It’s unclear what the Karolyis knew about Nassar’s sexual abuse and whether they took any action to stop it. “Martha, did you keep Larry around because he was a good doctor? Or did you really keep him around because he let us compete when we were injured and was willing to keep your secrets?” Larson said in court. Olympic Committee that they were all “at the center of many of these failures” that allowed Nassar’s sexual abuse to persist for more than two decades.įormer gymnast Mattie Larson, who was molested by Nassar and was among the nearly 250 who provided victim impact statements during his sentencing hearings, said the doctor cleared her one time to train at the Karolyi complex on an ankle that turned out to be fractured. 8 letters to the Karolyis, USA Gymnastics and the U.S. and Romania told AP that the couple were verbally, emotionally and sometimes physically abusive.Ī congressional committee investigating the gymnastics scandal said in Feb. ![]() The Karolyis, who helped USA Gymnastics win 41 Olympic medals, including 13 gold over three decades, trained hundreds of gymnasts at their complex in rural Huntsville, Texas, known as “the ranch.” They selected gymnasts for the national team and earned millions from USA Gymnastics.īut while the Karolyis are credited with dramatically improving the performance and medal counts of the U.S. But other coaches and former gymnasts say the Karolyis’ early successes - starting with Romania’s Nadia Comaneci becoming the first woman gymnast awarded a perfect score in competition - validated the cutthroat attitudes that fostered widespread mistreatment of American athletes at the highest levels of women’s gymnastics. were subjected to abusive training methods before the Karolyis defected from their native Romania in 1981. The Karolyis didn’t reply to requests for comment, but their attorney denied they abused anyone. USA Gymnastics declined to answer questions for this story. Their meager diets and extreme training often delayed puberty, which some coaches believed was such a detriment that they ridiculed girls who started their menstrual cycles. ![]() Young girls were virtually starved, constantly body shamed and forced to train with broken bones or other injuries, according to interviews and the lawsuit. national team who trained with the Karolyis, said. “He was their little puppet,” Jeanette Antolin, a former member of the U.S. Girls were afraid to challenge authority, Nassar was able to prey on vulnerable girls and, at the same time, he didn’t challenge the couple’s harsh training methods. The Karolyis’ oppressive style created a toxic environment in which a predator like Nassar was able to thrive, according to witness statements in Nassar’s criminal case and a lawsuit against USA Gymnastics, the Karolyis and others.
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