Games of the XVI Olympiad - RP Thread

by **New Gelderland** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:55 pm

Terranean Broadcasting Company

Geldectrum officially changes its name to South Fairleigh in contested vote

By Charlie Blythe
TBC in South Fairleigh, New Gelderland

After a three-hour debate, the Geldectrum city council has voted 4-3 to change its name to South Fairleigh.

South Fairleigh mayor Ace Blumenthal, who advocated for the measure, hoped that it would make the city's connections to its northern neighbor — the twin city of Fairleigh-Warburton — more obvious for an international audience. "After the last Olympic Games, where several events took place in Fairleigh-Warburton, we didn't get as much spillover tourist traffic as we wanted," said Blumenthal. "And we figured that people didn't make the connection between Geldectrum and Fairleigh-Warburton because of our name."

As a result, Blumenthal dispatched a committee to study diverse options for naming the city. According to him, they considered renaming the city to make no reference to the border region whatsoever — Geldectrum comes from a portmanteau of "Gelderland" and "Electrum" — and convincing the Electrumite authorities to refer to the metropolis as the "Fairleigh-Warburton-New Name X" area — but the proposal did not gain very much traction in Electrumite circles.

"And so we decided to try and connect ourselves to Fairleigh or Warburton more explicitly," concluded Blumenthal. Since the Fairleigh city center lies closest to the Geldectrum city center, the committee went with the South Fairleigh name.

But on presenting the committee's report to the full city council, several councilpeople smelled a rat.

Councilperson Katherine O'Connell, a business owner, wondered about the change's cost-benefit analysis. "How much will it cost to change road signs, maps, bureaucratic systems, and all that jazz? How much will it cost to advertise our new name to the world? And what will it bring us?" she asked during the city council meeting. "Yes, perhaps we should have advertised more for the previous Olympics, but people could have looked at a map and saw we are right by Fairleigh-Warburton!"

Councilperson Graham Joyce echoed O'Connell's points. "We shouldn't be changing our town's identity so that a few idiots here and there will stay in our hotels and commute over to Fairleigh-Warburton," Joyce said bluntly. "I'm personally proud of being from Geldectrum and not sure why we're even considering this change. We're a border town, and I say we should let the border remain part of our identity!"

But councilperson Kara O'Shaughnessy retorted that the border area had lost much of its distinctive identity as a border area with the Common Travel Area with Electrum removing the need for routine document checks and allowing Electrumites and Gelderlish to flow across the border frequently. "Frankly, we're becoming more unified with Fairleigh-Warburton day by day," said O'Shaughnessy. "And I think that our city identity should be updated to reflect that reality."

Despite the meeting's first hour proceeding relatively civilly, the second hour degenerated into name-calling and mudslinging, with accusations that O'Shaughnessy and Blumenthal had started to accept special interest funding and others charging that Blumenthal wanted to change the town's name for personal reasons because he hated the name himself.

"Yes, I hate the name," admitted Blumenthal. "There's no Geldectrum on the Electrumite side of the border; there are no parallels, no reciprocity. I think the Geldectrum name makes us seem like a seven-year-old named the town, and Fairleigh-Warburton sounds like a much saner name to me!"

In the end, though, the city council voted in favor of the change, with immediate effect.

Townspeople walking by city hall had little knowledge of the goings-on inside, though. "What happened?" said financier Megan Baxter. "As long as I can go about my business and my taxes don't go up, I don't care what they call the town. Baxterville might be great... but I don't think anyone would vote for that!"

by **Hannasea** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 7:03 pm

Selection of articles from Hannasean news media.

Black Sticks aim to avenge World Championship heartache

Davidson named flagbearer by rest of team

Sardines look to rebound from defeat

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 7:08 pm

OOC note: In this, it is assumed that Quebec is ICly 3-4 hours behind ETM/Eastern Terranea timeline wise, but this doesn't have to be followed. Paragraphs of the Prescott Opening Ceremony is written by Electrum, not me, and is credited so.

Once again, my apologies for full ceremony's completion taking several hours after the release of Game 0 scores.

For the first time in history, Quebec & Shingoryeo would be hosting the Olympic Games. It's been forty-eight years since the first Quebecois steps were taken in City Centre, Liventia, but this Olympics, which two like-minded cities of Prescott and Twin Cities joined together their forces on a historical feat of own, carried special meaning for the Quebecois state and its head, HM Christine II. Not only was the 36-year old born in the same summer the Quebecois took their first steps into the Summer Olympics in Nassau Bay and Centralis, both Terranean nations known for their pacifist virtues, it was in Prescott where she and HRH Caspian, Prince Consort originally of Dagan royalty, had met in the third of three consecutive Winter Olympics hosted in the inland, cultural capital of the Terranean nation.

Thus, when the Greater Menagwes had received their intention to bid for rights to cohost the Games of the XVI Olympiad with Prescott, with the common theme of 'Connected Communities', the forward-thinking regent and the Prime Minister, somewhat populistic, somewhat opportunistic man named Arsene Pineau Kim, had pledged state support for the cause, and while the funding of the projects, for most part, were privately funded, and the municipal government mostly given full reins to handle their half of operations, the levels of coordination and endorsements on federal level were more than enough to let the show begin and smoothly.

Now, it was time for the show to begin.

The Day 0 had begun quietly in both countries, with some of the team sports and early rounds of the sailing competition underway.

With most of the events having finished, it was time for the Twin Cities to start the opening ceremony. The weather over the Twin Cities has been pleasant all day long, with some clouds in the sky on a 27'c day. The stadium, normally used for the Saint John Steelers of the Quebecois Football League, has been under preparation mode for the past month with the team agreeing to start the first three weeks of their season, which would normally be in early-August, on a bye and then away trip. 64,000 members of the audience from both home and away were present in the stadium, who were surrounded by the rings of spectators, bands and dancers ready to celebrate the occasion along Menagwes and Tartanmouth Rivers, and also along the Menagwes Bay where the rivers would flow into.

18:45-18:59 - Prologue.

At 18:45, with ten minutes to go before the ceremony, a squadron of the Royal Quebecois Air Force conducted a flypast in a southeasterly direction. The flyover, with six colours of the Estoile represented, went initially over the Muhak National University campus on the mountains, then into the AIT campus and the twenty-one gun salute at the legendary Ellington Park. One half of the squadron with three of the colours then flew over the Olympic Park, while others took a deviated route over the city's southwestern suburbs and towns. Eventually, with two minutes to the start of the ceremony's 19h countdown, the planes would meet into one over the skies of the still-seating spectators at the Two Rivers Stadium, before heading to conduct a flyover and then another flypast at the Olympic Village and the Homebush Green.

To start off the ceremonies' earliest stretch, the stadium's temporarily-constructed oval includes a generic model of an old-world, seaside village with rolling hills and rocking cliffs, where the actors and actresses, as well as farm animals, would form multi-ethnic communities of indigenous, Koreanophone and Anglophone residents. The setting, which was modelled after picturesque Exbury where surfing events will be hosted, provides a sense of chronotope that came from the suggestions of a prominent Quebecois writer, a 36-year old Camelia Society Prize in Literature winner in Asher Lundrigan, who resides on a village near Exbury.

While still on wait, the Menagwes Symphony Orchestra would perform five songs with local children's choirs - five sea songs, which drew an early round of applause from those trying to sit - while the various photographs of the city's history, dating back to the earliest days of the technology, were shown on the gigantic screen of the south side.

19:00-19:07 - Countdown.

The ceremony would start with seven rings of the bells at the 47th floor of the city's landmark skyscraper, the Turbular Bells. The sound of the seven bells at the Turbs, which was located approximately three kilometres away from the bells, would go back and forth in a roll for seventy-seven seconds, and the end of it, right as the sky would start to turn red, was when the countdown would start.
A montage of the previous modern-era Olympics (OOC: for this purpose, those available under current forums, aka. IV Aeropag and onwards) would alternate with various recreations of the city's five centuries' long history, albeit in a bit of mix-up with the chronological order.

The technology of Aeropag followed the age of industrialisation in the mid-late 1800s, while the 'emergence' of Outineau, where the first Summer Olympics outside of Atlantian Oceania occurred, would be followed by the montages of maritime fleets and immigration into the nation. The cosmopolitanism of Lasft and Emberton would be met by the diversity of the new Quebecois over the centuries and the eatery culture found across the country, while the accessibility and open-ness of Orean's two games would overlap with the continued history of fight for the disability rights and youth sports in the nation.

