XI Winter Olympics - RP Thread

by **Electrum** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:33 am

XI Winter Olympics
hosted by
Prescott, Electrum

Navigation
Results and schedule thread
Roster/Information thread
OOC/Signup thread
Host Bid

List of delegations
Alphatheta (APT)
Astyrian Unified Olympic Team (AST)

Aquitayne (AQU)
Aswick (ASW)
Blackhelm Confederacy (BKC)
Falkasia (FLK)
Glisandia (GLS)
Terre des Gaules (GUL)
Romberg (KKR)
Neu Engollon (NEG)
Nikolia (NIK)
Red River Free State (RRF)
Yellow Star Republic (YSR)

Armoraecia (ARM)
Banija (BNJ)
Benjamin Mark (BNM)
Britonisea (BRI)
Bulgar Rouge (BUL)
Caermine (CAE)
Cosumar (COS)
Eastfield Lodge (EFL)
Electrum (ETM)
Estelar (EST)
Ethane (ETN)
Felibriga (FEL)
Ficiscia (FIC)
Frenline Delpha (FND)
Gregoryisgodistan (GGS)
Izmedu (IZM)
Jestoria (JES)
Kannap (KAN)
Kaboomlandian Unified Team (KBM)

Kaboomlandian Foreign Territory (KFT)

Kelssek (KSK)
Kriegiersien (KGS)
Kyrjasmark (KYR)
Laiatanese Federation (LAI) [Southern Yugoslavia]
Liventia (LEN)
Mapletish (MAP)
Mattijana (MTJ)
Novaya Zelmya (NZE)
Oisinistan (OIS)
Paripana Sporting Council (PSC) [Commerce Heights]
Prolieum (PRO)
Quakmybush (QMB)
Rhodesia (FRR) [Rhodesialund]
Saintalnd (SNT)
San Llera (SAN)
Schiavonia (SCV)
Semarland (SEM)
Sjovenia (SJO)
Taeshan (TAE)
The Archregimancy (ARC)
The Evil Chicken Kormas From Outer Space (TEK)
The Holy FSM Empire (FSM) [Nation of FSM]
The Orion Islands (ROI)
The Sword Bloke (TSB)
The Urain (URN)
Transalpine Republic (TRA)
United States of Devonta (USD)
Valanora (VAL)
Vekaiyu (VEK)
West Phoencia (KWP)
Wray (WRY)
Zillmerilic (ZMC)

Cut-off time
5-8pm Melbourne Time (Australian Eastern Daylight Time UTC+11) -- to ensure your RP will be counted it is recommended that you post before the cutoff time of 5pm.
Day 0 cutoff: Timer
Day 1 cutoff: Timer

Tentative schedule (all times in Melbourne time) - this would be late at night the previous day/early morning in Europe/USA.
March 5: Day 0/Opening Ceremony
March 6: Day 1
March 21: Day 16 (projected end)

by **Mattijana** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 1:47 pm

Mattijana's had its time in the sun, now it's time for colder business

Two gold medals in a summer Olympics was a good haul for a country making it's debut, but Mattijana will be looking for more in the Winter Olympics. The country has a huge passion for Winter Sports, centured around the beautiful central Alps and in particular, the world renowned Hollesbirjke peak, the setting for the NS Iced Runnings sliding tournament.

Indeed, it was that tournament that had ignited a rich desire for more involvement in international tournaments, in particular the Olympic Games, the pinnacle of world sport. Izara Alina was the principle star in that particular competition taking Mattijana's first gold medal in such a competition. She came up with 4 brilliant Luge runs on that occasion and will surely be a favourite going into the Games, rated at 100 for her event.

Despite the obvious thrill of speed in sliding, skill could also bring home a medal as both of Mattijana's Curlers look set to impress having overcome fierce competition from domestic rivals to even qualify for the event. Curling has a big following in Mattijana and it is already clear that a medal there would be greatly celebrated.

Of course, speed is always welcome in the Winter Games and no more than in the most prestigious event if all, the Alpine Downhill. Mattias Burges has looked in solid form coming up to the event and offers a good chance of a fine result, but in such an event, tiny moments and the unforgiving elements can play as much as a part in the outcome as form and technique.

Despite the sense of unpredictability and top-class opponents from around the globe, Mattijanans will fancy their chances of a good medal haul in the Olympics.

MFO will have live and uninterrupted coverage from every single event in the games as well as a roundup of each day's events in the evening.
-----------------------------------------------

Advice for Mattijanan supporters

Although Electrum has a solid infrastructure having recently co-hosted the summer Olympics, do bear in mind that public spaces in airports and train stations, as well as in cities will be busy and delays are a possibility.

It is advisable to carry your driving license and passport when driving. Carry some age identification when buying alcohol and your passport when leaving accomodation for the venues.
In some areas, identification may be reguired for entry/acceptance.

If you lose your passport, you are officially a muppet. We will attempt to help you out with some emergency documents, but you will certainly experience some difficulties.

If you come from the north of Mattijana, bear in mind that you are more likely to get sunburnt than at home. Everyone should be aware that risk if sunburn in the mountains is high whatever part of the country you come from. Apply sun cream regularly and cover all areas not protected.

It is advisable to check with your GP to find out if you require any vaccines or medicines for your trip. All vaccines are available on the health service.

The government and general public encourage spectators to make some noise, transmit our culture and create a distinctly Mattijanan atmosphere. It is part if what makes our supporters some of the world's best.
However, any breaches of Electrum law will not be tolerated and if such an incident was to happen, law-brakers will be at the mercy of the local authorities amd will not be bailed-out by the government. Travellers should respect the culture of other nations and any personal views that could lead to offense should only be expressed privately.

Our main advice is to enjoy the Games.

by **Zillmerilic** » Tue Jan 26, 2016 10:56 am

Zillmerilic Today

Squandering for the Olympics

As the winter months roll in and the weather turns from brisk to cold,
Zillmerilic gets ready for its harsh winter to come. Many Merilics will be
sitting fireside during the cold months to come, but there are a few that
are finishing training and maintaining their abilities. These few aren't
just the hard working members of the Zillmerilic Lumber Company or the Ice
Clearing Crews, but they are the Zillmerilic Olympic Athletes getting ready
to compete in the XI Winter Olympics. They are the top athletes from our
country and will be representing Zillmerilic against the world.

After Zillmerilic's less than spectacular start in the Olympics with the
summer games, officials here in Zillmerilic City have gone to extreme
lengths to come up with the best athletes available. They have gone as far
as paying for people to come to Zillmerilic City to compete, which has been
a terrible burden on the tax payers. The government is really sparing no
expense. There are a few events that will be trials for this Olympics, and the
government has seen to it that our competitors for those events are well trained.
The government has spent more on training the Olympians than they have on
foreign aide. It is quite the point to put Zillmerilic on the map through unnecessary
sports than for caring and helping.

With the surplus of money from the increased taxes, the government would
have been better off spending it on public transportation or the welfare system.
As much as sports are the pride of Zillmerilic, along with its overly funded
military, the people must realize how much this sets Zillmerilic back and that
there is almost no point to it. What are the chances of Zillmerilic actually being
a dominant powerhouse in their First Winter Olympics. These athletes surely want
to do Zillmerilic proud, but they better shine bright during their
events, if not to make Zillmerilic proud, then to keep their heads against the
masses of crowds that will surely come after them for the waste.

Please watch as Zillmerilic takes on the world and sees just how far its money
can carry a team. It will be live during the day, and recaps will occur nightly on
Zillmerilic Sports Nightly

Article By: Zoul Flentz

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 5:35 am

The Olympics - A Winter Saga

Location: Hockey Federation headquarters, Belushya Guba, Novaya Zemlya
Present: Miron Telitsyn (MT), Hockey Federation president
Bogdan Bobr (BB), head coach of men's national hockey team
Date: early December

MT: Welcome, comrade Bobr, glad you could stop by. How's the wife and kids?
BB: Cut the crap, what is so important that you couldn't use the phone like normal people?
MT: Oh come on, Bogdan, let us exchange pleasantries.
BB: Fine. Busy day at the office, eh? Must be exhausting moving all those papers around on your desk.
MT: Everything's digitalized nowadays.
BB: Whatever. Why am I here?
MT: Well, I got a call from the Novozemlyan Olympic Committee yesterday.
BB: We have one of those?
MT: We do. It's mostly hockey people there anyway. Actually, their office is located in our basement, next to the parking garage. Well, it's not much of an office really, it's a mailbox and a broken fax machine.
BB: Super.
MT: Anyway, we are sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics in Electrum at the end of January. Hockey is, of course, our best chance at a medal. Are you up for the task?
BB: Well, there goes my planned vacation. ****. Yes, I am up for it.
MT: That is good to hear. I like the enthusiasm. Now, the Olympics take place right after the World Cup of Hockey, so depending on how far we go in the WCoH, you may have to travel directly from Quebec to Electrum. So you might wanna pack some extra underwear.
BB: That could be arranged. Anything else on your mind?
MT: Yeah... Coffee?
BB: Hit me.

A moment of silence ensues. Bogdan Bobr sips on his coffee. Miron Telitsyn looks uncomfortable.

