McKayla Maroney was among the biggest stars of the U.S. gymnastics team at the 2012 London Olympics, where she helped the team win gold. Behind her success were coaches Artur Akopyan and Galina Marinova, who trained her at All Olympia Gymnastics Center in California. However, years later, those same coaches came under scrutiny as former gymnasts raised allegations of abuse at the facility. Now, both are facing disciplinary action from the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

On October 7, 2026, the U.S. Center for SafeSport declared Artur Akopyan permanently ineligible and imposed a one-year suspension on Galina Marinova. According to the organization’s disciplinary database, Akopyan’s record lists physical and emotional misconduct, s**ual harassment, and s**ual misconduct, along with a no-contact directive.

Marinova’s record cites s**ual misconduct and physical and emotional misconduct, with additional measures including probation, education requirements, and a no-contact directive. However, both decisions are listed as subject to appeal and are not yet final.

The allegations drew renewed attention following an investigation published by The Washington Post in July 2024. The newspaper reported that 10 former gymnasts described alleged physical abuse by Akopyan. Nine said they had witnessed or experienced incidents in which he allegedly threw young gymnasts to the ground, sometimes leaving them bruised. Other accounts included allegations of slapping, grabbing, screaming at, and humiliating athletes during training.

One former gymnast, Desiree Palomares, told the newspaper that Akopyan slapped her when she was around 11 or 12 after she responded to his criticism during a game with teammates. Another former gymnast reportedly witnessed the incident. Palomares’s father, Rene Palomares, said he was outraged by what his daughter told him. “I was furious,” he told The Post. “I always knew he had a temper, and I’d seen how he mistreated some of the girls. I couldn’t believe he could do that.”

Rene Palomares said he went to the gym to confront Akopyan, who denied striking his daughter. According to Palomares, Marinova ushered them into a break room, where Akopyan tried to fight him. Afterward, Palomares and his wife debated whether their daughter should continue training at All Olympia; he said, “because we also knew she was good at what she did.” They ultimately decided to send her back, although she later moved to another gym.

The newspaper also reported allegations concerning Marinova’s treatment of young athletes. Former gymnasts said she criticized their weight and bodies, restricted food and water, and used silence or harsh comments to punish athletes when they made mistakes. Some former athletes believed those experiences contributed to later struggles with eating disorders. 

The reporting also documented a 2010 police investigation following allegations that Akopyan dragged an 11-year-old gymnast by the neck and arm. The girl’s mother took her to a hospital, where medical records documented a bruise on her upper arm. Police investigated the 2010 incident, but no further action was taken following a hearing.

Akopyan and Marinova have previously denied allegations of abuse, according to The Washington Post. However, concerns about their coaching practices had surfaced years before the newspaper published its investigation in July 2024.

McKayla Maroney opens up about mental toll of coaching as abuse allegations resurface

Back in 2016, Maroney discussed her experiences with Akopyan and Marinova during an interview with the GymCastic podcast. While acknowledging Akopyan’s role in improving her gymnastics, she also spoke about the emotional toll of her time at the gym. “Artur changed my gymnastics, and I’m so forever grateful for that,” Maroney said. “But mentally, they just messed me up. Like, so badly.”

She also made it clear that her feelings toward her coaches were complicated. “And I love them with all my heart, but to speak my truth would to just be like to really say that it did affect me. And, again, there’s a better way of doing things,” she said. Four years later, former gymnast Sydney Freidin brought her own allegations to SafeSport.

In May 2020, Freidin shared her experiences on Instagram, describing “constant body shaming, pinching, throwing, yelling [and] degrading.” Freidin subsequently contacted SafeSport and provided names of potential witnesses. One was former gymnast Abigail DeShazo, who later told The Washington Post that she had witnessed Akopyan throwing a young gymnast during a skill. 

In 2022, SafeSport closed the investigation due to a lack of evidence. The allegations, however, were brought to the forefront again in July 2024 when The Washington Post investigated and SafeSport reopened the case in September 2024. The latest disciplinary action, issued in October 2026, marks a significant development in a case that has spanned several years.