May 23, 2000 11:11 AM Reuters

BERLIN, May 23 (Reuters) - A former top East German swimmer, testifying at the trial on doping charges of two senior sports officials, said on Tuesday her body underwent massive changes after she was given pills to take.

"My body went through explosive changes," said Ute Krause. "I felt like a stranger in my own body."

She said she gained a considerable amount of weight and became ashamed of her body.

Former swimmers and athletes have been testifying in the trial of Manfred Ewald and Manfred Hoeppner, who allegedly played a leading role in the communist state's systematic doping policy in the 1970s and 1980s. The trial began on May 2.

Rica Reinisch, who won three Olympic medals for East Germany, said that she was no longer able to train in 1982 because of gynacological and heart problems she believes were due to the pills.

She said she was given the pills from the time she was 12, has suffered from an inflammed heart muscle problem on three occasions and said she has had two miscarriages.

Another witness, Simone Machalett, said that she was aware from the age of 14 when she first began taking the pills that they were "a supportive means" to improve her performance.

The former shot put champion said a trainer told her it was a "privilege" to be given the treatment. But she said neither she nor her parents were warned about possible side effects.

Ewald, 73, headed the powerful East German Gymnastics and Sports Federation from 1961 to 1988 and allegedly organised widespread doping with the approval of the highest level of the government.

Sports doctor Hoeppner, 66, headed from 1974 the Working Group on Supporting Means. "Supporting means" was the official terminology used by East German officials to designate doping.

The two are accused of contributing to bodily harming a total 142 of sportswomen, most of them swimmers and athletes, by ordering them to take steroids.

The indictment charges that the 142 women suffered lasting side effects from the intake of anabolic steroids, such as hormonal disturbances and the development of male characteristics.

COPYRIGHT © 2000 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.