Games of the XI Olympiad—roleplaying thread

[The Serbian Empire]

Beograd Journal Letter to Editor
Dr. Voros Has Found Eggs

Seriously, the man has made eggs out of ancient bone marrow and now is seeking sperm donors to fertilize the eggs. The man doesn't even have an ounce of integrity or a morale compass. All because Ratko wants superior athletes. But what athlete would donate his sperm to fuel his hopeless endeavor of proving that Uzekians are insane and that Serbs are superior. He believes that he's Professor Hojo.

Dr, Marcus Faremis

The Serbian Sporting News
Catfight Girls Produce Medals

Marisa Callapso and Ljiljane Tirana both won medals, but their size contrast in weight is some 21 kilograms and in height as Tirana is about 20 cm taller than her much lighter counterpart. Their medals are different, too. Callapso earned her Silver by losing to Savanna Tauber of Kernansquillec in the Women's 48 kg weight class. Tirana however won herself a gold against Nana Barros of Amnarei-asud in the Women's 69 kg weight class.

Another medal is guaranteed in Women's Boxing with Marika Galles given her position in the final four. The losers of such fights get bronze medals at the victory ceremony, but silver and gold await the winner. Not bad for a bunch of ladies who won't shy away from contact.

[Ndaku]

Stanleyville, the birthplace of sports in Ndaku

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By: Harrison Young, Britonish globetrotter and wine enthusiast

After learning, soaking in, and meditating in Ndakene political and military history for the past 4 weeks spent in the Ndakene Interplanetary Federation, I felt it would be time to loosen up a little and get a little sporty. Luckily, the great city of Stanleyville, housing a little more than 11 million residents as of April 2109, was awaiting my arrival. I set my course to the city where sports capable of taking the name of Ndaku to the international and multiversal stage was introduced by the Britonish people.

Cultural diffusion basically began when Ndaku declared independence from the Kingdom of Madesu in the 1960's, and that's when the Britonish came, with moderately imperial intentions, to introduce sports such as football, basketball, and handball. Ndakenes were relatively decent at swimming on the international stage, but were not good enough to really have their country renowned for it.

Sports like football and handball quickly became considered a national sport to the Ndakenes, but just like any other African nation, football was the most hyped and anticipated. We've seen in the World Cup and even the Olympic football qualifiers how the Ndakenes weren't really as good as they wanted to be against other weaker football nations. I definitely wouldn't consider Britonisea a weak football team, but compared to the better known football nations like the San José Guayabalense, Cosumarian, or North Sunrise Islander teams, they sometimes appear to be the lower-tier teams. These three teams are apparently the most favourited. They're said to be more favorited and anticipated than the Ndakene team at times!

I arrived in Stanleyville at 11:24 am after a 6 hour ride on another transit, OpticalBullet Electric Transit. I have to admit, their bullet trains generate some serious speed and they cover some serious ground in a nick of time, and the best part is, their bathrooms don't have vomit and shit mixed together!

The temperature was at a soothing 28°C, and it wasn't as hot as a typical 38°C midday in Midland. Just entering within the city limits of Stanleyville, one could tell that this city has some serious sporting business going on. In fact, Stanleyville is a major location of the Ndakene Domestic and International Sporting Association, also known as, N.D.I.S.A.

Stanleyville Stadium

I remember Stanleyville very well, despite the fact that I haven't visited yet, from the minor controversy between Ndakene Minister of Defense Nicholas Roufosse and a nonhuman nation named Vekaiyu. From what I saw developing in the Aeropag 2110 qualifiers, the Vekaiyun water polo teams, both men and women, were ridiculously good at the sport. The Ndakenes were sort of jealous because they were good at it too, and they didn't want a bunch of "furballs ruining the hype".

I remember seeing Ndakenes all over Tweeter denouncing the Vekaiyun nation when news that they will be hosting the qualifiers surfaced. A good deal of Ndakenes insisted that these nonhumans were not aggressive as the Beastkin devils. Anyway, after Mr. Roufosse wanted a small Ndakene task force to ensure the safety of Ndakene, and potentially all human, athletes and the Vekaiyuns basically said "hell naw", the Minister of Defense gave an apologetic speech in Stanleyville.

Stanleyville was decorated with numerous sporting venues. I could bet 50 Brito Pound Sterlings that every sport one could think of, there was an existing venue here in Stanleyville.

First established in the 1960's while Madesu was still a separate nation from Ndaku, Stanleyville was sought as a place where business, politics, military, and almost everything was set aside while sports and parties were pretty much the city was known for. There are tons of famous bars, clubs, and the renowned Staneyville Stadium. I recently read that the Stanleyville Stealers football club was relegated to the Ndakene Secondary League, which was a major disappointment here in Stanleyville.

I saw large, cheerful crowds of people gathered at Rue de Moyi, a major line for electric, self-driving city buses. There was a large screen showing the ongoing Games of the Aeropag Olympiad, and it showed a muscular and built woman; I'd estimate 90 kilograms, around 180 centimetres. This bastion of a woman was named Tamira Okafor, and she had just earned Ndaku a silver medal in Women’s Shot Put. On another screen a few more blocks from where Okafor was being broadcasted, there was a male archer who stood in the middle position of the podium with a smile ever so bright and wide. Able to get a glimpse of his name, the man was Tiyamike Randall who just won a gold medal in men's individual archery and was declared Ndaku's first individual archery champion.

It took me a while to realize that this very city represented a blood vessel of Ndaku's sporting body. A lot of the hype, anticipation, and inspiration for sports originated from here, and it continues to be passed on, one generation at a time.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Meet Mira Yu : The hard-working, kickass future of Quebecois handball

Jean-Christophe Levasseur

AEROPAG, Paripana - Mira Yu, when I met her in the small cafe not so far from the Olympic Tower, looked no different than a typical university student ready to enter her 2nd year - excited to specialise in her chosen program while looking deeper into what the world could offer to her. Deep inside, though, she's no ordinary student who'll be entering her 2nd year - the very first thing I was able to identify right away was her taegeuk tricolour jacket with her name stitched on left side, just like any other dedicated to those serving in Team Quebec. The 19-year old, much-unexpected yet hyped successor to Ellie Tanguay, was one of the dozens of student-athletes representing the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, the defending olympic champions, by dominating high school and university stages the last 4 years.

Mira Yu, ahead of the 2024 Paripana Olympics

It wasn't very difficult to actually talk to her, as she was a very friendly individual with clear thoughts and words, but nonetheless the challenge was her and I to not disturb into our settings. When meeting her, only one sentence came from my brain : "She is pretty kickass." Mira Yu, whether from miles away or right in front of you, is a cool, down-to-earth being individual with flairs of seeking for progress and neverending competitiveness keeping her on top. Even with that, not everybody's immune to their weaknesses or lack of familitarity in new settings as Mira tells me that she, even now, is still getting through the new realities of her life as in facing the media. "While I know I've been hyped up by many people for ages, I gotta say I'm still not used to being exposed on media every so often. Answering questions about types of weed most preferred (believe me, those are the most annoying ones especially when they are not footballers!) or my performance or feelings over a loss ain't nothing a typical 19-year old would go through."

The left-hander, who scored 12 goals in last year's QIS championship final, averaged 12 goals a game her freshman year in college, winning the league's Rookie of the Year award and QIS first-team all star award in the Central Honam University Warriors' championship run in just the first year of what's bound to be a 4-year collegiate career. Born in Moongyeong Hills, Saguenay, under a late basketball centre Yeo Jin Yu, who had a promising career in the QBL before passing away from a car crash just four weeks before her birth, and Sandra Uapau, a bar owner, she grew up under a single mother for first few years, a period that Yu remembered as "poor but very happy days". Later, when Uapau married a handball coach in Jean-Christophe Levasseur, her life, under a much stabler home, would change. Hamirsson, immediately liking Mira, suggested his stepdaughter to take handball. "It was more of a suggestion than anything," The 19-year old reflected. "Dad was a handball coach in the local club and since it's a good way to make friends, I decided to take up the offer. Turned out to be a really good decision."

As stated right above, she quickly went on to discover that she had passion for handball: "I didn't know why it felt very natural when handling the ball, but I for sure felt that this was something I really liked to do." Gifted with splendid physique, something that came from her birth father, Mira immediately found that she was going to be more than just fine handling the physicality. "Obviously I've never met my birth father before, but that doesn't change the fact that I was granted with wonderful physical tools and whatnot. I very much thank him for the gift he gave me." But being a big player Mira and her father knew that, for the first while, she would have to adjust to the tempo and physicality of the sport, something that deeply overwhelmed the 6'4, 199 pound right wing when she entered. "To be fair, it was not easy for me in the beginning. Handball, requiring a different skillset, is a very fast, many-stepped game and I had to gain the quickness that I didn't have while in basketball."

So she practiced, practiced and practiced for hours on her own and often with her father, and worked to get better at establishing quickness. Those days were not easy, as she recalled : "I probably played ball with my friends after class and then watched countless games in order to understand the strategies. I wanted to be better at it by learning ahead of curve in what I could and should do." Such acts of dedication worked out very well, as she improved tremendously and became the one of the, if not the best high school player of her country, as she landed her old high school over 20 trophies in 4 years. She was scoring everywhere and people knew very well that it was very hard to stop her from flying back and forth with such tenacity and freight train frame. "People were pretty scared with me so often at times I'd be triple-teamed when possessing the ball. Those were the days when I knew I had to be even more tenacious and clever with what I did, and ultimately helped me to try scoring or aiding in many different situations."

With exactly 2 years left from the olympics, Mira was on her senior year when she was offered two major gifts that she took full advantage of: women's national team berth and scholarship offer from Central Honam University. "It was kinda mixed with emotions when Coach (Gaelle-Aurore Latendresse) first offered me a scholarship and then the national team spot. While I knew that CHU had one of top programs in handball, a spot in the national team scared the hell out of me with responsibilities." she reflected, laughing at her nerves from a while back. Even though she had slight doubt and reluctance, Mira eventually listened to her heart and took both offers, knowing that she could become a key piece in both programs on their rebuilding phase. Then the rest became history, as she destroyed the collegiate league in her freshman season before entering the olympic games as one of 14 players on the official roster. "I think I knew what I was expected of- in advance, and my goals had me be really ready for it." And in turn she performed admirably, scoring at 6 goals/game pace in 4 games played as she adequately replaced legendary Ellie Tanguay, who was taken out of circulation in very first match due to an injury, pushing the Quebecois into the quarterfinals spot.

For most that would just be it as they would stay content at an impressive performance in olympics, where opportunities come only once every 4 years. But her journey, the one involving constant struggle for perfection and struggles, looks to continue. Even with impressive resume and body of work, Mira still feels like she's not ready yet in her standards. "I know I can improve on lots of things. I am not satisfied and won't be, because I do want to win everything and be the best and to do that is to fix what I lack." Fortunately for her, the work is cut out. Down the road, Mira looks to work on improving her defence and passing skills, which one expects to improve with developing teamwork between that of the Warriors and the National team. When asked on what'd be her goals when it comes to handball and rest of the world, she responded to it with two sentences: "I want to be the best in anything I can have in handball (sans goalkeeping). And then I want to rule the world as a handballer." Simple but focused these goals are, it should be interesting to see if she can reach this someday, especially as the Quebecois national team looks to improve on Handball World Cup, post-olympics.

[Ferkas]

Heighlights from the Ferkian Presses

Best Swimmer in Ferkian History?

Brunson Secures Second Gold

Rachael Brunson is making an easy case for her being the best Ferkian swimmer in history, as she won her second gold medal in these games. Brunson edged out Marcella Redfield (BKC) in the 200m Butterfly to win her second medal, a true surprise in the small world of Ferkian swimming. Commentators and pundits, myself included, are now left wondering if she is the greatest of all time. Although she has not set as many national records as Elizabeth Sanders she has double Olympic gold to back up her claim.

Domestically, Sanders won 19 national titles during her long career. Brunson, in her four years as a professional, has 6 titles already and will likely add more. Brunson has already proven herself as a championship swimmer though, ever since she carried her Richmond University team to the national collegiate title on the back of her 7 race, 6 championship performance...

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Ferkas Takes Down Haven, Crushes Group Stage

Ferkas downed The Greater Vakolicci Haven in a narrow 19-15 game today to easily advance as the Group B winners. The team, which has really come out strong in its international debut, is the only undefeated team in Group B, and indeed the only team with a winning record. The defense, which has played well throughout, continued doing so against the Haven, forcing key turnovers and displaying especially strong play on third downs.

