Germany Revives Schools to Turn Out Olympians

Return to East German model to restore Olympic glory
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 2, 2008 9:10 AM CDT
Germany Revives Schools to Turn Out Olympians
Germany's volleyball team celebrates after winning the men's volleyball world final qualification tournament for the Beijing Olympics in Duesseldorf, western Germany, Sunday, May 25, 2008.    (AP Photo/Rene Tillmann)

Concerned over its sixth-place overall finish in the Athens Olympics, Germany is taking steps to centralize its athletic training program in a move reminiscent of the notorious East German training machine, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a country where membership in local sports clubs is the norm for athletes, the government is lavishly funding sport-focused schools offering a solid shot at gold.

East Germany’s sporting-school system, associated with ruthless training and steroids, was dropped after the country’s unification. But Germany, which boasts the second-highest number of total gold medals, has seen its Olympic ranking slip over the past few Games. Now, following the lead of countries like Australia and Japan, it is supporting a renaissance of centralized support for sport—without the steroids. (More Olympics stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X