Competitive sports have a significant representational character for a country. Accordingly, public reactions are strong when national representatives fail to meet expectations in competitions like the Olympic Games. Despite its relatively small population, the German Democratic Republic typically achieved one of the top ranks in medal counts and often overshadowed even large nations like the USA. The question of how this sporting wonderland achieved its successes is the subject of this book. The meticulousness with which this was approached at the state, institutional, training method, and scientific levels represents a fascinating facet of German sports history that remains relevant even 16 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.