East German Defector to Compete for West Germany

The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday it will allow swimmer Jens-Peter Berndt, an East German defector and former world record-holder, to compete for West Germany in the Summer Olympics at Seoul.

Berndt, 24, had waged a two-year battle for American citizenship in hopes of competing for the United States at Seoul. But he abandoned the necessary Congressional action in May after discovering a rule that would have forced him to ask East Germany for permission to swim, even if he had U.S. citizenship. East Germany indicated it would not grant such permission, so Berndt pinned his hopes on swimming for West Germany.

Last week, he qualified for the West German team in four events, including the 400-meter individual medley, the event in which he once held the world record.

Though East Germany protested his inclusion on the West German team, the IOC overruled. Berndt, who competed for the University of Alabama after defecting, was one of 10 athletes, including 3 others from West Germany, receiving special exemptions for the Olympics. Berndt was declared eligible because the IOC automatically considered him a West German citizen when he defected.