Andreas Krieger
Encyclopedia
Andreas Krieger is a former German shot put
ter, who competed as a woman on the East German athletics
team at SC Dynamo Berlin
. Like many prominent East German sportspeople at the time, Krieger was systematically and unknowingly doped
with anabolic steroids.
, Krieger won the gold medal in the shot put event after putting the shot at 21.10 m (65 ft 6 in). Krieger retired in 1990.
and Brigitte Berendonk's 1991 book, Doping: From Research to Decieit, Krieger took almost 2,600 milligrams of steroids in 1986 alone—nearly 1,000 milligrams more than Ben Johnson took during the 1988 Summer Olympics
.
As early as the age of 18, Krieger began developing male characteristics. Eventually, years of doping left him with many masculine traits. By 1997, Krieger underwent sex reassignment surgery
and changed his name to Andreas. Krieger had "felt out of place and longed in some vague way to be a boy" even before receiving hormonal treatments, and said in a 2004 New York Times interview that he was "glad that he became a man". But he was also upset that receiving hormones without his consent deprived him of the right to "find out for myself which sex I wanted to be."
Krieger gave evidence at the trial of Manfred Ewald
, leader of the East German sports program and president of the East German Olympic committee and Manfred Hoeppner
, East German medical director in Berlin in 2000. He testified that the drugs he had been given had contributed to his transsexuality. Both Ewald and Hoepner were convicted of accessory to the intentional bodily harm of athletes, including minors.
Krieger was forced to retire in part due to experiencing severe pain from lifting massive amounts of weight while on steroids. Even today, he has severe pain in his hips and thighs, and can only withstand mild exertion.
The "Heidi Krieger Medal" , named after Krieger, is now awarded annually to Germans who combat doping. Krieger's gold medal from 1986 forms part of the trophy.
series Secrets of the Dead
also featured Krieger in an episode covering the doping of East German athletes by the East German government covered-up by the Stasi
.
In 2008 Ukrainian filmmakers released the documentary "Doping. Factory of Champions" based on Krieger's story.
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
ter, who competed as a woman on the East German athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
team at SC Dynamo Berlin
SC Dynamo Berlin
The Sports Club Dynamo Berlin was an East German sports club that existed from 1954 to 1991. It was a training center for the Sports Club Dynamo .-Sporting spectrum:...
. Like many prominent East German sportspeople at the time, Krieger was systematically and unknowingly doped
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
with anabolic steroids.
Athletics career
At the 1986 European Championships in Athletics1986 European Championships in Athletics
The 14th European Athletics Championships were held from 26 to 31 August 1986 at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart, a city in West Germany.-Track:1978 | 1982 | 1986 | 1990 | 1994-Field:1978 | 1982 | 1986 | 1990 | 1994-Track:...
, Krieger won the gold medal in the shot put event after putting the shot at 21.10 m (65 ft 6 in). Krieger retired in 1990.
Effects of doping
Krieger was systematically doped with steroids from the age of 16 onward. According to Werner FrankeWerner Franke
Werner Franke is a professor of cell and molecular biology at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.After completing high school , he studied chemistry, biology and physics at the University of Heidelberg...
and Brigitte Berendonk's 1991 book, Doping: From Research to Decieit, Krieger took almost 2,600 milligrams of steroids in 1986 alone—nearly 1,000 milligrams more than Ben Johnson took during the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
.
As early as the age of 18, Krieger began developing male characteristics. Eventually, years of doping left him with many masculine traits. By 1997, Krieger underwent sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
and changed his name to Andreas. Krieger had "felt out of place and longed in some vague way to be a boy" even before receiving hormonal treatments, and said in a 2004 New York Times interview that he was "glad that he became a man". But he was also upset that receiving hormones without his consent deprived him of the right to "find out for myself which sex I wanted to be."
Krieger gave evidence at the trial of Manfred Ewald
Manfred Ewald
Manfred Ewald served as German Democratic Republic's minister of sport and president of his country's Olympic committee...
, leader of the East German sports program and president of the East German Olympic committee and Manfred Hoeppner
Manfred Hoeppner
Dr. Manfred Hoeppner served as the German Democratic Republic's top sports doctor. He and Manfred Ewald, who served as German Democratic Republic's minister of sport and president of his country's Olympic committee , are regarded as the architects of their country's state-sponsored system of...
, East German medical director in Berlin in 2000. He testified that the drugs he had been given had contributed to his transsexuality. Both Ewald and Hoepner were convicted of accessory to the intentional bodily harm of athletes, including minors.
Krieger was forced to retire in part due to experiencing severe pain from lifting massive amounts of weight while on steroids. Even today, he has severe pain in his hips and thighs, and can only withstand mild exertion.
The "Heidi Krieger Medal" , named after Krieger, is now awarded annually to Germans who combat doping. Krieger's gold medal from 1986 forms part of the trophy.
Personal life
Krieger is married to former East German swimmer Ute Krause, who was also a victim of massive doping by East German sports officials.Broadcasting
The PBSPublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series Secrets of the Dead
Secrets of the Dead
Secrets of the Dead is a PBS television series produced by Thirteen/WNET New York. The show generally follows an investigator or team of investigators exploring what modern science can tell us about some of the great mysteries of history...
also featured Krieger in an episode covering the doping of East German athletes by the East German government covered-up by the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
.
In 2008 Ukrainian filmmakers released the documentary "Doping. Factory of Champions" based on Krieger's story.
See also
- Doping in East GermanyDoping in East GermanyEast Germany conducted a decades long program to feed performance-enhancing drugs to their athletes. The drug regimes, given either with or without the knowledge of the athletes, resulted in victories in international competitions, including the Olympics.Systematic doping of athletes ended with the...