The German national gymnastics coach Jens Milbradt has spoken about doping in the GDR before the start of the home European Championships in Leipzig. When asked whether he had known or suspected during his active career that doping played a role in gymnastics, the 56-year-old answered the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (Monday): "So suspected is certainly the better word."
Milbradt: "It was clear that something was going on there"
Milbradt added by way of explanation: "It was customary to have to undergo certain tests before traveling to capitalist countries, and you had to ask yourself: Why would you do that if you thought you had never taken anything? So it was clear that something was going on there."
In response to an initial question as to whether he had come into contact with doping during his active career, the head coach gave an evasive answer in the interview: "It was actually supposed to be about the future of German men's gymnastics, wasn't it?" Milbradt took over the post from Valeri Belenki last November.
