35. The Soviet Union loved sports, and so East Germany became a surprising sporting powerhouse
The Soviet Union saw international sporting competitions as an important marketing opportunity. Soviet citizens winning medals and trophies made a good advert for socialism, both helping it spread and encouraging talented immigrants. Thus the GDR heavily subsidized sports clubs and tried to nurture sporting talents at a young age. This scheme proved very successful. East German football teams competed valiantly in European competitions, and the national team played at the 1974 World Cup. East German athletes also punched above their weight at the Olympics, taking a whopping 47 gold medals at Moscow 1980.