Nadia Comăneci celebrated in the European Parliament
The former Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci was celebrated in the European Parliament on 50th anniversary of her extraordinary Olympic achievement.
Leyla Cheamil, 18.03.2026, 13:50
This year marks half a century since former Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci achieved the first perfect score in history at the Olympic Games in Montreal. She was honored on Tuesday in Brussels, in the European Parliament, where she attended a conference entitled “European Values and Excellence – the Legacy of Nadia Comăneci, 50 years on“. This was her first visit to the European Parliament, marking a symbolic moment for promoting excellence and the role that sport plays in inspiring young generations.
Nadia Comăneci said that attending this event was like competing on a fifth gymnastics apparatus: “It was extremely emotional, because I did not realise that that moment would have such a big impact on people all over the world, who grew up with or heard about that historic 10. It was a soul-stirring experience, because I reviewed my whole story again, condensed into a meeting celebrating excellence, perfection, a historic moment. I met again with many friends, but also with people I had never met before, who came and shared this emotion with me. I felt as if I were stepping onto the competition floor, I thought the floor routine was next and wondered where the music was. It was the fifth apparatus for me”, she said at the end of the conference hosted by the European Parliament.
The former great champion emphasised that the world must be aware of the importance of sport, because it is not only important to win medals, but it is important for society: “In sport, everyone speaks the same language and the whole planet connects when it comes to sport. Sport represents a country, a community, a culture, and I am grateful that this moment was honored. I hope this will be a restart for today’s generations and for parents, who must understand that sport needs to exist,’ she went on to say.
At the age of only 14, she became a star of the Olympic Games. She was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 at the Olympics, a score that could not be displayed by the electronic scoreboard, because it had not been programmed into it. No one believed that perfection could be achieved.
In July last year, President Nicuşor Dan signed the decree for the promulgation of the Law on the establishment of the year 2026 as the Year of Nadia Comăneci, to mark the 50th anniversary of the legendary achievement of the Romanian gymnast at the 21st edition of the Summer Olympic Games held in 1976, in Montreal. Within the framework of this project, several events will be organised throughout the year, coordinated by the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee. Under the legislation, central and local public administration authorities, sports institutions across the country, as well as citizens associations from among national ethnic minorities can organize activities and events of a sporting, educational and artistic nature.