Impressively, Ferkas had the best scoring offense and point differential of any team in any of the groups, posting an impressive 109 points in three games and a +77 differential. Their next game will certainly prove to be more of a challenge, as they will face off against the Group A runner-ups West Phoenicia, who put together a 2-1 record in group play. The offense will look to take advantage of a West Phoenician offense which allowed an average of 21 points per game.

Speaking after the game, defensive coordinator Darren Hills praised the teams defensive play and outlook for upcoming games, singling out the secondary in particular...

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Athletics Prelims Off to a Good Start

Team Hopes to Live Up to High Expectations

The athletics teams are off to a strong start here in Aeropag as Ferkas looks to reassert itself as a global athletics power, the largely understood but unstated goal of these games.

In the 800m, David Strickland and Dwight Dixon both easily advanced as they finished in automatic spots. The men both look like strong contenders for the finals so far, and if they get to that point either could find themselves atop the podium.

The walks have been a rougher time. In the mens 20km the top finisher was Lionel Ballard in a disappointing 19th place in 1:21:19. Jonathan Ford was 26th in 1:21:34 with Jean Newton further back in 35th (1:22:07). The trio started back in the pack and tried to work together in moving up the field but wilted under the pressure, failing to move up far enough early enough. The womens 50km walk saw Daphne Hefner move up well in the last 15km for her 8th place finish. Post-race she commented that "I just mistimed a bit there...I could have moved a few kilometers earlier and I may have reached bronze...I just ran out of distance..." Hefner is the rare type of athlete whom 50km may just be too short for!

The discus throw went far better, although Ronnie Sparks had the distinct misfortune of being the "first man out" of the final. Jay Keller and Cameron Webster would easily advance though, finishing first and second in the qualifying rounds. The two, who have been rivals since both competing in the Eastern Collegiate Conference (Keller for University of Ferkas - Southern Shores and Webster for Litchfield State College), worked closely together at the event and were seeing giving each other tips and assistance between throws.

Genevieve O'Brien and May Schwartz kept it easy for fans, both earning automatic advancing spots in the 100m, while Blanca Wagner had to sweat it out until the end before finding out that she too will advance on time. Her 11.38 was just enough to get her in. Speaking afterwards, Wagner commented that "I'm moving on and that's a relief. Moving forward though I'm hoping to avoid that stress and focus on earning automatic spots. Far less stressful!"

Aiko Cohn will race the semifinals of the womens 1500m, after earning the last automatic spot in heat two. It was a tight race, Cohn just edged out Tarahani Samala (BNM) by .05 seconds in a heat which saw no women advance on time. For a while Cohn appeared unlikely to advance, with 400m to go she was sitting midway through the pack and it looked as though she was boxed in. A strong move at 300m to go, which saw her shoot through a slight gap between two athletes before opening up a strong kick, proved to be just enough to make the next round.

The womens 10000m was another mixed bag. Although Cassie Vann successfully navigated her semifinal heat, Ayanna Reiter will not be joining her. Reiter struggled through the first half of her race before dropping out just short of the 6km mark. Although Reiter decided not to address the press afterwards her coach, Heather Kulmp, told the press afterwards that Reiter has been struggling with chronic fatigue issues lately. Reiter, who put up strong performances in the qualifying races, was considered a favorite for a medal.

Fannie Maie-Fitzgerald and Melba Mack are both moving on the womens 3000m steeplechase. Both women matched the expectations placed on them in this event which many Ferkian's consider the height of the Olympics. Their semifinal races are sure to be some of the most viewed in the kingdom, and any Ferkian athlete in the final will be accompanied by the support and hope of the entire nation.

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Families to Sue Havennic Officials in Ferkian Court

Move Likely to Add Pressure to Growing Tensions

Family members of those killed by rioting Havennic soccer fans have confirmed that they will turning to the courts. The suit stems from the deaths of several Ferkian fans in post-game violence during the qualifying rounds. Havennic officials have refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing in the events and have recently cleared one Demit Cronan of any wrongdoing. This is despite numerous eye-witness testimonies which implicate Cronan for his role in the violence.

The Havennic inquiry was dismissed by Ryan Hillcrest, lead counsel for the families, who referred to it as "nothing more than a shame, carried out to give the appearance of legitimacy to a state which refuses to investigate and act in a credible manner."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refused to comment on the expected proceedings, except to say that "The Ministry recognized the rights of all Ferkian citizens to access free and fair courts in order to fulfill their rights. The Ministry will always act in such a way that supports and enhances those rights. Additionally, the Ministry will always act to support and protect the rights of Ferkians traveling abroad." Some legal experts believe the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could become a party to the suit as well, or lend legal assistance to the plaintiffs. Foreign policy analysts meanwhile are less clear on how the Ministry will act.

It is expected that papers will be served in the High Chancellery Court, Ferkian District, to begin proceedings. Once this is done the court will be obligated to provide notice to appropriate Havennic representatives, beginning the proceedings as a chamber is selected.

[Electrum]

Centralis Herald - Comment - Miranda Lawrence

Blacksen I and Royal Kingdom of Quebec are why these Olympics are so shameful!

I was, shocked, shocked that I, my personage, was personally attacked by Blacksen I, the monarch of the Free Kingdom of Celeria in a recent letter to the editor (OOC: Permission was given via TG) in the Centralis Herald disapproving of my ways. To think that a monarch would stoop so low, arguing against what is essentially righteous morals and what is correct for society, I really worry what life must be like in the lands he governs. In Celeria, there is probably mass murders and probably other illegal stuff happening every day, because their monarch is immoral.

The attack was just the first of the problems. Going further into the letter, it is very disheartening to see the monarch actively promoting polygamism, and encouraging the furtherance of sexual relations between athletes out of wedlock because it 'relieves stress'. What utter poppycock. Athletes have been training for years, and if the only way they know how to 'destress' is to have sexual relations, then perhaps they don't deserve to be athletes, to think that there is absolutely no way. Perhaps they should consult with Father Vasily, who is an expert, I hear in repenting for your sins which is a really good way to clear your mind.

Further on in his letter, he said that, "I don't think that they liked it" when referring to assaulting (and yes, it does count as assault, because it is a weapon or projectile -- try doing so on a plane) Tobiasian athletes, and that, "What consenting adults do with their time is absolutely none of your business." Problem is Mr. Blacksen (I refuse to call you by your title, because you clearly disrespect that title), because they don't like it, that means they're not consenting. It's not consent if you do things without telling them in advance. Now we know that Mr. Blacksen is advocating assault on everyone with absolutely no consequences! One must wonder what the melee would be like in his home nation. Perhaps we should be issuing "sex licenses" as Father Vasily put it, and only allow people who pass a certain moral standard to have those kinds of relations, because clearly all of the relations Mr. Blacksen is having is making himself and his nation more immoral by the day.

It is extremely patronising to be called 'woman', so I guess we can add 'sexist' to the list of things Mr. Blacksen is. I believe in freedom of speech so I should be allowed to criticise and see things as I see fit. What Mr. Blacksen doesn't realise is that there are children looking up to the athletes, and with sex, drugs, alcohol and party seeming to be the norm for all athletes, we all know what this means for our children. They are going to go on that path as well, seeing their heroes doing the same thing. For Celeria's children, it is probably too late.

Turning to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and according to one of my sources embedded inside the team (OOC: Permission granted as well), it turns out at the Quebecois are the top producers of marijuana or 'weed', as the children call it, in Atlantian Oceania, and also that they are the birthplace of renowned condom manufacturer Trojana. I think it is despicable to see such immoral things make up the fabric of a nation, and yet again, we would probably see young children who are exposed to drugs and sex very early in life. It's very immoral. Thank goodness they have their own island of immorality on their cruise ship, so that this immoral cancer doesn't spread to the rest of the nations in the Olympic Village.

It is a large shame that the Olympic organisers in Paripana or the Olympic Council haven't done any action so far in condemning these actions -- Electrumite VP of the Olympic Council, Sally Lines, should resign immediately for her inaction. She is directly accountable to me personally, and to the children of the world and so she must go.

[Bulgar Rouge]

"Where do YOU come from ?"

A very bizarre sight indeed. There was virtually no public transport system between the communes. Private cars simply did not exist. Travel between the communes was restricted to urgent cases, party duties or exchange of personnel under the rotation security programme. And this tired, soaked man with a NPLA military backpack was approaching them.

In this case, it was an urgency. Commune 108 had its power generation systems disabled by a flash flood; communications were out, and the fleet of LAZ "Partizan" trucks was buried in mud. The commune technicians had drowned, and the rest of the commune needed urgent medical help. But without power, the communal medical station could barely provide anything. The only solution was to call in for help and reach the nearest neighbouring commune, 104, on foot.

The distance was 16 kilometres and time was of the essence. There was no other way. Asen Nikiforov took his identification card, a request for assistance signed by the commune's chief Party officer and a Bulgarian PPS-43 clone just in case. A second later, he was on the run.

Some 3 kilometres into it, he was already tired. He slowed down, but there was no time for stopping. Every second lost meant more fields flooded, more people sick or dead, more irreparable destruction. Torrential rains were continuing and the possibility of a mudslide was growing bigger by the minute. Just as he was thinking this, Asen noticed that the road ahead of him didn't look right. Coming closer he saw that it had sunk from a mudslide. He had passed only a quarter of the way to 104. Maybe it was better to turn back and add two more hands to whatever efforts his comrades were putting up to try and bring the situation under control ? No, wouldn't be useful. They needed 104's technicians. There was no other way. Asen turned left and started climbing the steep slope. With much effort, slipping and a few bruises, he made it to the top of the small ridge, bypassed the collapsed section of the road, descended and continued his run to 104.

When he finally arrived at 104, the commune's sentry squad didn't know what to make of the sight. Was this man an infiltrator who had made a lucky escape from the NPLAAF helicopter patrols because of the rain ? Was he a defector ? If he was, why would he run right into the sentries ? One of the soldiers, firmly holding his "Pobeda", an AK-74 clone, shot that question at him. A moment later, Asen showed the signed order and his ID. The situation was explained. Another moment later, engines rumbled and a convoy of Partizan jeeps and an engineering truck with a foldable bridge left 104 and rushed to aid their comrades in 108. A post-emergency assessment later found that if the water pumps had not been repaired and the slope reinforced, a catastrophic mudslide would have certainly occurred, burying alive the 1,000 or so members of the commune.

The Bulgarian People's Radio and the Socialist Standard newspaper later ran the story as an example of selfless devotion in the name of the common good. It was also one of the extremely rare occasions on which an individual was not referred to by his code, but by his birth name.

Asen Nikiforov.

Since then, he had been leading a 15-kilometer run from 108 to 104 to commemorate the victims of the disaster, setting up the bar ever higher and eventually earning his place in the Olympic games. Another four competitors in the 5,000 metres event, Mario Ivanov, Simona Pavlova, Tseno Zdraveski and Vasilia Stankova, had also been part of the commemorative Nikiforov Run and regularly finished right behind their comrade.

---

Weightlifting, wrestling and boxing were the staple of Bulgarian sports, and have been for decades. But pre-Revolutionary decline had been massive, and it was difficult and slow to build up a new and capable generation. Especially when talent in these sports was very, very scarce. The weightlifters were always a great team outside of training and sport. Ivan, Znamen and Kalin were old comrades from pre-Revolutionary times and were raised in the same village, visiting the same sports school. After the Revolution they were separated, but continued training and developing their skills in the sport. In the absence of parents, their teammates had become their closest relatives. That is when they met their current squadmates in the delegation, Angel, Lazar and Ognyan, and all six of them coming here to a purpose was a particularly moralising event.

Shortly after training, they went to join the female weighlifters, the wrestling team and the boxers in one of the canteens for a good meal and drink. Ivan, the weightlifter, seemed to speak the most - he was noticeable for being cheerful and open, unlike Znamen or Kalin, who kept quiet and seemed to be irritated over something.

"I have to admit, we have the best yields and the best fruits back home, but the meat here is delicious." Ivan was taking another big bite from his food.

Pavlina smiled skeptically. "It must be the additives they put into it. The commissar told me that capitalist countries tend to add monosodium glutamate into their food to make it tastier and more addictive. It's why their people are so fat."

"Yeah but do you think they'd put it here ? After all, we're not just anyone, we're sportspeople. They can't feed us with whatever they find." The other Lazar, Panov, of the wrestlers, added this remark despite the lack of meat in his dish. "Let me give it a bite to see what the fuss is all about."

"Looking at some colleagues from other countries, I'd say the additives are in them, not the food."

"Hey Georgi, you don't seem to talk a lot. Always that title on your mind?"

Georgi looked at Pavlina without much emotion in his gaze, simply communicating that he heard her question. He continued consuming his meal, completely calm.

"Isn't that what we're all here for ?"