The unity of neighbouring nations, twice the case with Nassau Bay-Centralis and Novonaya-Provinsk games, were met with particular round of applause by the crowd in attendance, as the sights of the Quebecois sporting matches with their neighbours - Chromatika, Huayramarca, Ko-oren, Lacfroid, New Gesem, Pyazhnaya and Whitecroft - were shown.

Then a nation's dream, actualised in the form of Banija's co hosting of the Olympics with Orean, is viewed through the regeneration projects undertaken by the city during 1980s and 1990s, while the sights from the cities of Bunjil, where the previous games were held to massive success, drew a round of applause.

Then, just as the montages from the previous games were blacked out, the stadium too turned dark. In the middle of the arena, the holographic projection of the Olympic Express train, a specially-planned service between Saint-Laurent, the capital of a nation of 2 million, and the Twin Cities, is underway. Inside it, we could see the visitors, one after another, reading a magazine. Each of them had a front cover of the aforementioned olympics, with the final passenger, who was reading a magazine with just a blank cover and 'Twin Cities-Prescott' title in dark font, putting down his cover and asking the audience 'Are you ready?'.

'Yes!' was all the crowd said, as they stood for the round of applause.

The Public Address announcer, finding the right time to give a round of applause for the audience, said the words, his voice booming across the stadium and into various speakers across the city.

'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Twin Cities, and to the Games of the Sixteenth Olympiad.'

This is then followed by the entering of the guests-of-honour. Her Majesty Christine the Second, the Queen of the Shingoryeoite nation, was the first to enter, and she would be followed by the Right Honourable Arsene Pineau Kim, the Prime Minister of past thirteen years. Both of them, whose time as the leader of the state and government had stayed relatively on each other's course, entered the Royal Box. There they were greeted by members of the Cabinet, the Opposition and other dignitaries.

Once they were seated, they were followed by an announcer asking them to remain standing. The Shingoryeoite flag, widely known as the Tricolour Taegeuk Flag (삼태극기, Sam-Tae-geuk-gi), was slowly and carefully brought into the arena by the members of the Royal Quebecois Armed Forces' five branches - the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Coast Guard and the Marines - before they arrived at the flagpole. As the flag was tied and raised, the Mengwes Symphony backed up the singing of 'Oh Quebec, My Country', with the solemn nature of the lyrics ringing into the arena by Sir. Reginald Ha-Monkman, a balding, East Coast baritone who grew up in the city.

This was then followed by the cultural presentation of the ceremony, with the primary theme 'Connecting the Communities'. In continuation of the Prescott opening ceremony. While relatively lacking in the cultural cosmopolitanism or technology of the Terranean city, the Twin Cities' cultural showcase involved a more eccentric, cinematic display of the Quebecois culture's East Coast side, as well as the brushstrokes of history that had overlapped the Twin Cities.

The Coast of Peace - 19:12-19:30

So now we go back to the previous scene with the not-Exbury. The displays of a village life, if somewhat utopian (and therefore misleading) and slow-paced wereslowly in display, with a minute or two of introduction as folk tunes of various influences are played with flute, the haegeum and Saenghwang. Some of the villagers would go out there in their respective farms, while others carry nets and small boats, setting themselves out to the sea.

The youth choirs from the prelude, who had previously sung the sea songs, sang a couple of popular chants sung in Quebec & Shingoryeo, and specifically the East Coast: 'The Flames of the North' (북방의 불꽃), representing the geographical position of the nation as the northern end of AO/Anaia, just south of the Blood Sea separating those regions and Rushmore; 'Camelia (Haley's Song)', a song about that oddly represents the Camelia, the flower of the Acadie province; and 'The Unmistakable Vow', a song about a woman waiting for the sailor lover.

Their performance was then followed by the emergence of a mysterious clipper, carrying around several-dozen Quebecois sailors, merchants and most importantly shamans. They, led by legendary actress, Sir. Park Seung-Soon, as the actress. The ship, which would be docked right next to the shore, would be towed while the men and the women, who would be playing the Cheongshinak, the song invoking the village gods, would get off and embrace the villagers.

While still standing on the ship's deck, Park would deliver notify the gods of the village and conduct the Byeolshingut, with the ceremony expressing the peace and safety of the coastal town, who rely upon fishing and to lesser degree farming, and hoping for the future that would lie ahead for them.

The Fleet - 19:30-19:50

This section, one that's considered to be the primary piece of the cultural presentation's historical section, would cover the industrialisation of Quebec & Shingoryeo, as well as the various movements it would go under.

The Byeolshingut, however, would bring something that's entirely different, as the lights would flicker, back and forth, as they alternated with the sound and the blast of the artificial thunder and lightning. While those outside of the stadium would not necessarily hear it, partly thanks to the musicians and the dancers providing enough excitement for the vessels and themselves, those inside would be able to more than just hear and feel the disruption of the way of life. It, of course, would provide the volunteers enough time to replace the village scene with a more comprehensive one - that of a water-filled stage (OOC note: Thanks for this cool stuff, Athens 2004!) and six, triangle-like shapes surrounding the central ship that somehow look like their shape can be expanded, adjusted and even folded.

At the same time the quiet, slow sound of the previous scene's byeolshingut is replaced by about five-hundred percussionists playing the mix of Bodhran, Janggu and indigenous drums, as the new tempo and setting of the ceremony was established. Sir. Jean-Philippe Visser's 'The Ascent', a classical film piece from about twenty years ago, began to play.

A minute later, with the music temporarily subdued from the fortissimo of the introduction section (see 1:06-1:26), people could hear the singing of a young, seven year old boy named Alan Sung, the high notes marking the quiet and the calm of the night after the storm. After about twenty seconds he would stop singing, and slowly the workers, coming out of those ships, would assess the vessels they had just come out of.

One after another, the workers would unfold, expand and then build further from those vessels, as they slowly rose further and further outside of the water. As this was happening, additional groups of volunteers - marking the Jewish, Licentian, Banijan and many Commonwealther immigrants who had arrived into the region - entered the stage. Over time, they too would change their appearances, with black and white and brown being replaced by chromatic colours of the late-20th century, and then the pastel colours of the earliest decades of this centuries, while their movements, collective and yet animated, represented the power of the people who had built the city and its industries together.

The Shaman, still dressed in her Mudang clothes, fans and instruments, was still standing, her dancing on the deck even as the ship in the middle was changing from a clipper to an ocean liner. With the middle of the scene including a contemporary mix of Hwangcheonnmundap (Enquiry to the Underworld), she too would sing the lines as the rest of the volunteers, who would stop working, look into the sky and the shaman in a moment of silence for the Quebecois loss of lives in the past three wars - Southern Rushmori War, the Felixian Liberation War, and the HRE Libration War - before the segment would enter into the second half into the mid-1900s.

Gradually but steadily, the workers would build the six ocean liners as they were lifted. The workers started to hop onto the liners as they would flicker in the colours of the Olympic Games, eventually with all the passengers joining them, some changing their clothes and thus era-by-era meanings, now on even height with the ship before the finish (7 minute mark). The image of the ships, with the shaman's ship bringing them together, would form the Olympic Estoile.

The Mind, the Thought, and the World - 19:50-20:10

This sequence, the one that Joel-Lynn McCarthy had found to be a particular challenge, involved paying homage to the contemporary culture - one that of both highbrow and popular culture. Twin Cities, being an intellectual centre of the nation for centuries, also has also overseen the rise of popular music and rock at the second-half of previous century.

This would then be followed by live performance of the punk group Jagjaguars' anthem 'Chocolate and Cola Pier', as well as the accompaniment of subsequent pieces in dance group THONK!'s 'Ding Dong' and boyband RAD-Row Pals' Summertime's rolling on, all popular, cultural anthems with nostalgia, dance-a-thon atmosphere. About 200 youths, who came from various levels of experience with dance and acting experiences, were out in the song.

Montages of various throwback teleseries and old films, which were well broadcasted across the Quebecois Commonwealth, as well as the old footages of Twin Cities' sports teams - the aforementioned two, but also the multi-sport Mipojoseon athletic club - would be played in a nightclub-like setting with a colourful floor.

