(Washington) The Romanian gymnastics trainer who coached Nadia Comaneci to three gold
medals in the 1976 Olympics has defected to the United States with two other
team officials, the US State Department reports.
Bela Karoly, his wife, Marta, and Geza Pozsar, a top choreographer for
Romania's national women's gymnastics team, told Romanian officials of the
decision in a State Department meeting Tuesday. They filed for political asylum
April 2, after leaving the Romanian women's team in New York on March 30 just
before the team was to return home from a US tour.
The trainers, who worked together for 11 years, said their decision to defect
was prompted by their long dissatisfaction with the Romanian State Central
Federation of Athletics. They said they could not tolerate chronic interference
by the federation with their training methods, including those for Miss
Comaneci.
In an interview with the Washington Post, they said they hoped to continue
their careers in America.
"We have a system that the three of us have developed," Mr. Karoly was quoted
as saying. "We would like to offer that system here so that American women
gymnasts can beat the Russians and the Chinese."
Left behind in Romania were the Karolys' seven-year-old daughter and Mr.
Pozsar's wife and daughter. The trainers have asked Romanian embassy officials
to allow their families to join them in the United States.