In 1968 the East German hockey (field) team qualified for the Mexico City Olympics, with Gerhard Krieger from SC Leipzig a member of that team, but he was a substitute only. East and West Germany played their only international match in a preliminary round, with West Germany winning 3-2. East Germany finished a disappointing 11th, which caused East Germany to drastically reduce financial support for field hockey. In 1969 Krieger helped Leipzig win the East German Championship. He earned 28 international caps from 1967-73.