"Of course. Although some of us..." - and she looked at the table at the other end of the canteen - "...would probably disagree."

Znamen immediately caught the remark. Pavlina had touched upon the point of his irritation, namely the very poor performance of some of the track and field athletes at this point.

"Two disqualified ? I know their coach will probably be shot later for this, but that's some expert mediocrity right there. Good thing that Prodanov has advanced, but the rest...fucking failures."

Oh come on, we still haven't seen all of them. Prodanov is really good, he holds all the Republican and Union records, has two world titles in discus. Peneva has been a European champion in the 200 m. Oncheva was a world champion and three times Republican champion, holds the Republican record in hurdles. Prangova is just majestic in the high jump, she's in it for only two years now and already has a world title and two Union titles...

"Marin had a European in the discus too and look at him. Outside of Prodanov, Prangova and Vasil in the pole vault, I don't see much of a chance for them. Vasil is certain for a medal though. I watched him jumping. Didn't touch the bar, didn't get near it. I'd give him an Olympic record even."

"And then, we also have the heroes in the long distance...Honestly it doesn't look so bad for them. But we should stop thinking of them and think about ourselves. We can't just leave empty-handed. We have all the best chances. Personally I can't wait to get to the podium. No nerves, no rush. I just feel like it will happen."

"Same here. I know it's not rakia, but anyway. To gold medals ?"

"To gold medals!"

The men and women raised their glasses, full of fruit juice, water or other non-alcoholic beverages, then continued their talk. On the athletes' table, a short-haired young woman was looking at the heavy athletes. She overheard their conversation. She admired their confidence. And She felt guilty of their remarks. Andrea was the captain of the handball team. What she heard made her reconsider a lot of the things she had thought about before coming at the Olympics. There was one crucial match left in the group, and it needed to be won by a huge margin. Andrea stopped eating and left the table. It was time for a talk with the girls, and another practice.

---

She rushed into the quarters of the handball team.

"Everyone, get up!"

"What's going on ?"

"Get ready, we'll have another practice."

"What, we already had two today ?"

"I didn't like the way some of you performed in the last one. Training hall, 10 minutes."

Andrea was not a coach, but she outperformed most of the girls and had saved games single-handedly on more than one occasion. The coach didn't know about this session nor he needed to. This was entirely her initiative and she had spotted faults and errors that were being repeated over and over again. Apparently some of the girls were not noticing those and were not going to fix them. This session would be short, but informative. It was going to be all about the details. The girls, in their kits, lined up, didn't seem to understand why Andrea was angry. They would soon find out.

"Radina, Petra and Valya, step forward."

Three girls obeyed the command.

"Take your positions. Petra, I want you to attack. Evade Valya and score."

Petra took the ball, launched a run from the centre towards the goal, bypassed Valya and hurled the ball towards her target. It landed right in Radina's hands. Petra looked at Andrea, expecting a response.

"Again."

Same action. Same mistake. "Again". Same action, same mistake. "Again". Same action. This time she didn't even pass through Valya. After a dozen attempts, Petra seemed completely demotivated of not being able to score nor even bypass Valya. She was already slower and her frustration was visible.

"This is what you girls do. You fail, then you fail again, and finally you're tired of failing and you give up. Why did you give up, Petra ?"

"Because of Valya and Radi. I just can't bypass them."

"Is it because of them, or because, right before you shoot, you look at Radina and your realise there is someone guarding there ?"

"I know there's someone guarding it, I'm trying to evade her and I can't."

"There's nobody there. There's just a net. The ball doesn't care about anything other than the force and direction of your hand. Throw it so it can end up in the net. That's where you want to see it. That's all you need to think of. Again."

One more attack. Petra evaded Valya, jumped graciously and hurled the ball. It ended up in the net. "Again". One more goal. And one more. And several more.

"You only care about how many times the ball gets into the net. Now let's get on to organising a lethal attack. Then I'll see which one of you can take the ball in her possession. And finally, clean up those excess movements. Let's win.

[The Sarian]

THE DAILY GAZETTE

---

Olympic Games - Day Seven

---

Hold me. Yesterday was the most successful day in the Olympic Games for Sarian athletes ever. The press (yes, I know that's me) have dubbed it Super Sunday, Olympic fever has taken over the nation and people are finally trying to learn the lyrics to the national anthem. Five medals, three of them golds ensured that yesterday was a Sunday memorable for more than just a cracking roast dinner.

The day started with the diving, specifically the Women’s 3 m Springboard. A mixed back for Team Sarian saw Prudence Foster finish fifth, making it through to the semi-final, although she left it late to qualify. Heartbreakingly, Elouise Hargrave narrowly missed out on the semi-final finishing twentieth - although she was, admittedly, someway off Mariya Di Marco of Cosumar in 18th.

Continuing in much the same way was the swimming. Despite the highs of the men's 4x100 m relay team reaching the final with a fantastic win in their heat (and fourth place overall), the rest of the day saw a torrid performance from the increasingly fatigued swimmers. Perhaps most notably was Tyrone Ansel only being kept off the bottom of the leaderboard in the Men's 1500 m Freestyle by team-mate Theodoric Barker. Elsewhere, the Women's Women’s 4×100 m Medley Relay team missed out on the final, finishing fifteenth overall.

Aston Darby and Joshua Potter both qualified for the semi-final of the Men's 400 m in the athletics at the Olympic Tower Stadium. The better-on-paper Osian Pocock missed out, however, finishing fourth in his heat - not quick enough to win a fastest loser spot. Aston Darby, however, missed out on a spot in the 800 m semi-finals, finishing with a time 146.75 seconds - missing out on a fastest loser spot by .3 of a second.

With Race Walking being the 'in-thing' of many metropolitans, we watched the Men’s 20 km Race Walk with hope. Sadly, despite starting well Nicholas Harnaman narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth. Also competing for Team Sarian were George Henry Herbertson, who finished 13th and Albert Windsor-Smythe, who ended in 16th. At this point, we thought that today would not be a good day for Sari athletes.

This was compounded by the afternoons athletic events, with only Neriah Brassington (Men's Long Jump) and Laurena Hart (Women’s 3000 m Steeplechase) advancing to the final in the events contested. Most agonising was the talented Joshua Potter putting just a toe over the line in the discuss throw, which saw a throw of just over 65 m ruled out, causing his demise. Further heartbreak occured in the Women’s 100 m, where it took a photo finish to knock out Tammara Jewell, who finished just .01 of a second slower than Anulika Dembe.

And then came the Women’s 50 km Race Walk. In quite possibly the best ever race involving Sarian athletes ever (que fans of the Winter Olympics emailing me videos of by Mario De Bruyne breaking the Olympic record in Saugeais). The worst Sarian finisher was Isabella Battenbourg, who ended up in seventh, and challenged for the medals throughout. Coming it at third was Elizabeth Jorgensen, winning Team Sarian their second medal of the day. The first medal of the day? Priscilla Marquess, who won gold seven second earlier in a race she dominated throughout.

In the dressage, Matilda York qualified in first, giving her a fantastic chance of winning her third Olympic medal - which would make her the most decorated Sarian athlete of all time. Cynthia Wight also qualified, though Percival Colbert and Frederick Rees-Mogg both failed to claim a third Sarian place in the freestyle. However, it was enough for The Sarian to claim our second gold of the day in the Team event.

We were not exempt from further heartbreak however, as Pritti Krishnan finished second in qualification for the Women's Trampoline Gymnastics, only to finish last in the final - four points behind gold medalist Riyna Mulekastri of Vekaiyu.

Historically, The Sarian won their third gold medal of the day in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls - with William Hale and William Woodward triumphing in Port Lusambo in style. Finishing a huge six seconds ahead of The Licentian Isles's duo of Sam Davison and Riley Watson, there was clear water behind the two Williams throughout the race. They didn't just win the gold, they won it in style. Disappointingly, the Men’s Coxless Fours finished fourth in their final, never looking to challenge for the bronze medal. And if that wasn't enough heartbreak for a day, Epiphany Johnso and Nancy Leon also finished fourth in the Women’s Coxless Pairs final, despite leading at the halfway stage.

If it wasn't for all those medals, the word of the day would be heartbreak. Instead, it's triumph. Let's hope we can repeat it today (the triumph, not the heartbreak). Go Team Sarian!

[CoraSpia]

A letter to the editor of the Centralis Herald, intended for Miranda Lawrence

I was shocked to read this morning that the good character and culture of the Free Kingdom of Celeria has been attacked by you in such a disgusting and generalising way. King Blacksen of Celeria in no way represents Celari people as a whole, and I am appalled and insulted to hear you claim in a public newspaper that Celeria is a violent and immoral place based on the comments of this one individual.
Myself, and the Clan I lead have actively opposed many of the Kings policies, and we feel that he in no way represents us or our beliefs. We do not endorse the sort of tactics which King Blacksen and others in our delegation, including athlete, wrestler and weightlifter Robert Strong, have engaged in in what is clearly a flagrent attempt to disturb the training schedules of Tobiasian athletes. Furthermore, we assert that it is decidedly likely that King Blacksen's need for sex (and, I am sure other things as well that are less suited to a public newspapers pages) come largely out of depression for the wowful way that he performed both in the mens football and in the 200 mitres.
As a medal-winning athlete (all be it a bronze medal), I have felt no such temptation, not that I would consider it anyway. Unlike King Blacksen, I am entered into a farely large number of events and see no reason to ruin them by rridiculous sexual practises.

I would also like to request an apology from you regarding your comments regarding the children of Celeria. Celeria has a lower-than-average rate of parental devorces. We have a lower-than-average rate of children forced to go into care. We have a lower-than-average rate of children who come from dysfunctional families. We have a higher-than-average rate of social support for disadvantaged children. We are, in fact, creating a country which actively promotes the welfare of children, despite the actions of our (frankly useless) head of state. To claim that the morals of Celari children are already ireparablee due to the King's actions is, quite frankly, both insulting and disrespectful to a youth which are, as a whole, well-behaved. I am sure you would be unappreciative if I was to make a comment regarding all electrumite youth, based on one individuals comments? Using children in such an obviously political manner is a flagrent disregard of their welfare: something you claim to wish to promote.

Hoping that this letter finds you in good health and fortune,
Maria, Dutchess of Altach, of Clan Schtenko

[Britonisea]

www.bitc.com/news
Britonisea's International Television Corporation - Official broadcaster of the XI Olympiad

TARGET - XI OLYMPIAD, AEROPAG

How long left until we reach our target;
3 GOLD MEDALS
4 SILVER MEDALS
3 BRONZE MEDALS

Rank	Gold	Silver	Bronze	TOTAL
X	1	2	1	4

Medal Count: Either those medals above or 10 medals in total. Preferably 17 medals.

3rd in the Ultimaverse - Disappointing Olympics for BRI

1. Ndaku                                NDA   4   1   4    9
2. Arioslavia                           ARO   3   2   0    5
3. Britonisea                           BRI   1   2   1    4
4. Estogium                             RWH   1   0   0    1
5. Amazonesta

HOW THE GAMES OF XI OLYMPIAD IS GOING FOR US SO FAR...

Despite being Ultimaverse's biggest delegation, and most experienced Olympic nation, Britonisea is ranked third in the Ultimaverse Medal table, with Ndaku threatening the amount of Gold medals Britonisea has received over 3 Olympics in total. We have 4 medals of any colour, which is quite a disappointment and a long way off the 18 total medals we received in New Gelderland and Electrum the year previous.However, in 2016, we have received 4 medals in 6 days, while in 2015, we received 4 medals - one gold, and three silvers. In 2015, our medal haul didn't start until at least Day 12 - and this could translate back to these games. We are going to analyse Day 6 so far and previous results that need mentioning. The Games of the XI Olympiad only starts now.

Part 1 - Day 6

In the Qualifications of the Men's 50m Freestyle, swimming, Leonard Kaylor placed 12th with a 22.03, which was an average result coming from the Britonish swimmer, but by no means acceptable for the finals of the Men's 50m Freestyle. In the semi finals, he improved by only a few tenth of a millisecond with 21.76, but unfortunately, he couldn't better 12th place and therefore, he was kicked out from further participating int he Games of the XI Olympiad's Men's 50m Freestyle race. Phillip Fonten (KAN) is the strongest going in to the final race, and it is expected that he will pick up a medal for the nation of Kannap. Diego Altamirano placed 52nd - with 53.17 and Osvaldo Speelman with 52.18 placed 26th in the Men's 100m Butterfly race. Comparing it to the qualifiers, the Britonish men had to place 15th with 51.98, and these Britonish men didn't live up to standard. They will have to go back to the drawing board - and look forward to the upcoming US Summer Games which gets underway in September. Women's 800m Freestyle didn't give us any glory either as Clora Moberly placed joint 11th place with 8:22.05. She needed to get in to 8th place, but, her strength and durability didn't last that long to rival that of Rebecca Koen (WRY) who won the heats of the Women's 800m Freestyle. Katharina Mcauliffe placed 15th place with 8:22.69. In the Women's 200m backstroke, Arletta Anzaldua of Britonisea nearly missed qualification standard, and placed 15th with 2:09.49. She then placed 13th in the semi final with 2:09.09, and therefore, not advancing to the next round of the competition. Antoine Keech of Electrum ended up winning the competition, and therefore adding to their collection of gold medals. Estogium and Amazonesta are second in their respective Men's Water Polo groups - which Britonisea failed to qualify for. Ndaku has been eliminated from their group (the same group as Amazonesta) after they drew Amazonesta 8-8.

