PAST IMPERFECT and IS IT GERMANE?
I am of two minds about whether World Pair Champion Ingo Steuer's past involvement with Stasi as an informer should affect his being able to coach at the 2006 Games.
On the one hand, as an East German athlete hoping to succeed, Ingo was more or less compelled to cooperate with Stasi. On the other hand, winning a World Championship is hardly up there with keeping your family out of prison, as a defensible, noble goal.
Furthermore, Katarina Witt's argument that Ingo's pair, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, need their trainer with them at the Games is irrelevant. All athletes need their trainers with them, that isn't in dispute. The question is whether Ingo should be allowed to go with them. If he were an axe murderer or a rapist, Aliona and Robin would need him just as much, but I think people would understand why he might need to stay and say, serve a jail term or something.
"By taking away Steuer," Witt said, "They're taking away the most important person in their lives right now and ruining their chances of an Olympic medal."
Again, true, but see example above about winning an Olympic medal being a questionably noble goal. Or at least one worth being morally flexible about.
"He was young and naive," Witt added as a defense. Well, so was the ex-USSR's Pavlik Morozov, and he managed to do quite a bit of damage. (Not to mention those underage Columbine kids).
In the Reuters article, Witt asserts, "It would be a different story if he betrayed someone's plans to flee East Germany and they wound up in jail for 10 years. But Ingo didn't do anything like that as far as I know."
However, the Time On-Line asserts, "Documents show that Herr Steuer, who represented united Germany in two Olympic Games, and became the 1997 pairs world champion, was an active and enthusiastic informer between 1985 and 1989. He reported back on confidential conversations with athletes, and tipped the Stasi that an ice skater was considering defection to France."
So, I guess in Katarina's world, as long as the skater in question didn't serve a jail term, that made it okay. Although, objectively speaking, with both examples, the action and intent was the same, only the outcome changed....
Your thoughts?
On the one hand, as an East German athlete hoping to succeed, Ingo was more or less compelled to cooperate with Stasi. On the other hand, winning a World Championship is hardly up there with keeping your family out of prison, as a defensible, noble goal.
Furthermore, Katarina Witt's argument that Ingo's pair, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, need their trainer with them at the Games is irrelevant. All athletes need their trainers with them, that isn't in dispute. The question is whether Ingo should be allowed to go with them. If he were an axe murderer or a rapist, Aliona and Robin would need him just as much, but I think people would understand why he might need to stay and say, serve a jail term or something.
"By taking away Steuer," Witt said, "They're taking away the most important person in their lives right now and ruining their chances of an Olympic medal."
Again, true, but see example above about winning an Olympic medal being a questionably noble goal. Or at least one worth being morally flexible about.
"He was young and naive," Witt added as a defense. Well, so was the ex-USSR's Pavlik Morozov, and he managed to do quite a bit of damage. (Not to mention those underage Columbine kids).
In the Reuters article, Witt asserts, "It would be a different story if he betrayed someone's plans to flee East Germany and they wound up in jail for 10 years. But Ingo didn't do anything like that as far as I know."
However, the Time On-Line asserts, "Documents show that Herr Steuer, who represented united Germany in two Olympic Games, and became the 1997 pairs world champion, was an active and enthusiastic informer between 1985 and 1989. He reported back on confidential conversations with athletes, and tipped the Stasi that an ice skater was considering defection to France."
So, I guess in Katarina's world, as long as the skater in question didn't serve a jail term, that made it okay. Although, objectively speaking, with both examples, the action and intent was the same, only the outcome changed....
Your thoughts?
2 Comments:
At February 06, 2006 4:38 PM, Anonymous said…
Was Katrina Witt herself in any way associated with Stasi that she defends Steuer so vigorously?
At February 07, 2006 4:26 AM, Anonymous said…
I believe Kat worked for them herself. At least she was one of East Germany's most vocal defenders.
ALINA
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home