MT: Here, have a cookie.
BB: So, the Olympics eh? I was under the impression that we suck at every sport that isn't hockey? What about bandy? Is that an Olympic event?
MT: It is a demonstration event at these Olympics, yes. But our retarded little cousin, the Bandy Federation, couldn't be bothered to name a team before the deadline. It's a gong show over there. However, the Committee has scraped together some cross country skiers and biathlon... biathlonists? Biathletes? You know, the guys who ski, and shoot, and ski some more. I hear some of them are quite good. Oh, and the delegation includes a ski jumper as well.
BB: A ski jumper! That's some crazy sh*t. Who is he? Or she?
MT: I'm... I'm afraid it is you, Bogdan.
BB: Yeah, right!
MT: I am dead serious, unfortunately. That's why I brought you here. You will participate in the ski jumping event as part of a campaign to raise awareness for... Well, I don't remember exactly, but it's for a good cause.
BB: You have got to be kidding me.
MT: Nope. Sorry.
BB: Well I've got some bad news for you, pal. I won't do it. I refuse.
MT: Bogdan, the news are already out. You are one of the most beloved public figures in Novaya Zemlya. Do you really want to make a mess of this?
BB: **** me. Whose idea was this? Did you approve of this? I'm going to kill you.
MT: No, this comes from above.
BB: This is the top floor.
MT: I'm talking about the Party, Bogdan. The higher-ups. This thing was decided way up in the hierarchy. I had nothing to do with it.
BB: But why? It's insane!
MT: Listen comrade, I don't disagree, but I'm not gonna put my job on the line just to see you NOT ski jump in the Olympics. Come on now, Bogdan, it could be fun!
BB: Bite me.
MT: I looked it up, and it turns out we don't have a ski jumping hill here in Belushye, but they have one down in Sakhaninsk. Here, I've booked train tickets so you can go practice a little.
BB: ****
MT: Oh and my secretary bought you a pair of skis. Man, those things are huge! You can pick them up before you leave. This meeting is now over.

by **West Phoencia** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 5:58 am

Press Conference

Location:Melbourne-Haven, Jackson, West Phoenicia

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press and citizens of the Confederate Kingdom of West Phoenicia it warms my heart to announce our admittance into the XI Winter Olympics to be held in the grand nation of Electrum." King Glenton Bush II said as he smiled as cameras begun to flash.

The king stood behind a podium outside his Autumn Imperial palace.

" Though we send a small contingent of athletes to battle it out with other international athletes, our athletes hearts are mighty and they will do their best to secure victory in our nation's name. Our athletes have worked hard and we at home who will watch them on our screens via WP Sports network will pray to our mighty God that they will do their best. To make it this far they are already heroes in my eyes as i hope they are in yours."

King Glenton Bush II paused as the crowd that have gathered for the press conference let out a wave of applause.

" I personally will be attending to cheer our athletes on. If i may be biased for the moment, i wish my niece Princess Stephanie Bush-Sunbury, who has entered in the figure skating competition the greatest of luck may she make the Bush family proud by bringing home a medal.
I also wish to thank the host nation for giving our nation the chance to integrate further into the world body. I also ask any citizen travelling to Electrum to watch the Winter Games respect the laws of there land and to show them the utmost respect."

"A parade will be held in Melbourne-Haven tomorrow, a chance for our athletes to boast their greatness before they are due to head off for the games. May you all rally to support them."

by **Sjovenia** » Tue Mar 01, 2016 8:59 pm

"Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the Sjovene Olympic Committee's Network. A special broadcast delegated by the Sjovene Government and ran by the Office of the Sjovene Olympic Committee (OSOC). We have a great line up for your tonight as we prepare for the 10th Winter Olympic Games held in Prescott! An opening ceremony by Flow State, an Alternative Rock and Hip Hop band led by Sjovene front man Chance Gray and Baylish bassist Baylor Jones. Following suit is an interview with Sarka Pancochova, an Olympic Snowboarder from the Arcon Winter Olympics. Stay tuned and we will have some awesome interviews for you tomorrow!"

* Flow State plays as the opening act for the broadcast *

by **Kannap** » Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:20 pm

Kannapian News Network

Looking Towards the Winter Olympics and Remembering the Summer Games

At the last Summer Games, the nation of Kannap took a dark turn. The world watched as Kannap faced terrorist attacks and the harsh treatment of riots. The world watched as the nation was forced to ground all air traffic, close borders to people entering or exiting the nation, declare a nationwide state of emergency, and declare a nationwide curfew. The Brianna Powell Tennis Stadium had been destroyed in a terrorist bombing and the Vice Premier of the nation was killed by the terrorist organization KAOS, Kannapian Anti-Olympics Society.

Now, we look past that and look forward to the upcoming winter games, hosted by Electrum, one of the co-hosts of the previous summer games. The government of Electrum was worked with closely by the Kannapian government during the last Olympics to make sure that the Games were protected from KAOS and to ensure that Kannapian citizens and international citizens would be safe in both nations. In the end, the Olympics were not disrupted by KAOS. However, citizens of Kannap begin to wonder if it was right for the nation to send a delegation to these winter games. They wonder if KAOS remains a threat.

Premier Jeremy Andersson made a formal statement earlier today: "Citizens of Kannap, of Electrum, of the world, I assure you all that KAOS is not a threat to these Olympic games. The Kannapian military has been consistently attacking KAOS bases in the nation since the last Olympics. As of right now, the borders will be intended to remain open, there will be no curfew put into place, and air space will remain open. Kannapian citizens will be pleased to hear that flights will be offered between Electrum and Kannap for the duration of the Games to ensure that Kannapians can support our athletes during their competitions. Even I, the leader of this great nation, will be taking a flight to Electrum in time to be in attendance for the opening ceremony. I want you to know that all is well and KAOS will not pose a threat."

Brianna and Samantha Powell to Attend Games

Silver medalists Brianna and Samantha Powell will be attending the Games to support their fellow Olympic athletes. They will be spectating the winter events and will look forward to the next Summer games. The two have recently returned from their honeymoon after getting married in Electrum after winning their silver metal at the previous Summer games. The two will be attending the sporting events in Electrum over the next few weeks with their adopted daughter, Emma Powell, age 10.

Other Headlines
KAOS Not a Threat, Kannapian Government Ensures
"KAOS" Threats Traced Back to Prank Call by Kannapian Teenagers; Three Arrested
Military Presence in Kannapolis Increased; Public Warned to be Vigilant
Troops Raid KAOS Base; 17 Killed, 5 Arrested

by **The Orion Islands** » Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:10 pm

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the 11th Winter Games right here on the Orionite Broadcasting Company network with our radio partners at the Voice of the Orion Islands to help on the radio front. We will cover every event although we only sent our hockey team
Amy, the Islands have never competed in international sport before. This is our chance to gain new friends and show the world who we are
Mike, there has been some controversy about our flag. Our eagle is holding a sword. Violent connections like that could get us blocked from using our flag to compete under.
Over 100,000 Orionites are here today. The National Assembly has adjourned until the games are over. The staff of our government working during the games is the minimum. Union City, Orionville, and Evans shut down for the Games. 175,000 more people are on their way. Our competition is just rearing our coverage, making their own, or just off the air. No less than 17 networks are live at the park. Behind me is a crowd shouting things like "ORION! ORION!", "Unity!", and other slogans that are directed at rivals. These are unfit for the OBC and the VOI.

by **Kaboomlandia** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 8:38 am

Your Kaboomlandian Olympic Preview

Welcome to Electrum, host of the XI Winter Olympics. Kaboomlandia is sending its first-ever delegation to the Winter Games, and we will be providing your coverage throughout the Games.

Bobsleigh

The two-man men's bobsleigh is decent, but the real talent is in the four-man event, where Simon Schist, Connor Jensen, Bo Montgomery, and Jon Harris will look to bring home gold. The women's two-man is not expected to put up a great time. All of these athletes competed at the first Iced Runnings event, where none of them won a medal.

Skeleton

The Kaboomlandians sent only one athlete in Skeleton, yet if you had to pick anyone from Kaboomlandia to bring home gold, it would be Alexander Skarsgren. He won a bronze medal at the Iced Runnings and is one of the top medal threats at the Games. The big storyline on Skarsgren? He's from the Kaboomlandian Foreign Territory, proving that the Territory can produce top-tier athletes as well as anyone.

Curling

Curling is not a huge sport in Kaboomlandia as a whole, but is popular in the mountain resort city of Valtiny, and the entire team hails from there. Neither the men's or women's sides are considered to be contenders to bring home gold, but they have a knack for the game.

Hockey

This will be the main event for many Kaboomlandians watching at home, as the Phoenix could be considered an emerging hockey nation on the world stage. The men's team made the playoffs for the first time in three tries at the World Cup of Hockey in January, and the entire team returns.

The women's side, by contrast, is made up of college players and not expected to medal. The game is growing in the Territory, though.

Luge

Kaboomlandia has four competitors in luge, with none expected to medal. Luge is outclassed in Kaboomlandia by the far more popular skeleton and bobsleigh, and the team has a tough time getting track time. The team is entered in the Luge Team trophy, so we'll see how that goes.

Figure Skating

Kaboomlandia has two medal hopes in this event. The first is Patrick Lian, the best men's singles skater in the nation. THe other is in the pairs event, where both pairs are quite good and have competed nationally and won.

That's all for now. Until the opening ceremonies!

by **Rhodesialund** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 9:40 am

Biathlon

Mojhur Rojhir sat in a waiting room with his fellow countrymen. His cheetah-like features examining the room. Then looking at one of them and saying, "Jeeze, what's the deal with the strict security around our rifles?"

Fredrick shrugged and responded in a nonchalant attitude, "Foreign nations and whatnot. Some just aren't so lenient around firearms like ours. All we do is have the officials inspect the rifle, making sure it's up to snuff, and off we go at home."

"Yeah, but here? I don't trust security. I'm afraid they might drop or ding the rifle, especially since it was just zero'd in."

Fred then changed the topic, "Anyways, you new to the sport?"

"Not really, I skied for a while, took up Biathlon when I heard about it at first. Guns and skiing, two of my favorite hobbies," chuckled Mojhur before adding in, "Well, just behind collecting of course."

"Ah, same here. I'm not as good at it though, unlike you. Regardless, let's get going."

by **Kannap** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:59 pm

Kannapian News Network

KAOS Issues Threat to All Kannapian Athletes Competing

Earlier today, the Kannapian Anti-Olympics Society broadcast their formal threat to all Kannapian athletes competing at these Olympics. The entire nation watched as the broadcast interrupted the regular news, causing rumors of the organization having powerful technology to strike fear into the hearts of some Kannapians.

The threat was broadcast shortly after noon today, and the spokeswoman read, "Dear citizens of Kannap, I am speaking to you on behalf of the Kannapian Anti-Olympics Society, which the government labels as KAOS. I am speaking to you to assure you that the government has not gotten rid of us and that we are stronger than ever before. We are prepared to wreak more havoc during these Olympics than the previous ones and we promise that we will not stop until the Premier announces that Kannap will not be submitting a delegation to the next Olympic games. We will kill every last Kannapian athlete at these Olympic games if we must. We already have agents in Electrum, waiting and waiting to kill Kannapian athletes and given specific orders to only kill Kannapian athletes, not foreign athletes.

