The Buzau School Sports Club (CSS), one of Romania's flagship sports institutions, known for producing national and international gymnastics talents such as Adrian Ionescu, Gabriela Dragoi, or the Burtanete twins, continues its tradition of teaching grace and elegance in sport through its dedicated coaches. Their mission remains the same: pursuing excellence, inspired by the perfect 10 first achieved 50 years ago by gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci.

Buzau is one of the Romanian counties with a deep-rooted gymnastics tradition, a true talent pool that has consistently produced high-performance athletes and which continues to attract children of all ages to the sport, through the School Sports Club.

Founded in 1957 as a section attached to the 'Mihai Eminescu' High School and later to the 'Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu' High School, the Buzau School for Student Athletes became an independent institution in 1972. In its first year, it operated with three sections: athletics, gymnastics, and handball, and in the second year it expanded to four core sections that still exist today - athletics, gymnastics, handball, and volleyball. Over time, table tennis, freestyle wrestling, skating, and boxing were also added.

The school later moved to its current headquarters on Spiru Haret Street in Buzau, where, since 1978, it has operated under the name CSS Buzau.

'We have benefited greatly from the support of the School Inspectorate and the Buzau City Hall. Our gymnastics hall is equipped better than many others in the country, even if some apparatuses show signs of wear. This is thanks - I'd say to an extent of 80% or more - to our colleagues and retired coaches who, over the years, took care of the hall and brought in equipment that, although no longer meeting top-level standards, was excellent for beginners. They managed to turn our gym into a very well-equipped facility. The hall was established in 1978 - 1979, and was initially a general sports hall - I trained here myself in athletics. Later, through the outstanding work and passion of those involved at the federation level, the hall was transformed into the gymnastics facility we have today,' CSS Buzau director Ioan Gabriel Nicolau told AGERPRES.

Through its women's and men's artistic gymnastics sections, CSS Buzau has achieved remarkable results over the years in national and international competitions: at the 2002 European Junior Championships in Greece, Adrian Ionescu won gold; in 2008, at the Beijing Olympic Games Gabriela Dragoi earned a team bronze medal and went on to secure gold at the European Team Championships in France; in 2023, at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Maribor, Mihai Radu Iustin qualified for the vault final; also in 2023, at the Junior World Championships in Antalya, Iustin competed for Romania, contributing to a 25th-place team finish; in 2018, at the International Gymnastics Championships in Berlin, Gabriel Burtanete won two bronze medals; in 2022, at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Liverpool, Burtanete placed 4th in the vault final and 23rd in the all-around final.

'For us, the School Sports Club of Buzau, a club with an Olympic medal in its record, Nadia Comaneci means enormously. We even had a teacher here, recently retired, who was once her teammate. Gymnastics truly feels at home here. Our coaching staff is exceptionally well-prepared. After finishing their competitive careers, many pursued further studies and returned to the club as coaches. When our athletes finish junior level and school, they move on to other clubs. We're talking about those who reach elite performance: the Burtanete brothers, two of Romania's best gymnasts today, and Mihai Iustin, who competed at the European Championships. They are all currently at CSA Steaua. Behind them are many others, Gabriela Dragoi, the Râpeanu sisters, Adrian Ionescu, Colacel, Carmen Pacuraru. Around 20 athletes from our club have reached the national teams,' the club's leadership added.

At club level, children are enrolled in the gymnastics sections according to age and skill level, and are placed into beginner, advanced, or performance groups. Constanta Patrut, a senior coach in the women's gymnastics department at CSS Buzau since 1992, with decades of experience in the gym, explains that the first steps young athletes take are toward the foam pit. As their determination grows, training becomes increasingly complex, but the results also grow.

'Beginner children have age-appropriate training. We attract them through play, through the foam pit, training is more pleasant and relaxed for them. Then we select children for the advanced groups, where they start learning elements and start competing. Those who show strong qualities move on to Junior I and enter the performance level. Over time, some of our children have reached the national teams. Among the girls, we had Dana Andrei, Madalina Râpeanu, and Alina Nicolae. Their first competition is at age nine. In the national federation competitions they have five events: vault, uneven bars, beam, floor, and exercises for balance, strength, and mobility. It's a difficult discipline, but as hard as it is, it's just as beautiful. There are many achievements - you work on a 20-centimeter beam, the 'bridge of sighs', you work on bars using only your arms, you need many physical qualities and there are many elements to learn. You need courage to flip over those bars, and it's not easy - vaulting, handstands, all require excellent physical preparation, and not just physical, but mental resilience too, and a strong desire. You must be motivated,' coach Constanta Patrut declared for AGERPRES.

