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Abstract
A great deal of information about the doping practices of the former East German sports establishment has appeared since the collapse of the German Democratic Republic during the period 1989–1990. Long-standing suspicions about the hormonal manipulation of East German athletes have been amply confirmed. As important as they are, these revelations should not obscure important similarities between the high-performance sport cultures of West Germany and the former East German state. These common features include government funding of elite athletes and scientific research as well as a willingness to tolerate the use of illicit drugs by athletes. Both systems accepted and concealed the use of anabolic steroids by the athletes. The absorption by the West German sports establishment of many former East German sports physicians and trainers once involved in doping illustrates a shared mentality that views doping as an inevitable part of high-performance sport.