Nadia Comaneci at the Project Visit in Madrid:
Nadia Comaneci and Almudena Cid
I have just had an exhilarating visit to a sports centre in Madrid where I met Spanish gymnast Almudena Cid and a great bunch of youngsters at a Laureus project there.
We were at a place called San Blas, and Almudena and I did warm-up exercises with about 20 very enthusiastic kids.
Nadia Comanecia with the kids in Madrid
Almudena has competed more recently than me, she is from rhythmic gymnastics, I am from artistic. She has just retired after competing in the last four Olympic Games.
We both enjoyed the session. I still love getting back to action in the gym.
The kids were terrific. They really seemed to enjoy having us there.
It was fun, but there was a serious point to our visit. They say one in four young people in Spain are overweight or obese. I found those stats amazing.
Lack of exercise, an inactive life and bad eating habits, I was told, are the main causes.
Laureus addresses problems among young people all over the world. And in the more developed countries, where poverty is less of an issue, we are finding that a more affluent lifestyle can have its own dangers.
My message to the kids in the gym was that sport can help everyone. It can keep you fit and keep you healthy.
It can also offer values such as self improvement and team-spirit. I believe that will be very positive for these girls in the future.
It was Almudena’s first visit to a Laureus activity and I think she was impressed. She told me she was charmed to be with these great little gymnasts. And I felt the same.
Nadia Comaneci helps with the training
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Nadia Comaneci, who burst into the limelight as the star of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, is the most celebrated gymnast of our time. The diminutive Romanian eventually produced a lifetime Olympic medal haul of five golds, three silvers and one bronze and she has left behind a competitive record which will be virtually impossible to match.