The difficulty of certain exercises causes some children to step back. Only a few manage to qualify for competitions, and even fewer return with medals from international events.

'The exercises are extremely difficult, and that's why fewer and fewer children can take the step toward high performance. They are eager, but at some point they become less willing to put in the effort, it also depends on the family environment. It is increasingly difficult to reach the level of high performance we are talking about. Children still come, though not as many as in the glory years of gymnastics, also because the number of children in general is lower. But still, a good number do come. Training methods have changed, I know that too. Across the club, we have around 150 - 160 children doing gymnastics, with beginner, advanced, and performance groups. We welcome them from age five. Of course, there are cases where we accept them a little earlier or later, depending on the child's qualities and physical and psychological development, but the selection age is five,' the club director added.

In recent years, the difficulty of routines has increased. Teaching methods have evolved, and equipment has improved, but the number of coaches has dropped. What remains unchanged is every athlete's dream of reaching the standard set by Nadia Comaneci 50 years ago - perfection.

Photo: (c) Adrian POPESCU / AGERPRES Historic Photo Archive

'The apparatuses are the same, but improved - the beam is no longer wooden, the podium and floor are no longer made of simple mats, they are more elastic, the vaulting table has changed. The difficulty of routines has advanced far beyond what it was back then. Elements are more complex, with more rotations, both longitudinal and transversal, on every apparatus - different jumps, different combinations. For example, on bars, there are quite difficult rotational elements even for nine-year-olds. If you don't have the necessary qualities, it's very hard to execute them. And when a child falls behind, moving to the next category the following year becomes impossible. In women's gymnastics, unfortunately, only two female coaches remain, and three coaches for the boys. Unfortunately, every two years or so, someone retires. Nadia Comaneci has been and remains the inspiration for all children. She is perfection. Nadia showed us what perseverance, elegance, desire, willpower and confidence mean - and all the children follow her. There are videos of Nadia that captivate us all with the grace, elegance, and perfection she exudes,' added Constanta Patrut.

For the children in the gymnastics section at CSS Buzau, Nadia Comaneci is an inspirational model.

Photo: (c) RADU CRISTESCU/ AGERPRES Historic Photo Archive

'I chose gymnastics because I want to grow up healthy and strong. It's hard, but it's also beautiful. I like everything - I like doing handstands. I learned in about ten days. I'm seven. I heard about Nadia, she scored a 10, and I want to get a 10 too,' says Evie Oprisan, a student at CSS Buzau.

'I like going to gymnastics because I'll become strong and stay in shape. I'm seven now and have been coming here for two years. I learned to warm up and to do handstands. Its a bit hard at first. Nadia Comaneci is a gymnast who got a 10, and when I grow up, I want to be like her,' Anisia Stan chips in.

On July 10, 2025, President Nicusor Dan signed the decree promulgating the law establishing 2026 as the 'Nadia Comaneci Year', marking 50 years since the Romanian gymnast's legendary performances at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games - the first perfect 10 in world gymnastics. Throughout 2026, multiple events will be organized under this banner, under the coordination of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee.

The law states that central and local public authorities, sports institutions, and organizations representing national minorities may organize sports, educational, and artistic events to mark the occasion.

Photo: (c) RADU CRISTESCU/AGERPRES Historic Photo Archive

Parliament, the Presidency, the Government, local authorities, and public institutions under their coordination may allocate funds from their budgets or other legally obtained sources to organize or support sports, cultural, artistic, educational events, or promotional programs within approved budgets.

The Montreal Summer Olympics have rightfully remained in history as 'The Nadia Comaneci Olympics', being associated with the perfection she achieved in artistic gymnastics. For the first time ever, a gymnast received a perfect 10 on the uneven bars - a score the electronic scoreboard could not display, as it had not even been programmed to show four digits, because no one believed such a score could be achieved.

At just 14, Nadia Comaneci became the star of the Olympic Games. She was not only the first gymnast to receive a perfect 10 at the Olympics, but she achieved this seven times in a single edition, an unmatched record. She won three gold medals - in the individual all-around, the balance beam, and uneven bars - as well as a silver medal with the team, and a bronze medal in the floor exercise. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Florin Zafiu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)