The Regina Maria Theatre in Oradea hosted the '10 for Eternity' Gala on Tuesday, which also featured the opening of the 'Nadia Comaneci a The Road to Perfection' exhibition, organised by Romania's National Archives specifically for the event.

The gala marked 50 years since the first perfect 10 in the history of Olympic gymnastics, achieved by Nadia Comaneci at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. The legendary champion attended the event and visited the exhibition together with the director of Romania's National Archives, Cristian Anita, PhD, who presented her and the story behind the project.

'From the theatre foyer, the exhibition will move on Friday, August 14, to the Madach Imre Passage, where it will be open to visitors until the end of August. Then, from September until towards the end of the year, the ‘Nadia Comaneci - The Road to Perfection' exhibition will be hosted by the Crisurilor Country Museum. The Oradea project complements the one in Bucharest, with both being centred around the two magic numbers displayed on the electronic scoreboard in Montreal: 73 - the competition number of our great gymnast - and 1.00, as the perfect score was displayed at the time. The exhibition concept was created by architect Alexandra Maria Sas, PhD' Dr Cristian Anita said, according to a press release from Romania's National Archives.

From Bucharest to Oradea, Nadia Comaneci's achievement is reconstructed through archival documents and photographs.

In Bucharest, the exhibition is open at the museum space of Romania's National Archives until November 12, 2026.

The institutional partners of the 'Nadia Comaneci - The Road to Perfection' project are the Agerpres National News Agency, the National Sports Agency, the National Film Archive, the General Association of Archivists of Romania - Bacau Branch, the 'Radu Rosetti' Municipal Library in Onesti, Onesti Municipal Sports Club, the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives, the Romanian Television Society, and the Diplomatic Archives Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Also, during the '10 for Eternity' Gala, organised by Oradea City Hall, Nadia Comaneci offered the Oradea audience a special opportunity for dialogue and reflection on her journey towards the achievement that inspired generations.

The artistic programme was opened by the 'Coralini' Children's Choir of the Oradea State Philharmonic, followed by sports demonstrations by gymnasts from Oradea University Sports Club and the 'Bihorul' Sports High School. Nadia Comaneci was visibly moved by the performances of the young gymnasts, the future of Romanian sport. Gymnast Ana Berdan recreated Nadia's 1976 performance, wearing a white leotard featuring the Romanian tricolour.

A special moment of the evening was the presentation of awards to athletes from Bihor County, with the distinctions presented by Nadia Comaneci herself, at her request, together with Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee.

The audience also got a preview: a scene from the film 'Nadia', directed by Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu and Tudor D. Popescu and produced by Tudor Giurgiu and Cosmin Hodor. The feature film is due to be released in full in May 2027.

A central moment of the evening was a discussion moderated by Simona Taranu, during which Nadia Comaneci recalled the different stages of her life, from childhood and her first perfect 10 to the difficult moments when she came close to giving up, as well as how she managed to rise again each time.

The highlight of the evening came when Oradea Mayor Florin Birta joined Nadia Comaneci on stage. In his speech, the mayor said that wherever he had travelled in the world, he had heard people talk about Nadia, with her name synonymous with Romania's international recognition. He presented the gymnast with a sculpture entitled 'Madonna Minunata', a unique bronze work by Bihor sculptor Dan Daniel. Its form evokes a single wing, symbolising grace, momentum and the desire to push beyond limits, combining feminine elegance with the idea of achievement and the aspiration towards perfection. Moved, Nadia said it was the most beautiful 'medal' she had ever received, according to a press issued by the Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Oradea and the Region (APTOR - Visit Oradea). AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Marius Fratila; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)