Erich Honecker, the East German Communist Party...

Erich Honecker, the East German Communist Party chief and head of state, said the nation’s athletes are preparing for the 1988 Olympic Games at Seoul, according to the state-run ADN news agency.

Honecker’s statement to Juan Antonio Samaranch, International Olympic Committee president, at East Berlin was the latest in a series of indications by high-ranking officials that East Germany would participate in the Olympics in the South Korean capital.