An exclusive published in The Times newspaper over the weekend has raised the prospect that Olympic athletes whose results were impacted by East Germany state-sponsored doping program in the 1970s and 1980s might be in line for restitution and new medals.
In the article, IOC President Thomas Bach is quoted in support of a campaign to 'right the wrongs' of the East German era.
If Bach's sentiment turns into IOC policy and revises the results, five US crews would be impacted.
The US and East Germany did not race each other in the 1980 or 1984 Olympics due to the dueling boycotts.
The Times reports that Bach's comments appear in a foreword he wrote for Australian swimmer Michelle Ford's forthcoming book, Turning the Tide. The article is accompanied by an Op-Ed piece by Sharron Davies, a 1980 GB Olympian who along with Ford has been long-time advocate for measures to address the impact of East German doping.
While female swimmers may have been the group most directly affected by East Germany's systematic cheating, The Times connected the news to both track and field and rowing by invoking the names of two of the most famous British Olympians: Daley Thompson and Steve Redgrave. For British Rowing, any change to the records involving East German rowers could award gold medals to two men's eights--the 1976 and 1980 crews--and turn the bronze medal Redgrave won when he doubled into the coxed pair in 1988 into a silver. In all, seven GB crews could see new medals, including three who finished just off the podium and never received a medal.
The Times article is available to subscribers here, but one of the authors, Craig Lord, wrote a lengthy piece on the issue and Bach's comments here on stateofswimming.com. Lord is also the co-author of Ford's book, where Bach's foreword appears.