We promise, for sure, that we will kill Natasha Fields, Bethany McClanton, Natalie McClanton, Samantha Crooks, Bradley Moore, Daniel Collins, Briana Victory, and the rest of the Kannapian delegation for these Olympics. We also promise to kill Brianna and Samantha Powell, Summer Olympic athletes spectating the games. We also promise to kill Vice Premier Logan Andersson, which we have the capability to do after we proved so by killing First Minister Brett Andersson during the last Olympics. Watch out Kannap, we are here and we won't be quiet until we are finished."

Premier Arrives in Electrum

Premier Jeremy Andersson arrived in Electrum today with his husband, Vice Premier Logan Andersson. The two are looking forward to attending the Opening Ceremony and attending the duration of the Olympic events. Premier Andersson has brought personal bodyguards despite believing that the threats brought forth by KAOS are nothing more than empty words. Premier Andersson continues to assure the Kannapian people that they are safe and the nation is safe during these games.

Upon hearing the official threats by KAOS, he made a speech from his hotel room to the Kannapian people: "Dear fellow citizens of the great nation of Kannap, it displeases me to hear that the terrorist organization known as KAOS is once again making empty threats to deliver fear into your minds. They are a weak organization and are relying on their most powerful weapon: Fear. With fear, they hope to tear us apart, they hope to divide our nation and our people. We must not allow them to have that victory. I assure you all that KAOS has no power to fulfill their broken promises. They will not be assassinating my husband, they will not be killing the Powells, and they will not be harming any other athletes here in Electrum. I speak to you from Electrum myself and am certain that the government of this fine nation will swiftly handle any evidence of threats being fulfilled and stop them before they occur. As for in Kannap, life will continue as normal. Life will go on. We will not have to suffer through tragedy after tragedy like the last games, we will not be closing the borders, we will not be halting air traffic, we will not be declaring a state of emergency, we will not be setting a nationwide curfew. We will continue life as normal through these games because KAOS can do nothing to prevent us from doing so. Glory to Kannap."

Other Headlines
Kannapian Government Continues to Ensure KAOS Is Not A Threat
Brianna Powell Speaks About KAOS From Athlete's Viewpoint
Military Presence in Bergsstad Decreased, KAOS Not a Threat to the City
Students Across Kannap Create Video Supporting Olympic Athletes

by **Electrum** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:36 pm

Prescott, Electrum Information

Prescott
After the logistical success of the Games of the X Olympiad held in Electrum's capital city of Centralis, the Electrum Olympic Committee has decided to make a bid for the XI Winter Olympics, in Electrum's second largest city, Prescott. Founded by settlers who braved the wintry and cold weather of the foothills of the Wilderness Mountain Ranges, Prescott is a cosmopolitan city nestled in the mountains. The town's namesake is Jess Prescott, the first female settler to form her own town out in the Electrum north. Prescott chose the location for its proximity to the redwood forests which surround the city, making for an excellent source of building material (shelter) and heat.

Modern Prescott has a very large and active night scene, with bars and taverns being the most popular in the Blue District, with alcohol being produced in the vineyards to the south of Prescott, taking advantage of the high altitudes and fertile soil. The large mountains are where the tourists go and spend their time at Prescott, with the main ski towns actually a further 80-90km north/north-west of the main city, close to the Great Lake. The main form of transportation between these towns and Prescott are through buses or private automobiles, as the weather is not conducive to other kinds of public transportation. The road network is fairly good, however 'shortcuts' to the ski towns are unsealed and rocky.

The two ski towns are Mt. Buckley to the West, and Marley's Timberline Ski Resort to the East. The Timeberline Resort will have its own athletes village for the two ski towns, and there will be shuttle buses between them.

Venues
Central Prescott
Northcote Oval: Following improvement works, Northcote Oval will be entirely demolished, and rebuilt again, from a thirty thousand seater to a seventy-five thousand seater chock filled with corporate boxes, Northcote Oval will play host to the Opening and Closing ceremonies.
Ice Sheets at Whitecliff: Curling arena, contains many sheets for group stage play.
Landry's Arena: Ice Hockey arena, with preliminary matches at the nearby National Electrum University - Prescott campus.
The Ice Palace: Short track speed skating, figure skating
Prescott SkateDome: Speed skating
Other venues: Athletes village, media centre

Ski towns
Mt. Buckley
Mt. Buckley Sliding Centre: Luge, skeleton and bobsleigh
Mt. Buckley National Park: Biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined (skiing component)
Etienne Jumping Centre: Ski jumping, Nordic combined (ski jump component)

Marley's Timberline Ski Resort
XPark: Snowboarding, Freestyle skiing
Marley's Park: Alpine skiing
Other venues: Athletes village (Timberline Lodges)

Electrum

The currency is the Synergy, a card based currency which is entirely digitalised. For those seeking to use the normal paper money, Universal Standard Dollars could be used instead, but it is recommended to get these cards which is very easily stolen but also very convenient to use. The central computing system that handles the Synergy is managed by the Reserve Bank of Electrum, the national bank of Electrum.

In general, the laws of Electrum are generally relaxed, with restrictions on the most serious of crimes as well as bans on smoking in certain areas and banning of 'hard' drugs only. Electrum is also an anti-gun nation so all guns will need to be given up at the border -- lest they face criminal imprisonment in Electrum, but special exemptions apply for these Olympics (though there will be stringent checks and inepections). Nations will fly into Electrum by AirElectrum planes or otherwise to Prescott Airport. All those holding Olympic tickets, Rushmori passport holders can get expedited Visa clearance at Prescott.

Accommodation will be provided free of charge at the Athletes' Village with buses and high security staff shuttling people to and from their venues. All of the facilities are new and are in close proximity to the village. Staff will be on call 24 hours a day to cater to whatever your delegation wants. Dignitaries, official staff, umpires, etc. can choose to stay in the Athletes' Village or stay in the Prescott Shard, a five star hotel booked for the exclusive use of the Olympics for the duration of these Games.

All athletes and accredited staff will have reduced fares on the trains service between the capital, Centralis and Prescott. For transportation between venues, there will be shuttle buses between the resort towns and Prescott, departing every five minutes to twenty minutes depending on the hour. The bus fare is subsidised for athletes.

by **Astyrian Olympics Delegation** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 3:21 am

Harold Lavalle walked back to his seat slowly from the lavatory, observing the dozens of athletes that filled the seats of the chartered aircraft, a Genesis built GA9 Morai. They were some of the best that the whole region of Astyria offered.

Of course, not all of the Astyrian delegation could fit on the one plane. Three other jetliners followed in the airspace between Astyria and Electrum, filled with more athletes, coaches, management, and various attending officials. They had taken off from various parts across the region, and many of the athletes of the Astyrian Unified Team would not meet for the first time until they arrived in Electrum. One had taken off from Telora, Aquitayne, another from Paradise City, Blackhelm Confederacy, and yet another from Carigrad, Nikolia, while their particular jet had lifted off from Burgunden, Neu Engollon. Lavalle was the highest ranking of his colleagues on the Astyrian Olympics Committee on board what had been deemed Group 3, of which, he was the leader. He had been appointed as part of Gaul's contribution to the organization, taking his experience as a Deputy Minister of Terre des Gaules' Ministry of Athletics and expanding the boundaries of those duties. So far, beyond academic curiosity, it wasn't much different from his regular daily duties other than being able to get out of the office for an extended period.

The atmosphere was one mostly like what a group of young people on a school outing would act like. He had two teenagers at home in Paritte, so he knew from such chaperoning experiences. The multi-cultural flavor that permeated the group was enjoyable, but some of the other undercurrents of anxiety, not usually manifested in the youth, was most certainly not appreciated. Overall though, the mood had stayed jovial. The Rombergians had broken out into some traditional martial song that paid tribute to the Fatherland, and the Nikolians had responded with their own traditional folk songs. In turn, the Neu Engollians had belted out a favorite pub song and the Gauls had in turn, sloppily sung a pop song from Cherise Étoile, the vapid pop diva currently topping the Mederano charts.

What piqued Harold’s curiosity most beyond all that was Lucius Brewer from the Red River Free State that sat in the back row, mostly keeping to himself. The lad wasn't unfriendly, but hyper aware that he was a Caucasian that came from a pariah land with strict racial purity laws, known as Seorsus, and was unconsciously ostracized because of that.
Lavalle had struck up a brief conversation with him in English, and was mildly surprised that while young Lucius spoke with a typical white Hesperidesian accent, his thoughts were sprinkled by Neu Engollian colloquialisms. Even bits of the Frandit language popped up here and there in his speech, which was a common Neu Engollian thing to pepper English with Frandit slang and phrases. It made sense. There weren't any proper areas on his home tropical continent to train, so he had spent a great deal of time in the small, neutral Alpine nation that bordered Gaul to train and school. No one seem to be overly hostile to the lad, which was good, but Lavalle couldn’t figure out if that was because they weren’t conscious of his origins, even though everyone had been formally introduced, or that they just didn’t care.

There weren’t any Yellosians on board, thankfully, and that was a can of worms he didn’t envy his colleagues in having to deal with. Most likely they had all been packed onto the flight out of Telora, officially designated Group 1. The denizens of the pariah state of the Yellow Star Republic might not be fervent believers in the politics of their government, but the connotations of even coming from that corner of the region were immense. The hardline Socialist state had started a war and invaded two nations, attacking a third, and caused the deaths of thousands of civilians in those nations, not to mention military personnel of the Astyrian nations that had joined the coalition against the Yellow Star Republic bent on restoring peace and order. The Yellosians had lost the war and were now coming to terms with that. Their inclusion onto the Delegation had been a last minute thing assented to by the upper Athletics Ministers of the nations that made up the Astyrian Delegation. Very political, of course, It was believed that if Astyria isolated the YSR in every aspect, it would only contribute to a bitterness within the rogue state that would haunt them all later, much like the rise of Nazi Germany, reeling after the harsh Treaty of Versailles.