The nightclub scene, concluding with La Boum, Ka-Boom by Isaiah Stevenson, would then end.

It's now replaced by the second half of the city that reflected the Twin Cities' name as a home of many intelligentsia, whose hearts were forged, broken and found refuge in the city.

The sequence would begin with a a couple named Yeong-Nam and Nadine, standing in front of the Thrushcross Grange station. The scene, beginning with an ancient theme we probably have all heard of at some point, would feature a couple standing in middle of the holographic rain awaiting their human tragedy. They were about to say something to each other, but unlike what had happened to the scriptwriter when he was eighteen they, with the emotions mounting, wouldn't be able to, and thus would turn around the separate ways.

During this track, as well as the subsequent track 'Offshore', an unreleased track by Plongeon, likely the most renowned singer-songwriter to have come out of the city in past couple of the decades, the curves that would characterise the words and the threads of thoughts would shape up. They, one after another, came from the passages of novels and poetry written by the nineteenth and twentieth-century writers who had frequented the 280-year old Longfellow & Foster's bookstore. The lines, while not all of them were recognised due to many of them being written in Korean or first peoples' vernacular, carried peculiar value to those who knew what they had meant. As the words were written into the granite-shaped and coloured floor, reflecting the sidewalks of the city's streets. Then, just as 'Offshore' ended, they would turn around and look back at each other.

Now, it was a time for one final sequence before the Parade of Nations. A sequence of the torch relay, first beginning at the Olympic Tower in Aeropag, the home of the sporting multiverse's Olympic Movement, would then be followed, with The Daylight's 'Muhak City' and 'What If' by Aquamarine, a Mytanar alternative rock band whose biggest following and base abroad happened to be in Songak, lifting up the dreamy atmosphere of the ceremony and the hopes it sought to emulate. The video would eventually be cut live to show the 2H duo of the legendary Quebecois women's basketball program - point guard Heo 'MY9' Myeong-Yoon of CSKA Quebec and small forward Hazel 'HaBron' Hanson-Conavacio - riding a rapid boat while holding onto the torch. On the screen you could see the text messages between Hazel and her brother Enrico, a star striker for Chromatik football juggernaut Myana, and Myeong-Yoon with her mentor, legendary centre, coach and ambassador Riley Jeon-Keane, before ending with a scene of their arrival into the Two Rivers Stadium.

The scene would then be followed by a singing of the interlude piece - 'Always, One' (언제나 하나) by Evermore and Louise. The song, one about hope in the times of challenges and personal despair, was previously represented as Quebec & Shingoryeo's WorldVision 100 entry. Following its success, which included the nation making the Grand Final in an unexpected news and the song reaching no. 1 for 5 consecutive weeks, the organising committee knew they were the ones to call, to maximise the atmosphere before.

The Parade of Nations - 20:15-21:30

After the conclusion of the cultural presentation, which would mark around 20h15 in the evening, it was time for the Parade of Nations. The Quebecois authorities, partly as a matter of gratitude and partly due to continued absence of Paripana from the Olympic Games, followed the protocol made by their Electrumite friends and cohosts six years ago. So the Electrumite delegation marched out first, followed by the parade's continuation in the alphabetical orders starting from none other than their AOan neighbours in the Abovian Union. While the crowd, ever so jovial and delighted, cheered for all parties, there was a particularly heavy cheering for its allies both historical and present - Banija (duh), Chromatika and Ko-oren (close neighbours, friends and rivals), Eura (they fought several wars together against several common opponents over the history), Krytenia (historical allies going back centuries), Lacfroid (neighbours), the Licentian Isles (strong history of Licentian diaspora in the area), and Mytanija (longtime friends and rivals), were just some of those who received loud cheers.

Finally, the Quebecois delegation went out to a massive applause, with the flagbearers Theo-Alexandre Pinson, the legendary Grim Reapers' first baseman who grew up in Habpo, and Tatiana Llnagaay-Kondratyuk, the face of Quebecois women's artistic gymnastics. The players, fully dressed in their red suits, golden crest and blue hair, were a sight to behold in the end.

Now, the Parade of Nations was over. The ceremony, however, wasn't over at all. There were various additional procedures in place as the white, Olympic Council Flag were raised by the team of seven young athletes, who were representing the city and the province of Acadie. They, each of them wearing a badge of the five major regions of Anaia, Atlantian Oceania, Esportiva, Mandalanusa, Rushmore, the independents, and Quebec and Shingoyeo. They were then followed by the Olympic Oath, taken by swimmer Mara Yim-James (daughter of legendary Schottian swimmer and coach, Rebecca James) first, then by Taekwondo umpire Sa Mirae and hockey coach Sami Jokiharju.

This was then followed by the speeches from the Olympic Council and the EOC President already made hours back in Prescott. Then the Prescott-Twin Cities XVI co-chairperson Pierre van Eeden Youngblood gave a brief speech thanking everybody for believing in the values of community, the interconnectivity and unity of all under the one, solitary movement.

Youngblood, who came short of making X and XI Olympic teams in the legendary Quebecois Greco-Roman wrestling teams of those times, had taken part in three olympics before - XII as coach, XIV as FQL administrator, and XV as the RQOC vice-president. As a man who preferred not to say much and inconvenience everybody. He, with his daughter and her fiancee both representing Quebec in Judo and basketball, and his father passing just six months prior (OOC: some of the RPs were done back in the day), carried a heavy heart into the ceremony. He, after emphasising the values of the communities that all humans, for better or worse, poorer or richer, need to value and look after each other, concluded the speech at two-minute mark, likely to the delight of those taking part in the parade.

As the Cauldron is lit, you may kiss - 21:40-21:55

Now there was just one more thing left to do.

As the final musical piece played with audience whistling and humming to the tunes, flame was first brought onto the stadium by aforementioned Riley Jeon-Keane and Enrico Hanson-Conavacio. It was then passed to Alexander Kicknosway, one of two back-to-back Olympic champions from Quebec in wrestling, and Arlene 'The Human-Fish' Lafontaine, the RQOC Chairwoman who also happened to be a seven-time medalist and two-time gold medalist in swimming. They then passed the torch to Helmut Joekisch, the legendary foilist entering his third and final Olympics, and Lei Lin, the captain of the gold-medal winning women's table tennis team from the previous team.

The pair would then finally pass the baton to Ji 'The Marksman' Yong-Seob, the five-time medalist in archery, and Dame Luna Kaiser. Dame Luna Kaiser, back-to-back wrestling gold medalist in Aeropag and Novonaya-Provinsk, was involved in a car crash five years ago that required wheelchair use for her. But she, through perseverance and active involvement in wheelchair basketball and hockey, continued to provide inspiration for many persons, and their three-decade-long marriage, which had first begun in the lead-up to Aeropag XI-2024, highly-celebrated by the athletic community.

The Olympic cauldron was in a mixed shape, with the upper third in the shape of a Shingoryeoite Red Pine held by the lower two-third of cauldron, designed to represent a full moon. With the couple looking at tree from the end of the lap, Yong-Seob and Luna drew an arrow from their bow and launched them into the air and the cauldron.

