INDIANAPOLIS, Sept 8: It began soon after the Berlin Wall was reduced to rubble, and has picked up momentum now that communism seems headed lor a similar fate: Eastern-bloc coaches coaching Western athletes, reports AP.

Tve been approached by five coaches for jobs in my gym since I arrived in Indianapolis.' said Ed Burch, an assistant coach for the US men’s gymnastics team com-petlng in the World championships. When you took at the podium and watch the athletes train, you ean t believe the number of coaches from other countries training those other

Australia has Chinese coaches. Kuwait has a former Russian gymnast cow hl ng Its athletes They’re infiltrating everywhere.

They were the experts In the sport and they’re going to lose that because they're not going to be supported by their governments anymore. Now they need jobs. It's like unemployment time.'

While the political winds of change may be thinning the coaching ranks in Eastern Europe, Burch said It will take at least five more years for contenders like the US to make a noticeable dent In the Soviet Union's dominance of gymnastics.

1 don't think you 11 see ft In the 92 Games as much as you will in '90.' Burch said Thursday. 'Right now. the Soviets are still very, very good. In terms of skill level, we re not even close Wc compeled against them recently and they had some problems in some of the events and still beat us by over five points.'

With athletes like Igor Korobchlnsky. Valeri Belenky, Svetlana Bogulnkkala and Natalia Kallntana, the Soviet Union It expected to add sig nlflcantly to the 237 medals Its gymnasts have won since 1954 — the first time the Soviets competed in the World Championships

Korobchlnsky and Bogutnskala won the all-around titles at the 1989 World Championships fn Stuttgart. West Germany. Bogutnskafa. now 18, also won three medals, including the gold tn vaulting at the 1988 Olympics and swept every Individual event at the 1990 European Championship.