Competitive sports system of the GDR

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The athletes in the competitive sports system of the GDR achieved over 4,000 victories in international competitions from the GDR's existence until the fall of the Wall in September 1989 . With this number, the GDR was always in the top third of the medal ranks. The strength of GDR sport is often explained with increased motivation and state-prescribed doping in competitive GDR sport . Other factors such as the talent scouting and selection system ( ESA system ), the funding levels resulting from the competitive sports decisions of 1969, sports science research in the GDR and political and social framework conditions also play an important role.

Basic structures of the state organization

Simplified structure and interaction of the GDR organs in competitive sport

A large number of organizations were available to GDR sport , which were involved in various ways in the control and implementation of competitive sport as well as its promotion. The Politburo of the SED was the highest authority and set the performance targets, which were established in the 1969 competitive sports resolutions. The Sports Department of the Central Committee of the SED was set up as a control body in the early 1960s . The councils of state and ministers such as the Ministry of National Education, which was responsible for school sports, among other things, had executive functions, but were little involved in decision-making and development processes. The State Secretariat for Physical Culture and Sport (StKS) was one of the most important state organizations. The research, training and production facilities of the GDR competitive sport were subordinate to this. The Competitive Sports Commission (LSK) was the second important organization in the GDR. It was the link between state and social sponsors of competitive sport, was responsible for cooperation and, after the SED, was the highest state authority in competitive sport.

State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport

Manfred Ewald (right) 1980

The State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport ( Stako ) was founded in 1952 as part of the resolutions of the third party congress in 1950 and the party conference in 1952. Manfred Ewald , who was in office until 1961 and then President of the German Gymnastics and Sports Association (DTSB), was appointed as the first chairman . Through the formation of the State Committee, the leading German sports organization to date, the German Sports Committee (DS), was disempowered and GDR sports were increasingly centralized according to the Soviet model. Steering of the committee was limited to a chairman. With the creation of this steering and control body, the SED had an essential tool in hand for shaping the concretization and centralization of sport. The members of the committee came from various social and state organizations such as the Free German Youth (FDJ) or the State Secretariat for Vocational Training and Higher Education or were sports scientists and trainers.

The main tasks were the coordination and control of

  • Organization and control of games and sports,
  • Promotion, guidance and control of sports research organizations, sports associations and sports communities,
  • Training and deployment of specialists in all sporting areas,
  • Issuing guidelines for school sports ,
  • Coordination of investments for sports infrastructure .

Scientific advice

The Scientific Council was affiliated to the Stako and subsequently to the StKS . It was founded in 1952, had an advisory role for the development of sports science and supported the development of physical culture and cadre training in the GDR. The council, consisting of doctors, trainers and competitive athletes, is said to have a high degree of effectiveness in enforcing the decisions of competitive sports, in close cooperation with the Stako.

State Secretariat for Physical Culture and Sport

The State Secretariat for Physical Culture and Sport ( StKS ) is the successor organization to Stako and took over all powers in 1970. The Stako continued to exist as a social organization and shifted its field of activity to recreational sports . Stako no longer played a role in competitive sports. The State Secretariat now had the task of coordinating the target achievement of the plans to improve conditions for physical culture and sport. Along with the German Gymnastics and Sports Association (DTSB) and the Sports Department of the Central Committee, this formed one of the three main organizations of the competitive sports system in the GDR. At least formally, there was the dual function of promoting popular and top-class sport. However, based on the numerous subordinate institutions that are important for competitive sport, it can be seen that the focus was on the field of competitive sport promotion.

Subordinate institutions were:

Competitive Sports Commission

The Competitive Sports Commission (LSK) was founded in 1952. Central importance for competitive sport in the GDR is ascribed to it. The establishment of the LSK is seen as a necessary measure for the evaluation of the 1960 Olympic Games and in preparation for the 1964 Olympic Games . In 1965, as part of the competitive sports decisions, it was placed under the sole management of the DTSB Presidium, before it was reorganized into the Central Competitive Sports Commission of the GDR in 1967 . The main tasks were:

  • Organization of cooperation between trainers, sports scientists and sports doctors,
  • Planning, management, coordination of research in the field of competitive sports,
  • Incorporation of science into training operations.

From 1967 the task was expanded:

  • Creation of the entire basic direction of competitive sport research and rapid implementation in practice,
  • Decision on publications in scientific papers,
  • Decision on the annual plans.

After the new formation, the LSK was headed by DTSB President Manfred Ewald, who was also a member of the Central Committee of the SED. Due to the competitive sport-specific tasks and the personal interrelationships, it can be seen that the LSK was the highest state organ of competitive sport in the GDR, but had a coordinating role because of the steering by the DTSB. Two working groups (AG), the AG for Science and the AG for Technology, were subordinate to the LSK .

