Former gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci, an Olympic, world and European multiple medallist, will be awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the National University of Physical Education and Sport (UNEFS) in Bucharest next month.

'The National University of Physical Education and Sport of Bucharest will organise, on Nov. 19, 2026, the ceremony for awarding the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Mrs. Nadia Comaneci. This high academic distinction recognises her exceptional sporting achievements, her outstanding contribution to the development of gymnastics and the promotion of Romanian sport internationally, as well as her role as a model for generations of athletes,' UNEFS announced on its official Facebook page.

A graduate of the former Institute of Physical Education and Sport (IEFS), class of 1984, Comaneci is part of the institution's history and academic community. UNEFS said the distinction carries special significance as it reaffirms the link between her career of excellence and the university where she completed her higher education.

The ceremony is being organised as part of Nadia Year 2026, marking 50 years since Comaneci's historic performance at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, where she became the first gymnast in Olympic history to receive a perfect 10.

'Through this solemn moment, the UNEFS academic community celebrates sporting excellence, Olympic values and the formative role of education through sport. The event will also provide an opportunity to strengthen dialogue between academia and the sports movement and create prospects for institutional cooperation and joint projects,' UNEFS said.

At the age of 14, Comaneci stunned the sporting world on July 18, 1976, when she earned the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history, a feat so unprecedented that the scoreboard displayed '1.00' instead of 10.00. During the Montreal Games, she achieved seven perfect scores, winning three gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

Born on November 12, 1961, in Onesti, Comaneci won nine Olympic medals during her career, including five gold, three silver and one bronze. She also captured four World Championship medals, 12 European Championship medals and five Universiade gold medals.

In November 1989, just one month before the fall of communism, she crossed the border illegally and went on to settle in the U.S. There, she married American gymnast Bart Conner, a multiple Olympic and world champion in artistic gymnastics. The couple have a son, Dylan Paul Conner.

Together with Bart Conner, she owns a gymnastics academy in Oklahoma City and several sporting goods stores. In recent years, she has also been involved in various charitable initiatives through the Nadia Comaneci Foundation. The former gymnast is a two-time recipient of the Olympic Order from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and has been inducted into the International Gymnastics Federation's Hall of Fame.

She currently serves as a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics and is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Marius Tone; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)