Actually, yes!
The East Germans identified children with certain physical characteristics early on. The kids were offered a life that the normal East German could only dream of in terms of housing, access to high-grade food, and social status. In return for their ‘dream lifestyle’ the kids were coached and drilled to the extreme in whatever sport the DDR authorities thought they were suited for. As long as they were performing, the gravy train rolled on. The cost of defeat in the arena was that they were no longer eligible for the benefits and were returned to the drab life of the normal DDR citizen.
Check of some of the photos from that era. The women swimmers and weightlifters are physically developed well beyond the limits of the bell curve.