The flames, hitting the top of the pot-section, would then slowly go up into the Pine-shaped top. Fireworks and hours of partying, drinking and dancing were followed afterwards. Of course, Luna and Yong-Seob kissed as the eighteen days of competition began.

~~~

Meanwhile over in Prescott, the ceremony had just finished with a bang – literally. There was a ten minute fireworks display with the entire stadium turning into a cauldron. The theme of the ceremony was “Here. Connected.” which showcased the cultural, cosmopolitan side of Prescott. Highlights included a three thousand drone show which depicted famous buildings of Prescott, coordinated ribbon and fan dances as well as an interpretive dance on the future, with dancers improvising dance moves for electric vehicles and hydrogen power.

In attendance was the sortition-chosen president Xavier Tan, co-president and fifth dimensional being The Computator, four beings who share a single mind, Prime Minister Antoinette Gredello and Electrumite Olympic Council President Maria Hunter (who herself was a former Olympian, having won a gold medal in eventing at the X Olympiad).

Here is the Day 0 Cutoff.

by **Alezian Union** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 2:43 am

Countries Featured : ABEN Union (Britonisea and Aloquirbe)

Story: Britonisea and North Alezia had a friendly talk after their match in Rugby Sevens, not realizing that Aloquirbe went on his own adventure without them knowing. It's not the case of bad parenting, it's the case of Aloquirbe showing his excellent future sneaking skills, and foreshadowing one of the other occasion where the ABEN Union and the Alezian Union might meet again soon.

If you wanna join Aloquirbe in his adventure, you might want to listen to this song to imagine how amazed Alo is with his surroundings!

by **Sargossa** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 2:51 am

It’s that curious stage in the Olympics, Day Zero, before the opening ceremony has even happened, when excited sports fans can cycle through the channels and catch some events they know precisely nothing about. Sure, there was some football on offer, and a significant number of the domestic audience tuned in to watch Sargossa’s Group L rivals Ko-oren and Lisander clash. But that’s not really in the spirit of Olympic season. No, instead it’s about those that suddenly became enamoured by Rugby as the Carter boys, Jeremías and Tomás, were in among the points as Sargossa dispatched Tjorl in the Sevens competition. The result took the nation right to the top of the nascent group. The presence of Ko-oren and StrayaRoos will likely ensure that their stay there will be brief. But it’s fun while it lasts.

And it’s about those who suddenly become experts in all things Badminton. After watching Humberto Cardo drop the first set but then make full use of his licence to thrill in turning the match around to beat Britonisea’s Daniel Craig. Likewise Adriana Seta was at her best to best Janni Besta of Brookstation. Are you watching the badminton? Look at her smash? Maybe we should get a net for the garden? Sssh, I’m watching the Water Polo. The Olympics is a time where rare sentences get uttered.

And it's also a time when unexpected sportspersons unexpectedly take the unexpected limelight. Take Cristina Costa as an example. At just 21 years old Cristina is an unassuming young woman from an equally unassuming and frankly tiny fishing town on the south coast of Isla Tesoro. Her father and two brothers worked as fishermen out in Aboro Bay, while her mother runs a fish stall in the market. She was very much a child of the coast and would sit for hours by the dockside, soaking in the atmosphere and watching the occasional big cruise liner lazily winding its way north towards Dunas while waiting for her dad and brothers to return after a hard day at the nets.

When business magnate Juan Esteban Ros launched his crusade to get the nation to embrace its maritime heritage he purchased the Aboro Sailing Club and opened it up to anyone on Tesoro who fancied a go. Cristina fancied a go, and took to a dinghy like a … well, like a dinghy to water. She was quite good as it turned out. Good enough to earn a place on the National Association of Canoeing, Rowing and Sailing’s selection for the Olympics. And good enough to lead the women’s one person dinghy event after two races out on the waters off Port Grenville. Despite a nervous error ending her first race prematurely Costa brought her boat home in first place in the second to top the standings. Much to the delight of the television audience back home. After it had been adequately explained to them by the commentator.

by **The Sarian** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 4:54 am

OOC: All medal speculation is, or course, entirely IC and largely based on past athlete or national performance. I have tried to work in other athletes with high score modifiers where it is relevant to the angle I'm going for, but there would simply be too many (and pretty boring) if I were to list every high ranked athlete so sorry if yours isn't included!

The Parsnip wrote...

The Best of Letters to the Editor: Olympic Opening Ceremony

The White Blazers return
For years, The Sarian had worn dark green blazers to Olympic ceremonies. But for years ago, the delicate peace was disturbed by a fashion choice so outrageous that it shocked a nation: the blazers were white. So used to being listened to whenever they complain, commenters were out in force when they realised the white was back.

"The worst thing about there being two opening ceremonies was having to see those god-awful white blazers twice. It's like being on a punctured lifeboat after escaping a sinking ship."

"My opening ceremony buffet was absolutely ruined by the sour taste in my mouth. And no, I hadn't mis-seasoned anything. It was my physical reaction to seeing those poor excuse for blazers. Extremely off-putting."

"My four year old son remarked that if he wore something like that to school he would be punished. Fantastic to see we are raising him right, even as standards fall nationwide."

"If ever there was a time for those lefty, woke vegans to throw blood all over someone surely those ugly blazers is it."

"I have nothing against the LBGTs (sic) but if they can change that stupid colourful flag every five seconds then the Saari Olympic Board could have used these four years to change that ugly blazer."

"Seeing the adulterer Matt Klaasen wearing white - the colour of purity - almost made me cry. I'm surprised his wife let him out of her sight long enough to go the Olympics. I wouldn't have."

Don't Punk with My Heart
A cultural celebration of Quebecois music was the highlight of the opening ceremony for many - allowing them to explore new cultures and sounds from a nation with consistent WorldVision success. For others, it was an experience they could never recover from.

"PUNK MUSIC!! I thought this was a family event. This was not suitable. At all."

"A nightclub scene is just so inappropriate. We should be encouraging teenagers to take up athletics yet instead we're encouraging them to party and binge-drink."

"Ding-dong, more like ding-don't ever perform this song again. Dreadful."

"There were more songs than the bloody birds first thing in the morning. I wouldn't mind if any of them could actually sing in tune."

"I'd expect ketamine to be at the Olympics for the horses. Didn't realise there would be a nightclub at the opening ceremony as well."

"These things are hard enough to get through without poetry trying to put us to sleep. Who cares!"

"RIP Quebec and Shingoryeo: killed by woke wet lefties intelligentsia forcing poetry down their throats. It'll happen here too."

The Best of Letters to the Editor is a recurring segment in the Saari satirical magazine, The Parsnip. It seeks to highlight the pettiest, grumpiest and melodramatic contributions to right wing newspaper comment pages and online comment sections.

Saari SpoortWeduun wrote...

Olympics - Day One preview

The first day of real competition. While most athletes sleep off the rough night accrued at all the legendary Olympic village after parties, those unlucky enough to be scheduled on day one could begin the event which changes the rest of their life. The various committees responsible for organising this must be in the know, because a lot of the excitement will be in the cool, hangover relieving air of the open water.

Rowing used to be a mainstay of Saari medal hauls, largely as a result of a strong rowing culture at the top universities. The peak came in Aeropag with gold medals in both the men's and the women's coxed eights. But after disappointment last Olympics, funding has been significantly cut and the remaining medal prospects are mostly formed from athletes still active from the 'golden era'. One such group is the Men's Coxless Fours, who are defending their title. Three of the four who won gold in Electrum return, with Wilaam Kindvanprins replacing the retired Stu Meinrad - who is now the coach of the women's double sculls. Kindvanprins is no stranger to the games - having competed in the Men’s Double Sculls in the fourteenth games, and in the Coxed Eights at the fifteenth games. With a third format in three Olympics, Kindvanprins will be hoping that the third time is the charm. There is perhaps less competition in the coxless fours than other rowing disciplines, leading to speculation that this is probably The Sarian's best chance at the regatta. Hoping to pip them to the post is the The Licentian Isles, though just one of the four rowers - Eden Smit - remains from the silver winning side of four years ago. The returning side of Michel Ducharme, Paul Griogal, Layton Smith and Erik Bergeron from Kelssek will be looking to put their quarter final exit in Bunjil behind them. The quartet have looked very good in the four years since and probably come into the competition as favourites. Joining the list of medal hopefuls is perennial rowing nations Krytenia and Liventia - the former with a team of newbies and the latter with the same side which has reached the final without success on two occasions. Nautical action also continues in the sailing, with both gender's heavyweight dinghy competitions joining the four events already underway. Two Olympic newcomers, Oskaar Eutis and Stef Bondstad will be hoping to turnaround the pretty mediocre performance by Saari sailors thus far.

