The US Center for SafeSport has suspended longtime gymnastics coaches Al Fong and Armine Barutyan for physical and emotional misconduct, according to the organization’s disciplinary database.
The married couple, who founded and operate Great American Gymnastics Express (GAGE) in Blue Springs, Missouri, have coached numerous US Olympic and world medalists over several decades.
Fong was suspended through Dec. 22, 2030, while Barutyan, a former Soviet Union gymnast from Armenia, received a one-year suspension.
Photo: Reuters
GAGE on Tuesday said that it disagreed with the findings and plans to challenge the decision.
“While we fully support the mission of SafeSport and the importance of creating healthy, safe training environments for athletes, we are deeply disappointed by this outcome and respectfully disagree with the findings,” the training center wrote on Instagram.
“These determinations were made without eyewitness testimony and through a committee-based process. We believe the decision does not fairly reflect the full record or context, and we intend to exercise our right to arbitration,” it said.
Barutyan served on the US coaching staff at the Junior World Championships and Junior Pan American Games, where GAGE athlete Lavi Crain competed.
Respondents have 10 days to request arbitration, in which an independent arbitrator determines whether the sanctions are upheld.
“We are grateful to those who come forward with their stories, which allow us to hold individuals accountable and shift sport culture,” SafeSport said.
Fong’s career has long drawn scrutiny.
Two gymnasts who trained under him later died after experiencing severe health issues.
Julissa Gomez, who was paralyzed in a vaulting accident, died in 1991, and Christy Henrich died in 1994 from complications related to eating disorders.
Fong has previously denied allegations of abusive conduct.
SafeSport, an independent nonprofit created by the US Congress in 2017 to prevent and respond to emotional, physical and sexual abuse within the US Olympic and Paralympic movement, has reported a steady rise in cases, with complaints climbing to more than 8,000 last year, its data shows.
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