Former great gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who went down in history by achieving the first 10 at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, said on Saturday, during the inauguration of the Otopeni gymnastics hall that bears her name, that the day of July 18, when she achieved this performance, remains the most emotional of her entire life.

'July 18 was and will always be the most emotional day of my life, because it was a historic moment. I saw my entire life through this film and with emotion I watched this little girl who grew up here, developed here, had the opportunity to do sports and it is exceptional to see such a gym that was built in a few months, without believing that something like this could be done in such a short time,' said Comaneci.



She also explained how she managed to get the perfect score on the parallel bars at the Montreal Olympics: 'This morning when I woke up, I had the same shivers as 50 years ago in Montreal. This exercise is the mandatory one and together with the coaches we were thinking about what we could do to make that exercise better than the mandatory one. And I thought about adding a bigger balance to each element. I called it 'Nadia's touch'. And that helped me go from 9.90 to 10. But when I landed, I didn't look at the score, I was thinking that the beam was coming and I was very scared'.

The great world gymnastics champion also inaugurated a statue of her at the final moment of the beam exercise, scored a 10 for the first time in history, on the occasion of the hall built by the Ion Tiriac Foundation.



'The statue is fantastic. I got to see it in front. It also looks very similar to my face and is symbolic of what happened in Montreal. It seems to me that this exit from the parallel bars is also a symbol of freedom, it represents what it means to fly towards something,' she added.

As to the gymnastics hall, where approximately 600 children will be able to train weekly, Nadia Comaneci said that it is also a symbolic construction.

'Besides the fact that it is a great building, it is also symbolic. I am happy to see it while I am alive, because many things are done after the person in question no longer exists. And many children do not know if that person was real or not. But I met these children, who asked me if I was the real Nadia and why I have blonde bangs now. It is extremely important for them to dream too. It is not just a building, it is a future and a chance for children to live the history that we also lived 50 years ago. I think it is extremely necessary for these children to be able to do any kind of sport. It is an investment in today's youth, an investment in creating them as adults. It is the place where all children in Romania can find their dream. just as we found it in Montreal in 1976. We need sports facilities where children can do sports, any kind of sport. But also for free, because I understand from Mr. Tiriac that these children will do gymnastics for free', said Nadia Comaneci.



Asked if she has confidence in the future of Romanian gymnastics, the former great champion appeared optimistic, even if the federation is going through a moment of chaos: 'I can't help but believe in the future of gymnastics. I now understand that there is a little chaos in the federation, in communication. Communication is extremely important. Even if we don't agree with each other, we have to express our point of view and find a solution to move forward. Because there is no other way. You have to adapt to what is happening in the United States, we have to see what they have done and let's see, let's bring someone from the States to exchange experiences. For example, from us at the academy. We have very good coaches, who have competed for European countries, who graduated from college in Oklahoma. And to exchange experiences, because that's how you learn. We have to start somewhere because otherwise we fail'.

OTOPENI - INAUGURARE - SALA GIMNASTICA

The Nadia Comaneci Hall in Otopeni, built by the Ion Tiriac Foundation, was inaugurated on Saturday, exactly 50 years after the golden moment of Romanian gymnastics, July 18, 1976, when Nadia Comaneci obtained the first 10 in history.

Numerous Olympic champions, great athletes and politicians attended the inaugural event.AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Adrian Tone; EN - writing by: Bogdan Gabaroi)

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