BUCHAREST, Feb 21: An ardent fan of former Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci is suing Romania president Traian Basescu for not awarding a special sports merit medal to his idol, local media reported on Thursday.

“It is not possible that the only Romania president to honour Nadia can be the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu,” fan Gheorghe Ion told the Cotidianul daily.

“I can’t force the president to offer Nadia a medal but I don’t want Ceausescu to be the only one to show respect for our great champions.”

The special sports medal is handed out on merit in Romania.

Comaneci received her medal from Ceausescu immediately after she gained the first perfect mark of 10 at the 1976 Olympics.—Reuters