Happy Birthday Nadia

 

Date of Issue : 12 November 2021

Happy Birthday Nadia !

A Star is Born! (Newsweek, August 2nd, 1976)

On the occasion of her birthday, as a sign of respect, admiration and gratitude to Nadia Comaneci, the world champion of women’s gymnastics, Romfilatelia dedicates to her the postage stamps issue “Happy Birthday, Nadia!”.

The issue consists of a stamp, with the face value of Lei 9, an imperforated souvenir sheet, with the face value of Lei 31.50 and a First Day Cover.

On the stamp of the souvenir sheet is depicted a sequence from a beam exercise performed by Nadia Comaneci and on the First Day Cover are illustrated stamps and souvenir sheets dedicated, over time, to the famous sportswoman.

This philatelic project is an opportunity to relive the excitement of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, when a girl originating from the lands of Moldova became an international star.

For Romania and Romanians everywhere, Nadia belongs to the national heritage, her name being associated with Romania more than any other. The appreciation and admiration for the special merits she had throughout her sports career went around the world, remaining in the souls of all Romanians everywhere.

Romfilatelia thanks Mrs. Nadia Comaneci and the Nadia Comaneci Foundation in Romania for the documentary and photographic support granted in the development of this postage stamps issue.

Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner (born November 12, 1961), known professionally as Nadia Comăneci is a Romanian, retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976 at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games. At the same Games (1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal), she received six more perfect 10s for events en route to winning three gold medals. At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Comăneci won two more gold medals and attained two more perfect 10s. During her career, Comăneci won nine Olympic medals and four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals.

Comăneci is one of the world's best-known gymnasts and is credited with popularizing the sport around the globe. In 2000, she was named as one of the Athletes of the 20th Century by the Laureus World Sports Academy. She has lived in the United States since 1989, when she defected from then-Communist Romania before its revolution in December that year. She later worked with and married American Olympic, gold-medal gymnast Bart Conner, who set up his own school. In 2001 she became a naturalized United States citizen, and has dual citizenship, also maintaining her Romanian citizenship.