German Unification at the 1992 Olympics
The 1992 Olympics were of significance to Germany for reasons that exceeded sport itself. This Olympics served as a fundamental stepping-stone for the uniting of a country that had been separated for far to long by geopolitical divisions. After the dramatic collapse of the Berlin wall three years before, sport could be a showcase for German national pride and a litmus test for the success of the new unified Germany. The German Olympic team wanted to be successful in these Olympic Games and compete on a level that showed how strong a combined Germany could be. Many predicted that they would come in third place in these Olympics, a hefty mark for a country who had a rapid chain of events unfold for them to even be able to participate at all. Overall, Germany’s experience in the 1992 Olympics was one of triumph through tough times and mending old wounds in order to unite a people, a country, and a sense of nationalism that had long been removed.
The German Flag being carried in at the 2016 Rio Games, 24 years after unification
The 1992 Olympics served as a monumental turning point for German sports on a global scale. These Olympic Games were the first in which one unified German team competed since 1964. On October 3, 1990, Germany officially became a unified state again and the first all-German elections since 1932 were held. Chancellor Helmut Kohl becoming the elected head of the state of the newly unified Germany.[1] Soon after this, the reunification of German institutions began, including sports. Both Olympic committees from former West and East Germany unanimously consented to creating one German national team to match the overall political situation of the country.
Embed from Getty ImagesChancellor Helmut Kohl
Joachim Weiskopf, president of the East German organization said that, ‘‘as the two Germanys grow together there has been great concern over whether the athletes would feel shorted out of the competition for fewer places.”[2] Despite this potentially greater competition, “We find great support among our sportsmen for forming one team from one country.”[3] While this unification posed some problems to the German sporting community such as qualification criteria for athletes, there was complete agreement that this was the right decision for the country as a whole. One of the main issues that Germany faced through this process was the need for the formation of the unified Olympic Committee to happen quickly in order to field a team of national athletes that could compete and be successful in upcoming competitions such as the 1992 Olympics Games in Barcelona.
Germany was very successful in the 1992 Olympics, especially considering this rapid unification. Germany sent 463 competitors, 300 of whom were men and 163 of whom were women, to participate in 237 events in 26 sports.[4] They came in third in the overall medal count with a total of 82 medals. They won 33 gold medals, 21 silver medals, and 28 bronze medals. They trailed the Unified team, which received a totals of 112 medals, by only 30 medals and the United States, which received 108, by 26. They led fourth-place China by 28 medals. German swimmer Franziska van Almsick came in eighth in total number of medals won by an individual athlete with four – two silver medals and two bronze medals.[5] One of the reasons cited for German success in these Olympics was the combination of the strengths of the two Germanys into one combined practice. Wolfgang Ruch, a coach of the Greco-Roman wrestling squad, said, “Western care and eastern technology is a good combination. The unification process went fairly well, and the result in Barcelona is going to be impressive. By combining these two areas of concentration in a single team, the Germans were able to increase athletes’ abilities to train as well as heal after events.
Embed from Getty ImagesFranziska Van Almsick (left) and Kerstin Kielgass of Germany show off their medals
One of the big areas of controversy Germany faced in these Games occurred before the Games started when three East German women sprinters came under scrutiny for giving three identical urine samples to officials. While there were no official sanctions issued by the International Olympic Committee, the three women voluntarily withdrew to save what was left of their integrity. The reason that the women were not punished from an international standpoint was because the samples were not under observation at all times, which meant that tampering was a possibility.[7] It was known that the East Germans had a past of using performance-enhancing substances, and while the West tried to show a tough stance on the outside against these practices, it was assumed they were doing the same inside their camps.
Katrin Krabbe and Coach Thomas Springstein during June 1992 press Conference
The 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games were thought to be the most inclusive games in the history of the Olympics and Germany used their unification to play a role in this inclusivity. Germany found a common bond between sport and nationalism and used this to propel themselves into the top tier of countries at the Olympics Games. They not only succeeded in producing medals but also in producing a unified team to reflect their newly unified state. While these Games had their blemishes for Germany, they provided an opportunity to be recognized on the world stage for their efforts to bring together a nation which had been separated for far too long. These Olympic Games set the stage for a single German international sports program going forward.
-Tyler Edmonds
[1] “30 German Years: 1980 – 2010.” Deutschland.de. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2016.
[2] “Germans To Have One Team.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 1990. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
[3] “Germans To Have One Team.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 1990. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
[4] Olympics. “Barcelona 1992.” International Olympic Committee. N.p., 2016. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
[5] “1992 Barcelona Summer Games | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com.” Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
[6] Kinzer, Stephen. “From Long Division to Germany’s Multiplying Hopes.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 1992. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
[7] Kinzer, Stephen. “From Long Division to Germany’s Multiplying Hopes.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 1992. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
Barcelona '92 