Alexandra Marinescu Talks about Her Controversial Book

Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor published an article about Alexandra Marinescu’s book, which included a couple of new excerpts from the book, and an interview with Alexandra.

"Whenever I made a mistake in my routine, the reps alternated with slapping and shoving around, until I left training feeling dizzy and full of bruises.”

”Adrian Stoica was against letting me go to the US for back surgery. At the end of 1997, I was at an awards ceremony and I had already announced my retirement, due to injuries. That's when I overheard a conversation between Nadia Comãneci and Adrian Stoica. ‘We could take Alex with us in the US for back surgery. The doctors there can help heal her and we will cover all the expenses’, was what Nadia said. I couldn’t believe Stoica’s reply ‘No, Nadia, what’s the point? She already said she’ll quit gymnastics…’ That’s when I felt betrayed by gymnastics, like all of my sacrifices didn’t mean anything to some people.”

Although not credited specifically in the article, the interview below was most likely conducted by Andrei Nourescu, the reporter who co-wrote the book.
GS: Alexandra, you created quite a stir…
AM: I heard, but that’s not my fault. The people who accuse me are being ridiculous, because I’m not after revenge, nor defamation.
GS: But why?
AM: I’ll never deny the beautiful moments of my career, the victories and glory days. But that’s not the full picture. I want the truth to come out, so that we won’t live inside a lie, hiding the ugly side [of gymnastics]. It’s the same in life, nothing is perfect. As long as it’s true, I don’t see why I couldn’t talk about what I went through…

GS: It’s been said you’re doing this for the money…
AM: Is that so? I want to let you know I’ve decided not to ask for any money for the right to publish the book. I will give the editors my permission to publish the book for free, because the number of copies being printed is impressive. So, I won’t be selling my story. This while I’m also running the risk of losing my only income, the life annuity [for Olympic and world medallists]…
GS: But are you somehow exploiting the image of your former teammates?
AM: Not even close. Actually, a publishing house in Japan read the book and said that they would offer me a $100,000 bonus if I talk about what happened to all my other teammates. Obviously, I turned them down because I don’t want to speculate about other people’s tragedies.
GS: Will we read the book in Romania?
AM: Certainly, after its publication in the West, we’ll also publish it over here, so that everyone can find out the truth.

Octavian Belu and Mariana Bitang agreed to talk about the book as well.

Octavian Belu said “I’m not interested in what’s written in this book. The opinions coming from the people who sent in their take online are coming from some anonymous fellows. Right now, everyone’s free to write whatever they want, even in a book. I don’t feel and won’t feel hurt by this problem. I think these are just old frustrations, surfacing after years and years. Alexandra Marinescu didn’t work in a gym where only Octavian Belu and Mariana Bitang were around. There were other coaches present, as well as her teammates, who can always testify as to what happened during training sessions. I think this child [Alexandra] is being manipulated, and the effect of this book, as well as that of the other negative articles about Romanian gymnastics will show over time. My training methods never consisted of administering a good beating.”

Mariana Bitang also offered her comments on the book. “I don’t know what the book is like. I heard there were all sorts of negative comments directed at us. I never persecuted Alexandra by locking her in a certain room as punishment. She probably has me confused with someone else. Why didn’t she bring forth these serious accusations right then and there, immediately following her retirement? She can even say we tortured her on the stake. That’s her problem. I personally feel really sorry about what happened to her due to her health problems, but that’s not the coaches’ fault. We only worked on the basis of medical clearances. If I’m such a witch, as I heard I’m being described by different people, then why would Miss Marinescu always bring a bouquet of flowers every time she stopped by at Deva, after she retired from competitive gymnastics?”

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