Stejarel Olaru is a Romanian historian, writer, researcher, and former radio and TV broadcaster. He was National Security Advisor for the Romanian Prime Minister (2006-2008), a Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2013-2014) and General Director of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania (2005-2010). He has published several books on the modern history of Romania and the history of the Romanian intelligence services.Alistair Ian Blyth is a Translator with more than 15 years' experience of translating from Romanian into his native English. His many translations from Romanian include: Little Fingers by Filip Florian; Our Circus Presents by Lucian Dan Teodorovici; Occurrence in the Immediate Unreality by Max Blecher; Coming from an Off-Key Time by Bogdan Suceava; and Life Begins on Friday by Ioana Parvulescu. In 2019, he was the recipient of a Modern Languages Association of America award for his work.

As an insight into the tensions between Comaneci, her coaches and the Communist regime, as well as tensions between Romanian and Soviet gymnastics … Nadia Comaneci and the Secret Police is captivating.

• List of illustrationsList of abbreviationsExplanatory note from the authorAcknowledgements1. Salto in the dark2. The great dance3. Reflected in the mirror of power: From Béla, Géza and Nadia to ‘Katona’, ‘Nelu’ and ‘Corina’4. ‘Tu sei migliora di tutte’5. The rocky road to supremacy6. The nineteen-eighties7. A movie endingNotesIndex

Stejarel Olaru is a Romanian historian, writer, researcher, and former radio and TV broadcaster. He was National Security Advisor for the Romanian Prime Minister (2006-2008), a Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2013-2014) and General Director of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania (2005-2010). He has published several books on the modern history of Romania and the history of the Romanian intelligence services.Alistair Ian Blyth is a Translator with more than 15 years' experience of translating from Romanian into his native English. His many translations from Romanian include: Little Fingers by Filip Florian; Our Circus Presents by Lucian Dan Teodorovici; Occurrence in the Immediate Unreality by Max Blecher; Coming from an Off-Key Time by Bogdan Suceava; and Life Begins on Friday by Ioana Parvulescu. In 2019, he was the recipient of a Modern Languages Association of America award for his work.

As an insight into the tensions between Comaneci, her coaches and the Communist regime, as well as tensions between Romanian and Soviet gymnastics … Nadia Comaneci and the Secret Police is captivating.

• List of illustrationsList of abbreviationsExplanatory note from the authorAcknowledgements1. Salto in the dark2. The great dance3. Reflected in the mirror of power: From Béla, Géza and Nadia to ‘Katona’, ‘Nelu’ and ‘Corina’4. ‘Tu sei migliora di tutte’5. The rocky road to supremacy6. The nineteen-eighties7. A movie endingNotesIndex