THE SIDELINES : Regner, Top E. German Swimming Coach, Joins Exodus to the West
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HAMBURG, West Germany — Michael Regner, one of East Germany’s top swimming coaches, joined the exodus of thousands of East Germans from Hungary and fled to West Germany, the Bild newspaper said today.
The newspaper said Regner had applied for a tourist visa for Bulgaria but never went there. Instead, he took advantage of Hungary’s new open-border policy and went to West Germany.
Regner, 37, is one of three coaches credited with the success of East Germany’s women swimmers, who won 14 gold medals at the European Swimming Championships in Bonn last month.
More than 17,000 East Germans have arrived in West Germany since Hungary opened its borders last week.
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