The German Gymnastics and Sports Association - Basic structures of social organization

Change in GDR sport

The German Gymnastics and Sports Association was on 27./28. Founded April 1957 in Berlin as an umbrella organization for GDR sports. The first president was Rudi Reichert . With the establishment of the uniform socialist sports organization of the GDR, a decisive change in leadership and structure in GDR competitive sports took place.

Structure under the roof of the DTSB

The DTSB had 15 regional organizations which in turn were subdivided into city, city district and 214 district organizations. A large number of the previously existing company sports associations , which had previously been organized in the sports associations, were dissolved and incorporated into the DTSB. For the individual sports that were previously organized in the German Sports Committee, 35 sports associations such as the German Football Association were established by 1958 . The DTSB was thus structured down to the last communal level and had almost the entire GDR sports apparatus under itself. The sports communities, which in turn were divided into sports and sports groups, formed the basis of mass sports as well as the basis for uniform sifting and selection. The sports communities formed partnerships with the school sports communities in order to ensure the smooth transfer of children and young people to the training and competition operations of the DTSB. In 1985, 88% of sports communities were partnered.

Development specifications for the DTSB organizations

The Gymnastics and Sports Day of the GDR was the highest body of the DTSB. It was convened by the federal executive board of the DTSB and met every six years. The planning specifications submitted by the federal board were approved by the gymnastics and sports day. The DTSB organizations worked on the basis of specific annual plans which resulted from the planning specifications.

These specifications related to different areas, the following is a selection:

  • Development of mass sports ,
  • Children and youth sports,
  • Apprentice and student sports,
  • Sports badge program of the GDR,
  • Organizational development,
  • International sports traffic,
  • Competitive sport (only applies to restricted areas).

DTSB as an organ of competitive sport

"The secretariat of the federal executive board takes all fundamental decisions on competitive sport in the GDR on the basis of the resolutions of the SED party leadership."

- Manfred Ewald

The highest body of the GDR competitive sport was the DTSB secretariat directed by Manfred Ewald. The secretariat consisted of the President and the Vice-Presidents. In the weekly meeting, the international results of the competitions were compared with the targets. The position of the DTSB can also be seen from the fact that the heads of the StK and the Sports Department of the Central Committee also took part in this meeting. The vice presidents for summer and winter sports also met weekly with the general secretaries of the sports associations, all of which had their offices in the DTSB building. The hierarchical, tight leadership can also be seen from the subordinate organizations of the Vice President for Summer and Winter Sports. For example, the following organizations were subordinate to the Vice President for Summer Sports:

  • Summer Sports Department,
  • Youth development department and coordination of summer sports,
  • Information Center Department,
  • Olympic Summer Sports Associations ,
  • Sports clubs with summer sports,
  • Sports schools .

The position of Manfred Ewald shows that the DTSB was mainly focused on competitive sport. This was not only the highest functionary of the DTSB, but also chairman of the LSK, which was subordinate to the DTSB and had served to enforce its interests. This was also repeated in the districts where the chairman of the DTSB district organization was also chairman of the district's LSK. Furthermore, Ewald was a member of the Central Committee of the SED, the highest instance of the party structure, and was therefore authorized to issue instructions to the ministers. This almost military staff line management is the basic model of the SED leadership and is also reflected in the organs of the GDR competitive sport. The pursuit of holistic control under the DTSB leadership can also be seen in Ewald's "baseline for the perspective development of competitive sport in the GDR up to the year 2000" ( baseline 2000 ). In this he called for the DTSB to improve the management of competitive sports in order to increase the development of competitive sports.

Promotion of young athletes

ESA system

The uniform talent scouting and selection system (ESA system) was particularly important for the GDR due to the small size of the population and the required increase in the level of competitive sport. In the fifties and sixties, talent scouting was still covered by DTSB trainers in cooperation with sports teachers. Due to the increasing promotion of competitive sport, a systematic talent search and selection had to be carried out. As a result, the ESA system for the screening and selection of children was created in 1973. ESA meant that a census attempt was made. For this purpose, data from certain age groups were recorded. In the first grade for sports with an early high performance age such as gymnastics or sports gymnastics, in the third grade for all other specially promoted sports and in the seventh and eighth grades, the size classification for sports such as volleyball was carried out. Fundamentally, talent identification had the following three components:

  1. The sport-specific screening in preschool and school. For this purpose, the children were given exercise tasks, mostly in sports that were not taught in school.
  2. The evaluation of school sports, ESA data and competitions at the lower level.
  3. Observation of the performance development during training in the training centers. At this point the children have already been encouraged.

