Having worked with Marta Karolyi, Olympic champion Dominique Moceanu speaks on MyKayla Skinner’s controversial comments about U.S. Olympic gymnasts

As controversy rages over MyKayla Skinner’s recent comments, Olympic champion Dominique Moceanu has become the most recent person to lend their voice to the conversation. Skinner, an Olympic medalist, recently criticized Team USA gymnasts and SafeSport, a non-profit created to counter emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and misconduct in sports, leading to considerable backlash from the gymnastics community.

The controversy started when MyKayla Skinner opined on the gymnastics team that will represent the USA at the upcoming Paris Olympics. The team consists of Olympic champions Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Jade Carey, as well as Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles, and 16-year-old Hezly Rivera.

In a now-deleted video on her YouTube channel, Skinner criticized all members of the team apart from Simone Biles, questioning their work ethic. She also found fault with SafeSport, saying it didn't allow coaches to train their students properly.

"Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be. I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic,” she said.

“A lot of girls don't work as hard. It's hard too because of SafeSport. Coaches can't get on athletes which in some ways is really good but at the same time, to get to where you need to be in gymnastics you do have to be a little aggressive, a little intense,” Skinner added.

MyKayla Skinner's comments have come in for widespread criticism, with Dominique Moceanu joining the conversation too. Moceanu was part of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ that won team gold at the 1996 Olympics and was coached by Bela and Marta Karolyi, infamously known for their grueling training methods.

Expressing her thoughts on X Moceanu wrote:

“As someone who was directly coached by Bela & Marta Karolyi, who began their coaching careers in the U.S. in 1981, I experienced the intensity & demands of their decades-long influence firsthand. Their methods led to successes on the competition floor but often at the cost of athletes' mental & physical health.”

She added that in this new era of gymnastics, it was essential to move forward with caution, walking the fine line between nurturing an athlete and their competitive spirit.

“As we transition from the Karolyi era to prioritizing well-being over medals, especially during this time of reflection on our country’s independence, we must proceed with care. This shift is essential. While it is not an exact science, it is possible to support athletes' health while nurturing their competitive spirit,” Moceanu continued.

“We must exercise caution, constantly evaluating how to achieve the ideal balance. Let us seize this chance to create a balanced approach, where triumphs are measured by well-being as well as medals, embodying the true spirit of freedom & progress we celebrate on Independence Day," she added.

Simone Biles seemingly referred to MyKayla Skinner’s comments in a cryptic post

Dominique Moceanu isn't the only Olympic champion referring to MyKayla Skinner and her comments about Team USA. While Skinner left Simone Biles out of her comments about the work ethic of the gymnasts, Biles still put out a simple but cryptic statement, writing:

“Not everyone needs a mic and a platform."

At the Tokyo Olympics, MyKayla Skinner replaced Biles when the latter dropped out of the competition due to her mental health. Skinner finished with a silver and retired from gymnastics after the Games. She was coached by Tom Farden, head coach of the Utah Red Rocks, who in 2023 was accused of abusive coaching by multiple athletes.