Friday night, everyone who was present at the Champions' Gala organized by the RDS, was looking around, trying to find Corina Ungureanu. It was not yet known whether the former gymnast, and now cover-girl for the latest issue of Playboy, would show up. The world champion, a title she won in Tianjin, was not accepted (invited?) to a similar ceremony held by the RGF a few days ago, and the current National team members warned that they will not get up on the same stage as Corina Ungureanu.

Corina Ungureanu put an end to any speculations, being one of the first athletes to enter the National Opera Hall, and she didn't sit next to her former teammates. The way the gymnasts received their prizes avoided any direct contact between them. The gymnasts got up on the sage one at a time. When Corina went up on the stage, the crowd started cheering, and she received a long standing ovation.

As far the comments made by her former teammates go, Corina has said she's not sure they reflect the way her teammates really feel about her decision. She did say that "no matter what happens, I want to assure my former teammates I'll always be there for them." Since she couldn't talk to the National team members at the Gala, because they left right after they received their prizes, Corina would have liked to at least say Hi to head coach Octavian Belu, but he avoided talking to her. "I wanted to talk to Corina, but not in front of the all the cameras and microphones", he explained later on.

Once he saw how the crowd reacted when Corina went up on the stage, Octavian Belu made a few diplomatic comments the next day, intended to be a first step to ending the conflict (between Corina & the coaching staff at Deva). "To put an end to these discussions about Corina posing for Playboy, which I think went on too long, I would like to say that I was just expressing a personal opinion", said the National head coach. When he talked about the World team members, he emphasized Corina's name, and he added that "maybe the time has come for us to be more openminded, but I think this openminded-ness started off on the wrong foot."

When she found out about Belu's comments, Corina seemed extremely pleased. "I have been dreaming to put an end to this conflict, a conflict which I never wanted to happen, for a long time. I respect Belu and I didn't enjoy getting into fights with him. I think this was a big misunderstanding, amplified almost artificially (by the media, I would think) and I'm glad things will calm down once again", concluded Corina in an interview she gave ProSport from her home in Ploiesti.

Corina will also receieve the $30 million lei she would have gotten from the RGF, but from Playboy. The Romanian version of the magazine decided to give her that sum of money, following the Fedaration's comments about Corina not needing more money, now that she posed for Playboy.

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