Aleshia Head and Reatha Deveau lost their Women's Badminton campaign rocking out with the finals only in sight, while in Basketball, Britonisea lost to Pederal na Republika ng Pilipinas 63-67, and therefore, rocketing to 3rd place - and aren't in qualification contentions. Estogium won their match against the hosts, Paripana, and leads the tables in their Group. Gerard Delamater in the Women's Individual All Round came last place, 24th, and therefore fails to win a medal for Britonisea, who is suffering in third place in the region. In Hockey, Britonisea drew with Fluvique 1-1, however, the country of Britonisea still lies in elimination contentions while Fluvique is high flying with second place. Despite Doria Cleek qualifying for a medal in the Women's 50m Pistol, Doria only placed 6th in the final, and watched Cû Bin-ûg of the hosts win the Olympic Record. In Day's 6 Tennis Singles, Leo Garry beat Goran Petrovic in a three set thriller - 0-6, 7-5, 6-4. Leo Garry expressed his distate in the match in a press conference after, "For someone like me, who is one of the only NSTT rated players left in the tennis Olympic draw, I find that losing a set of any kind 0-6 is highly embarrassing, and though I recovered the match, I would like to say to my fans and the country that they won't be seeing this again. I am out to win the gold medal in Aeropag, and I can definitely do this. Having 3 Britonish men in the 8th finals, in the first place, is a big achievement and I think this shows that it is Electrum or Ceni that are necessarily the best tennis nations - but, Britonisea is experienced and underrated when it comes to NSTT competitions. You can also see this in the doubles, with Elizabeth Quehall and I. I'm not sure what happened in the Olympics - but I guess it's fatigue. We are both doing exceptional in our own single's world and we will continue to do so." Ricardo Toli won his match against Jeremy Pinney, in straight sets (6-4, 6-3), but he states he doesn't look forward to playing Paul Quiront from Neu Engollon - who beat Jason Gordon 7-6, 6-3. Also still in the contention to get a tennis medal is Martin Bond, from Ndaku, who went through a tough 3 set match against Danilo Clijsters of Thatius - 1-6, 6-1, 8-10. It was truly a thrilling match. As you saw before, Elizabeth Quehall won against Lara Basiĉ, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1. She was then paired with Patience Hohl. Elizabeth Quehall/Leo Garry (BRI) lost against the Neu Engollon pair Mattias Doerwald/Felice Mareaux. Leo Garry has expressed the country will receive pay back.

Part 2 - Day 7

In Day 7, the Britonish had a better chance at everything. Agripina Schwartzberg in the Women's 3m Springboard with 377.65, and is hoping to stick on to that first place ranking - to win a gold medal for Britonisea. Tiyamike Randall of Ndaku won Archery - Men's individual. Despite Britonisea expressing their interest in Archery (even by putting in a bid to host the NS Archery Open I), Britonisea didn't even make the cut. This added to Ndaku's impressive gold medal streak while (at the time) Britonisea had yet to receive a gold medal. Athletics are one of the hotly talked about sports in the Olympic Games, and the Men's 400m starts. Along with the Men's 800m and Women's 100m, Men's 400m are the races Britonisea usually does well in or, we can ensure that a Britonish would get in to the Semi Finals at least. However, in the heats of the Men's 800m, Dave Vatenfall placed 4th only qualifying to the first round with a time of 45.18 - and then in the first round, Dave ran 45.38, which was slower than his race in the pre-lim. When speaking to the BITC team after the race, he said, "I'm [Dave] gutted. I can't believe that I didn't live up to Olympic standard - after fighting for my place in Aeropag a few days ago. I was on this very track and I qualified. But now, my Olympics are over...well my solo Olympics are over anyway." The Men's 800m first round soon followed - and because Jayden did exceptional in the Aeropag Qualifciations - he didn't have to go through a preliminary round, and because Jason is the returning Olympic champion - he didn't either. In Heat 3, Jayden Ultimate ran and came second with 1:46.01, an impressive time - but not yet showing his true potential. Meanwhile, in Heat 6, Jason Hall ran 1:46, which made him only qualify to the next round through a fastest loser spot - and therefore, he will be given a very bad lane for the next round. In the semifinals, Jayden is running first in Semi Final 1, while the Olympic Champion will run in the 3rd semi final. Van Chia of Estogium will run in the second semi finals. The famous Britonish long-jumper, Arsenal McGriffin has qualified for the finals - after placing a respectable 6th in qualifications with 8.19 (being one of the only jumpers with 3 good jumps). He does place behind behind Agrippa Ward of Ndaku, who could bag another medal for his nation. Arsenal has stated that in the finals, he will not hold back - how much of this reigns true? Harry Cundo placed 25th and therefore, he didn't qualify.

Despite being in one of the slower races, Anne Briton of Britonisea one her race with 11.32, but for the semi finals, she is going to need to push it even more. Anne Briton has the weight of a nation on her shoulders - and if she wins, she could become Britonisea's first female Athletics athlete to receive a gold medal. Anne goes in to the first semi final - with the 7th fastest time. In the Women's 1,500m, Ehtel Uhrig of Britonisea qualified in her heat with a time of 4:04.57 and placed in third. It's quite an interesting time, as she placed 13th overall, and she hopes to better that time going in to the second semi finals. In the Women's 10,000m semi finals, Molly Cutler was disqualified after she started to go before the gun - this meant she will not be qualifying for the next round, and it's uncertain whether she will represent Britonisea in the Women's 10,000m at the US Summer Games. In Men's 32nd finals of Badminton, Peter P Larry beat Kors van Coten 21-13, 21-10. He moves to the next round of the games. In Basketball [[Drawkland 86–74 Britonisea]], which stopped Britonisea from qualifying after a previous squeaky clean record. Ethane, the group leader, is yet to play Britonisea - and if Britonisea wins, they could see a qualification to the next round of Basketball. Estogium leads Group C, after beating Fluvique 83-70. They are ahead of the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, or just QUE. Marcelino Nardi plays Redd Zeeland of Electrum in the Men's cycling sprint after Marcelino beat Jerome Bae-Maeng from Royal Kingdom of Quebec. Shaquana Durfee from Estogium has qualified through to the next round of the Eventing Drassage in Equestrian after placing 5th. There are high hopes for Shaquana to get Estogium another medal. In the Women's Handabll, it was between Valanora and Britonisea - and the national team which lost would be eliminated from the draw. Luckily for the Britonish women, they beat Valanora 28-26, but this was a very tight match. They have a long road ahead of them to see whether they can qualify to the next round - however, that road looks bleak.

Part 3 - Day 7 continued

Chance List/Jamel Godinez/Arnoldo Boswell of Britonisea are through to the next round of the Men's table tennis teams, after beating Swibian pair, Jalen Stringham/Marcus Metcalfe/Tristian Fredericks, 3-1. This comfortable wins put them in to high hopes for table tennis. In the Women's team, Paulita Donnelly/Lucile Dancy/Lovella Credle beat Isabella Moratta/Martina Crovalla/Gabriella Nuno (SAN), emulating the men's success with 3-1. And speaking of table tennis, let's move on to Tennis - where Britonish hope lives on. Leo Garry managed to beat Selav Tukerawan to go in to the Semi Finals of the Men's Singles Tennis. But, elsewhere in tennis, Paul Quiront of Neu Engollon has beaten Ricardo Toli and is next to face Leo Garry. If Paul Quiront wins, he would've beaten the Britonish three times, consecutively - which is bound to strike upset. Like in Ricardo Toli's match, the Britonish fans will come in their masses to boo Paul Quiront - and cheer on Leo Garry, who is so close to a Men's Singles titles - to reclaim his dominance in Men's Singles. Ricardo Toli was beaten 2-6, 6-2, 4-6 - and as the obvious teary man left the stage - he stated that he will keep on fighting - and wishes to play Paul Quiront again in a normal NSTT event to seek revenge. Martin Bond of Ndaku also won his match against Diego Medina in a three set thriller - which went Ndaku's way. He now plays, Forrest Cowser (SWI) and if all these matches goes Ultimaverse's way - we will see Ndaku play Britonisea in the Men's Singles, which would be a very interesting match to watch. Meanwhile in the Women's singles, Elizabeth Quehall is throwing her terror at all who comes to her, and beats Patience Hohl (KRN) 6-4, 7-6. Elizabeth and Leo are taking their double's split the correct way and therefore, they are in contentions for the gold. It would be magnificent to see Britonisea win the Men's and the Women's singles. Elsewhere in tennis, it will be an Electrum one-two, as the Women's double finals are against Sonya Gredello/Rosa Levinsky and Joan Levitt/Deanne Smith - with the former set to win the competition easily.

In Greco-Roman Wrestling, Women's 58kg, Britonisea won their first gold as Myrtice Heckman beat Electrum's Simona Pelletier 3-1. As she won, she broke down in tears - and for the first time did the Britonish anthem play in any Aeropag arena. Vannesa Cothern wanted to emulate this win in the Women's 69kg, but was relegated to the repêchages and lost that match too.

Day 7 was successful, and remember, last year - Britonisea had the same amount of medals as now on Day 7 - and we ended up with 18 medals by the end of it. Don't worry. We will get there.

---

>Apparent "Dirty toilets" in Ndaku spark national #ToiletClean day in Britonisea - #1 page on Britwit.
>2020 marks the year of change - Britonisea will only have 5% of it's energy from fossil fuels.
>Britonisea earns first gold in tough Aeropag Games - Myrtice Heckman in Women's 56kg Greco-Roman.

---

MrIDUNNO 59 minutes ago
Dunnooo

Hmm, I quite liked this article. Despite the patriotic talk throughout it...it was uplifting. #Britonisea

John Newman 25 minutes ago
jj_newman

Congrats to @Myrtice_Heckman and, Britonisea! #Proud

AriannaJohson
@ariannajohnson54

Oh, so this is where #ToiletClean came from. No wonder my boys are working hard in the toilets now! I get to put my feet up for once!

[Fluvique]

---

Walking through the enemy corpses!*

Three flags rise in Aeropag. Two of them are red, white and yellow. The national anthem sounds and them try to sing it, in middle of the grief and hapiness. They can't believe it, specially the one in the higher step: he just achieved the first gold medal for Fluvique in this Olympics.

It's Michael Massey, 26 years old from Betham, who with a time of 1:19:14 (four seconds ahead of his country man Eliseo Damien, who finished third) won the golden medal, the fifth in the history. "I feel like I'm floating. I was dreaming while compiting to reach the finish lane and now I'm here, with this golden medal. I'm saying to myself 'you did it, man' but I can't react. I'm still moved" said Massey "I'm very happy because is also the first gold for us. We had great performances in the past days, but we weren't lucky. I felt the help of 38 million of Fluviquean, especially in the last kilometres. I forget everything that I talked with my coach beforehand and I followed my heart. It worked"

Eliseo Damien was also delighted after securing his second bronze medal, after the one won in the past Olympics. "It was very moving, because I have this incredible result and medal, a place in the podium and I could sing the anthem. Better imposible" He also paid tribute to Massey and Mike Travis (who finished 6th) "Michael is a fighter. He totally deserves this, it was an amazing race for all of us. Mike also finished sixth, so in this race our country was represented with pride"

*Phrase in the lyrics of the National Anthem

---

Golden sabres

Paysan saber fencers stunned their rivals in the women's team final 45-38 earning the second golden medal for Fluvique in Aeropag Olympics. Is their second medal, after winning the bronze in the last Games and the second medal of the event in this Olympics and third overall. Kayleen Corp, Andy Minty and Malouinne Deziree are the new Olympic Champions, after defeating Liron batOmer, Hada batOri and Elah batTom in the gold medal match.

