Sabine Busch interview

[Gabriella]

A friend came across a great interview with Sabine Busch from 2 years ago in the Thueringer Allgemeine.

Now Sabina Ascui, she is based in Bavaria and is married with two children. The interview was in reaction to a book published by an ex GDR official, Thomas Koehler called "Two Sides Of The Coin". Koehler basically downplays the state doping programme and says it was only athletes that wanted to and agreed to were doped.

The best bits below:

TA: Has Mr. Koehler lied?
Busch: It is his view of things, from his autobiography. But I have the impression that he still thinks he's a GDR sports official and is disenfranchised, in my opinion. He downplayed the State doping program. it's not as simple as he states.

TA:Have you ever taken drugs?
Busch: There was doping. Whoever said there wasn't is lying. However, it's also possible to say 'no'.

TA: Do you deny you took any yourself?
Busch: I can not rule out that I was given something. But what bothers me is that some people think they know everything that happened in the GDR

TA:What is your opinion wrong with that?
Busch: Some people think they know better than the doping methods in GDR and suggest that it was bad individuals taking drugs and good ones didnt. If it were that simple, the chapter would have closed long ago. Of course there are documents that prove the systematic doping. But I'm careful with these files too. Not every word written is true.

TA:Do you doubt the files?
Busch: Not generally. But sometimes there are things that are just glossed over and some information is simply not true. For example, it was reported that during my active days I supposedly took the contraceptive pill, wich was mandatory, because officials were worried we would get pregnant. But I have never taken the pill!

But other pills?
Busch: I had a good coach (Eberhard König) that kept us safe.

TA:When will your German records be broken?
Busch: Well many of the wordl's best have run faster than I ran, and all allegedly without doping! Germany has talent, but the conditions are not optimal as in other countries. I think young people are not so active and are lazy. And without hard training, there are no world class performances!

[Gabriella]

TA:Would you want to be a professional athlete again?
Busch: I was never a professional athlete?

TA: In the Stasi files it says you were give a two-room apartment for your world class services, and other premiums.
Busch: Correct. But the rewards for my success I had in the eighties is outdated in any other country in the world. Moutawakel from Morocco was celebrated for her hurdles Olympic victory as a heroine, she was a huge house name. I was not.

TA: Do you look back in anger?
Busch: Yes and no. I don't care that the financial benefits that were comparatively small. But I'm still sad that we did not attend the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. It was the first time the 400-meter hurdles for women was in the Olympic programme. I'm bitter that the officials did an outright ban on attending based on another countries relations. But I have concluded, in essence, it is now 20 years ago. Nevertheless, I think it would be unhealthy if this side of the East German life we would forget. I know that while I felt I could not see much of the world as an athlete, most of the other people in the GDR were denied travel at all. Fortunately, things changed.

TA: With the end of GDR the special attention given to athletes was gone. Sport was suddenly no longer a political issue.
Busch: Nevertheless, re-unification was the best thing that could happen to me in my life. I would have otherwise never met my husband!

TA: What are you doing today?
Busch: I am an official of Thuringia. But since my husband is in the army, we move with our two sons every three years. This iscan be annoying, but always interesting.

TA: What else are you up to?
Busch: I am writing on a book about my time as an athlete and the doping in the Stasi files.

the article then finishes with some public posts from a journalist that wrongly accused Busch of being a witness in court against the state coaches and who says her coach was involved in doping. She replies saying if he comes to her with some evidence she will discuss it with him objectively!

[Rog]

I know Rob, who posts on here, is a friend of Sabine Busch. Hopefully he will see this thread and add some input. It's an interesting article.

Busch was a great natural talent - she ran 51 flat (manual) at the age of 17. I remember when she was interviewed in 86 she said that she thought the Eastern Bloc boycott in 84 was the right decision, but obviously that was a case of having to defend it to keep in line with the DDR "party line". She missed out on a certain relay gold, although an individual medal may have been beyond her at that stage.

[mump boy]

I don't hold GDR athletes 100% responsible for their drug use (and i think the effects as opposed to the sporting culture is over stated) but evasion does nothing for their cause