Perhaps less helpful to hangovers is the long drive and barnyard smell which awaits the Saari dressage team. If any event sums up The Sarian in the Olympics, it would be the dressage. After Rory Saloman (now an Olympic judge) won individual gold in The Kytler Peninsulae - the first Saari appearance in the games - the spark was lit. The team event has produced a medal in every Olympics since, with individual medals also lighting up the table. And the rivalry with Electrum - across all equestrian events - was, for a time, one of sport's great clashes. That has faded somewhat over time, as has Saari dominance. On the first day of the meet four years ago, newspaper columns were filled with doom and gloom as the team qualified in just sixth place. A performance of a lifetime by Braacus DeSaari managed to claw The Sarian into third - less than 0.3 point above the fourth placed team and leagues away from Electrum in first. DeSaari returns, alongside impressive newcomer Imanuel Morgenthau. Completing the trio is Hugo Bier, looking to add to his three Olympic medals - the team events in the fourteenth and fifteenth Olympics, and his individual silver four years ago. All Equestrian events are one of those Olympic instances where the lists of runners and riders is so large that trying to create a definitive list of medal hopefuls would be fruitless before the qualifiers narrow it somewhat. The team event is somewhat easier. On paper, the podium will consist of Electrum, The Sarian and Kriegiersien - with the order dictated by who performs best on the day. If one of them really doesn't perform, Team Diarcesian or West Phoenicia are the dark horses to nab a spot. Of course, this is the Olympics and results on paper are proven wrong on a daily basis. In some ways, it is one of the more impressive dressage teams that The Sarian have fielded in Olympic history and if you're going to back The Sarian to win any medal, history would point you to back at least one medal to come from dressage. In other ways, the competition has only got tougher. And as the near miss four years ago shows, even the biggest dynasties can come crashing down.

Another must watch is the men's gymnastics qualification. For organisers, it is probably the biggest headache of the games. So many athletes competing across eight different apparatus to nab coveted spots in the finals. To tell you the truth, this event is more like a lottery than a test of skills. Owing to the sheer amount of medals on offer, pretty much every national Olympic committee puts top dollar into their gymnasts - the Saari Olympic Board is no exception. With so much talent competing for so few qualification places, it is a fools game trying to predict what will happen. By our count, there are over forty athletes that would hope to win a medal. There are just eight spots in each event final. It's brutal. Despite this, there is a history of success for The Sarian. We won five medals in Bunjil, four of them mens, including silver in the team all-round. Three of the medalists return: Tomos Ijbow, who won gold in the parallel bars and bronze in the individual all-round; Hugo Kount, who won bronze in the pommel horse in Orean and silver in the same event in Bunjil; and Mathieu Bondstad who was unlucky not to pick up an individual medal. New to the team is Filip Sint Markus, a nineteen year old who has been making waves in the domestic circuit for the last three years.

Every country wants to get the games off to a winning start, and the best chance comes from Lieah Kann. The two-time Olympic medalist has indicated that this will be her last games, having - alongside Fleur Israel - revolutionised the sport in the country. Her bronze in Orean came out of nowhere, but catalysed a growth in the sport which has seen an exponential growth of competitors with a chance of a medal. And Kann benefited the most, turning her Orean bronze into a Bunjil gold and becoming one of the faces of the Saari Olympic movement in the process. She'll be hopeful of netting her third consecutive Olympic medal but a glut of returning medalists could put a dent in those plans. Principle among those is Zehida Plavec. Since defeating the Mytanijan on Waza-ari in the gold medal bout for years ago, Plavec has only improved while Kann - now in her thirties - has declined, albeit slightly. Polly Gennaro, the fifteenth games' bronze medalist from Krytenia, also returns. Sophia Greenway, silver medalist in Orean and Republica will be looking to add a third medal in an impressive fifth Olympic appearance for the judoka. Similarly, Bayo Netta of Kriegiersien was unimpressive in Bunjil but showed class in her bronze medal win eight years ago. Both however faces the same questions around their age as Israel. This could open the gate for newbie young guns: Salome da Costa of Lacfroid leads the pack but don't discount Emilie Balogun of Quebec or Bizha Azerhennen of Ko-oren. Also hoping to net a medal at the Habpo Convention Centre is Chanda Alfarsi in the men’s 60 kg. Having won a bronze in the event four years ago, he is amongst the favourites but a recent ankle injury does leave question marks. If he wants to better his bronze, the person to beat has to be Liventia's Joshua Halliday - though Chanda did defeat him en-route to his medal four years ago. Still, the judoka knows how to win medals: netting bronze in Aerogpag and Republica before finally winning gold in his home Olympics.

As far as hangover relief goes, we don't really know where to rate the shooting. Yes, it's in a nice, open space. But on the other hand, the lingering egg-like smell of sulfur is enough to turn even the strongest of bellies. Thankfully, viewers at home hoping to watch a Saari athlete aim for a medal will be immune from the smoke. Double Olympic medalist Saarina Rondes is hoping to add to her medal collection, though the ten metres event is probably her weeker of the two disciplines - having failed to qualify for the medal final four years ago. With the nation Nuevas Hesperides not sending a delegation this to this Olympiad, Ery Inie of Kriegiersien enters the competition as the highest placed finisher from Bunjil. She'll be hoping to go one better than the silver medal she won. A shock entrant, Inie had previously indicated that she planned to retire after a topsy-turvy career that had seen her set Olympic Bests, fail spectacularly in a medal final and win two silver medals. Rather disturbingly, the feisty Inie might not even be the biggest hothead competing. Eura's Sophia Rice takes that title, being victim of unprintable (and unsubstantiated) rumours about her temperament that darted through the Bunjil olympic village like wildfire. She does have enough talent to make up for it. Though, like Rondes, she historically has performed better in the fifty metres shoot. Less is known about the volatility of Chloe Pasquier, the newcomer who looks well-placed to win Lacfroid's first ever Olympic medal. Rondes, typically cool, will have to watch out but if she can survive quick-tempered women with guns then this could be an event you don't want to miss.

What to watch

ARCHERY - Men’s & women's ranking round
ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS - Men's qualification
EQUESTRIAN - dressage grand prix
JUDO - Men's 60kg
JUDO - Women's 48kg
ROWING - Men's coxless fours heats
SAILING - Men and women's heavyweight dinghy races 1 & 2, one-person dinghy races 3 and 4, windsurfer races 4 to 6
SHOOTING - Women's 10 m air rifle
SWIMMING - Women's 100m butterfly heats and semifinals
SWIMMING - Women's 400m individual medley heats and final

Saari SpootWeduun is a gambling newsletter ran by bloggers Katrien Polk and Simeon Misek. Gaining prominence for their predictive algorithm in the world of cricket, the pair have branched out into other sports and even politics. Premium subscribers get access to their daily Olympic Previews - offering tips and tricks on all the events of the upcoming day. Provided above is the free daily extract providing more qualitative commentary on coverage which may be of interest to the average Saari viewer.

by **The Licentian Isles** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 6:17 am

The Cyan-and-Gold Observer

The Olympic Overview from the Observer

Each morning of the Olympics, this newsletter from the Cyan-and-Gold Observer will give you three highlights from the day prior, and three things to watch in the day to come. To subscribe and receive this in your inbox before the events get started each day, click here. To unsubscribe, email STOP to ooo@cg-observer.co.li.

Our picks of the action from Day 0:

Men’s and Women’s Windsurfer, Sailing – Black Stone Marina, Port Grenville, Electrum
With the games beginning, at least in some sports, on the same day as the opening ceremony, so began the first medal defence of the Games for a Licentian athlete. Tommy Bruce won a gold medal in this event four years ago in these very waters, one of three Licentian boats to bring home a medal from the regatta, and one of two aiming to defend gold, alongside the women’s skiff pairing of de Vos and Martin. It turned out to be a rough start for Bruce though, with the first and third races of the day certainly going amiss on the waters off Port Grenville. Despite a strong performance in the second race, where Bruce came home fourth, behind only Putra, Blau, and Magrina, Bruce retains a 20 point score on his card as he only cancels the 29th position from the first race of the morning. The first day went better for his compatriot in the women’s windsurfer event, Sìne Milne, who places in fourth after the first three races of the regatta in her class. Her chances of earning the medal she narrowly missed out on four years ago were helped by her winning performance in the third and final race of the day, where she led home Zoumpulia Iiii and Aurni Aodutelin in a close fought battle. – Simon Bosman

