LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 31: Mc Kayla Maroney of the United States of America celebrates her performance on the vault with coach Arthur Akopyan in the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Team final on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on July 31, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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Former U.S. Olympic gymnastics coach Artur Akopyan has been banned for life by the U.S. Center for SafeSport. The Oct. 7 decision comes after dozens of allegations of physical and emotional misconduct, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct.
Akopyan’s business partner and fellow coach, Galina Marinova, has been suspended from all contact for one year, according to USA Gymnastics’ suspended and restricted persons list. SafeSport’s disciplinary database lists probation, education and no-contact directives for Marinova’s case.
Both SafeSport rulings are subject to appeal. Akopyan and Marinova have previously denied allegations of abuse and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Akopyan and Marinova opened and owned All Olympia Gymnastics Center (AOGC) in Calabasas, Calif., in 2003, an offshoot of the original Hawthorne location, which opened in 2000.
The pair are best known for coaching Olympic and world champion gymnast McKayla Maroney but also coached world medalist Mattie Larson and former U.S. National Team member Samantha Shapiro.
2016 Lawsuit and the Gym Closure
The decision was long awaited. Former athlete Mattie Larson filed a lawsuit against the pair and AOGC in 2016.
The world medalist claimed that the “abusive, harassing and degrading environment” at the gym led to a situation of secrecy that enabled convicted sex offender Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics national team doctor, to sexually assault her. They settled the lawsuit in November 2018 for $1 million.
That same month, AOGC closed its Hawthorne branch after filing its own lawsuit against USA Gymnastics, Nassar, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and Michigan State – where Nassar was longtime sports medicine faculty.
“It is with great sorrow to inform you that we have made the extremely difficult decision to close out AOGC gym at the Hawthorne location,” Akopyan and Marinova reportedly wrote in a letter to the AOGC community. “It is the hardest and the most painful conclusion that we have to make in our life.
“The rumors and accusations in the gymnastics arena create an environment that is unhealthy for our kids and staff, especially for us,” Akopyan and Marinova wrote. “The negativity surrounding our sport that we do dearly love has impacted us so much that we no longer feel we can do our job properly.”
Despite the lawsuit and closure of the Hawthorne location, the Calabasas location remained open and no disciplinary action was taken against the coaching pair at the time of the lawsuit, enabling them to continue coaching athletes through the USA Gymnastics system.
The Washington Post Investigation
Though Akopyan and Marinova continued to coach in the wake of the Nassar scandal, allegations against the pair rolled in.
In 2020, Sydney Freidin reported Akopyan to SafeSport, prompted by the landmark suspension of 2016 Olympic coach Maggie Haney. However, in 2022, SafeSport administratively closed the investigation, claiming that “not enough women… wanted to talk.”
In July 2024, The Washington Post reported on Freidin’s account and the allegations of others. The Post reported that 10 former AOGC gymnasts said Akopyan physically abused them or their teammates when they were minors, “including nine who said he had thrown young gymnasts to the ground in anger, sometimes hard enough to leave bruises.”
Decade-old allegations spanned from screaming matches to police reports, yet little was done. “No case exemplified a failing athlete safety system more than Akopyan’s,” The Post added.
By mid-September 2024, about two months after The Post’s original reporting, SafeSport had reopened the investigation. Two years later, the ruling has landed: a lifetime ban for Akopyan that becomes final unless he requests arbitration.
What Happens Next
The Oct. 7 decision can be challenged through arbitration, which Akopyan or Marinova must request within 10 days of the decision notice.
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