USA Gymnastics hears no complaints about Karolyis

USA Gymnastics has never received a complaint about Bela or Martha Karolyi in the nearly 30 years they have been coaching in the United States, the governing body said Wednesday, a day after a Romanian gymnast alleged the two had abused her.

Trudi Eberle Kollar, a double silver medalist at the 1980 Olympics, said the Karolyis hit her when she was at the Romanian national training center in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Karolyis coached the Romanian team before they defected to the United States in 1981.

"USA Gymnastics has not received a complaint concerning their conduct from an athlete or parent," USA Gymnastics said in a statement. "The gymnasts the Karolyis personally coached in the States include Mary Lou Retton, Kim Zmeskal and Kerri Strug, all of whom have spoken positively about their experiences with the Karolyis."

Neither of the Karolyis could be reached for comment; Martha Karolyi, the current coordinator of the U.S. women's team, is in Argentina, and Bela Karolyi is in Houston. Bela has no official role with the U.S. team.

But in an interview with Romanian daily Cotidianul, Bela Karolyi did not deny Kollar's allegations, but said he feels no guilt for anything he did.

"Some of the girls have bad memories. Perhaps others say it was the best time of their lives," Bela Karolyi told the Cotidianul.

"I tried to be a father before being a coach," he said, adding he had "a parental attitude" to the Romanian gymnasts.

The allegations were first reported by KCRA, a television station in Sacramento, Calif., where Kollar now coaches.

The International Gymnastics Federation said it has not received any complaints about the Karolyis.

Kollar, who won silvers in the team competition and the uneven bars in 1980 when she was known as Emilia Eberle, said most of the abuse came at the hands of Bela Karolyi. He would hit her on the side of her neck or the back of her head, sometimes drawing blood, and also kick her, Kollar said.

Martha Karolyi slapped her, Kollar said, and dug her fingernails into her neck.

"We had better days. But when the beatings came, it was very, very, very harsh," Kollar told The Associated Press.

Kollar's accusations were supported by Geza Pozsar, a choreographer who worked with the Karolyis from 1974 until 2002. Pozsar said he remembered one particular instance before the 1980 Olympics, when Kollar was having trouble with a vault.

"When she was missing her vault, he just beat her over her head, her back. Just, `Boom!' It made a noise, a big noise, a very horrible thing," Pozsar said. "His explanation was, after he calmed down, was to say, `That's the only way she gets it. That's the only way to work with her.'

"The brutality was there," Pozsar added. "I know she's not lying."

Nadia Comaneci, a teammate of Kollar's in 1980, was in Romania on Wednesday and not available for comment.

Kollar said she had never spoken publicly about the abuse because she was too scared. She considered writing a book several years ago, but dropped the idea after she and Pozsar said Bela Karolyi called her at Pozsar's gym.

"He told me, `You better think twice about doing this,'" Kollar said.

Kollar said she spoke out for her own peace of mind, no other reason.

"I did not do this to hurt the Karolyis," she said. "I know they were good technicians, but the methods they used to show that, it is not OK."