What's the Story?

The 1968 games were a turning point for Olympic Representation. Germany as a united nation no longer existed, but athletes were allowed to competed under GDR and FRG, East and West Germany, for the first time. East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Romania were all Soviet Satellite States, meaning that, along with the Soviet Union, nearly one third of the competing countries in figure skating at this Olympic Games was either connected to the Soviet Union, or was the Soviet Union. Was Soviet domination making its way even into sports? Was the fear of Communism evident at these Olympic Games?

On the women's side, the main players from Soviet states were Gabriele Seyfert from East Germany (GDR) and Hana Mašková from the Soviet Union (URS). Both have fascinating stories, personally and athletically. Seyfert, though she has a sweetly innocent face, was in fact a Stasi informer and went by the code name "Perle." If that's not one of the most interesting things you've ever heard about an Olympic Figure Skater, then I don't know what is!

Hana Mašková, perhaps less exciting internationally, but very significant for the Czech Republic, is the only female Czech figure skater to have ever won an Olympic medal. Even though Mašková was competing for Czechoslovakia, one of the Soviet Satellite States, at the time, her win was still very valuable for all Czechs. Sadly, Mašková passed away in a car crash in 1972, just four years after her Olympic victory.

On the men's side, the Soviet-affiliated skater who placed highest at these Olympic Games was Ondrej Nepela, who came in 8th. Nepela's story is fascinating in its own right. He continues to be one of the most popular Slovakian skaters (he competed for Czechoslovakia, but he was born in the region that became Slovakia), even though he died over 3o years ago, most likely from AIDS. Nepela's rapid rise to stardom is often attributed to his persistence on the ice, and also the fact that Slovakia did not have many well-known figure skaters. Nepela was only 17 years old when he competed at these Olympics, and he would only live for about 20 more years, but he made a lasting impression in Slovakia. There is now a memorial figure skating competition named the Nepela Memorial every year in Bratislava, and he was "named the Slovakian athlete of the century in 2000" (Darling). Nepela was an unexpected champion for his Soviet nation at these games. He did not medal, but he was a significant part of Czechoslovakia's Soviet history, and his legacy continues to play a key role in developing young Slovakian figure skaters, especially after he took home the gold medal.over the Soviet Union's Sergei Chetverukhin at the 1972 games in Sapporo, Japan.

Food for Thought

Much like football players in America today, communities often put the expectation on their athletes to conform to societal expectations. Should elite athletes be expected to act certain ways because of their positions in sport? Should elite athletes be permitted to make serious mistakes, or very flawed choices, without being "cancelled," as we would say today?

In 1968, the first figure skaters (some male, some female) from Korea, East and West Germany, the Soviet Union, and Romania competed in the Olympics. Korea was only the second Asian country to be represented at the Olympic Games for both the men and the women, following in Japan's footsteps. Soon enough, women's figure skating would be dominated by Asian skaters. What might cause these ebbs and flows of dominance in a sport throughout time? Is it a domino effect? Or is it just really interesting timing?