The Romanian Olympic Committee (COSR), through the Romanian Olympic Academy on Friday organised an event at the Mariana Bitang Gymnastics Hall inside the Dinamo Sports Club, celebrating International Day of Sport for Development and Peace together with young gymnasts and legends of Romanian gymnastics.

The event is part of the series of actions carried out by the Romanian Olympic Committee, to mark the 'Nadia Year.'

'As director of the Romanian Olympic Academy, we thought that being the Year of Nadia, we should do something more special, to bring the children to the gym, to discover a little about the apparatuses and to see what is happening in the gym. I saw what happened to my students this year when they entered a gym for the first time. It is a special moment for children, because many of them did not know which are the girls' apparatuses and which are the boys', and I can say that they have discovered a new world,' said former Olympic champion Simona Amanar.

She was confident that Romanian gymnastics has the power to return to the world podium, even if it is difficult for her at the moment to talk about the chances of qualifying for the Olympic Games, after a long time Romania has held the supremacy in this sport.

'I say that more children come to gymnastics, but today's generation wants everything to happen in a very short time and to achieve results without a lot of work. But gymnastics doesn't work, behind this sport there is a lot of work, iron ambition, discipline. First of all, you have to be very disciplined and listen to the coaches and not to step aside at the slightest pain. You have to grit your teeth and move on. We can say that this year we talk about gymnastics more than we talk about football, because it is a special year in which we draw attention to the fact that this sport deserves to be in the foreground. I'm optimistic, I think we can be back where we're used to. There is still a lot of work to do, a very difficult year awaits us and let's hope that we will qualify again for the Olympic Games. It's hard for me to talk about qualification, because we were used to winning medals and it didn't matter what medals we get, but I trust the coaches who are in Romanian gymnastics, because I saw them that they are very passionate, they put their heart and soul and they are children eager to bring Romania back to where it belongs,' said the former gymnast.

'Thanks to Nadia Comanneci, I went into gymnastics. My mother loved Nadia very much and wanted me to be a new Nadia. Thanks to my parents and especially my mother, I got to the gym and that paid off. I remember that he came to Constanta a year ago, a long time ago. I know that the coach lined us up, then she asked us what our name was and when she got to me I froze. The coach answered in my place, I don't know more. For us it was fantastic to see Nadia with us, after we had seen her on TV,' added Amanar.

Retired gymnast Larisa Iordache said she wants to go with her daughter to the USA to attend the gymnastics competition at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics: 'All children are attracted by the colours in the gym and the foam pit, and ours are no exception. I want to go with my daughter to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, to watch the gymnastics competition. We want to enjoy the Olympic Games at least as spectators.'

Monica Rosu came to the gym with her daughter, who took her first steps in this sport, although she is young.

'My daughter did gymnastics and now I see that she has gained strength again, I see that she is in her element. The important thing is that she wants it, it doesn't matter what sport she chooses, whether it's gymnastics or something else. But we are not talking about performance here, but about movement. I started gymnastics when I was my daughter's size. The important thing is that these children come to exercise and as gymnastics is the basis of all sports, they can do something else and they will leave with a good base,' she said.

The only Olympic champion in Romanian men's gymnastics, Marius Urzica, said that Romania should always remember Nadia Comaneci's performances.

'Children came from several schools and being 'Nadia Year' we try to show them what gymnastics means and to promote this wonderful sport. Every year we must not forget what Nadia did in Montreal, when she that first 10. Because of that, everyone knows us,' Urzica said.

The event in the Nadia Comaneci Year series of events was attended by secondary school students, from schools in Bucharest, but also legends of Romanian sports such as Simona Tabara Amanar, director of AOR, multiple Olympic champion in gymnastics, Georgeta Andrunache, vice-president of CS Dinamo Bucharest, multiple Olympic champion in rowing, Laura Badea Carlescu and Ana-Maria Branza, Olympic champions in fencing, champions and Olympic medallists of Romanian artistic gymnastics such as Marius Urzica, Catalina Ponor, Larisa Iordache, Daniela Sofronie and Monica Rosu.

In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly, with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), declared April 6 as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, and since 2014, this day has been celebrated every year.

On July 10, 2025, President Nicusor Dan signed the decree promulgating the law designating 2026 as the 'Nadia Comaneci Year', marking 50 years since the Romanian gymnast's legendary performances at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, where she earned the first perfect 10 in world gymnastics. Throughout 2026, a series of events coordinated by the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee will be held under this designation.

'On the occasion of the celebration of the 'Nadia Comaneci Year', a legend of national and world sport, central and local public authorities, sports institutions and organisations of national minorities may hold sporting, educational and artistic events,' the law states.

Parliament, the Presidential Administration, the Government, local authorities and the public institutions under their coordination may allocate funds from their own budgets or from legally attracted sources to organise or support, logistically and/or financially, the sporting, cultural, artistic, educational or promotional events included in the programme, within approved budget limits.

The 21st edition of the Summer Olympic Games has gone down in history as the 'Nadia Comaneci Olympics', synonymous with perfection in artistic gymnastics. In a world first, Comaneci received a score of 10 on the uneven bars - a result the electronic scoreboard was unable to display, as the system had not been programmed for a perfect score.

At just 14, Nadia Comaneci became the star of the Games. She was not only the first gymnast to achieve a perfect 10 at the Olympics, but she did so seven times in a single edition - a historic record. She won three gold medals (all-around, balance beam, uneven bars), a silver medal with the team, and a bronze in the floor event. AGERPRES (RO -editing by: Adrian Tone; EN - writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)