After the sighting, the first stress tests were carried out in the sports communities up to and including delegation to a training center (TC). In the case of suitability, the next levels - according to the cadre pyramid - were delegation to a children's and youth sports school (KJS) and then to a sports club .

Cadre pyramid

The cadre pyramid of the GDR competitive sport

The young competitive sport of the GDR was divided into three support levels. In support level 1, the children and young people who had passed the trial training were delegated to a TC. Every year around 26,000 children came to one of the TC for basic training as the basis of the support system. The performance-oriented training took place three to five times a week and the total training time was between three and five years, depending on the type of sport. The TC worked closely with the associations and sports clubs so that a good transition to the next level could be guaranteed. Level 2 included training in the KJS, to which the most talented children from the first level were delegated. Ewald commented on the task of the KJS as follows: "[...] The difference to normal schools was that school and training were coordinated and training had priority" ( Manfred Ewald : Ewald, 1974, p. 76). Only the best athletes came to support level 3. They were grouped together in the sports clubs. The sports clubs had affiliated companies in which the athletes received jobs and training positions. The third level of support was divided into three cadre levels, into which the athletes were classified depending on their performance. Those with management level 1 status were mostly members of the national team and were exempted from practicing their profession when they were fully paid. Athletes who had the status of management level 2 were released from work for 16 hours a week. Members of management level 3 were only temporarily exempted. They were mostly reserve athletes or training partners.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sports in the GDR. Structure and structure. 2006, p. 13.
  2. ^ A b c Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sports in the GDR. Structure and structure. 2006, p. 17.
  3. ↑ Hans Joachim Teichler , Klaus Reinartz: The competitive sports system of the GDR in the 80s and in the process of change. 1999, p. 313.
  4. ↑ Ordinance on the statute of the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport of March 23, 1961 In: Theory and Practice of Physical Culture , Supplement. 1969, p. 94.
  5. ↑ Peter Kühnst: The abused Sport - The political exploitation of sports in the Soviet occupation zone and the GDR 1945-1957. 1982, p. 64.
  6. ^ Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sport in the GDR, structure and structure. 2006, p. 33.
  7. ^ A b Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sports in the GDR. Structure and structure. 2006, p. 38.
  8. ^ Karlheinz Gieseler : The management and performance system of physical culture in the GDR. In: Sports Science. 2/1983, pp. 127-128.
  9. ↑ Günther Erbach (Ed.): Small encyclopedia - physical culture and sport. 1979, p. 118.
  10. ^ Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sports in the GDR. Structure and structure. 2006, p. 46.
  11. ^ Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sports in the GDR. Structure and structure. 2006, pp. 47-48.
  12. ↑ Horst Röder : In theory and practice of physical culture. Supplement 2, 1985, p. 16.
  13. ↑ Hammel, Heise, Melchert: Planning regulation of the DTSB of the GDR from April 3, 1979 In: Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sports in the GDR. Structure and structure. 2006, p. 49.
  14. ↑ Measures to increase the effectiveness of the leadership of the GDR competitive sport, template for the secretariat of the DTSB of the GDR, Berlin April 24, 1987, In: Hans Joachim Teichler, Klaus Reinartz: The competitive sports system of the GDR in the 80s and in the process of the turn . 1999, p. 96.
  15. ↑ Günter Erbach before the "Temporary Committee" of the People's Chamber of the GDR: Federal Archives Berlin-Lichterfelde DA1 16350 In: Hans Joachim Teichler, Klaus Reinartz: The competitive sports system of the GDR in the 80s and in the process of the turnaround. P. 94.
  16. ↑ Hans Joachim Teichler, Klaus Reinartz: The competitive sports system of the GDR in the 80s and in the process of change. P. 96.
  17. ^ Foundation archive of the parties and mass organizations of the GDR in the Federal Archives (Berlin), DY30 / JIV2) 2 SED / ZK / Politburo / Resolutions 2245, In: Hans Joachim Teichler, Klaus Reinartz: The competitive sports system of the GDR in the 80s and in the process of Turn. Pp. 105-113.
  18. ^ Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sports in the GDR. Structure and structure. 2006, p. 114.
  19. ^ Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sports in the GDR. Structure and structure. 2006, p. 129.
  20. ↑ Manfred Ewald: I was the sport. Truth and legends from the winner's wonderland. 1994, p. 76.
  21. ^ Frank Reichelt: The system of competitive sports in the GDR. Structure and structure. 2006, pp. 139-140.