Athletes who were subjected to doping by the East German state have "no suitable means for support, even though those affected still urgently need help,” a new report said on Wednesday.
The findings were presented by Evelyn Zupke, the German government's commissioner for victims of the socialist dictatorship at Hohenschönhausen Memorial, a former detention center of the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police.
According to the report, forced doping constituted "a flagrant abuse of political power," that reduced athletes "to mere objects of state action, thereby severely violating their human dignity."
Zupke called for changes to current legislation to ensure victims can access adequate support.
In a separate report in January, Zupke said she was "convinced that addressing the consequences of state-sponsored doping in the GDR is not just a matter for those affected and for historians."
