THE SIDELINES : E. German Sports Federation Leaders Quit Amid Criticism

The leadership of East Germany’s embattled Sports Federation resigned today in the face of mounting public criticism over excessive government support of elite athletes.

Federation President Klaus Eichler said he and the rest of the central administration would step down in response to calls for “far-reaching programs and personnel changes,” the official news agency ADN said.

Eichler admitted “mistakes” by the federation leadership in recent weeks, ADN reported. The move was announced after an emergency meeting of the federation’s national leadership outside Berlin.

For years, East Germany concentrated on pumping money into certain high-performance sports, like swimming and track and field, that yielded a maximum of individual medals in international competition.

In the course of East Germany’s peaceful democratic revolt, former star athletes have come under criticism for enjoying privileges. Popular and official pressure has increased for funding more sports facilities for ordinary citizens and promoting sports previously deemed secondary by officials, like tennis, basketball and ice hockey.