Details Sought on East German Doping Reports

Track and field’s international governing body asked East Germany today for details on 14 of the nation’s athletes who reportedly failed drug tests in the past two years.

The International Amateur Athletic Federation said it had asked the East German track and field federation to supply information in the wake of newspaper reports in Berlin.

Junge Welt, one of East Germany’s biggest newspapers, reported Wednesday that 14 positive results for drugs had been found among East German athletes tested at national meets or training sessions in 1988-89.

Neither the names nor the sports of the athletes were released.

No prominent athletes from East Germany, the second-biggest medal winner at last year’s Olympics, have been named in international doping tests in recent years although reports in the Western news media recently have said that drug use among the nation’s top athletes was widespread.

The newspaper report quoted Manfred Hoeppner, chairman of the East German anti-doping commission, as saying that the athletes and coaches involved in the drug use had been punished.

Hoeppner also told the newspaper that beginning next year East German authorities will publish the names of athletes caught using drugs.