Nadia Comăneci and the Secret Police:

A Cold War Escape

Abstract

This review discusses Cristian Olaru’s study of Nadia Comăneci, focusing on the surveillance, control, and political exploitation of the gymnast under Romania’s communist regime. Drawing extensively on Securitate archives, the book reconstructs the mechanisms of state intrusion into Comăneci’s life, her relationship with her coaches, and the broader culture of suspicion surrounding elite sport. The review highlights the volume’s documentary strength and contextual insight, presenting Comăneci’s 1989 defection as an act of personal courage and a powerful symbol of the choice of freedom over oppression.