Malouinne Deziree said that the team were fighting with great passion from the beginning of the match, which was key to their successful performance. "We already had the silver medal, that was an improvement from the last Olympics. So we there and we waited more, but we were relaxed and that allowed us to manage the match from the very start" she said

Immediately after the match, Fluviquean fencers shook hands with their rivals, congratulating them on their performance and then, only then, they gave vent to their happiness, joining together in a hug, jumping and running to the stands, to salute their relatives, the main support in the Olympic Tower.

The ceremony was very touching, with the three girls near to break in tears and receiving the warm hug of a large tricolor flag on their backs. As usually, they anthem was shouted rather than sung and locals fans accompained the music with applauses, something rare in an anthem but normal for us. We can't think in protocols when we're happy.

---

The wanted medal

The Fluviquean dressage team won the bronze medal at Parke Qebálire Putemem, Port Lusambo in this Aeropag Olympic Games which had a day full of Fluviquean feats. Led by Chef d’Equipe Albert Jules, the team, comprised of Cosme Reed and Charming and Daly Rollins and Berankis and Rebeckah Fitzroy and Geneva and Zanna Prosdocimi and Revolution won the bronze medal with a final score of 70.106 percent.

“We’ve captured the first medal for Fluvique here, mission accomplished" said Cosme Reed. "We are know for have the best horses in Rushmore and be in the top of the multiverse, so win a medal for the country here was a very important issue. Now is done. Is so great to see my teammmates so happy and be in the podium is a memory for the rest of our lifes "

“I’m super happy with Berankis. We delivered for the team, that was my goal and that’s what we did,” said a delighted Rollins. “We had a couple of little mistakes at the star, nerves perhaps, but after we received the support of our team, we did it amazingly". “The rest of the test was very clean,” he continued "We did what we needed, our best, despite know that one more mistakes could mean a fourth place but we're focus to keep our place in the third spot and the medal. The best thing is everything worked out."

Reflecting on the Bronze medal win, Albert Jules said, “First of all, a big applause for this team. They worked hard, despite having a family and other commitments, they left everything for this medal and is a blessing. Today we knew we had a good chance to be in the podium and we tried our best, maybe it wasn't, but they felt some pressure and, despite that, they won another medal for the country. That is priceless. When I saw them with the medals, I was crying my eyes out and it was just one of those absolutely amazing experiences. Aeropag will be always in our hearts"

---

[Llanrhyddid]

A Foreigner's Guide to Llanrhyddid
Canllaww Estroyyn d Llhanryddid

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Part 5

Hello from Llanrhyddid! We are very excited to take part in our first sporting competition! In order to explain the nuances of Llanrhyddid, its history, its culture, and its sports, we at the SNL (Sefydliadd Newyddion Llanrhyddid) will be releasing a multi-part series to foreign media organizations describing the Ddeyrnass Cudd, or Hidden Queendom. A city-state hidden in the Mynyddoedd Iwerdd, the Llhanx are a proud, but welcoming people. We hope that you enjoy getting to know our beautiful nation.

A linguistic note. This series will be published in English, a language taught to all Llhanx school children and generally known throughout the multiverse. However, there may be some words in Llanx, the national language of the Llhanx people (a variant of Brythionic). These words will be translated to the best of our abilities. We apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors that result and beg patience as English is not our first language.

So, let us begin!

Military

The military is very important in Llhanx life. Isolationist and wary of outsiders, the Llhanx government aims to maintain a strong military in order to protect Llanrhyddid's independence. As a small nation, Llanrhyddid maintains neutrality in most disputes, but will act to defend its interests. Llanrhyddid has no imperialistic ambitions and only wants to defend its current boundaries.

The mandatory service act mandates that all males serve two years in the military. These soldiers go through about 8 months of basic training and then carry out a 14 month active duty tour, often stationed at Fort Adderyn or Fort Dwysil, the forts that guard the two passes into the Cwcudd. There is also a small professional component of the military consisting of lifelong soldiers, who usually serve as non-commissioned officers. The officer class is generally selected from graduates of the Officer Training School located in Lhengdye.

Llanrhyddid has no navy and only a small air force, meaning that most of the military consists of ground forces. The army has about 55,000 soldiers. Of these soldiers, about 30,000 are stationed at Forts Adderyn or Dwysil. The other 25,000 serve as military police, live as small garrisons in various cities of the country, or man smaller defense points along the border. The small air force, made up of a few helicopters, fighter planes, and cargo planes, as well as about 5,000 airmen, is mostly used for soldier transport around the nation. In case of an attack, the fighter planes would be scattered to take on any enemy bombers. Anti-aircraft installations around the periphery of the nation are the main air defense mechanisms for Llanrhyddid.

The general staff of the armed forces is made up of career officers who have worked their way up the ranks. They served under the Queen, named as commander-in-chief in the Llhanx Constitution. The current Chief General is Andrew Oweyn. The current Chief Air Marshal is Cecyl Dydd. Ranks in the military go from general staff (including generals), to senior officers (including colonels and majors), to junior officers (including captains and lieutenants), to non-commissioned officers (including sergeants and corporals), to privates and new recruits.

I hope that you have learned something about the Llhanx military. In our next piece, we will explore major Llhanx cities and Llhanx culture.

Until then, Carydd to all!

Ailis Frighil
Cyfarwyddwr, Sefydliadd Newyddion Llanrhyddid

[Astyrian Olympics Delegation]

National Security Operations Center
Rikijdrottin, Glisandia

They were gathered in the main conference room of the newly refurbished Ops center. It had originally been a series of bunkers long since forgotten about from the Second Great Astyrian War, and put back to use as the occupation had ended and the need to maintain a strong military against the Holy Domain had risen. Before then, the Duke’s military, security and council had always met in various rooms of the Svanur Castle. That was deemed to risky now, to have that many of the nation’s leadership congregating in a known building.

There was always a chance that their latest location had been leaked to the HD, as there were still suspected high up moles within the government, but it was a chance they could take, with the more fortified security down in the NSOC. As the Duke thought more on that point, watching the Ministers, staff and aides take seats, he spoke,
“I’d like for all the support staff and aides to please leave now. I’m sorry you didn’t get the word, but this is just strictly a council meeting and those who I’ve designated for briefing.”

“But...your Grace, we need our support staff.”

“You do not, Minister Razleczki. Not today.”

As another Deputy Minister attempted to speak up, The Duke just eyed him and waved the exodus on. He waited another couple beats, standing up himself to close the door to the room, while a few Council members grabbed water, coffee, tea and snacks from the side table.

Duke Henryk looked around. There would be some empty seats at the table, significant of the Ministers lost to the recent terrorist campaign of the Holy Domain against the government. They were all hyper aware of how vulnerable they had become on their pedestals of power.

Besides the Ministers, his Commander In Chief, General Hankonssen, and the Intelligence Director, Jens Tarbjörnsson, sat ready. Tarbjörnsson’s official duty, as the National Intelligence Director, was the head of the Glisandian Security Bureau (GSB). It was not a new agency, but the security and intelligence service of the Duchy had undergone a major overhaul during and since the war, incorporating resistance agents and assets that had been born out of the war and also revamping in order to bring Glisandia into the 21st century and face the new internal threat of the GGA/Holy Domain, which it had never been geared towards before. The closest threat like the GGA that the Duchy’s internal security had had to deal with before was the Rombergian revolts and unrest during the first Great Astyrian War. Some of the lessons learned then were still surprisingly appropriate for the current threats to the nation.

General Hankonssen was a shell of what he had been before the war, a mere Captain in the Royal Guard. He had taken every defeat and every death of Glisandian civilians at the hands of the Holy Domain personally, and the defeats had been many lately. If anyone, he was a man who desperately needed a victory, if even a small one.

Director Tarbjörnsson and General Hankonssen were the only ones fully aware of what was to be discussed, having met with him early to have another session like ones they’d had previously over the last few months in order to hash strategy and the future path of the Duchy.

Minister Caponjen, started out, giving the Duke a segue.
“So...Your Grace, what is this about exactly?”
Hako Caponjen had been incorrectly identified in the international press as variously a Rombergian official, agent or provocateur which had led to him being listed in some of the official anti-Rombergian sanctions released by some nations. Caponjen had been keeping a low profile for the last couple weeks since, cancelling visits to allies and nations that they sought support from due to the confusion.

Henryk cleared his throat.
“Well...I’m glad you asked, Hako. This pertains to all the questions you all have been asking. About the situation to our West...about Romberg and our relations, and about how we intend to strike back at Borinkrijn.”

The Ministers variously mumbled, shuffled uncomfortably, or remained riveted. They had all been asking, but especially Caponjen, who should’ve been informed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but had not been kept abreast of the ongoing plans.

“As you are all aware, I met with the Rombergian Kaiser...a landmark historic meeting that was long overdue... in order to discuss the territory of the Western Tundra Lands to our West. We have had issues over the decades with trying to at various times pacifiy or incorporate the Tundra tribes and the Rombija remnants into the fold, to little avail. Much as Afghanistan, the Western Tundra folk have resisted attempts to subjugate them, successfully, throughout periods of history that we can document. At times, our officials and forces, at others, the Thomaion, the Ecossians and the Aurorans. Now the Rombergians have felt that they could make some claim to the area, due to their lost brethren there and their successful operations through the territory during the Northern Lorecian war, the war against the Yellowsian occupation.”

“And you didn’t dissuade them from that.”

“I didn’t. For two big reasons. One, our history is coming up to haunt us as to how we treated the Rombergians during the Personal Union. Might I remind you all that the treatment was not good, and quite horrific at times. We exploited them, and it should not rest easy on our conscious. I intend to right those wrongs during my tenure on this throne. So I tacitly agreed that the Rombergians could move into the Western Tundra and start to set up shop.”
Henryk stopped to sip at his beverage out of a mug. It was a mystery to all in the room as to what that could be.

“You haven’t admitted that to the public, though. Or to the Astyrian community. We are some of the focal point of this big regional crisis and your coming clean with that might alleviate some of the tension that is building. The sanctions and the reactions…”

“I realize that, but there is really no advantage to us coming forward, and every reason that we remain mute on the topic. We will not be the lone savior of Romberg. Coming clean with our conscious does not mean that we rescue them from their own folly. They will need to learn to sink or swim, as every big player in the region has had to do. Let them all bicker and let the Kaiser deal with the fallout from his little expeditious gamble. I quite honestly don’t care, as our debt is to their ancestors, not to this current batch of toddlers.”
He let that soak in for a hefty pause.

“And the other big reason, your grace?”

“The other reason does not leave this room. I mean under pain of death. There will not be any press leaks or anything of the sort. We are at war and I will deal with traitors appropriately.”

Minister Razleczki pressed.
“Yes, your grace, we understand…”

“The other reason is this. As you know, Borinkrijn is as fanatical as they get. If he really cared about international opinion, he wouldn’t slaughter and torture innocent civilians, both ours and any foreigners they come across, and they wouldn’t destroy historic landmarks and ancient religious sites. The oft loathed Rombergians, and I mean loathed in the sense of many conservative circles of our society...will serve as a juicy focal point for his forces of the so-called Holy Domain. To the detriment of the Rombergians and to the saving grace of many lives of our own soldiers and people.”

“You’re using them as bait?! As a giant red herring?”

General Hankonssen took up the narrative, upon signal from the Duke.
“In a sense, yes. It really doesn’t matter if it’s Rombergians or another foreign peacekeeping force next door. They will all serve to draw the thrandee, the fanatical HD fighters away from targeting us and our people to focus on them. Not to mention some of the tundra folk who will likely take up arms against them.”

The General stood up and pointed to a map that was a blow up of Southwestern Glisandia and most of the Western Tundra lands.
“All of my western front commanders are aware that if we can’t isolate and crush these pockets of HD forces, then the next best thing is to simply drive them over the border and let the Rombergians deal with them.”

“So just sweep them over the border and let someone else deal with our problem?”

“Until we can build up and integrate the arms and military aid being sent by allies, as well as the new Riysian advisers and troops arriving...Yes, exactly that. Delay the problem until we are strong enough to deal with it on our own.” The General nodded.

“Why don’t we just do that to the Yellow Star Republic, too? Push the HD forces over their border?”

“Two reasons. They have a tighter lock on their border, which is also mountainous and smaller than the vast border we share with the Western Tundra, and there isn’t much Holy Domain activity in Southeastern Glisandia. If given the opportunity, sure, we’d try that too. It’s just not viable for those reasons.”

“That is rather cold, you realize? We’re forcing the Kaiser to sacrifice Rombergian lives in place of our own. You have lured them into the middle of Northern Lorecia in order to die.”

