The Impact of Nadia Comaneci on the Sport of Women's Artistic Gymnastics

IN 1976, EXACTLY 30 years ago, gymnast Nadia Comaneci burst onto the stage at the Montreal Olympic Games and changed the sport of women's artistic gymnastics forever. It is indisputable that Comaneci's performance at the 1976 Olympic Games was highly significant in influencing the sport of women's artistic gymnastics. Authors have agreed that Comaneci 'changed the judging standards', 'introduced fundamental changes', 'did things in gymnastics that had never been done before', and generally 'changed everything about the sport'. This article discusses exactly what constituted the changes Comaneci introduced in the sport both technically and stylistically and how these affected the sport in years to come. This article also argues that Comaneci was the most prominent 'advertisement' for a nascent trend towards younger, pre-pubescent gymnasts which had begun in the late 1960s, though not the sole reason for this change as is often believed. This article is part of a larger research project about the history of women's gymnastics since 1952. It utilises not only archival research, but an analysis of the gold medal routines at each Olympic Games since 1952 obtained through video footage, an examination of the rule book, the Code of Points, and interviews with 20 gymnastics experts from around the world. The interviews were semi structured and interviewees were chosen due to their knowledge and experience of particular aspects and time periods of gymnastics. At the 1972 Olympic Games, the famous Russian gymnast Olga Korbut began to shift the main gymnastic style away from the feminine, balletic style that had dominated until that time. Korbut, along with several other gymnasts, judges and coaches and a more detailed rule book, set the stage for women's gymnastics to be reinvented in 1976. Two gymnasts were primarily responsible for the transformation: Nadia Comaneci of Romania, led by her