Harold didn’t really need to worry about such things with this group, but he did have to worry about shenanigans. He was glad they had banned any alcohol on the flight, especially when it came to the Neu Engollians, who could be unpredictable, even when sober. Lavalle smiled and waved to the athletes who acknowledged him, then sat back down to buckle in. Soon, they would be preparing to land. Then they would be joining up with the other groups from the Astyrian Delegation in Prescott, Electrum, and getting ready to march in the Opening Ceremonies. Some would have an early bedtime in order to prepare to compete the next morning, while others had the luxury to unwind a bit, revel and mingle with the other International athletes in the Village. Lavalle looked forward to bed, but was unfortunately going to need to make sure that all his group were accounted for and comfortable before he himself could settle in. Such were the trials of one in his position.

by **Alphatheta** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 5:55 am

NOVOSTI ATLETICO Live dall'Estero

Back to International News Home || Back to Sports Home || Domestic Sports || International Sports || Hockey Central || Curling Central || Olympics Central || Search

Truly International Again

Athletes to Track
Artur Duerr -- Men's Curling (Lead)
Þýri Caito -- Women's Curling (Lead)
Şehrazat Brož -- Women's Ice Hockey (D)
Yuliy Bach -- Men's Short Track Speed Skating (1000 m)
Leonardo Winter -- Men's Speed Skating (500 m)
Katalin Czinege -- Women's Speed Skating (Team Pursuit)
Luka Böhme -- Men's Ski Jumping (Normal Hill)
Events to Track
Ice Hockey -- Men's
Ice Hockey -- Women's
Curling -- Men's
Curling -- Women's
Short Track Speed Skating -- Men's
Speed Skating -- Women's
Nordic Combined -- Women's
Ski Jumping -- Men's

Prescott, ETM MSK+7 7:34pm - Fans have been pleased, this year, to see the uptick of international sports participation sparked by the national hockey team's invitation to the Novaya Zemlya Elite League. As ever, hockey has led the nation on to other heights, and compelled continued participation despite the occasional stumble. Crown among the last year's international achievements, of course, was the People's Republic making its first Olympic and embracing the highest form of international competition.

It's been a long road since the Games of the X Olympiad, where athletes from the patria were able to catch a glorious 18 medal finishes over the course of the competition. Today, the last batch of the delegation are properly shipping off--once again to Electrum, but this time for the XI Winter Olympics.

"It's definitely going to be a different beast," reported Pasha Geiszler of Zenit Wytropolis, who will be representing Alphatheta in men's ice hockey. "There's a lot more on the line, I think, coming from an Arctic nation and going to the winter games. This sort of thing-- this is what our kids do. So it'll feel more personal to lose here than it felt, say-- watching Alphathetans lose in water polo over the summer. That didn't sting so bad. This... this is just going to be a different thing."

The sentiment seems to pervade the delegation, although most have been quick to disavow any feelings of nerves. "This is what we do," Kateryna Vãduva, the national Women's Curling skip, explained. "Win or lose, this is what we do. We live these sports. Sure, now we're living them with the whole world watching, but that's fine. We just have to keep living as best as we can."

While the eyes of the world will be on the competition generally, the eyes of the patria will certainly be largely on the ice hockey and curling teams, two of the more hotly contended tickets this year. "It's going to be tight," mused Patrycja Musil of Vershina Wytropolis, the women's ice hockey representatives at these games. "Oisinistan is here, which will definitely be rough for the men, and Gregoryisgodistan and the Holy FSM Empire. And for us, we've had our eyes on Cosumar and Kaboomlandia. Of course, Novaya Zemlya is here, which is it's own whole thing for regional confidence--and because the Tor's are doing pretty well in the NZEL right now. Have to keep face there. And in curling-- honestly, I've heard Electrum, Kannap and Eastfield Lodge really crush it with the broom. So it'll be tight. But that's why we're here."

NZEL S26 || Antipha United 1–0 Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk || Partizan Belushya Guba 2–1 New Oksfjord Dons || Unitia City Wanderers 4–1 Lokomotiv Neznaemy || Stolitsa Arktiki 2–2 Metallurg Matochkingrad

by **Zillmerilic** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 8:07 am

Zillmerilic News Weekly

Ready for the Games

As the winter rolls on, Zillmerilic prepares to, finally, root on its nation in the Olympics. The games are scheduled to start very soon and it couldn't come soon enough. Many of the athletes have been practicing and preparing in Electrum, desperate for the games to begin. Zillmerilic has quite a few participants, and particular interest will be in the speed skating. As unlikely as it seem though, the snowball fight has grabbed the attention of many Merilics, probably due to our frequented county competition in Zillmerilic City. We have a team of some of the very best and they are eager to start...

"I just can't wait for the games to begin. These other teams don't realize that we have been practicing for this our entire lives." the team captain stated during a press meeting.

The teams have been ready and cannot wait to start the games. The opening ceremonies will be held soon and within 24 hours, these XI Winter Olympic games will be underway and the athletes of Zillmerilic will once again compete for the pride of our nation! Here are the events you should watch out for:

BIATHLON
SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING
SPEED SKATING
SKI JUMPING
BANDY
SNOWBALL FIGHTING (YUKIGASSEN)

by **Ficiscia** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 8:57 am

FNSN.fc Olympic Coverage: Vatinius claims 20 medals

At today's press conference, CSF Chef de Mission Christos Vatinius presented the athletes selected to represent the black and green in Prescott at the XI Olympic Winter Games and announced the team's goals for the games. He caused some debate with his announced goal of twenty medals, at least five to seven of them golden. This is 25% more than in the summer games, which seems reasonable given that Ficiscia is traditionally more of a winter sports nation (there's a common saying among outdoor sportsmen and footballers of the nation that every sport becomes a winter sport if played in Ficiscia), but as those are our first winter games, some commentators claimed the goal to be too high. Others, however, said that Vatinius was being pessimistic and at least 25, if not 30 medals were in the realm of possibility for Ficiscia. We meanwhile decided to leave that rather useless controversy behind us and take a look at who could bring those 20 medals home.

The first sport that caught our eyes was alpine skiing, where Ragnarr Eirikssenn and Valerius Agricola showed a very convincing race at the Ficiscian Championships (serving also as Olympic trials) in downhill, taking 1.02 seconds off the bronze and almost 4 tenths of a second off the existing record on the difficult Vallicia downhill, which is said to be similar to the Olympic downhill and Super-G, also won by Eirikssenn in the Ficiscian Championships. Jon Asgerssenn will compete in the giant slalom and may not be strong enough to be counted as a title favourite, even it's not out of his reach, but surely going to be in the race for a medal. We predict a complete medal set from the men, even though they well could and might need to get an additional silver or bronze to be able to make Vatinius's 20.
The women's team gets led by flag carrier Elena Vallira, but there is little hope apart from her and the young downhill specialist Patricia Morena. Both of them have the skills for a gold medal in the fastest discipline of Olympic skiing, and Vallira is generally seen as even stronger in Super-G. Like the men, not much can be expected in the technical disciplines. Janna Nera in Giant Slalom and Super Combined and Najna Sivins in Slalom do have the skills for a medal, but they'd both need to show their best effort to make it to the podium. Prediction Alpine Skiing: 2-3-3

Next are the two team sports on ice, hockey and curling. Both are sports in which Ficiscia is expected to do well. In hockey, the men's team made the KO round in their first international attempt at the World Cup of Hockey, failing to beat a strong Quebecois host team in the round of 16. Kyrillos Muratus and Septimius Maiori have announced the quarterfinals as their goal but struggled in the recent test games. However, team stars like Marcantor and Vero have not played in those games as the coaches wanted to give their borderliners a chance to prove themselves. The women's team is reported to do well in two test games against an all-star team of not selected league players but has no international experience. It may be a bit of a stretch to expect a medal from the hockey teams, but they may surprise.
Curling, however, is a sport where we openly expect at least one medal. The men from Urbaltum and the Terranova ladies played very convincing trials and both teams played in this formation for many years, making them a strong force. We think that it wouldn't be overly optimistic to expect a title from one of them, and medals from both. Prediction hockey and curling: 1-0-1

The sport with the most medal hopes for Ficiscia is snowboarding. The delegation's poster boy and (female) Ficiscia's darling, the 17 year old Norja Joka Petterssenn competes in slopestyle, where he is already considered part of the international elite, and halfpipe, where he is only second to Gunarr Felsberr in the national ranking. The two delivered a thrilling duel in the buildup to the Olympics, with Petterssenn winning the provincial championships and becoming the first Ficiscian to stand a Yolo Flip, only to be countered by Felsberr at the National Championships and Trials with the same trick. In alpine disciplines the team isn't really worth mentioning, while the boardercross squad at least features Cuius Narskins, an Insolani with the skill to win a medal on a good day, but generally seen as an outsider.
The women have their strength in freestyle as well, the main hopes being Kristan Olassenn in the halfpipe, known as an accomplished boarder and the girlfriend of national team hockey defender Harall Berjaman, and her good friend and rival Elin Sjoedberr. In slopestyle Anna Nydlänn and pioneer Valeria Cara are the nation's hottest chances at a medal, even though Linna Harallssenn proved at the trials that she can beat Cara on a good day. The slopestyle team is completed by the delegation's youngest member, 16 year old Nille Viranen. The situation in other disciplines is similar to men's, with Anna Draconis taking the place of Narskins as the hopeful outsider. Snowboard Prediction: 2-3-1

Ski freestyle provides us with another great story of these games, as a pair of brothers will be competing against each other in the men's ski cross, Quintius and Orestus Uliani, while Orestus's twin sister Sara will take part in the women's halfpipe and slopestyle competitions. Quintius is the Uliani family's best shot at Olympic honours, but his brother is capable of winning a medal as well. For Sara, these Olympics may come a little too early as she recovered from injury this season. Apart from the Ulianis, the chances at a title in skiing are not that high, the best shot being Alexandros Nautius in the halfpipe and David Iacatus in slopestyle. In the "traditional" disciplines of Aerials and Moguls, only three athletes will take part, none of them with medal chances.
The ladies seem to be building up a team for future games, with the team leader in slopestyle being the slightly surprising national champion Kyra Vestera (19) and their biggest medal hope the skicrosser Jonna Sjoedrsted (22). Their chances at a title are not very high, but several of them may win a medal if things go in their favour. Interesting duels are expected in skicross between Sjoedrsted and the nine years older Decimia Kyrilli, nicknamed the Grande Dame of Ficiscian Skicross. Freestyle Skiing Prediction: 0-1-2

Tomorrow, we will look at the chances on ice and in the Nordic disciplines as well as biathlon. These are no core sports in Ficiscia, but in some of them, good athletes will want to take their chances at Olympic fame.

by **Wray** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 11:17 am

Rueff 'furious' at Olympic Exclusion

~CRYSTAL SPRINGS, ET

Amber Rueff, Wray's number 1 ranked slalom and downhill skier, has described her fury at her exclusion from Wray's delegation for the 9th Winter Olympics, schedulued to begin in Prescott, Electrum, in two weeks.

