CORRESPONDENCE FROM BRUSSELS Nadia Comăneci, honored in Brussels in the year that marks her historic performance in Montreal » Smiling meeting with the President of the European Parliament

2026 means a busy schedule and awards even for Nadia Comăneci, the gymnast-symbol who signed a historic success in 1976, at the Montreal Games. The first maximum mark, 10.00, awarded in an Olympic competition, a landmark that marks five decades this year. The Nadia Comăneci year, as it was designated, and which includes moments that will mark the anniversary in various ways.

And the agenda noted for March 16 and 17 an action in Brussels, at the European Parliament, along with several other visits and meetings that dictated the program with durations and times clearly established in advance. It is the first time that Nadia stepped into the headquarters of the high body of the continent, as the Goddess of Montreal herself testified. “It's a historic moment for me too. In the historic year of Nadia, we also took this step. Glad I got to see something I had heard about and seen on the news. By taking this step, we are thinking about how to collaborate to integrate Romanian sport as well. I'm glad to have representatives from different generations of gymnastics with me”, Nadia said.

Until then, however, the day began with the meeting at the Official Hall of the “Henri Coandă” International Airport. Along with Nadia, a group of former great tricolor athletes traveled to Belgium, including gymnasts Simona Amânar, Cătălina Ponor, Andreea Răducan, athlete Constantina Diță, fencer Ana Maria Brânză, gymnasts Marius Urzică and Marian Drăgulescu, together with the president of COSR, Mihai Covaliu. The Romanian government is represented by Thomas Moldovan, vice-president of ANS, and Victor Negrescu, vice-president of the European Parliament, also accompanied the delegation from Bucharest.

Also, a group of gymnasts from CSM Onești, who excitedly spent a good few minutes in the Official Salon with Nadia. Moreover, she asked to take a picture with the girls and she really wanted a short video, with the gymnasts saying in chorus this year's word: “Ten!”. The little gymnasts are accompanied by the mayor of Onești, Adrian Jilcu, the head of CSM Onești, Ingrid Istrate, the mayor's advisor, Alexandru Cristea, as well as Gelu Panfil, former vice president of the Bacău County Council. “I think that it is also nice for the girls from Onești to see what happens outside of gymnastics”, Nadia pointed out.

Nadia Comâneci, meeting with Roberta Metsola

Upon landing in Brussels, a gray sky, laden with clouds, and a coach that took the delegation directly to the headquarters of the European Parliament awaited. An ensemble of glass-fronted buildings, glossy floors, elevators briskly transporting people with files, phones, going in precise directions. Laura Badea was also waiting there, who completed the group of great athletes accompanying Nadia.

She inspected the hemicycle that tomorrow will host the “European Values ​​and Excellence: The Legacy of Nadia Comăneci, 50 Years On” Conference, during which the heroine from Montreal will speak.

The first event of the day was scheduled for 15:00 local time: the meeting with Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, scheduled to last 15 minutes. It started a little later, the program of high political personalities being a busy one, but it took place under the lights of cameras and flashes, in a relaxed, cordial atmosphere.

Roberta Metsola, 47 years old, in office from 2022, started by asking Nadia some questions. In her flawless English, the great champion summed up in a few well-measured sentences the essence of what happened 50 years ago. Including the novel fact, as seen for the president, that the scoreboard displayed a score of 1.00 because it was not intended for 10.00.

Nadia presented Roberta Metsola with the book “Letters to a Young Gymnast”, the English version, a scarf with symbols of Romanian culture, the Column of Infinity and the Master Bird by Constantin Brâncusi, the latter being associated at the time with Nadia's grace, and a T-shirt on which she signed an autograph.

They took pictures together, Nadia told him how she met her future husband, Bart Conner, when she was only 14 years old. Moreover, he asked the Maltese official if she likes sports or has practiced any. She replied that she liked running and wanted to switch to swimming, but in the end she stuck to the first option. She pointed out that this activity helped her to discipline herself.

Next, Metsola took an interest in Romania's results at the most recent editions of the Olympic Games, the winter ones from Milan Cortina, respectively the summer ones, Paris 2024, the president of ANS, Mihai Covaliu, giving him the information. And a bonus, that among the athletes in the tricolor group, led by Nadia, there are no less than 40 Olympic medals, 9 won even by the great gymnast. “Ms. Metsola is very friendly and communicative. He knew quite a lot about sports, about the Olympic Games. I think it is important to take small steps to create a communication and to build a bond for the future”, emphasized the former gymnast

Nadia Comăneci, speech in the European Parliament

The short meeting ended with another series of photos, after which the entire delegation walked through the nearby park to the House of European History. The institutional donation ceremony took place there, in cooperation with the National Sports Agency of Romania. Book donation, the same one that Nadia gave to Roberta Metsola.

After a stop on the third floor where there are exhibits illustrating the 1989 Revolution that led to the fall of communism. After another series of photos, the day started early, in Bucharest, put an end to the official program.

The second, most substantial part of the visit follows tomorrow, the conference that will last for two hours, between 10:00 and 12:00. Another premiere in Nadia Comăneca's life, the visit to the European Parliament, the speech she will give, the memories that will be formed from now on. And which have their starting point on a July day in 1976, when the table displayed, in its concise way, the measure of perfection in gymnastics.