Bela Karolyi is the world's biggest jerk?

Question

After the United States' Alicia Sacramone received 4th in the Womens Individual Vault today, Bela (husband to the US coach) stated that the scoring was an absolute disgrace. (not quoted). He pretty much said it was a total rip off (yes he did) and that it is unacceptable for such a scoring error to occur in an OLYMPIC FINAL (caps cuz he emphasized it.) He said that China in 3rd should have been scored much less because of a bad fall.

well wait a minute Bela. I realize your aging and your memory isnt what it used to be... but wasn't it just four years ago when a certain Paul Hamm of the United States 'won' the Gold for the Mens All-Around? Well well Mr. Bela it seems that you did not complain when Paul was awarded the Gold after nearly falling on top of the Judges table.

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

World's Biggest Jerk? Eh... No, I'm thinking my vote goes to Osama Bin Laden...  

Answer 2

This sport is purely about the numbers. It's all about the final average.  All is fair on paper.

I think Bela needs to take discretion when speaking. Sure he gets the pathos through but he is seriously lacking real logos.

Answer 3

Dude he's not a jerk at all !!!! the first place girl fell on her knees and on her hand and still got first place. the scoring is soooo messed up. I wanted Alicia Sacramone to win so bad but no the judges awarded it to the little five year old girl who fell while, i thought, alicia had a really good performance (FYI she (alicia) didnt fall AT ALL!!!!!!!).

Answer 4

He's a big old hypocrite and kind of nutty.  He may have produced champions like Nadia, Kim and Dominique (of which such methods used are questionable these days or as in the Simpson's Lugash "You get cat back!"). Bela is very much old school gymnastics and I don't think he and his wife have adapted to this new system very well.

Answer 5

I like Bela!

He's funny.

Answer 6

I totally agree! Biggest jerk! Seeing him on TV makes me sick. I don't know why NBC gave a psycho like him airtime. He's not even commenting fairly. Just because an American didn't win, he says it's cheating, something's wrong w/ the scoring.

I understand why everybody loves Alicia Sacramone, I do too. I think she's a sweetheart and she's talented, but compared to others, realistically there are others better than her. Nastia, Shawn, who don't commit mistakes like she did. So to put the blame on the Chinese just because Alicia didn't get any medal, that's what's unfair.

Bela Karolyi, given his age, and what he's supposedly achieved in his lifetime, with all his comments here, it just shows how childish he is, what a sore loser. His disrespect for the Chinese people and country should be enuogh proof for NBC to remove him!  

Answer 7

Yes, Bela can be an inconsistent jerk.

But yes, the scoring mechanism is messed up.  And it was evident how messed up it was when Nastia Luikin took silver while He Kexin took gold for the same score.

1. It's completely non-transparent to the public. To me, it's less than ideal to have a system so arbitrarily complex that the public is left scratching its head when a tie comes up. The sport resonates much better with people when things are resolved in a sensible, transparent manner.

2. It actually rests the entire decision on the opinion of one judge. If the execution scores are the same, they take out the lowest score and then re-average the next three scores. Put another way, it undermines the integrity of having a panel of six judges up there. If you're going to do it like this, just send the other 5 judges home and call it what it is: a scoring dictatorship.

3. Other sports in the olympics allow double medals for athletes with the same scores. If they got the same winning score in the official competition, even down to the sub-score levels, then they both deserve the medal. That is a result that is transparent, fair, and sensible.

And he probably is right about the Chinese girls being under age, too - although he needs to shut up about it, since he can't prove it.  When you look at those kids compared to their competitors, the suspicion is pretty much apparent to everybody.  I'd be willing to bet that they are under age, too.  But I suppose it's not surprising that the Chinese committee that oversees these athletics might lack integrity in a gymnastics competition, given how brutal China's government is willing to be to its own people.

Answer 8

Haha. I just asked a question on this and I think Bela is right! Alicia didn't really have a fair shot! They should rescore

Answer 9

I agree.

Cheng Fei's score was correct following the new scoring system. Bela kind of mixed the actual judging and the scoring system, in my opinion. Cheng Fei won bronze fair and square today.

However, I do think the new scoring system has flaws, which showed today. The A scores count way too much. Alicia Sacramone didn't fall and finished behind someone who fell. Does that mean I can go to the Olympics, do a vault that has a 8.0 A score (okay, that's impossible, but just an example), fall and get gold because I still got 8.0 on execution, and beat everyone else? That's where the problem lies.

However, we're talking about Bela, and yes, he needs to shut up, as we all know he's rooting for USA anyways, and that he'll always find a way to criticize the countries that beat them. He's funny when he watches gymnastics though, he looks like a teddy bear!

Answer 10

I LOVE YOU.

Finally not a stupid american asking a stupid question. I'm not saying you are or your not american but you know what your talking about.  

Answer 11

THANK you!!

I completey agree, like seriously it makes me so mad, everybody is always cheating in thier eyes or doing somehting worng until it's them, then its a hole different story

Answer 12

In America, Kristie Phillips and Erica Stokes (Karolyi’s former athletes) have publicly stated that Karolyi was verbally and psychologically abusive. There were his constant critical remarks about weight that resulted in gymnasts developing eating disorders and low self-esteem.

In one interview, Dominique Moceanu noted: “If you were injured, Bela didn’t want to see it.” His gymnasts were compelled to continue training and competing even when dealing with serious injuries. Karolyi supporters have grudgingly admitted that at times, his gymnasts ate so sparingly that members of the men’s gymnastics team smuggled food to them in their hotel rooms.

A man like this disgusts me.

Answer 13

I don't think of him as jerk at all. I do agree with him that scoring system is messed up.

Answer 14

It's a lot easier to win an all around when it's ALL AROUND...not an individual event where no other scores add into a larger score.  I understand you may not like him and are just fishing for problems, but fact is...when you s***w up in one event out of many, it makes much less differnce than when it's one event out of one event.

Answer 15

He seems like a pedophile.. especially in the scene when he was watching the gymnastics and went "com'on com'on, yes!"

Answer 16

The whole gymnastic events stink - and YOU stink.   Deliberately making one of the gymnasts wait fifteen minutes to play with her mind - every athlete knows that all sports are about 50% mental.  The other day I saw the american girl absolutely STICK the landing after a perfect vault, and then get a low score.  The expert commentator on TV was stunned.  Then american college girls competeing against these underage chinese girls, when they looked like they should be babysitting them.  The IOC only looks at their faked government supplied passports and then drops the issue.  What's REALLY behind this is other countries kissing China's a$$, like they do for so many other things.  The other subtext is sneering anti-americanism

Answer 17

As a gymnastics coach, there is a lot of respect to be given to Karolyi. Two of their charges, Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton scored perfect 10's. This is as much a credit to their coach as it is to their undeniable skill.

But he also carries the usual Coach problem which is to blame everything but what really is at fault. Their team were not trying the harder routines, which is extremely disappointing in the Olympics - these are the elite - the best of the best. All of these girls should be able to have a starting value of no less than 6.5. We shouldn't be watching the safe 5.8's on the world stage.

I believe that the only way to setting this new scoring system so as to stop all the complaining is to have a minimum start value. If all the Gymnasts are *that good*, then this should not present any problem for them.

The Karolyi's can take a lesson from this - they now know that on starting value in the olympics,, China has set the bar. Go home, and spend the next 4 years preparing for London, ensuring that your girls can achieve that.

Answer 18

Well I AM a stupid american and I think that we should go back to the old scoring system because these stupid chinese are just going to take advantage of us because they train their entire life. Equality to all!!!!