Octavian Belu Interview

Two months before the start of the World Gymnastics Championships set to take part in Ghent, Belgium, head coach Octavian Belu and two National team members, Sabina Cojocar and Andreea Ulmeanu competed in the Goodwill Games. The head coach came back from the competition saying ”actually, this was a splat fest.” Belu wasn’t exactly thrilled with the performance of his gymnasts, which he described as “unsatisfactory.” Upon his return to Deva, he found a tension filled atmosphere, which led him to say it is very possible several Olympic Champions will retire from competitive gymnastics before Worlds.

PS: How was Brisbane?
OB: Fairly tiring, even though the Goodwill Games are very different from other competitions. The teams who go there do so to respect tradition. They [the organizers] are especially interested in attracting attention through new sports, like beach volleyball, and others.
PS: What did you think of the gymnastics world as seen at the GWG, a month 1/2 before Worlds?
OB: It was an original competition. For example, event finals were held the first few days of competition, without any podium training. We witnessed an unbelievable splat fest. Barely one or two gymnasts managed to get the job done.
PS: Do you know who your main competitors in Belgium will be?
OB: No, The competition didn’t reveal anything in that respect, since the US, China and Australia didn’t field their best teams. This was an opportunity for gymnasts and judges to get used to the new COP.
PS: What about our gymnasts?
OB: Both Sabina Cojocar and Andreea Ulmeanu performed in the tone set by the early competition. I’m not satisfied with either one of them. They’re also on their way to adapting to the new code of points. In fact, under the new COP, you can finish either first or last, regardless of whether or not name your name happens to be Zamolodcikova or Rãducan. I think consistency will be the deciding factor at Worlds.
PS: How did the Australian public receive you?
OB: That was another problem. For example, they would watch a good floor routine, meaning there were no falls. The audience expected a high score. Then, the gymnast gets an 8.95 and the crowd erupts. That’s because the public didn’t fully understand the changes (to the COP). This means a routine, without difficult skills, albeit well performed cannot receive a high score.
PS: What did you think of the national team when you came back?
OB: Same as it was before. Nothing’s changed. The girl train at their comfort limit. Some of them are having trouble finding the motivation to train because they are weighed down by too much [prize] money.
PS: Meaning…?
OB: Well, they develop health problems over night. Pulled muscles, sprains and other things. It’s a psychosis. I have to stop their training and send them to the doctor’s office. Then, at their own initiative or after their parents suggest it, they go and get tests done on their backs, like magnetic resonance tests. We’ve never had this happen.
PS: But that’s fairly normal.
OB: It would be normal if there was a problem. But do you know what the next step is? Retirement. Listen to me, we can expect several girls to retire, even before Worlds.
PS: If they can’t compete anymore…
OB: A while back, gymnasts could easily get over their minimum endurance and they didn’t stop training to get whatever magnetic resonance tests. Right now, the gymnasts are ready to retire. They already have a financially secure future and they can find 1000 different reasons [to justify retirement].
PS: Don’t you think it’s normal for them to receive prize money?
OB: It’s been said this situation can be traced back to social structure, and poverty in particular. The explanation offered was that parents agree to put their kids through this hell in order to get money. I have to wonder why American and Spanish parents send their kids to gymnastics classes in that case. They already have a fairly high standard of living.
PS: Before every major competition, you uncovered some problems, but yet, you always seem to take first place at those same competitions. Would this be the case this year?
OB: We only have a couple of weeks left before Worlds. The gymnasts can make the most of the time left. To be honest, this will be a very interesting competition, even from my standpoint. Just to give you an idea, I believe we could see a totally different podium due to the new COP. It will depend on how every gymnast will accommodate to the new code. A small country could surprise everyone. We could finish last, but also first. Same goes for all the other gymnastics super powers. It will be a lottery.

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