The Duke stood up, heavily placing his hands on the table.
“So be it. Really, we’re talking about Rombergians here. Is there truly much love lost? Don’t be fooled, they aren’t coming to Lorecia to be our saviors as much as the Kaiser may bluster on. They’re looking for empire, for land and resources...nothing more. They stabbed us in the back before, now we get to return the favor. Let them hang in the wind. Enough innocent Glisandian lives have been lost, it's time for some others to be bled dry, I say.”
After the face to face secret meeting they’d had and several conversations before and after, Henryk had no respect for the weasley Kaiser, who he was sure was trying to manipulate him.

“So all this talk of reconciliation and mending of relations?”

“Is just that. Talk. Window dressing. We end up smelling like roses, the Rombergians get to die on their pyres like heroes, and we get to live to fight another day. Win-win for us.”

“What about how this will come out in relations with all the sanctioning countries?”

Duke Henryk was on a roll.
“Well, like I said, we’re not going to be talking much in the public eye for them to draw any clear conclusions. You let myself and Minister Caponjen figure out how we’ll spin that. For now, though, no more questions. You understand where we’re at, and where we’re coming from...” He swept a hand outward,
“...You all have to wear layers of body armor every day to get here and your families are virtual prisoners in their own secure compounds. How much longer can we stand such a situation? This is about our survival as a Duchy, as a nation, as a people. It has nothing to do with the rest of Astyria, who up until now, didn’t give a fuck about us. I will remind you once again, this conversation does not leave this room. This is of the top most secret sensitivity. I will have any of you by the balls for spilling even a hint of this anywhere but in this Operations center. Clear?” He didn’t wait very long for the nods.
“Dismissed.”

RP Courtesy of Glisandia

[Mattijana]

Men's Hockey Team through to quarters after edging win

The LadijoHockiBand survived a late West Phoencian comeback to take a crucial three points and top pool A, avoiding a nasty draw in the first knockout round. They will face Wray in that, avoiding a nasty draw against the unbeaten San Llera.

Mattijana took first blood in the 7th minute when captain Mattija Hosiner drilled home from a penalty corner that was won after a trip on Sami Tornakić. They consolidated that after another penalty corner was recycled and tipped in by Toni Muller.

A third goal came in the second quarter when a beautiful pass and some poor defending allowed Dominikanov to cut inside and slot home. They were caught out just afterwards however as a slip from Andrez Dragović allowed a lone West Phoencian to slip in and score.

They settled through the third quarter, which ended goalless, but turned the screw once more in the first stages of the fourth and got their reward as a penalty corner was turned in on the line by Muller.

West Phoencia came back and scored a quick goal from a penalty corner with 7 minutes left and pressed on, with wave after wave of attacks being repelled until a long ball in took a flick off a West Phoencian stick and scooted low past Handanović and in.
Mattijana held out until the final minute, when West Phoencia had a goal correctly disallowed for a kick.

The result means that Mattijana will take on Wray, who placed second in pool B with some average performances rather than the unbeaten San Llera, who won 4 matches and drew one.

Line up:

Head Coach: Radlo Ljubolovič
Starting lineup:
GK: Marko Handanović
Def: Andrez Dragović
Def: Michael Loranović
Def: Philip Mensah
Def: Aljaž Hallenburg
CDM: Mattijo Hosiner (captain)
CDM: Tomaž Lorenikov
CAM: Dominik Radlov
LW: Alex Dominikanov
RW: Sami Tornakić
CF: Toni Muller

[Wray]

Massola storms to second gold amongst quadruple success

Louis Massola achieved a second gold medal of the XI Olympics, completing the butterfly double by winning the 100m event. Three days earlier he had won Wray's 2nd gold medal of the Games in the 200m event. Massola's dominance of the butterfly event echoes memories of Brendan Matthews triumph in both the 100m and 200m freestyle in the VIII Games in Orean, which established him as a household name in Olympic swimming - perhaps this might be the beginning for the 25 year old Massola.

He had qualified as the 8th ranked qualifier, sneaking in by just .01 of a second, but made total use of the close shave, and produced a lightning second length to come from third at the split to come home in a time of 50.62. He won by .03 seconds from the earlier race leader, Earl Emad of Electrum, Massola demonstrating his incredible strength of stroke in the closing 20m to inch ahead and grab the gold. Third place was claimed Vinsent Ivere of Vekaiyu, Wray's perenial opponents in the pool. Massola's rise has been meteoric in every sense of the word, a whirlwind couple of domestic seasons has culminated in an unprecedented Olympic double. Wray Olympic Association President Claire Massey called the Cartserburgian's achievements 'fantastic' whilst Massola himself attributed his success to his parents and the coaching system at Wray Swimming. His final swim broke the Wray national record, set at the last Games by Jamie Giffen. Massola's medal is Wray's 5th in the Games.

Elsewhere Grace Spencer's disappointing campaign continued, failing to make the final of the Women's 50m Freestyle, the event she won silver in at the Zube & Kytler Bay Games. The Athletics commenced at the Olympic Tower Stadium, but a disappointing day away Wray - only Leah Marou and January Williams achieved qualification to the semi-finals, in the 1500m and the 3,000m Steeplechase respectively.
Elsewhere on day 7, Wray witnessed more success in the pool, in the Velodrome and in the Equestrian Arena. Rebecca Koen, who qualified fastest for the final of the Women's 800m, won a silver behind Nirva Mortgarde of Cosumar. A slow burning race saw Mortgarde pull away in the final 100m, with Koen bridging the gap between the leader and the rest of the pack and finishing in a time of 8.16.14, one and half seconds behind Mortgarde and 3 seconds ahead of Naomi Zakarina of Mattijana, who led the chasing pack. Kate Miles was amongst that pack, finishing 5th in a time of 8:20.37.

The Velodrome Jativa saw a surprising success for Wray, as Kellie Fallon, Stephanie Wyles and Alicia Rabinowicz won the women's team sprint, in similar fashion their male counterparts in Zube and Kytler Bay four years ago. They qualified 5th fastest in qualifiers in the morning, before returning in the afternoon for the eigth-finals, where they faced the trio from Kelssek, Rachel Mackie, Nyalla Hunter and Róisín Kelleher. Led by the powerful Fallon and the exciting Alicia Rabinowicz, they recorded the fastest time of the afternoon, thus gaining qualification to the gold final where they would face off against Nihira Nadés, Kelsey Letourneau and Seung Min Han of Quebec. In a gripping finale, Wray edged ahead at the death to take the gold in a time of 47.387 - not the fastest of the day, which was ironically taken by Mackie, Hunter and Kelleher, whom Wray had defeated in the previous round. Lastly, Wray took a silver in the Team Equestrian event, the only event where men and women have competitive parity. The team was led by Amy Byrnes who took the bronze in the individual event two years ago, riding the 8-year old Messiah, finished second behind The Sarian and in front of Fluvique. In the individual event, Byrnes, Tom Saxon and Rohana Mills-Murray, wife of Brendan Matthews. Matthews was in attendance to see her claim her first Olympic medal.

[Qasden]

Qasden
Athletic News

---

AeropagXI Medal Report- Days 4-7

---

While no medals were awarded to Qads within these days, let's just see how close we're getting, shall we?

/\/\ Women's 3m Springboard /\/\

Seems like we're doing alright in aquatics. After the first round of the event, both Paige Dotson and Elorah Faun finished with amazing scores, allowing both girls to progress into the next round. When we interviewed their coach, even he was astonished that Faun and Dotson both made it through. "Elorah and Paige, they're really talented women. I can't express enough my excitement and pride in them after what they put on here in Aeropag. We all know the next round won't be so easy, and we'll have to train and work hard to keep us successful. I believe by the end of this event, when we go back home to Qasden, both girls will be showing their families their medals."

/\/\ Men's 800m /\/\

In a surprising turn of events, Qasden has been performing pretty well in track events like the Men's 800m. Mr. Frank Alchery finished at the top of his heat in both the preliminaries and the semis, allowing him into possible medal contention. Unlike Sir Lamb, who was defeated in his event's semi final, Alchery took his runs seriously. "You know, a lot of Qads here are just excited to be at the Olympics. To be part of Qasden's first Olympic delegation. I want to be more for my country, I want to make every Qad proud, no matter if there here, in Rushmore, or even behind bars. I have to work vigorously to achieve that goal, but I know it will all pay off soon enough."
With Alchery jogging out of the hotel room, we can safely say that he will be one of Qasden's best.

/\/\ Men's 7ball /\/\

Now, we've recognized our performance last time in one of out previous reports, but now we're serious. Despite being a demonstration event (meaning not really a medaled event), our men's squad finished on top of Group A, with 3 straight victories over Free Swiss States, West Phoencia, and the Independent Olympic Athletes. Next for the Qads, if we're correct, the SeVans will play RK Quebec, a dominant country in Aeropag with several medals in all around events.

That's all for this report. Before we go, we must say goodbye to our chances of advancing in Women's Basketball and Men's Hockey. While we tried our best, we were just not strong enough. However, we are doing pretty good in Baseball and Softball, keeping a stable record. Can the Vans keep it up and possibly earn more medals? Or will Swallowtail's silver stand as a sole legacy of Qasden in Paripana? Stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for future reports from Aeropag!

[Commerce Heights]

Day 8 results are now available (part 1 · part 2 · part 3 · part 4 · part 5).

[Dunnes]

Athletics NEWS

MEDAL CONTENDERS MOVE INTO POSITION

AEROPAG- One hadn't wanted to be an Olympian, the other endured a "piggy-back" ride in her heat, but in any case two Dunian women have reached the final of the 3000m steeplechase.
Both Anna Pruter and Sierra Pontheir will take to the Olympic Tower two days from now after advancing from their semifinals last night.

They are the first two Dunian women to reach the Olympic final of the event.
Pontheir, 27, progressed automatically from a drama-filled first heat in first position, with a time of 9:17.83 Pruter came eighth in the second of the heats, but her time of 9:28.99 was barely enough to advance as one of the three fastest runners outside the automatic qualifiers.

For Pruter, 24, who endured a rough two years after not finding a sponsor after college had new appreciation for the Olympics.
"It's taken me quite a while to work out what the Olympics are," Pruter said after qualifying.


“I just didn't really have that much of an interest in it. I've had to really search for why this race is so much more important. And I guess it's because you know all your friends and family are watching.

"I wanted to run for well them."
Pruter reflected on the moment that got her competitive juices flowing again after the rough patch. "I entered a 10K fun run and I was really proud of finishing it. I remember my husband giving me a big hug. I'm nearly 10 minutes faster now than I was then. But he just couldn't believe I ran as fast as I did back then."
Pontheir - at her first Olympics as well - was upbeat after she continued an excellent season by progressing. "How often does something go to plan? And then for it to happen at the Olympics," Pontheir said.
Pontheir had to navigate a heat full of falls and trips, with carnage abound.
”It was just a messy race," Pontheir said.
"I was just talking to myself in my head saying 'stay calm, don't panic, don't get anxious.'"
"Because people are stepping on my heels, I'm stepping on people's heels. The water jump - I landed on a girl's back. I was being piggy-backed."
As for the final Pontheir had this to say:
"I think I can PB."

In the men’s 400m another Dunian won a heat and was a top qualfier. Mel Ryan won semifinal two with a time 44.31.
“I felt really good about the race. I executed the race plan for the first three hundred and the last hundred just flew by.”
When asked about his chances in the final Ryan was more than excitable.
“Its the final. Anything can happen.”

Jermey Johnson, who won the Dunian Trials was sixth in the first heat and didn't qualify for the final.

Jacob Cohen also made the final after winning his heat of the 800m in 1:44.93. He used a signature kick to win his heat with a dive at the line. He too thinks the final is wide open.
“Its just been a wild ride through these whole games. I’m just gonna go out there and give my best.”

Brothers Dan Reid, and Frances Reid both qualified for their next rounds in the 10000m, and steeplechase respectfully. Dan will compete in the Final, and Frances the Semifinal.

[Todd McCloud]

((The following was taken from the blog site ran by new Vekaiyun Swimmer Levisa Sikalori. It is written in common language and apparently has a mild following))

2016 8 15

Hello to all of my peeps! Also a big wave to the people at Jerislovi Secondary School! I'm reporting in once again, this time from the fair city of Aeropag where the weather is always of nice, according to all the papers I read. And there are really a lot, yes! Did you know that there are 85 nations in the participating? Isn't it rad? How do they manage to keep track of the people here? It's like, why don't they host the world peace summits when this stuff is going on, yes? Anyway, the weather has been nice here, but no real time to enjoy it, you know, I'm always trying to fight and fight well because I'm here for free! Fight fight fight for the Holy Republic of Vekaiyu! But I've still had some time to myself. It's been nice to be in a different place but I do of miss home. A lot.