Rueff, national champion at the Women's Slalom and Top 10 ranked for Women's Downhill, had widely been expected to appear in the delegation, and potentially even lead it, as one of Wray's most talented winter sportswomen. But instead, her place in the Women's Slalom was awarded to 23 year old Jo Kennedy-Campbell, from Easter Lake, South-Eastern Territories.

Kennedy-Campbell had performed well on the national circuit, being one of the four athletes, along with Rueff, who acquired the qualifying standard time. Technically, there is no precedent for whom the WOA should select beyond this, although invariably it is the athlete who records the fastest time over the season who gets the Olympic placement. So far, this has been Rueff.

So it is understandable that there was significant surprise when the squad was released, only to not feature Reuff.

In an interview with the Herald at her home in the Brusseau Cliffs suburb of Crystal Springs, Rueff was in a bullish mood, accusing the WOC and WSA (Wray Skiing Association) of 'making a mockery of the selection process'. She had been expected to appear in the Green-and-White at Prescott, and had even travelled to Electrum with her team (EsceliaAlpine) as part of a pre-Olympic training expedition. She expressed her sincere anger at not being selected, stating 'this goes beyond disappointment [...] this is lunacy'.

Indeed, to the average viewer, leaving Rueff out of the delegation does seem strange. She has dominated the slalom in Wray for the majority of her 8-year career. Now 31, Rueff has acquired 4 Slalom Gold Medals, achieved by scoring the most points in the 8-stage Wray Winter Sports season. In the current WWS season, which is bisected by the Games, she sits second in the standings, behind Naomi Lilleker of Blue Sky Sports, largely attributed to a stumble in the 2nd Stage at Clearwater back in February.

Rueff had been clocking strong times all year, Olympic-qualification times, and subsequently her exclusion from the squad drew confusion from the athlete herself, her team and pundits alike. The COO of EsceliaAlpine, Jessica Miller, spoke to the Herald, saying 'it is very strange to find that such a fantastic athlete has been excluded from Wray's squad. [It] surely could only benefit Wray to have [Amber] involved'.

But the WOA and WSA have remained remarkably tight-lipped on the situation. The Herald approached both, but were both rebuffed with officious white-noise. 'We stand by the decisions of our selectors' was the curt reply from the WOA Press Department. Theories abound as to why Rueff was not selected, ranging from rumours of a falling out with WOA staff to disputes over pay and renumeration. Either way, Rueff will not appear at the IX Olympics, at least not in an official capacity. There will be - as if there wasn't enough - added pressure on young Kennedy-Campbell to succeed after replacing Rueff.

by **Ethane** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 6:39 pm

Olympics Preview SPECIAL!!!
Top Sports and Athletes to Watch - Part 1

With the Opening Ceremony of the XI Winter Olympics fast approaching, which is expected to bring great excitement to all spectators, and prove a spectacular event, ENTV Sports has commissioned a special edition of their weekly magazine, to give all you fans at home an outline of these Olympics, and the events to watch out for on the TV.

Introduction
- Editor In Chief: Gerry Fulbridge

It is that time again. 4 years have rolled by, unnoticed. The nation has had many successes on the international sporting stage, including a strong showing at the summer Olympics, which seemed such a short time ago. Athletes have retired, new athletes have replaced them, and the socio-political landscape of the country has also changed drastically. These changes all have had great effect on the nation. But the winter Olympics are where it is all at. With remarkable feats of physical strength and ability to perform under pressure, this athletes go under strenuous training throughout their lives, to get where they are today, doing what many people can only dream of doing. I know this is a special time for the nation. These Olympic Games mean so much to every single person in Ethane, and it is my job to keep you informed of the going ons in Electrum, where our athletes are currently waiting, ready to participate for the top medals, and the top standings in this competition. In this short booklet, I will be going over key events for you to keep an eye on, through ENTV Sports on your TV, which will be our strongest events, and the ones we are most likely to get a medal in. I do hope you enjoy this Olympic Preview Special, and I wish you and our athletes the best.

Biathlon

Men's 15km Mass Start
While this may not exactly be a stand out sport for the nation, some of the athletes that are involved in this are worthy to take a look at, as some of them are very viable candidates for the medal positions in their respective sport. Herbert Avery is a key competitor to look at for our nation. He has a strong stroke in his skiing, and is good on endurance. Coming from the mountains, he has had plenty of experience training up for this, and he will be hoping to get an Olympic medal for his nation in Ethane's first Winter Olympics. He is 1 of 3 competitors for Ethane in this particular discipline, but Herbert is by far the most skilled and trained Ethanian competitor in this event.
Day 12- Keep an eye on updates for TV times, a guide for the day will be released closer to the date.

Women's 15 km Individual
Yet again only 1 of the 3 Ethanian competitors looks in for a medal opportunity in this discipline. With high skill from all nations overall in the Olympics, many Ethanian participants are going to be in with a hard time remaining competitive, as other nations may have better candidates. However, Kayly Westbrook is a strong participant in this discipline, and will be looking to make inroads into the medal positions, possibly pushing to get that golden medal she most desires, trying to get the Ethanian medal tally up quickly. With a strong, fiery determination to get things done, she is not one to give up easy, and is expected to fight right to the end of the biathlon.
Will be competing on Day 8, keep an eye out for latest TV guide soon.

Women's 4x6 km Relay
A fresh set of faces from the other competitions, these athletes are expected to be top class when it comes to staying in the competition. Esmaralda Marsden,Ethel Abney,Anjelica Massey,Meridith Wilkinson will all be competing in the 4x6km rally around Electrum. It is hoped a strong performance here can boost the medal tally, helping our position on the medal standings.
Day 14- Look out for TV Guide closer to the time.

Mixed Relay 2x6 km+2x7.5 km
Another strong relay team who are medal hopefuls for Ethane. Having impressed at national and regional level in the nation, this group will be racing it out against the best of the best to try to claim a much deserved medal. Lacey Read, Maurice Paternoster, Caris Rennoll, Sloan Quick are the athletes that will be taking part.
Day 16- Last Day, TV Guide will be released closer to the date.

by **Felibriga** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:44 pm

For the first time ever, a sports delegation from Felibriga is making its debut at the international arena, where they expect to make a great impression and even winning a couple of medals. A small country in the East Pacific region, The Commonwealth of Felibriga recently decided to enter the world stage of the sports, and what a better way to do it, that showcasing their best athletes at this year Winter Olympics in Prescott, Electrum.

Arriving three days ago, the Felibrigan athletes are thrilled to represent their country in the premier competition. Despite their lack of competition experience, the 25 men and 25 women selected by Felibriga's Sports Committee have all the support of their fans back home, as well as that of their trainers, some of which were hired from other nations with more tradition and infrastructure in winter disciplines. Lack of funding has not been a problem so far, since one of Felibriga's goal in participating in this edition is to gain as much recognition and experience as they can, so its sports program can continue to grow.

"It's been five years since the Felibrigan government decided that the country shall try its luck in international competitions;" says Milos Tortosa, who is serving as the Head of Delegation "We invited some of the world's best coaches to advise us on how to develop a fair and decent sports program; it was difficult at first, but they discovered a group of youths who turned to have enough talent and compromise to develop a solid career".

"I was only 10 years old when I started to skate in the only ice rink in my city" recalls Pantxika Madero, the athlete selected to be the nation's first flagbearer. "It wasn't until three years later that I read about a scouting camp in the country's capital and decided to try my luck. I was surprised when not one but two coaches selected me to be one of the first people to represent my country, and here I am some years later, excited to be heading my teammates in the Opening Ceremony."

"For a boy from the countryside it is a dream to be in the Olympics" tell us snowboarder Rostans Jura. "Me and my brother are fortunate enough to live near the only mountain range where there's enough snow to practice snowboard. I'm honest to myself when I tell you I won't be pushing for a podium this time around, but I'll put my best and try to pick some experience and tricks from the best athletes in the World"

"So far, we've only had a few head to head competitions with other countries in our region," says the star of the Team, 20 year old Amaldric Palacios, also a short track skater "but so far my coach is happy with my results. Right now I've improved the national record a dozen times and bettered my region's another six times among my events. My personnal goal is to medal in each event I participate, but it will be very special if me and the rest of the boys in the Relay can go after the World Record".

Indeed, skaters (especially those in short track) are Felibriga's biggest hope to demonstrate the tremendous growth they've experienced in such a short period. As Palacios stated, they've been engaging in competition with more experienced nations and so far, the results have been more than promising. As speed skater Martis Portocarrero (competing in the distances ranging from 500 to 1500m) puts it "It is a more privilege; it is our duty to respond to the great effort that each of us has put into its preparation, as well as those from our families, coaches and those who have supported us all this time"

"It is not only that we have been supported by our physical conditions and speed abilities", says Talia Echave, the youngest in the country's skating roster. "The been training very hard and giving the maximum over the past 4 or 5 years, and our trainers are very experienced. We don't fear to compete against people from other regions, we're hoping to show them how much we can do." Despite her youth Echave is seen as a darkhorse in all three events she's competing by herself, also having broken several records in the region.

Besides this promising youths, the rest of the short track skaters have developed a friendly rivalry, often bettering each others records. In fact, this is the only discipline in which Felibriga is sending the cream of the crop and hopes to succeed in it. On the other hand, athletes in the skiing and sliding events are in Prescott to do their best, most of them being under the age of 24 and recently new to their respective sports.

There's no doubt we will be hearing some headlines from this young and expecting delegation as the Games start in the next few hours. For now we could only wish them the best and see them in action.

by **OIsINiSTAn** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 11:54 pm

Oisinistan is showing great interest in the Winter Olympics. A new competition for the Oisinistanis, some might say it's a bridge too far to ski in summer, but many Oisinistanis are very excited for the chance to see some of our very own athletes show off on TV!

