| Zusammenfassung: | The regular participation of West German and East German athletic teams in sporting events, as well as the acceptance of East German leagues into major international sports organisations gave GDR leadership a perfect opportunity to present themselves as a single sovereign state. In this essay, the difficulties for West German foreign policy arising out of this situation are critically examined. West Germany's declaration in 1955 that common Olympic teams could represent the whole nation conflicted with the principles set forth by the Hallstein Doctrine. The author discusses how the fundamental premises of West German foreign policy were counteracted by international recognition of East German athletic teams and their sporting achievements. Furthermore, the question is raised why sports, as in no other comparable area, allowed for very close ties between West Germany and the GDR and why the Hallstein Doctrine more or less failed. Only after the construction of the wall, could the Hallstein doctrine, though very briefly, be effectively propagated. (Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte / FUB)
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