Men’s Rugby Sevens – Northcote Oval, Prescott, Electrum
If the fans attending the first day of the rugby sevens tournament in support of the Isles were hoping for a stronger start than the team got four years ago, they would have been slightly disappointed, if encouraged, by the performance of the men in Cyan-and-Gold. At the last Games, a first match bye was followed by a loss to Mertagne in which the eight point margin of defeat probably flattered the Licentians slightly. On this occasion, the Licentians, captained by Dan Hill, looked in control of the early stages against co-hosts Quebec and Shingoryeo, particularly after Naomhan Dallas, the 22 year old centre, stormed through the Quebecois defence just before the half time hooter. In the end though, the Licentian fans would be headed back to their hotel disappointed, as a late surge from the Quebecois, paired with the first half hero Dallas finding himself sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on ninety seconds from the end of the match, meant that the six-man Licentians couldn’t stop their opponents rolling over the try line on the last play of the game to claim a first match win. – Cleo Laird

Men’s Football – Sailors Stadium, Port Grenville, Electrum
I know what you’re thinking: you don’t come to the Olympics to watch the football. You want to watch the obscure sports that LBC haven’t covered in the last four years, and won’t cover for four years after this. You’re right, but on a day 0 where many Licentians were probably disappointed by results, if excited by the spectacle, a draw to start off the campaign for the men’s football team probably highlighted the day of the glory hunters. It had looked like being even better as the Cyan-and-Gold got off to a strong start. Jake Spekman, the exciting 23 year old who made a name for himself in Chromatika, found himself at the centre of a flurry of goals in the first half, scoring one from range before floating a long free kick onto the head of the towering centre half Sven van der Meulen. However, a young defence struggled as the second half continued, even with captain Saul van Duuren dropping deeper to support them. That meant two late goals for Coconut Isle, and a draw that leave the Licentians really needing results against Natanians and Nosts and Krytenia if they’re to advance. Perhaps the rivalry from the waterways will now appear on a football pitch? – Nina Wolters

Unmissable events on Day 1:

Men’s Coxless Fours Heats, Rowing – Redford Lake, Electrum
As the rowing regatta begins on the first formal day of competition, the best hopes for the Licentians aren’t out on the clear waters of Redford Lake, but there are medals to be defended. The men’s coxless four won silver in Bunjil four years ago, one of five boats to win a medal for the Isles there. That team from four years ago has been largely gutted, with Eden Smit the only one competing here. However, he is joined by Alistair Nicholson, an old head of Licentian rowing who won gold with the men’s eight at the last Olympics, and two exciting youngsters in Mark Robertson and Chris van der Veen. The gold medallist Saari boat from the last Olympics remains much the same as last time, but Licentians will be hoping that this new quartet can make one step up on the podium this time around. And boys? If you don’t do that, at least make sure you beat the Krytenians. – Kyle Thomson

Women’s K-1 Heats, Canoe Slalom – Prescott Racecourse and Whitewater Canoe Course, Prescott, Electrum
As the first of eleven occasions where These Isles of Ours was heard at a podium ceremony at the Games four years ago, it’s no surprise that there is excitement around Charlotte Nicol’s medal defence, which begins on Day 1. The heats bring with them two opportunities for Nicol to master the course, and put herself in the best position to retain her gold medal. She does seem, by most accounts, to be the favourite to win here in Prescott, having dominated the scene in the years since the Games in Bunjil, with Jong Payton of the ABEN Union and Teni St James of West Phoenicia perhaps the closest to challenging Charlotte. However, even if this event reaches the expected conclusion, of Nicol taking home a second straight gold, there’s no doubt that it will be exciting and fascinating to watch: after all, it’s slalom canoeing. – Caleb Bruce

Women’s 400m Individual Medley, Swimming – Yongma College Aquatics Centre, Daehakro, Quebec and Shingoryeo
For a nation that loves watersports, you’d think we’d be better at swimming. Despite that, there are very few serious medal hopes in the pool at these Games, with perhaps our best chance coming in the women’s individual medley events. There, the Licentians are represented by two women who medalled at the last Games in Bunjil, in the shape of Pip Bosman, who won silver in this event on the first day of the Games, and Ailsa Swan, who took a bronze three days later in the shorter medley discipline. This time, Bosman and Swan will be competing at both distances, after Bosman and others railed against the restrictions put on Licentian swimmers at the last Olympics, where they were only able to compete in a single individual event. While Conall Mason and Elise Rankin, the nation’s two best freestyle swimmers, have their individual opportunities at a later date (though the latter competes in the women’s 4x100m free relay today), Bosman and Swan will look to get things off to a hot start in the pool. - Annie McFarlane

by **Islands Of Ventro** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 6:55 am

Football

Islands of Ventro loses by 1 in its first matchday vs Saterun

WIth the games underway, Islands of Ventro was looking to make a splash with with their first game. Though as expected this did not happen as they fall to Saterun. The team did its best but ultimately fell with a score of 1-2. After the game IOV released a statement congratulating Saterun and vowing to win their next one.

Rugby

The Islanders destroy competition, lands at top of division!

In the first Rugby match of the games, IOV did indeed make a splash. They showed today that they were ready to play and could even win the entire thing. The team defeated Vangaziland with a score of 26 to 10. Coach Rudy released a statement to the press after the game, "Truly a magnificent game, both teams played well, but we played wonderful. Were ready to win this entire thing!"

The women's match after was even better. Invigored by the mens outstanding victory, the women had to prove that they were better, and they truly did, defeating Krytenia with a whopping score of 35-5. It seems that this might be another place where the IOV teams can contend.

Basketball

IOV falls to Pemecutan in embarrassing showing

Well I guess all things can't be great. While our rugby teams were destroying the competition the women's 3x3 basketball team was getting destroyed as they fall 22-14 to Pemecutan. The women declined to comment afterword.

A great day 0 showing overall. With some ups and downs. It just goes to show that even though this IOV's first time competing they came ready to play!

by **Kriegiersien** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:56 am

The Opening Ceremony is over and the games have started.

The Pirates, who are dominating the Sailing and Rowing events for Kriegiersien, had beforhand the ~~crazy~~ great idea to float with ships, canoes and boats into the Arena on the water in the stadium in Twin Cities, just to find out that they where all in Prescott and the idea wouldn’t work at all.

Now they had to borrow wheels from the cyclist to put them under the ships and boats to landpaddle their way in the parade of nations, while the lucky ones without sculls were able to wave with flags.

Anne Marrrley was one of the unlucky to help moving the massive flagship “Bert” and felt the pain after the Windsurfing races hours before, who had all three been bad and left her frustrated.
Next time she would be captain instead of the captain, she had thought while looking at her sister, Gold medal winner Elaine Marrrley, who was waving from the prow of the ship.

When asked after the event how she liked the show, she only had angry answers:
“I was in this ship, rowing all the time and saw nothing! And then I fainted. Fireworks? I had one in my head!”

In Twin Cities Hyun Dai, the only Badminton player who had won his match in a three set thriller against Eusbio Gamon from Sargossa, called the Opening Ceremony “The absolute best Olympic Ceremony I have ever taken part in”, what wasn’t a lie, as it was his first, backed by flag bearer Moe Edna, two times Olympic Champion as handball Goalkeeper, who was especially impressed by the flute playing and songs afterwards.

But now the time of good feelings and Olympic spirit are over and the competitions begin.

by **Waisnor** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:29 am

First National commentary of opening ceremony

"Hello, everybody, and welcome to Twin Cities in Quebec and Shingoryeo, where we will watch the opening ceremony of 16th Summer NS Olympic Games! 18 days of sports and competition await us and it all starts here. Of course, we at WBC, mostly on Third Sports Channel are going to show everything fully, and so you definitely won't get bored with Olympics) But we still ned to go through opening ceremony, and it will start right now."

Countdown

"And so, we are witnessing two separate montages - one on Olympic history, another about history of Quebec and Shingoryeo. It seems to be pretty nice in my opinion, plus it's a pretty nice gesture to the history of Olympics."
