But out of all of Eastern Europe’s proud athletic heritage, there isn’t a more famous gymnast than the one and only Nadia Comăneci from Romania. Encounter with Bela KárolyiWhen Nadia was little, she was doing cartwheels and all sorts of tricks with her friends. In the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, Nadia Comăneci made history. Milking Nadia for moneyIn 1981, the struggling communist government of Romania realised that Nadia could make them a lot of money. Because of that, they organized the Nadia tour, “Nadia ’81”, where she toured around the United States like a rock star.

Source: The Nation May 14, 2021 21:01 UTC