Oisinistan's main hopes are said to be:

-Men's ice-hockey team
-Colin Akermann (Ski Jumping)
-Clay Alton (Biathlon)
-Cian Doneely (Alpine Skiing)

Stay tuned for more info!

by **Izmedu** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 11:56 pm

THE VODIZNAD CHRONICLE

XI Winter Olympics Blog
The Olympic Primer: It's a New Day, with New Rules
Written by Iliyena Ivanovic

VODIZNAD – It's a new Olympic season, another set of days where Izmedu's brightest, strongest, and all around best Olympians set off into the multiverse and perform under the Izmeduan banner. This isn't the first Olympic games that the nation has performed in, we saw our Olympic debut just recently back in the X Summer Olympics, performing impressively with a small delegation. Not only was it a rousing success for our athletes, but the Summer Olympics hosted by Electrum and New Gelderland also helped to bolster morale and culture back home in Vodiznad. As each medal was doled out to an Izmeduan athlete, after each repetition of the Izmeduan national anthem, it served to prove that we were more than just a mere small country in a map, appearing only in select international events (most prominently, the WorldVision Song Contest).

With the Olympic experiment a resounding success in athleticism and also in the wider Izmeduan consciousness, with TV broadcasts of the Summer Olympics giving a great boost to RTI's sagging Christmas TV ratings as well as companies ringing out endorsements by the hour as names such as Suzana Kosar, the Antics from the Men's Basketball team, and many other medalists became famous overnight, propelling themselves into the world of celebrities, a sphere that Izmeduan thought was only occupied by players in our bloated entertainment and music industry. Actors that were once dominant in conversation, and musicians that could command large audiences now find that athletes were sparking a new inspiration, a new audience that broke away from Izmeduan tradition. Before the XI Olympic Games proper, there was already change in the Izmeduan cultural fabric. It couldn't be denied, if from the endorsement deals, the faces of Ivan Antic on the TV screen as well as the rise of a proper, if still amateur Basketball league in Izmedu, the love affair with the Olympics has only gotten started.

Contrary to most people's predictions, the fervor for the Olympics did not end as the last Izmeduan exited from New Gelderland soil. Despite the committee contract only being stipulated that way, with official documents from the Izmeduan Olympic Committee that revealed the fast-paced nature of Izmedu's sudden involvement with the Olympics. It seems obvious now and even back then, but the reason why Izmedu's delegation was a small one, even though it was made clear by a few sources that a full delegation could've been sent, was due to the event being considered a trial Olympics for the nation. The budgetary reason that was spewed out in a hastened press release did turn out to be a lie after all, and the revelation of this complicated how the Olympic Committee would consider getting into a new Olympic games.

The rules were re-written in the wake of the revelation that the XI Winter Olympics were happening, which caused a massive amount of hype amongst fans who were heavily invested in the previous Summer Games. The Winter Games, due to their different, more unique approach to the Olympic games versus the much more general Summer games took a distinct appeal to the Izmeduan populace. Events like Figure Skating (of which the current Izmeduan delegation has invested the most time in developing in regards to athletic performance) appealed to the Izmeduan aesthetic of grace in performance, as seen when the most acclaimed events from the X Summer Olympics were the synchronized swimming duets. Not only was there internal clamoring, but now public clamoring for more Olympics.

A millenia of negotiations later, with new agreements having to be signed due to sudden extension plus termination of the Olympic Committee's contract with the government in regards to funding, the committee managed to get the resources together to put the Izmeduan name down onto the XI Winter Olympics, in which hype for the games increased further as Prescott was revealed to be the host city of the new games. After much wrangling in the Sabas, as to whether or not continued participation in the Olympic games was even a good idea, the Committee managed step forward after a terse period re-negotiation and renewed contracts. No one knows how long this participation will roll forward, but with a 40-strong delegation making its way to Prescott right now, some hope isn't unwarranted.

Of course, as Izmedu enters a new game, this necessitates a set of new rules for not only how we conduct the Olympic participation, but how we cover future Olympics should the 'second phase' of the Olympic experiment. Lessons have been learned from the previous Olympics. Aside from the Committee issues of finding better management and re-appointing a new president after bureaucratic mishandling (shady dealings within the committee that were kept hidden during the fervor of medals during the Summer games, which are revealed to be more about money and contract re-negotiation rights), as well as money. Money is the most important factor in how Izmedu conducts its Olympic participation. Not just how much money the Committee makes as part of endorsements, but in money management and re-compensation. As the famous Izmeduan stereotype goes, a typical Izmeduan almost always has an insufficient amount of funds, probably because some of it was probably spent on something important already.

The chronicle itself isn't exempt from changes too. The last Olympic cycle saw Borjas Serifovic cover the Games of the X Olympiad from start to finish, starting from the nascent Olympics HQ, from Centralis, to Nassau Bay. For almost every event that Izmedu did participate in, he was either there in person and virtually, covering the Olympic games with little to no or expected pay for his efforts. While his journalistic efforts are rewarded and while I, and many others from the Vodiznad Chronicle admire him for his service, the negative reaction to Borjas' solo editorial cannot be forgotten. I cannot recount how many frustrated, though understandably so, e-mails and complaints about the lack of additional perspective in the Olympic coverage, and how there was not enough focus on the athletic perspective and too much focus on Borjas' personal experience. His defenders argue that the point of Borjas' blog is the main points of criticisms accusing Borjas of being slighty self-centered were the point of his blog. The subscription model, which was a paid one, did not do anyone any favors.

In preparation for the new Olympic games, we here at the Vodiznad Chronicle have re-written our own rules. I, Iliyena Ivanovic, am one of many writers who are managing the dedicated XI Winter Olympics blog. Instead of one perspective, you will get numerous ones depending on the schedule. In fact, this is one of only two or three articles I will write, since my role in this project is to merely introduce the new concept. Each day, all of our writers (of which there are collectively about 7 or 8 of them, the exact number unknown due to current shifting of writing management) will write an article, and the most suitable on tailored to the prominent event will be selected for international publication and promotion.

We will attempt to showcase every writer in the Chronicle, and their identities are yet to be revealed. But, if there's one thing we can show, is that if the Committee wants the nation to play game, so will the Chronicle as well. There are many teething pains that are likely going to appear, but that's natural for any sort of long-term participation. The beginning of the middle years are almost always the most awkward. Yet, whether or not we persevere through that awkward, but new experience, is what determines how the rest of our experience become.

Iliyena Ivanovic is a Senior Editor for The Vodiznad Chronicle

DAY 0 PREVIEW: The Opening Ceremony + Official Olympic Preview (author: To Be Determined)

by **The Orion Islands** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 12:45 am

Kannap wrote:
Kannapian News Network

KAOS Issues Threat to All Kannapian Athletes Competing

Earlier today, the Kannapian Anti-Olympics Society broadcast their formal threat to all Kannapian athletes competing at these Olympics. The entire nation watched as the broadcast interrupted the regular news, causing rumors of the organization having powerful technology to strike fear into the hearts of some Kannapians.

The threat was broadcast shortly after noon today, and the spokeswoman read, "Dear citizens of Kannap, I am speaking to you on behalf of the Kannapian Anti-Olympics Society, which the government labels as KAOS. I am speaking to you to assure you that the government has not gotten rid of us and that we are stronger than ever before. We are prepared to wreak more havoc during these Olympics than the previous ones and we promise that we will not stop until the Premier announces that Kannap will not be submitting a delegation to the next Olympic games. We will kill every last Kannapian athlete at these Olympic games if we must. We already have agents in Electrum, waiting and waiting to kill Kannapian athletes and given specific orders to only kill Kannapian athletes, not foreign athletes.

We promise, for sure, that we will kill Natasha Fields, Bethany McClanton, Natalie McClanton, Samantha Crooks, Bradley Moore, Daniel Collins, Briana Victory, and the rest of the Kannapian delegation for these Olympics. We also promise to kill Brianna and Samantha Powell, Summer Olympic athletes spectating the games. We also promise to kill Vice Premier Logan Andersson, which we have the capability to do after we proved so by killing First Minister Brett Andersson during the last Olympics. Watch out Kannap, we are here and we won't be quiet until we are finished."
Premier Arrives in Electrum

Premier Jeremy Andersson arrived in Electrum today with his husband, Vice Premier Logan Andersson. The two are looking forward to attending the Opening Ceremony and attending the duration of the Olympic events. Premier Andersson has brought personal bodyguards despite believing that the threats brought forth by KAOS are nothing more than empty words. Premier Andersson continues to assure the Kannapian people that they are safe and the nation is safe during these games.

Upon hearing the official threats by KAOS, he made a speech from his hotel room to the Kannapian people: "Dear fellow citizens of the great nation of Kannap, it displeases me to hear that the terrorist organization known as KAOS is once again making empty threats to deliver fear into your minds. They are a weak organization and are relying on their most powerful weapon: Fear. With fear, they hope to tear us apart, they hope to divide our nation and our people. We must not allow them to have that victory. I assure you all that KAOS has no power to fulfill their broken promises. They will not be assassinating my husband, they will not be killing the Powells, and they will not be harming any other athletes here in Electrum. I speak to you from Electrum myself and am certain that the government of this fine nation will swiftly handle any evidence of threats being fulfilled and stop them before they occur. As for in Kannap, life will continue as normal. Life will go on. We will not have to suffer through tragedy after tragedy like the last games, we will not be closing the borders, we will not be halting air traffic, we will not be declaring a state of emergency, we will not be setting a nationwide curfew. We will continue life as normal through these games because KAOS can do nothing to prevent us from doing so. Glory to Kannap."

Other Headlines
Kannapian Government Continues to Ensure KAOS Is Not A Threat
Brianna Powell Speaks About KAOS From Athlete's Viewpoint
Military Presence in Bergsstad Decreased, KAOS Not a Threat to the City
Students Across Kannap Create Video Supporting Olympic Athletes

The Orion Islands condemns the terrorists and will be sending a team of top special forces to protect the Kannapian team. The Department of Foreign Affairs tells citizens in Prescott to look out for the terrorists. They also advise citizens to convert their Dollars into a Synergy card and restore back as they leave. All returning citizens will be searched for drugs at the airport. Electrum may allow these drugs, but we don't.
Other news
China tells an Orion United plane to screw itself
Oil prices implode growth
Riots in Union City
Police capture "The Masker of Evans"

by **Electrum** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 12:51 am

OOC note: Many thanks to Izmedu who wrote the Izmedu part of the performance! A new roleplay day starts today, but for the daily RP Bonus, Days 0 and 1 will count. Also apologies for the one hour delay. Had a ill-timed nap.

