Harald Czudaj
Encyclopedia
Harald Czudaj (born 14 February 1963 in Wermsdorf
, Saxony) is an East German-German
bobsledder who competed during the 1990s. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he won a gold medal in the four-man event at Lillehammer
in 1994
.
Czudaj also won four medals at the FIBT World Championships
with two silvers (Two-man and four-man: both 1990
for East Germany) and two bronzes (Four-man: 1991
, 1995
, both for Germany
). He also won the 1997-98 Bobsleigh World Cup championship in the four-man event.
Prior to the 1992 Winter Olympics
, he came under fire for working as an informer for the Stasi
, submitting at least ten reports on his teammates when he was with SV Dynamo
in Altenberg, East Germany
between 1988 and 1990. Czudaj was allowed to compete following investigation by German sports authorities.
At the 2006 Winter Olympics
, Czudaj was a coach for the Dutch
women's bobsleigh
team.
Wermsdorf
-Landscape:Wermsdorf is situated within Wermsdorf Forest a wooded area of some 30 km/sq, less than 7.0 km to the north-west of Mugeln. The south side of Wermsdorf is deforested and looks out over a fairly flat landscape of agricultural land set out in crops...
, Saxony) is an East German-German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
bobsledder who competed during the 1990s. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he won a gold medal in the four-man event at Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
in 1994
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
.
Czudaj also won four medals at the FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships
The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...
with two silvers (Two-man and four-man: both 1990
FIBT World Championships 1990
The FIBT World Championships 1990 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland and Königssee, West Germany . St. Moritz hosted a championship event for the record seventeenth time...
for East Germany) and two bronzes (Four-man: 1991
FIBT World Championships 1991
The FIBT World Championships 1991 took place in Altenberg, Germany and Igls, Austria . This was Altenberg's first time hosting a championship event. Igls was hosting its third, doing so previously in 1935 and 1963...
, 1995
FIBT World Championships 1995
The FIBT World Championships 1995 took place in Winterberg, Germany and Lillehammer, Norway . This was the first time both cities hosted a championship event.-Two man bobsleigh:...
, both for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). He also won the 1997-98 Bobsleigh World Cup championship in the four-man event.
Prior to the 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
, he came under fire for working as an informer for the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
, submitting at least ten reports on his teammates when he was with SV Dynamo
SV Dynamo
The Sports Club Dynamo was the sport organization of the security agencies of former East Germany. The sports club was founded on 27 March 1953 and was headquartered in Hohenschönhausen in East Berlin...
in Altenberg, East Germany
Altenberg, Germany
Altenberg is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, close to the border with the Czech Republic, 15 km northwest of Teplice, and 32 km south of Dresden....
between 1988 and 1990. Czudaj was allowed to compete following investigation by German sports authorities.
At the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
, Czudaj was a coach for the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
women's bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
team.