

It was notable that all the other torch bearers had won Olympic gold medals, with the exception of Cathy Freeman, who went on to win gold in Sydney.

In 2018, Coates also recognised Boyle with the Australian Olympic Committee’s Order of Merit.

She was presented with her award in the presence of the IOC president Thomas Bach, who was in Sydney at the time, and she used her platform to challenge the most powerful man in world sport over the medal issue.

Bach is currently facing fresh calls to take action from Australian swimmer Michelle Ford.

He agreed to write the forward to her explosive new biography, Turning the Tide, in which he praised her “continued fight against the iniquities of doping, particularly her continuing fight to right the wrongs of the era.”

Asked whether that was a sign the IOC was softening its stance, a spokesman told this masthead Bach only wrote the foreword because Ford is a personal friend, and he was unaware of the context of her book.

Michelle Ford won Australia’s only individual gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.. Picture: Getty Images

Ford was Australia’s only individual gold medallist at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, winning the 800 metres freestyle final, but was beaten for gold in two other events by East German rivals who were shown to have been fuelled by steroids.

Now 61, Ford is among a growing number of high-profile women running out of patience with the IOC and demanding action.

Sources have told this masthead a global coalition of affected competitors has been secretly preparing to wage a legal battle if Olympic officials continue to ignore their requests for fairness.

In requesting recognition, they have asked that no East German women be stripped of their medals, to counter any possible legal threats and also in acknowledgment that they too were victims of Cold War politics.

Originally published as Olympic chiefs vow to not stop sports awarding medals to victims of East German doping regime