FINA has voted to strip Dr Lothar Kipke of the honour he was awarded by the global federation almost 22 years after he was convicted of playing a key role in the doping of East German swimmers.
Kipke, now 92, was the chief doctor of the East German swimming team during the 1970s and 80s and he was presented with the FINA silver pin award in 1985.
He was convicted in January 2000 of more than 50 charges of causing bodily harm after giving performance-enhancing drugs to young athletes.
Kipke was given a $4,000 fine and a 15-month suspended jail sentence.
FINA president Husain Al-Musallam is acting on his pledge for greater transparency and reform and last month indicated the federation will look at past performances and how doping played a role.
One possible outcome of an investigation of the past is awarding athletes the medals they would have won in Olympic competition, if not for the presence of the East Germans.
Tuesday’s announcement was certainly a big step in the right direction with previous regimes having shied away from confronting the past.
The statement read:
“The FINA Bureau has unanimously voted to remove Dr. Lothar Kipke from the FINA honours list, effective immediately. Kipke was convicted for the leading role he played in doping East German swimmers in the 1970s and 1980s. Following the election of FINA President Captain Husain Al-Musallam, and based on extensive consultation with the swimming community, FINA promised a swift response to the matter.
“’There is no place for doping in aquatics and certainly no place for individuals who have been found guilty of causing great damage to our sport, and cheating clean athletes of a fair chance. For a doctor to harm athletes in the search for medals is unacceptable and I am proud that FINA has decided to send a clear message,’” said Al-Musallam.
Kipke had received a FINA award in the 1980s as a former member of the FINA Medical Commission, long before his extensive wrongdoing came to light.
“FINA will continue to listen carefully to the swimming community as we address FINA’s actions of the past while delivering reforms for the future. I am fully confident that the measures we are implementing mean that aquatics athletes can be sure of FINA’s determination to protect clean athletes and promote clean sport.”
Dr. Kipke was a very very very BAD man. What he did to those athletes is criminal. Disgusting.