Bela Karolyi Biography

As a former Olympic athlete himself, Bela Karolyi knew what it took to reach that ultimate stage and was the perfect man to teach others how to reach their dream. Following his Olympic days, Karolyi returned to school in Physical Education where he was introduced to the sport of gymnastics by his wife, Marta, a former gymnast. Born in Hangary, Bela and Marta opened their own Romanian gym which quickly grew in popularity, increasing Karolyi’s influence over the sport. He was given the coaching job for the Romanian team for the 1976 Olympic Games where his girls brought home a total of 7 medals. Although his girls again succeeded in the 1980 Games, Karolyi clashed with the Romanian Federation officials and in an attempt to get away from them he and his wife moved to America for political asylum. After starting a gym in America, Karolyi’s gym attracted many promising American gymnasts and he again gained influence over the sport in America. After being an individual coach for the 1984 Olympics, Karolyi was asked to be the head coach of the American team for the 1988 Olympics. Karolyi continued to coach, either for a team or individuals through the 1990 Olympics after which he retired from coaching. In 1997, Karolyi was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. 

Book Bela Karolyi for your Next Event

Disclaimer: AthleteSpeakers assists companies seeking to hire talent like Bela Karolyi for speaking engagements, virtual meetings, appearances, product endorsements, and business sanctions. Our speakers bureau does not claim to exclusively represent Bela Karolyi. Our booking agency can help with finding an athlete or sports celebrity that aligns with your upcoming events date, location, and budget. When an organization request booking details for a celebrity like Bela Karolyi, we work closely with the client to make sure the proposed dates does not interfere with the requested athletes schedule. We then confirm the sports celebrity fee based on the details of the request. The fees listed on the speaker profile are rough estimates based on the previous market rate for the talent. Our team then works with Bela Karolyi's agent, manager or assistant on the booking request. For parties interested in hiring Bela Karolyi, we recommend filling out the booking request form so our booking agents can help with making your next event a success.