Alexander Slatnow

East Germans Reiner Kurth and Alexander Slatnow were the reigning World Champions in the K-2 1,000 metres flatwater canoeing of 1971 when they travelled to the Summer Games in München in 1972. Both then finished a disappointing fourth in the final. Slatnow won another World gold in 1975 with non-Olympian Gerhard Rummel. Domestically, Slatnow won East German titles in the K-1 500 in 1976, with non-Olympian Herbert Rummel in the K-2 500 in 1975 and 1976. He also won in 1974 and 1975 the K-2 1,000 titles with Gerhard Rummel.

After German reunification it became known that Slatnow was a so-called informal employee (Informeller Mitarbeiter) of the Stasi (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit) and informed the officials about the behaviors of East German sportsmen and sportswomen including so-called “Western contacts”.