A West German newsweekly reported that East...
A West German newsweekly reported that East German female swimmers were secretly given performance-boosting drugs beginning at age 13 under a tightly organized national program designed to secure medals in international competition.
Der Spiegel quoted former coach Michael Regner as saying chief coaches gave him unidentified pills to mix into the athletes’ vitamin drinks. Regner told the magazine that the swimmers initially were not told they were getting anabolic steroids, drugs that build muscles and stamina but are banned under international sports rules. Coaches and athletes later had to sign secrecy pledges, said Regner, who fled East Germany last August and now works as a coach in New Zealand.
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