Olga Karasyova

Olga Karasyova (née Kharlova)
Karasyova in 1970
Personal information
Full name	Olga Dmitryievna Karasyova-Kharlova
Country represented	Soviet Union
Born	(1949-07-24) 24 July 1949 Bishkek, Soviet Union
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight	121 lb (55 kg)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Club	CSKA Moscow
Head coach(es)	Igor Zhuravlev
Assistant coach(es)	Sofia Muratova
Retired	1972

Olympic medal record
Women's gymnastics
Representing the  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
	1968 Mexico City	Team
World Championships
	1970 Ljubljana	Team
	1970 Ljubljana	Floor
	1966 Dortmund	Team
European Championships
	1969 Landskrona	Floor
	1969 Landskrona	All-Around
	1969 Landskrona	Uneven Bars
	1969 Landskrona	Beam
	1969 Landskrona	Vault

Olga Karasyova, (born 24 July 1949) is a former Soviet gymnast who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics.^[1]

In 1994, Karasyova told German television she and her former team mates were forced to become pregnant shortly before the 1968 Olympics. This was due to the supposed physical benefits of pregnancy. Girls that did not have a boyfriend or husband were forced to have sex with their coach, and refusal would mean removal from the team. It was reported that after ten weeks, the girls were forced to have an abortion. While rumours of such practices with Soviet, Scandinavian and East-German girls had been around since the 1950s, no credible evidence was ever given until Karasyova's disclosure.^[2][3]

Olga was coached by Igor Zhuravlev at CSKA Moscow. She was married to fellow gymnast Valery Karasyov, and studied French at the Pedagogical Institute.

References