"And another look back at the history of Olympics - now in form of Olympic Express. I should say that this hologram looks simply magnificent. And that also kinda reminded me of PyeongChang 2018 opening ceremony start) I really like finding ommages to... how do I put it... "original" Olympic ceremonies. That's the trouble of participarting in multiversal things - it can be confused with our universe things)"
"Since you asked, yes, we are ready for this Olympics, and I think that our viewers will say the same!"

The Coast of Peace

"And now we're transported to a quaint village with a little lesson about their culture, customs, and most importanly, it seems, their songs. That's a pretty interesting part of their history, some kind of lost world in this industrialised reality. That's a pretty rare chance to see it."
"And here we have their clipper which is seemed to be lead by a shaman? Well, we rarely see any shamans or any peek into more mystical side of nation's history in the opening ceremonies, so that's pretty original of them to display shamans on such a big scene."

The Fleet

"And just like that, that village disappeared and instead of it we have pretty different decorations, which I'm pretty sure are going to start a segment about Industrial Revolution in Quebec & Shingoryeo. And rhythm is speeding up, which set us for a more fast-paced segment of this ceremony."
'This is certainly a beautiful display of this period in history of Quebec & Shingoryeo history, even though it reminds me of similar segment in London 2012 opening ceremony. Considering how it was pretty well remembered, I hope that the same fate will fall on this ceremony."
"And so, this ocean liners are flying up in the air, which to me looks even more impressive than the rings in 2012) Making coming them together in this Estoile certainly took a lot of effort and coordination, and I have to only say "bravo" to everyone involved in this ceremony. But we'll certainly have more than one reason to say this again further here."

The Mind, the Thought, and the World

"And now we have a little history lesson about music of Quebec & Shingoryeo, and, as a nation who likes to participate in music contests, this should definitely cheer us up! This is a pretty nice introduction to their pop culture, and I could bet that there will be more than few people learning more about it in the future thanks to this."
"Since Twin Cities are home not only to pop culture, but also to intelligentsia, we take a dive into a little more high-brow culture world, and they certainly portray drama and feelings of it masterfully. In such moments I pity that I don't know Korean, otherwise I could know what this quotes mean. The others are times when I want to watch some doramas in original dub)"
"Well, that was unexpected - we have a song from WorldVision in Olympic opening ceremony! We will once again hear Evermore and Louise sing in Grand Final in Monterra, so they will have a pretty stuffed schedule for themselves. Nevertheless, it's incredible that we could listen to WorldVision song right here, in the Olympic Games!"

The Parade of Nations

"And so, Parade of Nations shall begin with all of the participating nations showing their athletes and stadium, no, the whole world greeting them! Electrum is the first to walk out, and they certainly have a big delegation. Well, it would be strange if a host country would have a small numbers of athletes."
"Here they are, our WMCA friends from Alezian Union once again bringing their massive delegation and hoping for a lot of medals! Their result in last Olympics was pretty good, and there are no reasons to believe that they won't leave this Olympics without at least some amount of gold)"
"We are here! Waisnor is here! 143 entries and many chances to win medals, but nonetheless, we're proud of every single Waisnorian here, who put a lot of work and soul for getting their chance to be here! We are lead by Konstantin Kirichenko, first gold medalist of Waisnor in NS Olympics, and of course, we hope that he will put another medal to his name. In short - GO WAISNOR!"
"And the nation to finish this parade is, of course, Quebec & Shingoryeo! Led by Theo-Alexandre Pinson and Tatiana Llnagaay-Kondratyuk, they certainly wait for a lot of gold on their home soil. Overall, we saw a lot of participants from all the countries, and so, the competition will be tough. But that will only make it all the more interesting for us to watch)"

As the Cauldron is lit, you may kiss

"And finally, it's time for the Olympic Cauldron to be lit! Of course, there are several questions right now - who will lit the cauldron? How it will be lit? Only a few moments separate us from answers to this questions and we wait for this momentous occasion."
"It seems that the final two are Ji Yong-Seob and Dame Luna Kaiser. Honestly, their pair represents so much:skill of Yong-Seob, perseverance of Kaiser and their love for each other - they are simple perfect people to light up this fire."
"And as this arrow goes into the cauldron, Olympic Flame is lit for the whole multiverse, and 16th NS Olympic Summer Games are open! This is only the beginning of the incredible 18 days of sport, competition, suspence, joy, basically every feeling you can think of will be present! And... Awww, they kissed, this is actually so cute! And we will be during all of this, showing this Olympics to you! Now I say goodbye to you, but that's just until tomorrow, when first medals will be given out! Goodbye, and good luck to you all, good luck to the athletes of this Olympics, good luck to Waisnor!"

by **West Phoenicia** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:35 am

WP||West Phoenician News CorpTimes

Sports || Health || Technology || Gossip || Domestic Politics || International Politics || Entertainment || World || Religion || Weather

It's only the Beginning…

The West Phoenician Olympic Committee and politicians are among many in government circles who have come out publicly to dispel rumours circulating social media that West Phoenicia is changing its country name to Magnus Phoenicia for egotistical purposes.
The rumours trending across social media state several reasons; one of the biggest theories is, the name change is to avoid West Phoenicia lingering at the bottom of all opening ceremony parades and other international functions.

Baroness Honey Baroda, Minister of Culture labelled the rumours, 'false, unintelligent, and a daydream of nitwits who have nothing better than to post on social media all day'.

"Some of these people are so dumb, their dog teaches them tricks." Speaker of the House of Representatives: Madame Minerva Cranè added to the media debate.

Deputy Prime Minister Aaron Aìre echoed her sentiments in educating the mob who are hashtagging #westisbest.
"Magnus Phoenicia was the name of a once combined empire that was fragmented due to greed, civil wars, and corrupt leaders. A group of former regions worked together to become West Phoenicia in 1586 while their enemy became Greater Phoenicia.
Over 400 years between 1586 to 2020 both Empires have been involved in wars, broken treaties, and cloak and dagger games. We can now say with Greater Phoenicia breaking apart into separate Republics and monarchies the conflict is over. It is only fitting we return to the name of a nation that's blood runs through all citizens. This is the reason for the flag and name change. We may be a melodramatic nation but we are not so moronic we would change our name to appear higher in the March of the nations or other world sporting events.

Also heavily trending across the West Phoenician social media network VibrGold is the Summer Olympics. With thousands of messages of love and support ringing out for the athletes, support staff and the host nations.

In usual fashion, West Phoenicia had tongues wagging not in one city but two during the parade of nations in the Olympic co-host cities of the Twin Cities; Quebec and Shingoryeo, and Prescott,Electrum.

Madame Doroteya Bagrationi, Owner and winner of the contract to create the XVI Olympics uniform for Team West Phoenicia posted on the West Phoenician Olympic VibrGold pages;

"It is such an honour that many designs which burst from my mind and my heart like the rushing waters bursting from a dam are on display for all the world to see. These uniforms are what dreams are made of. I'm proud that my talent is on the backs of some of the best athletes West Phoenicia has to offer."

Madame Doroteya Bagrationi fan page was heavily trolled, with countless posts criticising the attire.

"Please let those rushing waters drown those uniforms…ASAP," a poster with the usernames Sabrina the Teenage bitch expressed.

"If this is what dreams are made of, I'll take a nightmare please", cited user I'm not stupid enough to post my name.

Politically Incorrect Comedian Dr Rainbow, who hosts Dr Rainbow and the Amazingly Shameless Puppet Company on Channel 2; the West Phoenician Comedy Network was quick to post his thoughts of West Phoenicia's moment during the parade of nations on his VibrGold page to his scores of fans.

What are your thoughts? Head over to VibrGold and leave your own messages of support or contention. Waa the Opening Ceremony magically and culturally enriching or did you spend the night washing your hair?

Like the Olympic cauldron, light a proverbial fire under you and get your butt on the couch, bring out your favourite nations flag to wave and order inna pizza. It's time to hunker down and get ready for more amazing days of Sports and Entertainment from Twin Cities and Prescott.

by **Titaniumland** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 12:15 pm

The Journal
Episode 1: "Flights to the Games" and Daily Vlogs - Day 0

In case you missed it, Titan Olympics had announced a partnership with Peak Network to document exclusive content and behind-the-scenes of Titan athletes during the games in Prescott and Twin Cities in a documentary series titled The Journal. The show airs weekly. In addition, the athletes and officials will create little daily vlogs about what happens behind closed doors in Peak+, the network's streaming service.