First, thanks to kiva Yeslevori for polishing my Codexian before coming over to here. The language barrier was a little tough (it's hard to read than write it) but I've been hanging around the fellow athletes. Ankya Isassi has been of particularly help because she's very gifted in languages. Leina Irlavistre is also the funniest person I think I have ever met. Yuuh! She told a joke about the people from San José Guayabal and how their fans compared to Vekaiyun fans. It went like, well there was something about roosters and how they cannot lay of the eggs but I can't really remember - she tells it better. Anyway I spit out my drink of Eskola (do I need to add the "R" thing when I write it out? I don't know how to do that on this computer) I laughed so hard. Oh and Ehjy Ecaste says the best riddles. Like, what belongs to you but others use it more than you use it? Give up? Come on - so close! Yes! Your name! Unless you talk to yourself I guess. Anythere, it's a little different cause most of them have been to many games and me well, not so much. But they've helped. Our rooms are decorated to the max with posters and writings so the dorm rooms aren't too plain. It's nice to see Unonian when I get to the dorm now.

To all the fans on stream of mine, yes, I still do have purple streaks in my hair. It's beet juice, yuuuh! All the rage in Provinsk, you know? Luckily it's a good dye and I've not needed to really re-dye it since coming here. Not even the chlorine has turned it back to black! I mean that's probably because I keep my hair in my swim cap, but still! I love how we're bringing back ancient traditions because they're still a part of who we are as people.

Speaking of swimming, did you watch me! I was so close all the way in lane seven, and I was shortest in the field, but that doesn't bother me cause people like Riyna McAves and Ikrisia Sulevire did many with vulpine frame in swimming! It was women’s 50 meter freestyle and the leader from the North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team (THAT'S a nation name? How do they get anything of done when all they do is say name all day?!) almost beat the old record set in Aeropag! Anyway, I could've made it, but I stretched and stretched and just couldn't reach the edge in time. At least that's what they telled me. It sure did feel like I reached it before someone from Kelssek did but they said no. Booo! No, cheer! Everyone did their best and Vekaiyu will still shine! Anyway that's the rest of the races for myself. It was nice but I want to get better. Next year, yuuh!!

And I avoided the V3 News too! All the athletes say they're more the trouble than they're worth, much love! They always asking the tough questions and they always do it right after a race or the medal ceremony. It's like... I don't know, what else is there to say? We're tired and we just want to sitting in a hot tub and relaxing and not think of swimming or training for a bit. Even homeworks would be better!

At least I was able to walk around and see sights and scenes in Aeropag today. Many buildings - it's like if Adevi was built for the mice!! And everyone, so busy! But the people of Aeropag don't have much military presence. They don't really have much of a belief either, but some did believe in a creature called the Margaret. I even got a rubber chicken that the patron told me to sacrifice! Why would I ever do that? I think I will of keep it. It's poorly crafted out of some kind of thermoset rubber but it will be neat souvenir (yuuh autocorrect!) to see what people think of it back home.

There is been talks of specism but I don't see it really. People just go about their business and I think they just like living in a place that's by a beach! I know I would. Adevi is nice but it is no beach! Also, weird time, my phone doesn't really work here. I don't know how to get it to work and I don't know how to ask of it. Oh well. Maybe it's better that I experience things without it.

Best of luck to everyone back home and in other nations! Much love and I can't wait to be for home soon!

[The Serbian Empire]

Letter to Dr. Voros that was left on the Beograd Journal's editor desk
Don't Trust Dr. Faremis

He's just going to get in the way of our development of athletes who will shatter records and mature at a much fast and younger age. We shall name the first three prototypes Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis just like in Final Fantasy. Why don't we name our first girl Jenova just like the Cetra that the scientists for Shinra named her?

Ratko Panic
Director of Operation A.T.H.L.E.T.E and Serbian Nationalist

The editor wondered why Ratko keeps publishing these letters and if Voros is really a coworker within this newspaper. Maybe Voros will emerge soon enough.

The Serbian Sporting News
Five Medals in One Day

Medals ranged from swimming to cycling to wrestling, then there's two new categories. Shooting with Clint Chootem who won a silver medal and a bronze medal from long jumper Joffrey Peca's debut in the Olympiad.

The swimming was yet another bronze for three of the swimmers, but the only medal Orihime Matsuzaka has produced this Olympiad. The other three in Sierra Mirkovic, Mila Vranac, and Tihana Alesic produced another medal in the 4X100m Freestyle. Orihime has narrowly missed out on qualifying for semi-finals time and time again this year, but didn't let the team down. She merely giggled while covering her mouth when asked did she do a good job.

When it came to cycling, it was more of the usual business at the velodrome. Marisa Darkovic, Jana Krejci, Marina Brankovic, and Mirela Blagojevich pedaling away in the high banks. And sure enough a silver medal was had. And as for wrestling, Neftalia Moroso procured her bronze medal in the Women's 53 kg weight class. Jade Savage-Winter however didn't win her effort in the Women's 75 kg class for a bronze. We couldn't get close enough to Jade for comment as she was steamed at her own performance and went into the staging area as to not witness her adversary being given a medal. Some state that this was Jade's best chance at getting herself a medal however, she's still highly regarded in the other style here.

[CoraSpia]

[b]From: Havenssport <general_enquiries@havenssport.vkl>
To: Mailist:AER_all-NOCS (all national Olympic committees)
Date: 16 August 2016
Subject: Celari national day celebration

---

Good day,
This email serves two purposes, relating to the celebration of the Celari national day by much of the Havennic delegation tomorrow.
This event, if cooperation from the Aeropag organising committee is granted, shall take place in the Olympic village. If Aeropag organising committee agents, or Aeropag law enforcement personelle disrupt the event, Havenic athletes will head to the nearest suitable location to continue the event.

We would firstly wish to apologise for any disruption that the noise of several hundred people partying will probably cause. We estimate that this will continue until the early hours of the morning, although individuals competing in events the following day are instructed to return earlier, so a lestening of the noise is expected (and hoped for!)
However, alcohol will be being served at the event,, and Havenic athletes and officials have been known to get rather roudy in the past. Do not think 'It probably won't happen,' it will. I am speaking from experience here, I have been a Havenic athlete myself, we party far too much. It's why we don't win enough medals. Please adapt your sleep and training schedule to reflect this disruption, and we apologise if it affects your sleep.
However, we urge you to understand that national day is possibly the most important day in the Celari calendar, equal to most religious clebrations (if not greater in prominnense.) It is a day of great national pride, and represents the internationally recognised date of the founding of Celeria, a large part of the Greater Vakolicci Haven and by far its most sporting province.

The second part of this email is to invite any athletes and officials to what will be an epic night of drinking, eating and merrymaking not far from where you are based. Live music will be played (at reasonable volumes, of course), and a free bar has been donated kindly by the King of Celeria himself, who will be in attendance (as he is an athlete.) You are also invited to sample a mix of Celari and other Havenic cuisine, which is often regarded as some of the best in the world, and to try the famed 'Zakarija firewater,' an alcoholic drink which will leave you both wishing you had never tried it and wishing for more.
However, we would recommend that any athletes who intends to contest an event the day after the celebration avoid staying too late or getting over-inebriated (however, if you are competing in an event that the Haven wants to do well in, I really wouldn't complain if you got too drunk.) However, any other athletes and officials are totally free to stay up with many of our athletes and officials ntil the early hours of the morning; it will not be an event you will wish to miss out on.

Havenssport is not responsible for any bad behaviour which occurs at this event. Sexual misconduct, the taking of illegal drugs, getting excessively drunk, embarrassing skinny dipping and other things you will regret in the morning are not things condoned by Havenssport. However, as (as I have previously said) I am a former Havenic athlete myself, I've done it before.

We kindly ask that you send this communication onto all your athletes and officials, and we hope to see as many at the party as possible.

Hoping that this communication finds you and your family in good health and wellbeing,
-Hoho Nonon,
Havenssport wrestling deputy coordinator and man who sends official emails when the man who's supposed to send official emails is away on holiday,
Havenssport

[North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team]

Another gold medal for the North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team!


Aeropag, Paripana - (NEIP) The North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team won its second gold medal, this time in swimming — Women’s 50 m Freestyle.
Molly Hawkshaw, from Bannockburn, Great Caledonia, finished her race with a time of 24.06 just one hundredth of a second short of the olympic record, which has earned her a gold medal!

In diving, the top 12 divers advanced to the final, Émilie Bélanger, 16 yrs old, finished 13th. Émilie was caught crying in front of the cameras when she heard the results, she wanted to be in the final.

In athletics, DeShawn Robinson (100m) was eliminated in the first round. Franciszek Mioduszewski (800m) made it to the semi finals but didn't advance to the final. In 3000m steeplechase, Keefe O'Ceallachain disappointed with a 9th place in his heat and didn't advance to the semi finals. Lloyd Fowler (pole vault) advanced to the next round. In long jump, Kentavious Jones was in the final and got the 6th place.

Monica Jones (100m) finished 4th in her semi final race and didn't advance to the final. Lena Wojtkowiak (5000 m) advanced to the semi final. Elixabete Agirretxe (3000m steeplechase) disappointed with a 24th place in the semi finals. She kinda dominated the qualifications in Iqualuit, Québec 3 months ago. In heptatlon, the best result for North Eurasia was a 65th place by Patrycja Zelek.

Men basketball, North Eurasia lost 97–92 in overtime against San Llera and arenow officially eliminated.

Track Cycling sprint, Kacper Zuckermann, from Mieszkowice, Prusy Krolewskie, won the 8th finals, quarter finals and semi finals, he's sure to get a medal tomorrow! Kacper Zuckermann will be a multiple medal winner, he won the gold medal in team sprint with Jared English and Matt Johnson. Kacper Zuckermann was so happy after winning the semi final, he twerked on Redd Zeeland from Electrum. Redd Zeeland didn't seem to like it.

Emma Steward finished 12th at the grand prix freestyle in equestrian dressage.

Kieran Willoch is actually the best North Eurasian golfer with a 35th place after 3 rounds. We're unsure how many rounds we'll have.

In rowing, Brandon Crosby finished 6th in single sculls and the North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team also finished 6th in men's coxed eights.

In sailing, Tyler Bishop is still first after 10 races in one person thingy and advances to the next round. Jake and Josh Donald are 10th in men's skiff after 5 races. Sabrina Antonelli finished 14th after 10 races in one person dhingy and didn't qualify. Emily Britt and Anastazja Styczynski are 11th in women's skiff after 5 races. In mixed mulltihull, Kevin Wagner and Jennifer Logan are 12th after 8 races.

In Softball, the North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team won 1–0 against the Independent Olympic Athletes. Haylie Chung was batting first and on the first throw in the first inning she hitted an inside the park homerun. No one else scored after that.

In Football, the Vilitan Union will play against Fluvique in the first semi final. The Licentian Isles and Eonstar will face each other in the other semi final. The Vilitan Union are a powerhouse in football and they are the favorites to win, according to San Jacinto's bookmakers.

After day 8, the North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team has now 5 medals including 2 gold medals. Here is the table.

Electrum                             ETM   7  10  10   27
Paripana Sporting Council            PSC   7   8   9   24
Royal Kingdom of Québec              QUE   5   7  10   22
Kelssek                              KSK   7   7   7   21
Wray                                 WRY   5   7   7   19
----------------------------------------------------------------
North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team NES   2   2   1    5

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

The Islander - Sports Section - What Maxine Cadieux could do after Olympics

It's official, folks : Maxine Cadieux is the most decorated Quebecois olympian of all time. The 31-year old from Charlottetown, Acadie, has won 6 medals at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, including one gold and two silver to the tally as she served as the face of rowing, a surprisingly strong discipline on international stage, in Quebec.

Maxine Cadieux in Aeropag, Paripana with Diane Rose
after their gold medal-winning performance two days
earlier

Because of this it was even more surprising when Cadieux, shortly after her last finish earlier today, that this was her last ever row as a professional. But while retirement will mean (and require) a career change for Cadieux, it doesn't mean she'll be restricted to a life of relaxation and recreation. As have demonstrated by past olympian athletes, retirement from competitive sports just means the end of one chapter in his or her life, and the beginning of another chapter to be unfolded through, whether in athletics or something entirely different!

At times those are determined by personal interests, toolset one possesses and at times needs to be closer to family. With this in mind, here are some professions Maxine Cadieux should consider upon retirement :

Heading Back to the Booth
Obviously on a different booth of course, this option is nonetheless a very common and practical one for those wondering on post-athletics career options. With their on-field experience as a player, the athletes are usually able to provide much more intriguing broadcasts in many sports. Handballer Leanne de Jigonhasee and wrestler Sung Pyo Yi followed this path. After retiring from their respective sports following the 2020 Olympics, the couple entered the QBC's broadcasting cast and has shined there since then. This obviously isn't the path welcomed for everyone, given the challenges in having to explain thing not only clearly, but also consistently and be able to appeal it to greater masses. For those with problems handling the media or talking nonstop, this may not be the best for them. Whether this will work for Maxine remains to be seen, but don't be surprised if we see her on broadcasting booth very soon.

