Documentary: Athletics has a dark side

With the “Frontal” documentary “Gold, Silver, Abuse of Power – The Dark Side of Athletics,” ZDF explores a controversial topic: abuse of power and sexual assault in elite sports.

The program can be seen from Tuesday, September 9, 2025, in the ZDF Mediathek and on Tuesday evenings from 21.00 p.m. in the “Frontal” edition on ZDF.

Eileen Demes speaks about her trainer's abuse

One of the voices in the documentary is Eileen Demes, German 400-meter hurdles champion. Ten years later, she describes for the first time how her coach at the time—more than twice her age—confronted her with love letters, messages, and pressure.

“He told me that he loved me and that he would love to wake up next to me every day,” Demes says of an encounter when she was still a minor.

Abuse of power in the athletics system

The documentary by Christina Zühlke and Michael Haselrieder shows systematic abusesCoaches exploiting their position, abusive chat messages to underage athletes, sexual assault, and criminal proceedings. Those affected openly report experiences that were kept secret for years.

In addition to Eileen Demes, Jessica-Bianca Wessolly, European Champion in the 4×100-meter relay, and Heike Henkel, Olympic high jump champion in 1992, will also have their say. Their common goal: An end to the silence in sports and a clear review.

Serious allegations in Hanover, Mannheim and Berlin

◉ Hanover: Former squad athletes report receiving messages like: “I’m interested in how you get off during sex.” Sent by a coach to a 16-year-old.

◉ Mannheim: The public prosecutor's office is charging a trainer who is alleged to have touched athletes in their intimate areas during massages.

◉ Berlin: A coach has already been sentenced to two years' probation for sexually abusing a female client. An athlete says: "He's serving two years' probation, and we'll have to deal with this for the rest of our lives."

Athletes demand consequences

The affected athletes demand clear rules and Consequences for abusive coaches. Eileen Demes describes her statements about the assaults as liberating—at the same time, she focuses on her athletic career.

After achieving her best times at the ISTAF Berlin and a championship record at the “Finals 2025” in Dresden, she now wants to be among the top performers at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Sierks Media / © Photo: Adi Goldstein, Unsplash