Bela Karolyi, the former USA Gymnastics coach who led multiple Olympic gold medalists to victory in Romania and the US, including Mary Lou Retton in 1984, died on Friday, November 15, 2024. Karolyi was 82. The cause of death is unclear.
Bela Karolyi and his wife Marta were instrumental in the US becoming an international power in gymnastics after turning several young women into world champions. The duo first came into the spotlight in 1976 when they guided a young Nadia Comaneci of Romania at the Montreal Games, where she scored a perfect 10, the first in Olympic history.
According to CHRON, in 1981, the Karolyis defected to New York after they fell out of favor with the Romanian government over criticizing the judging during the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The couple reportedly left their only daughter Andrea, who was 7, with relatives in Romania at the time of their escape to The United States. Recalling the challenging time, Marta Karolyi told the Houston Chronicle via CHRON:
"We were happy and successful (in Romania), but we thought we would like to come to a place with more democracy and more freedom, where work and talent are appreciated.”
Six months after fleeing Romania, with the help of Rep. Bill Archer of Houston, the couple reunited with their daughter in the United States. Andrea Karolyi, a dietitian at the family's gymnastics camp in Houston, married Paul Wise in 1998, six years after the couple began dating. The couple have a daughter named Julia.
Bela Karolyi was appointed national team coordinator after retiring from coaching
According to the Houston Chronicle, two years after moving to the United States, Marta and Bela Karolyi built one of the nation's best elite gymnastics programs through which Diane Durham, Mary Retton, and Julianne McNamara won national titles and made the Olympic team. Between 1984 and 1996, Karolyis produced seven Olympians before retiring from coaching the same year.
Bela Karolyi was appointed national team coordinator in 1999 after the U.S. women finished sixth in the world championships. However, in 2000, he was removed from the position after his leadership style came under scrutiny. Martha took over for her husband in 2001. Under her guidance, the U.S. women won several international competitions, including the 2003 World Championships.
During the Larry Nassar scandal, Marth and Bela Karoli’s training methods were slammed after several athletes talked extensively about the verbal abuse they endured during their time at the training camp.
Several athletes also accused Marta and Bela Karoli of allowing Nassar’s behavior to run unchecked for years. In 2018, the Karoli's told CNN they were unaware of Nassar's behavior. However, they could never recover from the fallout of the scandal. They retreated from the spotlight and sold their Karoli ranch in 2021 to Steely Lumber, a Huntsville Southern Yellow Pine Lumber producer.
In 2023, Click2Houston reported Marta and Bela Karolyi left the United States to visit relatives in Romania for the summer. At the time, David Berg, the attorney representing the Karolyis, told the publication:
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“They’re not in the best of health and it requires a lot of upkeep out at the ranch, and they just couldn’t do it anymore.”
Bela Karoli is survived by his wife Marta, daughter Andrea, and daughter Julia.
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