Giving Back to the Youth
Many athletes, during and after their playing career, become coaches and teachers of their respective fields. Whether it be grooming collegiate players, running sports camps (often of their own) or just coming in guest appearances to help out, it is something that can aid the athletes as their experience and expertise pass onto the others. Pulkkinen Brothers followed this path. While still training for the international stage, they also help out the future weightlifters to get ready for their lift of the lifetime - but with a twist. In 2021, following the trio's 3-gold win in Centralis, the trio launched ULift, a program that teaches children with physical disabilities how to lift - not only to improve their health and keep them in condition, but also to provide them a much-needed chance to interact with others through athletics.

Going Back to School
Many athletes, after their competitive career end, come back to school so they can either finish years of missed schooling or start a new degree or two to get themselves ahead in life. Many medalists usually gravitate towards something that they had studied back in high school or university, but often take different paths than the ones taken before. Former hockey player Hindmarsh Yoon, shortly after retirement, went back to his alma mater of Universite St. Croix to do an MBA degree. This has proven to be a huge plus for his career in sports administration, as the 55 year old was able to add much-needed accreditation on top of playing experience to land the inaugural World Cup of Hockey Federation president position. Obviously it depends on what she wants to do after her degree (she already have a BSci in Environmental Science) remains up in the air though, so maybe we'll see how it goes for her.

Pursuing Politics
Athletes often take brand ambassador positions or serve as a cause spokesperson. But that's not the only area limited for the athlete-politicians really: in fact we have way more examples of those who actually succeeded in politics. Former Commonwealth silver-medalist gymnast Emmeline Auriol-Kweon took her passion for railway transportation all the way to the Capitol - in 2021, Prime Minister Alexandre Balmas appointed Auriol-Kweon, who competed in 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games, as Head of Railway Infrastructure Development Committee after 12 years of service in Quebec National Railways, in conjunction with the QTX project's completion and eventual establishment of further high speed railway network in the country.

Farming!
This may not be the most popular nor common option out for the general public but it's certainly one that many athletes, believe or not. The skills required to excel at international sports competitions - most notably the patience, endurance and strength - can translate well into farming. With the globalisation expanding the reaches of Quebecois produces to reach abroad, many gravitate to use their image and interest to gain some foothold or at least sustainable income to follow up. Former Quebecois footballer Frederic Beauchemin has started his marijuana farming business in Cuscatlan, San Jose Guayabal, and counts Royal Kingdom of Quebec, Eshan and Schottia as some countries he plans to export his cannabis products to.

[Ferkas]

More mixed headlines from various Ferkian news outlets

Heading for the Semifinals

Gridiron Push Continues as West Phoenicia Falls

(Aeropag) They may have arrived as unknowns, but the Ferkian gridiron team can no longer claim that title as they surge onwards into the semifinal round. A 27-13 game, featuring a two touchdown last quarter, easily pushed the team ahead in their international debut tournament.

At the start of the fourth quarter the game was a 13-13 affair and the result was starting to look shaky. Fans and analysts were left to wonder, was this the end of the line? Had the team, which had surpassed all expectations by making it this far, finally run out its magic? Was the offense out of tricks? Would the vaulted defense, which had dominated in the qualifying and group stages, break in the final quarter?

Those fears proved to be completely misplaced, as Grant Herring came out strong in the second half and guided the team on two consecutive touchdown drives, skillfully burning the clock as the team worked its way down the field. Herring, playing what was certainly one of his best quarters of play ever, was a perfect eleven for eleven in the final quarter. James Kellington, taking the ball up the gut, saw the majority of the running touches and contributed the second touchdown grab as well.

Meanwhile the defense turned up the heat and stifled the West Phoenician offense before it could respond...

--------------------------------------------------------

Royale Matches Her Name!

Strikes Gold in Rowing

(Port Lusambo) Heidi Royale came into these games as one of the leading Ferkian rowers.

The thing is, that usually doesn't count for much.

She changed that in just over seven minutes though, blazing her way to a gold in the womens single sculls event. It was a tight race against Priscilla Gonzalez (ETM), but ultimately it would go to Royale as she had just enough left for a final surge. Moments after she crossed the line the realization sunk in and pandemonium broke out among the handful of Ferkian fans in attendance. The rowing community in Ferkas, although small, is incredibly enthusiastic. And to see one of their own strike it big on the biggest stage was a dream many of them had never dared speak of aloud.

Perhaps the only person who wasn't surprised was Royale herself, who had commented before the final that she thought she could contend for a medal. At the time those comments were written off as nothing more than the necessarily confident talk of a competitor. We now can see that she was incredibly accurate with her prediction...

-----------------------------------------------------------

Domination in the Discus

Double Medals as Ferkas Dominates Throwing Event

There is no doubt who the best county was in the discus. With Cameron Webster taking gold and Jay Keller nabbing the bronze that honor clearly belongs to Ferkas.

It was a tight competition among the top three, as Webster, Keller and Louie Nash (PSC) were all within .35 meters of each other. Webster was the biggest story of the final though, as he went into his final throw well outside of medal contention. His best of the round had been a throw of 67.01 and it wasn't clear that he would make the podium. When he released his final throw though it was easy to tell that this one was going to fly. His throw of 68.95 would launch him to the top of the rankings, and ultimately atop the podium as well...

-----------------------------------------------------------
Other Headlines
Dixon into Finals; Strickland Stumbles
"Dwight Dixon will compete in the 800m finals after finishing second in his semifinal heat...one of the top performers currently in the Kingdom, Dixon is seen as a medal contender...sadly, Strickland was unable to make up the ground lost in a mid-race stumble as he missed qualification into the finals. Strickland tripped up with roughly five hundred meters to go and a small gap formed between him and the field...with the energy needed to close the gap he was unable to close with the best when the kicking started..."

Reper as Timeless as Ever
"Kyle Reper continued to show why he is the founding father of Ferkian distance running, making the final in the mens 10000m event...thankfully his final time of 27:21.36 was enough to make it through on time, as his 8th place finish in the second preliminary heat was not enough for an automatic spot..."

Team Pursuit Takes Bronze
"...the quartet benefits from the fact that all four men grew up in the same town and were quite good friends in school, giving them a level of teamwork and coordination which they could really use to their benefit in the team event..."

Jones, Maxwell Look Forward to Steeple Final
"...the duo are quite a contrast - Maxwell ever serious, Jones a fan of pranks - but they seem to work well together. Minutes after their races concluded they were already back together preparing for a cool down run. In fact, the two often seem like old friends or teammates, despite having never competed on the same team before these Olympics..."

Clark May Go for Record in Final
"Rumors have begun to swirl that Judy Clark will attack the Ferkian national record in the upcoming 5000m final...a record run in an Olympic final may not be traditional, as athletes typically favor tactical racing over bold front running, but Clark may be just the athlete to try such a move...She currently sits number four on the all-time list...Neither Clark or her coach were available for comment for this story..."

[West Phoencia]

As the West Phoenicians start to thin out at the Olympic Villiage, returning home with no medals due to poor performance and as one Discuss thrower causally remarked "corrupt officials" they part with items in the rooms that were not nailed down.

The West Phoenician Olympic Committee has spoken out towards the remaining athletes to keep striving." If you Wanna fly with the eagle's, stop hanging with the chickens. Rudeness of nations is unavoidable, but that should not stop you from success. We have a rich history and pride in our nation. We know how to deal with enemies and they will be dealt with in time.
With West Phoenicia is some prime positions to obtain medals especially in Sailing, Softball and Baseball it's time to turn around this losing streak.

Pagan Priests and Priestess blessed the remaining athletes with incese and prayers. While athletes of the True Path National Faith led mass and took cofession to make themselves pure for the next few days."

[Kernansquillec]

From: Kernansquillec-NOC
Sent: Friday 14th August 2059, 18:49
To: KRN-delegation-AeropagXI, KRN-staff-AeropagXI
Cc:
Subject: News Bulletin

---

Dear Athletes and Coaches,

Firstly, I would like to strongly deny reports that I was sighted partaking in heavy drinking activities within the Olympic village, leading to a three-day long binge and hangover that caused the news bulletins for the past three days not to sent. While I may well have enjoyed a drink or two with some fellow members of staff, an illness was what prevented me from keeping you all up to date with happenings around the Games. I do however have a list of names of those who started the rumour and they shall be receiving some very interesting phone calls over the coming days.

Secondly, we would like to congratulate our sole medalists from day 5, Nettie Siller and Antoinette Skeeter who finished in the bronze medal position in the women's C-2 canoe slalom. We also salute Dwayne Findley who finished 4th in the men’s 200 m breaststroke final, Hattie Mari who lost on a split decision in the women’s welterweight quarter-final, thus missing out on an assured medal, and Christie Hazzard who finished 5th in the women's road race time trial.

Thirdly, a disappointing day 6 saw the delegation fail to win a single medal, but nether-the-less, we salute the efforts of Lita Baity who finished a close fifth in the women's all-around gymnastics, and of the men's rugby sevens team who also finished fifth.

Fourthly, we would like to congratulate our medalists from day 7: Hang Czerwinski, Una Ngo and Etha Wargo who took the bronze medal in the women's team sprint, Penney Storrs who also took bronze in the women's judo over 78kg category, and Savanna Tauber, who added a golden touch to the day by winning Kernansquillec's first ever wrestling medal in the women's 48kg category. We also salute Moises Hines and Marco Hover who both lost their quarter-final ties on split decisions to miss out on assured medals in the men's boxing, the men's team pursuit four who los their bronze medal playoff by just hundredths of a second, as well as the women's sabre team who also lost their bronze medal play-off, just after having lost their semi-final against eventual gold medalists Fluvique by just 3 points.

Fifthly, we would like to congratulate Ariana Frahm who won gold at a tightly fought women’s heptathlon competition (and who was caught on camera flashing Electrum rival with her behind during her third and final javelin throw, possibly leading the athletes to not throw a perfect throw - we've deemed the effort worthy enough for a small bad of edible penises), Jenell Laseter who won bronze at the women’s 50m rifle prone competition and Loraine Lawyer who took Kernansquillec's second ever wrestling medal in as many days, winning bronze in the Greco-Roman women's 63kg category. We also salute the men’s 4×100 m medley relay team who finished fourth in the final by just 0.03 seconds, as well as the women's team in the same event who also finished an agonising fourth.

Sixthly, the Kernansquillecan NOC is really starting to wonder when the men are going to finally win their first medal of the Games. After eight days it's 10-0 to the ladies and much more is needed. The dreadful results in the rowing just go to show that progress is needed across the board. Thankfully, there is also good news to come with Kristeen Dobson securing Kernansquillec's first tennis medal by reaching the final of the women's singles, while more boxing medals are guaranteed to arrive. Hopes are high sailing events can also add to the total. With athletics underway and with a gold already in, we'll need a big score there to try and climb further up the medal's table.

Seventhly, we have received an invitation from the Havenssport delegation to a large party tonight in the Olympic village. We will not allow members still involved in competitions to take part, but we will take a softer line with those no longer involved. We do advise caution as the event does not appear to be fully official and there are risks of clashes. Proceed with caution.

Eighthly, while we have yet to receive concrete evidence of athletes succeeding in our "pick up a Monk or an Electrumite" challenge, we remain hopefully a member of the delegation shall manage to pull off the feat. But remember, pictures or it doesn't count.

Ninethly, the NOC would like to apologise for the build up of glassware in the waste disposal area. The Aeropag authorities hadn't expected the delegation to consume such a vast amount of alcoholic beverages. We sincerely hope there is no correlation between the consumption and the lack of medals in certain disciplines.

Finally, as a number of sports finish and more and more athletes become uninvolved in competitive action, we remind those who have finished: (a) to go along and support the teams and athletes of Kernansquillec, but also of our Rushmori neighbours, to encourage them to get across the finish line with a medal and; (b) to begin thinking about who you wish to nominate as each sports' "best athlete". Each sport's most nominated athlete shall enter the delegation wide vote on who should be the flag bearer in the closing ceremony.

Good luck for the upcoming events, the whole of Kernansquillec is behind you,

Kindest regards,

Isabella Pinkton
Head organiser of the Kernansquillecan delegation to the Aeropag Games
Kernansquillecan National Olympic Committee
104, boulevard du Faisan - K1580 KERNANSQUILLEC CITY
Tel. (+22) 1 27 52 66 07