Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik

The Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik (GST), lit. "Sport and Technology Association", was one of the East German "Mass Organizations". Officially, it was established to structure the free time of young people interested in sports and technology in group activities, provide the required technical equipment (for example, motorcycles, aircraft, radios), cultivate and support technical sport disciplines, and arrange for events like motor and shooting competitions. The association also contributed to the militarization of East German society by organizing together with the National People's Army the country's mandatory pre-military training (VA, vormilitärische Ausbildung) in schools, universities and workplaces. It was established on 7 August 1952 and disbanded in early 1990. The association published a monthly, 32-page periodical, S+T (Sport und Technik).