BERLIN -- A former East German sports doctor admitted yesterday in a Berlin court that he handed out anabolic steroids for use by young female swimmers, the first formal confession of such practices by an official of the Communist state that once churned out gold-medal-winning athletes.

In a brief statement, Dieter Binus said that the doses of the steroids never exceeded 1,000 milligrams a year, an amount that he contended was too small to harm the young swimmers. He denied giving testosterone injections or other drugs to the athletes.

Binus, a 59-year-old Berlin physician, was testifying at a trial in which he, another doctor and four coaches are accused of seriously injuring 19 athletes through the forced use of steroids. Despite his disclaimers, the doctor's admission that steroids were used amounted to an extraordinary breakthrough for prosecutors.

Pub Date: 7/07/98