Northcote Oval, Prescott

The atmosphere in the newly rebuilt Northcote Oval was buzzing -- it's the first time ever that Prescottians had experienced and entered their new arena, and they were in awe over how large it was, its capacity nearly doubled in size, and would soon host home games for the newly established Prescott Wolves in the E-League. Right now though, the Oval had more important things to host, namely the Opening and Closing ceremonies for the eleventh annual edition of the Winter Olympics. In addition to the native Electrumites, there were a smorgasboard of nationalities and flags being waved around the stadium, with the rim of the stadium having huge flags waving around. It was a chilly night, with temperatures hovering around freezing point, and some people were already wearing blankets in anticipation for the action.

A timpani signalled for the stadium to shut their collective mouths, and a large timer appeared on the two screens located opposite each other, as well as the main stage in the middle of the oval. It was a timer counting down from a minute -- and whilst the numbers started to tick down, moments from previous Olympic games appeared in the screens -- figure skaters dancing to music, a mogul run, the end of a skiing sprint... and then it went down to ten.

The stadium progressively got louder as they counted down the numbers... ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, THREE, TWO, ONE, ZERO!

As per usual, fireworks lit up the sky in a dazzling show. Instead of opting for the more traditional red and yellow fireworks, the Bid Committee opted for blue, white and dark green instead, the official colours of Prescott which fit with the general theme of Winter sports. All over Prescott, fireworks were sent up to the sky, from the late-night Bluelight District to the suburban areas, and some even saw the fireworks which were set off all the way in the athlete's village in those small snow resort towns which so many athletes would call their home during these Olympics.

In a stark contrast to the religious overtones of the previous Winter Olympics' Opening Ceremony, and the lack of cultural component from the Opening Ceremony just an edition before that, the Bid Committee opted for a good-natured ceremony, aimed at showcasing the sights of Prescott, and just showing off the founding of Prescott. The audience, after all, didn't need a history lesson on Electrumite history from the very beginning -- that had already been done in the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Games!

After the interlude that was the fireworks, the middle of the oval, which contained a large circular stage, and an even larger ice rink around it saw some movement appear. The orchestra, which were sitting on the side just outside of the rink, near where the players were to make their lap around the stadium started playing a winter time piece composed by Patrick and Wanda Barnes over a century ago, named "Little Village in the Snow." Back then, Patrick and Wanda were one of a few households in the Prescott region, known for its harsh winter, and were there even before the gold rush which saw the city exponentially increase in population. Since then, their jointly composed song, played every year at the Prescott Festival became the official musical emblem for the city. Whilst the instrumental music was playing, skaters appeared and danced in synchrony on the ice rink -- a subtle advertisement for the synchronized skating event to be held as a demonstration event in these Olympics. Elaborate moves and jumps moved the audience, as not a single skater put a step wrong in their precise movements. The dancers took a quick bow as they went off stage.

It was the start of the next segment, the founding of Prescott. Several people emerged from a rather grand building that had appeared in the middle of the stage. To the Electrumites, it was a familiar sight, it was of course Foundation House, one of the first buildings built in Centralis when the settlement was first founded. The captain of that ship that brought the settlers to Electrum became the governor, Governor Lazarus. The actor that played him in the last opening ceremony acted as him today too, and a loud booming voice was heard:

"The natives say that if you follow this river, (the river that flowed through Centralis, the Eridanus River) there will be a large lake from which we can use as our water source. I'm assigning six families to follow this course and report back to me." The six clans then set off with their wagons and horses for the great unknown. All of them looked the same, except for one family, which were the Prescott family, having the spotlight on them. They went through a journey through plains, crossed many rivers and the six families arrived at a juncture. One river split off to west, the other, north west. The Prescott family decided to eat a bullet and chose the western river -- the one that wouldn't lead to the Great Lake, wondering what else they would find there. Jess Prescott, the matriarch, had a passion for adventure -- and then they arrived at another plain, but the backdrop was now large mountains, with the redwood forest treeline in the distance, and soft snow on the ground. Prescott uttered the famous words, "This shall be a place for a new town." The actors then went double speed, emulating the procession of time. Over time, more houses would be built, and the city known as Prescott would be formed.

During the transition to the next stage of the closing ceremony, the two large screens on the opposite sides of the arena broadcast the progress of the Olympic Torch. The Olympic Torch was making its way from the two resort towns hosting some of the events of the Winter Games via helicopter to Northcote Oval. It was about halfway there. It was now time for the parade of nations. As always, the Parade started with the "A" nations, and trawled its way through the alphabet. Since there were a smaller amount of delegations, there was more ambling than usual. Each delegation was headed by a local Electrumite holding an elaborate sign covered with the national flower of that nation. Electrum would be skipped over, as they would be the last to enter, as per tradition. The Electrumite delegation came in silver and gray outfits, slightly baggy and awkward. In a break from tradition, Electrum had two flag bearers -- each one for half a lap. They were Evan White and Madeline Pinker, the duo who won a silver in the team trophy event. They were also the top team that led the sweep of the medals (Gold, silver, bronze in the same event) in the Ice Dancing, nabbing gold for themselves. With all the athletes sitting in the assigned areas, the entertainment portion of the Games would occur.

First, the Izmeduans, the relevation of the Summer Olympics in Centralis and Nassau Bay, and champions of the WorldVision circuit, a song contest that Electrumites adored were invited to present a song. As it came time for the guest performers from Izmedu to perform, the entire arena was darkened, lights billowing down slowly to the center as a familiar orchestral tune was beginning its first strains of music. A spotlight revealed Vlatka Pogacic standing on the center of the stage, holding two arms out to the audience, and four figures flanking her with guitars and drums as a familiar melody played. Vlatka and the four next to her were Poslie Postojanje, the new Izmeduan faces of WorldVision, on stage playing the entry that sent the country to 2nd place in WorldVision 43, “Reckoning.” The version they played was an abridged one, playing the intro plus the first verse and chorus in full, but cutting straight to the song's bridge, the first reprise of the instrumental outro that was a far more intense version of the soft instrumental intro, the final reprise of the chorus, and the song's dramatic conclusion. Vlatka maintained the energy and pain of her original performance, utilizing camera shots to express her emotions, but had also interacted with the band, especially the most with the guitarists. The acoustics and larger size of the arena made Vlatka's vocals and the instrumentation just boom a little bit more, emphasizing a much more haunting vocal effect as the lights switched from varying rays of dark blue and white. The song ended with Vlatka falling to her knees and receding to herself, but the light remained on her.

A familiar looking guitarist clad in a mask appeared on the stage next to Vlatka, playing one recognizable melody as Vlatka crooned the vocal to a song called “Welcome Home,” the song that was utilized when Majda Filipovic and Nedeljka Dodovic performed for the Women's Duet final in Synchronized Swimming. The camera maintained a closeness to Vlatka during the song, which had cut a good amount of the vocal with only the first two verses and the chorus intact. At the moment the song went soft, Vlatka crooned the vocal intro to the long instrumental outro of the song, hitting a high note as she began to reach her arms out as the instrumentation disappeared, the familiar horns from "Reckoning" taking their place. The arena was now bathed in fading white lights that as the song closed itself out, with Vlatka moving backwards with her arms outreached to the audience, in a sense 'heading home' similar to the soldier in the tale that inspired the song itself. The arena lights darkened as the song closed, with Vlatka disappearing into the darkness...

A familiar spinning of a gear was heard after a few moments of silence, eliciting a sudden cheer from the Izmeduan contingent of the audience louder than what was held for Poslie Postojanje. This would be a slow reveal of “Illusion,” the Izmeduan entry that defined Izmeduan participation in the contest, Izmedu's winning entry all the way from WorldVision 38. There was then a lone spotlight that shined on Arijana Kovac, playing the song by herself for the first verse in a somewhat unfamiliar arrangement of the song. The light arrangement remained a haunting white as Arijana played the first strains of the song, with shadows under her eyes.. After that short intro from Arijana, this was where the duo was reunited once again, with Jolana Perko, now revealed as the mystery guitarist from “Welcome Home,” introducing her powerful vocals alongside Arijana's violin, and now the song's original arrangement has returned. It was a shortened version, skipping straight to the final chorus after the first, that reintroduced elements from the original WorldVision performance, such as static-filled screens when the dubstep kicked in or a purple light palette, with Jolana and Arijana mimicking their movements from the original performance as much as the stage permitted.

Arijana Kovac would close the Izmeduan segment with an instrumental song titled, “Winter Wonderland,” playing an orchestral and abridged version of the song that would cut after the song's first chorus where it would go drum-heavy in place of the usual dubstep that Arijana was fond of having in her pieces. She would go solo for this performance, the lights switching to a baby blue as two trained performance skaters made a lap around the stage and performed around Arijana as she played the violin, prancing around alongside them although she did not have skates on herself, 'collapsing' as the song took an orchestral 'fall' and making jumps around Arijana. Those two figure skaters repeated these during the song, then began to circle Arijana once it closed, kneeling in front of her as Arijana played the last few lines of the song, with the stage darkening as Arijana released the bow from her violin strings after the last note. The crowd applauded rapturously as the trio took a bow. It was no wonder why Electrumites always gave their top points in WorldVision to Izmedu.

Speaking of WorldVision, much like the last Olympic Games, the entire Electrumite roster of WorldVision singers came on stage and joined the trio. They all shook hands and laughed as they sang one final song together: "All I want for Olympics is Gold." The song was once again, written by Eliza Nord, who this time was inspired by the gold athletes that Electrum produced during the last Olympics.

Composer and Lyricist: Eliza Nord
Tune: "All I want from Olympics is Gold"

All I want from Olympics is Gold

On this twinkly, starry Winter's night
And we all know what you want
Training your entire life
For just one moment in Prescott

0:25
CHORUS
You don't have to hold it back
It's time to make me proud
Make my wish come true
All I want from Olympics is gold, yeah.

