Doping study sparks controversy

Germany's Olympic chief Thomas Bach called for full transparency on the country's doping history. "I initiated this project to shed full light [on doping] and to make a reappraisal possible," he said Sunday.

Bach, who is running for the International Olympic Committee presidency, said that once the report is made public and analyzed, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will "take all the necessary consequences."

On Saturday the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" newspaper revealed details of the study, which was carried out by researchers at Berlin's Humboldt University and concluded that the German government financed experiments with performance-enhancing substances.

The 800-page report was commissioned by the Federation Institute of Sports Sciences (BISp) on behalf of the DOSB in 2008 and completed in April.

Politicans speak out

Politicians in the country have called for the report's full publication, and the opposition Social Democrats parliamentary faction chief Thomas Oppermann has accused Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich of a cover-up.

"My impression is that Interior Minister Friedrich wants to hush up the interior ministry's inglorious role in promoting doping," he said.

The interior ministry denied that it had any role in covering up the scandal. A spokesman said the ministry "is greatly interested in the complete elucidation and evaluation of the doping past of both parts of Germany."

State-funded doping

An interim report was released two years ago that alleged systematic, state-funded doping in West Germany took place in the 1970s and 80s. Previous to this, a study on government-run doping in East Germany was uncovered after reunification in 1990.

The researchers, who looked into doping in West German football in the 1950s and 60s, said that three members of the country's 1966 World Cup team may have been guilty of taking banned substances. They said the players used the stimulant Ephedrine, which is also used to treat cold symptoms. Player's from West Germany's iconic 1954 World Cup-winning team were also linked with stimulant use.

The latest revelations, published on Saturday, have sparked a controversy over the report's publication. It has yet to be published due to privacy concerns on behalf of the DOSB. However, the interior ministry said these concerns had been addressed and "there is nothing now preventing its publication."

dr/tj (dpa, AP, SID)