{"product_id":"synthetic-medals-east-german-athletes-journey-to-hell-5th-oct","title":"Synthetic Medals : East German Athletes' Journey to Hell (5th Oct)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the early 1970s, the athletes of the German Democratic Republic started to achieve incredible sports results, winning medals and setting new world records with astonishing frequency. For many years, their sporting supremacy was hailed as a triumph of the socialist government's commitment to scientific research and innovative training methods. But after the Cold War ended, the Stasi archives revealed a sinister secret behind the successes: a perverse doping system imposed by the government itself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDrugs were administered to young athletes, often without their consent, and the price their bodies are now paying is very high, both physically and mentally. Through the athletes' personal stories, Synthetic Medals reveals the events that led to the discovery of the state-doping system and the subsequent trial. It also explores the state's motives for this crime against its own people - people who were sacrificed on the altar of a distorted ideology, for the simple purpose of achieving glory on the international chessboard.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Book House (Thame)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56348693561729,"sku":null,"price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0280\/7873\/5421\/files\/9781836803102.jpg?v=1791048336","url":"https:\/\/shop.thebookhousethame.co.uk\/products\/synthetic-medals-east-german-athletes-journey-to-hell-5th-oct","provider":"The Book House Thame","version":"1.0","type":"link"}