0:56
I don't want a lot for Winter
There is just one thing I need
And I want you to work very hard
For that shiny gold medal

1:09
Imagine being on the podium
Being on top of the world
Crowd's clapping make me happy
With that medal you deserve

1:22
CHORUS

1:41
Oh, I won't ask for much this Winter
I won't settle for bronze
And I'm not gonna give up my dream
For the medal I deserve

1:54
Whether on the snow or ice
All our dreams are the same
It's to get that gold medal
And maybe even a record

2:07
'Cause we're all obssessed with the gold
Holding on to it so tight
What more can I do?
Baby, all I want for Winter is you
You, baby

2:26
Oh, all the gold is shining
So brightly everywhere
And the sound of anthem's
Music fills the air

2:39
Maybe it's not about gold
As long as you try it's fine
Really, coming home with a medal is better than zilch
Won't you please bring my medal to me?

2:52
Oh, I don't want a lot for Winter
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to some medals
So that we can celebrate

3:04
CHORUS

All I want from Olympics is Gold, baby
All I want from Olympics is Gold, baby
All I want from Olympics is Gold, baby
All I want from Olympics is Gold, baby

As soon as all the singers left the stage, a buzzing sound was heard. The entire Northcote Oval audience looked up, and there it was -- the helicopter bringing down the Olympic Torch. The relay was finally over, and as the torch was being lowered to the ground by a large cable from the helicopter, all of a sudden the torch was in freefall, dropping to the floor. The impact of the torch on the ground snuffed out the flame! There were concerned whispers about what was going to happen next, but no matter. The helicopter had a contingency plan. It lowered, this time carefully, a small glass box with a candle in it -- a replacement flame of sorts which accompanied the Olympic Torch wherever it went. The first person to kick off the final run of the Olympic Torch was Katie Phan, a four time gold-medal Olympian (over two Olympics) fencer. She picked up the replacement candle, put it near the torch, and the torch was relit, to the applaud and cheers of the audience. She would then run a lap around the Stadium before handing it off to Deepali Patil, who defended her Gold medal in the Taekwondo in Electrum, finally August Brooks ran a lap, a double gold-medallist in Equestrian Eventing. He would finally pass it on to Ashlee West and Paul Glenelg, two Winter Gold medallists from the last games not participating this year because they have recently retired. West and Glenelg walked together to the middle of the stadium, where a cauldron was on the ground. The two put the torch near the cauldron and it ignited. All of a sudden, the cauldron was lifted up by extendable legs (cauldron looks like this).

Opting to avoid the controversy from the speech section from the last Olympic games, the dignitaries were instead only allowed to wave at the audience in a section of the arena... The Opening Ceremony was now at its close. The EOC President, Sally Lines administered the oaths this time: Marie Bez for Electrum did the athlete's oath, and Helena Park, who judged the aerials did the judge's oath. The Olympic Estoile and the Electrumite flag were hoistened, and after a singing of the Electrumite anthem, "Oh, Electrum!" the ceremony was over with a bang -- some fireworks and firecrackers were lit all around. Instead of dragging around, the organisers had hoped this didn't seem as slow as the Opening Ceremony back in Centralis... The audience was happy as they shuffled to leave, for some athletes competition would start first thing tomorrow morning, as some of them loaded for buses directly back to the resort towns. Those who didn't compete tomorrow opted to remain in Prescott for the night, and to leave the next day.

by **Liventia** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 3:45 am

Olympic chief criticises host city
PRESCOTT, Electrum— The head of Liventia's Winter Olympics delegation has launched a scathing attack against host city Prescott after speed skater Javier Rosario was prevented from boarding athlete transport.

Pearline Jones, the Liventian biathlon legend, slammed the local organisers saying their provisions for athletes were "inadequate and farcical".

It is understood that Rosario, a four-time Olympic medallist and current Olympic record holder in the 500-metre speed skating event, had inadvertently left his wallet in his hotel room and was therefore unable to pay for a shuttle bus to join the rest of the Liventian delegation for the opening ceremony.

Jones, who is thought to be one of the only female athletes in Olympic history to win gold medals at both a summer and winter games, said it was unfair that athletes were being made to pay for their transport.

"This is the first winter games that I can think of since the money-grabbers in São Jorge where athletes have had to shell out to get to their own events. It may be subsidised but it's disgraceful that an Olympic legend, a current record holder no less, can be thrown off a bus in full view of all its passengers for not having the money to pay for his fare.

"The provisions are clearly inadequate and farcical, and I'm struggling to see why athletes do not have free transport during the games here when the past six winter games have all been able to provide that. But really at the heart of the matter was the reaction of the shuttle bus driver when Javier told him he had neither any money nor a Synergy card on him.

"The Liventian Olympic Association has written to the local organising committee and the Electrum Olympic Committee to strongly protest the treatment Javier received. He was verbally assaulted and humiliated in public, and we are very disappointed that this has happened."

by **Mapletish** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:03 am

The Sour Kind
Because being sweet is too mainstream; XI Winter Olympics
If a man who cannot count finds a four-leaf clover, is he lucky?

The Winter Olympics is up next on the multiverse sports calendar with the World Cup currently ongoing. This is Tish here and we are here again (technically our second time) for the Winter Olympics. The last time we were here in the Winter Olympics, Team Mapletish did not manage a single medal. Those were back in the days at the VII Winter Olympics with a small team of athletes in Bobsleigh, Skeleton, Curling, Ice hockey, Speed skating, and Skiing. This time round, Team Mapletish has 196 entries out of a maximum of 200 and athletes in all sports categories.

With such a huge delegation, people might think that the Union is here for a medal haul right? Well, I'm afraid not, from my latest "magical sphere" readings, I would like to conclude that the Mapletish Sports Federation has a medal target of 1 medal this Winter Olympics. This might seem like a lowly expectation but considering the fact that we have not won anything the previous Games, this is an ambitious target.

Winter Olympics hasn't got much attention by the general public as compared to sports in the Summer Olympics so there are some sports that most people don't really pay attention to and I think that it is my responsibility here to help sports fanatics or the general public here to understand the winter sports. So here are Tish's annoying guide to four of the sports in the Games.

First on my list, Biathlon. You might have heard of triathlon, decathlon, heptathlon and pantheon, but what exactly is the Biathlon. Well, as you have guessed, Tri means three while Deca means ten right? So Bi means two and Athlon mean feat so Biathlon will mean two events. It combines both cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The competition format for the XI Winter Olympics includes a sprint, pursuit, mass start, individual and relay events. The individual race is 20km for men and 15km for women. It requires the athlete shoots four times at the shooting lane in prone and standing positions with 20 targets. For each missed target, a fixed penalty time is added to the skiing time of the athlete.

In the sprint, it is somewhat shorter with a 10km sprint for men and a 7.5km for women. The athlete shoots twice at the shooting lane, both prone and standing for 10 targets. For each miss, the athlete has to complete a penalty lap before continuing with the race. In the pursuit, the top sixty of the sprint event qualify for the pursuit event. The distance is 12.5 km for men and 10 km for women, there are four shooting bout with both prone and standing and each miss means a penalty loop. In the Mass start, all athletes start at the same time with four shooting bouts, both prone and standing. In the relay, there are four biathletes, who ski 7.5km for men or 6km for women with two shooting rounds, one prone and one standing.

So if you think about it, it is like a military exercise on the ice where you have to ski and shoot. Great for a soldier trained in winter conditions. Next on the list, we have the bobsleigh. It is split into teams of two or four teammates these athletes sit into this sled and ride along this iced tracks. Well of course if you sit on the sled itself you are considered a crew. Well, a crew consists of a pilot and brakeman and in 4 men races, there will be two pushers. So from the start, the crew pushes the sled before boarding. Riding the Bob indeed takes superb teamwork especially in the starting phase when the sled is pushed and the boarding of the sled. The need for coordination and the transition towards boarding the sled is indeed commendable. In this Winter Olympics, there are 4 events for Two Man, Four Man, Two Woman and Four Woman.

The third sport on the list, the sport that requires focus, self-belief, determination and bravery to reach the top. As you guessed it, it is the skeleton, not just another sliding or skating sport in the winter, but one that is one of the most spectacular in the Games. Before you even reach down to the ice beneath, the equipment is important and it requires a lot of testing, trial, and error to make sure that on the competition day, nothing is lost. The skeleton is a sliding sport in which an athlete rides a sled down a frozen track while lying on the sled face down. Well don't confuse this with luge though, another sliding sport where one sleds not lying face down but sleds with their face up and feet first, think about lying back on your bottoms and sliding around. Next up, you have to steer the sled. While being on your stomach for most of the race, well indeed you should be for the whole course, you make use of tiny movements with your body to steer the sled around. So you can shift the weight or move your shoulders to get the sled going in the direction you want.

The fourth sport on the list is the luge since skating and snowboarding are more popular with the general public. Luge requires you to be lying face up and feet first. Steering, in this case, is done by using the calves or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. And here is a fun fact which is part of the basic rules, so a male athlete must weight at least 90kg while women must weight at least 75kg, but for not many of the athletes are big bulky men and women you can add weight to the sled to make up for the deficit. Well, both skeleton and luge are similar, as you can see the sleds of both skeleton and luge has to be aerodynamic and designed to maximise speed and minimise friction. So there are people that will be thinking, "Since I need to reduce friction, why not I heat the blade of the sled?" Well, the steels or the blade of the sled cannot be heated, since as you guessed it, the heat will melt the ice during the course of the race, which reduces friction between the steels and the ice. This will, of course, improve your top speed, and the organisers definitely won't want to have that around in the race.

So before I started this podcast, there are some fans that ask me how I felt about the medal hopes of Team Mapletish in this Winter Olympics. Well, I would agree with the expectations by the Mapletish Sports Federation of only a sole medal finish. I have a word to say and that we are just not as well talented as our multiverse counterparts here. Expect a performance from the Minnows here, our national ice hockey team, a 2nd place finisher in the 22nd World Cup of Hockey. Well, it might be a different team now but it is the same spirit that kept the team together and Men's ice hockey will end up be our only event that we will be hoping for a medal.

This is Tish signing off till we meet again for Day 1 of the Winter Olympics! See you around!

XI Winter Olympics - RP Thread

XI Winter Olympics - RP Thread

Felibriga Ready to make its debut at the Winter Olympics

Team Mapletish at XI Winter Olympics, Day 0

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