This Article is From Sep 17, 2019

Nadia Comaneci's Tweet As Young Kolkata Gymnasts Get Government Support

"The power of one tweet," wrote Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Comaneci's Tweet As Young Kolkata Gymnasts Get Government Support

Nadia Comaneci's tweet praising two young Kolkata gymnasts went viral last month.

A simple tweet by five-time Olympic gold medallist Nadia Comaneci catapulted two schoolchildren from Kolkata - seen doing cartwheels and flips - to viral Internet fame, eventually earning them government support. Jashika Khan, 11, and Mohammad Azajuddin, 12, were filmed performing gymnastics moves that caught Ms Comaneci's attention last month.

Her tweet applauding the children eventually led the two being promised gymnastics scholarships by the Sports Authority of India.

Now, Ms Comaneci has told ABC News that she is surprised her tweet went viral, but happy that the Sports Authority of India has stepped up to help the two children.

"I thought the video was so cool and spontaneous -- two kids going to school with their backpacks and then they throw in a couple of gymnastics skills," Ms Comaneci said. "I just want to wish them good luck, enjoy what they do and be happy, and I hope I get to meet them at some point."

She also made an important point about the power of social media by talking about the "power of one tweet".

"If I can change the life of someone, using sports or social media, I think that's amazing," she told ABC News. "I think that every kid should have an opportunity to play sports, and there are a lot of kids who don't have those opportunities because they come from a difficult background or they cannot afford to do that."

Back in August, Ms Comaneci had tweeted a video of the two Kolkata children performing cartwheels and somersaults and written "This is awesome."

After that, Jashika and Mohammad Azajuddin were called for a trial to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Eastern Centre, where they will be made full-time trainees.

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