German Olympic boss launches probe into dope decades
Academic report detailing widespread systemic drug use in former West Germany prompts set up of an independent body to analyse data
The German Olympic Committee has asked an independent body to analyse an academic report on organised doping in the former West Germany, its president Thomas Bach said.
"We have set up an independent commission and appointed the president who is a former judge of the federal constitutional court, Udo Steiner," said Bach on ZDF public television.
We want clarity and openness. And now we can deal with the utmost transparency with these results
"We want clarity and openness. And now we can deal with the utmost transparency with these results," said Bach, who is a candidate to succeed Jacques Rogge at the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Germany's interior ministry had on Monday published a report, which describes a broad government-backed doping programme by West Germany in the 1970s and has prompted calls for an investigation.
The contents of the report had earlier been leaked by the newspaper.
The report describes West Germany as organising and experimenting with doping in sports since the 1950s, much like its East German neighbour, using sports, politics and medicine to support the research.