Episode Recap
The episode starts with a video montage of Titan athletes playing in their fields. We can see Damien Knoxville doing his synchronized swimming, Alexandros Emery hitting the finish line, Sanna Finley doing a badminton smash, and Amala Welsh skating in a park.

"Let's just fight our best then the results come later," said Demetria Sutherland, the Titans contingent head of delegation. She is in a Titan Olympic jacket in front of the athletes who will compete in the nation's second Olympic appearance. The episode cuts to the montages of athletes waving to the camera in airport. "The Olympiad, baby!" shout many.

"This is actually my first time going on a plane. I'm not really a plane person because I'm scared of heights but here we are!" says Mandy Herman (Artistic Swimming). Herman will make her debut international competition at the Olympics.

Once the athletes get in their planes, the episode captures some of their excitement, especially it will be their first Olympics. "I'm really really excited! Meeting new people from so many different nations. And just doing what I really love and that's what matters most!", Arif Valentino (Athletics) tells the camera.

The planes to both host cities go crazy because the athletes are anticipating Fadli Rowley and Ella Berg as the Titans flag bearers. "Woooo! Here goes our flag bearer, Fadli Rowley," introduces Kayla Bennett (Athletics), pretending to be the host from her seat. Screams and shouts are coming out from the other athletes. "So, Fadli, how are you feeling?" "I'm feeling pretty excited to be honest! I've always watched Olympics opening ceremonies since I was just a kid with my family and now I get to be, kinda, the face of the Titans, it's very exciting!", says Fadli Rowley (Athletics) in the most enthusiastic way the audience at home has ever seen. The similar atmosphere is happening in the plane to Twin Cities. Ella Berg (Swimming) hopes that she will not trip as she claims herself as "a very clumsy person".

The episode ends with closeup shots of the athletes' determined faces upon their arrivals in the host cities.

Daily Vlogs
The videos are uploaded in the Watch Now feature of Peak+ streaming service.

[*] GETTING READY by Fadli Rowley (Athletics)
The video shows Fadli getting ready for the opening ceremony. He is now in front of the athlete's village, saying: "This will be a short video and I just wanna tell you guys that I'm thrilled to do the parade. This is it! Dreams do come true." "Yeah! Tell them, Fadli!" shouts Zaid Paul, fellow shot-putter before joining him in the frame. The video ends after they greet each other and tell the viewers to tune in.

[*] GETTING READY TOO by Ella Berg (Swimming)
The video shows Ella getting ready with the women's swimming athletes, which consists of Selin Drake, Velma Avalos, Elisha Diaz, Alena Almond, Patrycja Herbert and Hadiya Bradford. "I feel kind of FOMO after Fadli uploaded that clip, so I'm gonna show you how the women in swimming prepare for the ceremony." Then, she shouts "How are we doing girls?" before the other women shouts and waves their hands to the camera.

[*] FIRST DAY! by Sachin Bouvet (Badminton)
The video takes place after all of the Titans' badminton matches for the day have finished. The video shows the badminton contingents with Jozef Davenport acts as the presenter of their little talk show. "Yo! Back with us again, the Titans badminton squad!" Trinity Redfern, Sachin Bouvet and Madison East just finished their matches. "So, how are you guys feeling?" "I feel a bit terrible and I'm sorry to let you all down," says Madison who lost her first match against Oh Eun-jin from the host nation. "Awww, no you don't!" as Sanna Finley holds and calms her down. "Thanks Sanna. Regardless it's a great match. Eun-jin is such a lovely and great athlete. I'm actually grateful to play my first Olympic match against her" "Yes! That first set was so tight. It was fun watching it," Sachin continues. "So, what about you guys? First wins at Olympics, eh?" asks Jozef. "I feel so happy. Nenad [Krizmanic from Mytanija] is a tough competitor and it's an honor to play with him, let alone win the match," says Trinity. "That's true. And we definitely have to be more focused for the upcoming matches because to be honest I feel very overwhelmed by the excitement playing the Olympics! Giving our best!" says Sachin. The other players clap and shout "For the Titans!". "So, that was it for the first day from the shuttlecock part of the Olympics! Goodbye!"

[*] Titans on Three! by 3x3 Basketball
The short clip shows the women's 3x3 basketball team joining their hands and shouts "Titans on Three! 3.. 2.. 1.. Titans on Three!" before the match against Coconut Isle, captures by one of the officials. "So, these are your magic socks, eh, Ali?" as they zooms into Ali Lennox's socks. "Hahaha! It's something about these socks. My lucky charm!" says Ali while stretching.

[*] Titans Won!!!!! by 3x3 Basketball
The short clip starts with the footage of the match as the whistle blows. The women are in for a group hug then approach towards the camera where the official sits. The women just won their first Olympic match against Coconut Isle.

[*] So I'm Officially the Titans' Flag Bearer!!!! by Ella Berg (Swimming)
The clip shows Ella Berg in her bed with the lights off yet we can still see her face with the front camera flash. She says, "So that happened! I'm so relieved that I did NOT trip. I see you guys with very overwhelming love for us athletes and I'm speaking for the other athletes that we do really appreciate them so much. But let's talk about the opening ceremony here in Twin Cities, though. It was really really beautiful. Such a beautiful way to honor the country and the culture as well. Every, each one of them musical performances were great. Uhm, what else to talk about? Oh! The fireworks!!!!! We really enjoyed them as well. Everything was perfect and I just couldn't believe all of that just happened. That's it from me guys! Cheers!"

by **Krytenia** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 4:04 pm

OLYMPICS: Supreme spectacle opens Games of XVI Olympiad

The sporting world took centre stage earlier tonight as the Olympic Games were officially opened with a pair of Opening Ceremonies that will live long in the memory of participants and viewers alike. Both Prescott and the Twin Cities did the Olympic movement proud with captivating displays of light, sound, motion, and narrative to sate the senses and leave the multiverse pumped up and ready for eighteen days of competition.

Electrum has, in recent years, largely replaced Paripana as the spiritual home of the Games, and it was in the city of Prescott that the evening's proceedings began. A high-tech, high concept Opening Ceremony included drone flyovers, sumptuous dance sequences, and a cultural section that celebrated not only the cosmopolitan city but embraced an optimistic view on the future. At least in that regard, Krytenia were on message, as Scott Madsen waved the Celesta with pride as the delegation, resplendent in navy blazers and trousers, subtly patterned sky blue shirts or blouses, and multicoloured cravats, soaked up the atmosphere of the Parade of Nations. Prime Minister Penelope Baker was clearly lapping up the festivities as one of the honoured guests from the participating nations as well, taking a deserved break from her continuing mission to transform Krytenia into one of the multiverse's strongest economic powerhouses.

It was in Quebec and Shingoryeo, though, that the party really hit top gear. The nation is proud to be hosting the Games for the first time, and this was reflected in a ceremony that was jam-packed with everything the fine nation has to offer. From its nods to previous hosts - intertwining with snapshots of the country's long and storied history - to the celebration of its seafaring tradition, all set to a playlist of music that belied Q&S' deep and varied culture, everything was done with meticulous precision and a sense of festivity that got the Twin Cities rocking. Even the Duke and Duchess of Avidia, Crown Prince Felix and his wife Princess Leonora, got into the festive spirit; certainly, nobody was expecting them to be fans of THONK!

The two nations have a long history of friendship and co-operation, and the Krytenian delegation were received in the stadium with a rousing reception as they took their place in the Parade of Nations. Fourteen-year-old Olivia Naylor's smile could've lit up the Two Rivers Stadium without the need for floodlights, and the athlete's uniforms had a subtle nod to their hosts, with the breast pocket emblazoned with the Korean characters "우정" (ujeong) - translating as "friendship". It's a word that certainly rings true for Krytenians and Quebecois are to be believed, as fencers from both nations took part in the recent Krytie tradition of the "Caffiene Guard of Honour" in the Olympic Village. A nod to the customs issues in Istria eight years ago which saw the delay of delivery of the delegation's supply of Rejistanian coffee, at each Games since, the nation's fencers (biathletes at the Winters) ceremonially line up outside the entrance to the Krytenian section of the village to welcome in the first box of delicious powdered wake-up juice.

As the cauldron was lit in dramatic fashion with a sublime piece of accurate archery, one particular guest would have been proud. Sixty-eight year old Percy Matthews, who did the honours at the Sixth Winter Olympics in Ashton just three years after becoming paralysed in a motorcycle crash that ended his ice hockey career, watched on from the stands as Dame Luna Kaiser, who suffered life-changing injuries in similar circumstances drew back her bow and fired.

As Prescott and the Twin Cities were illuminated by what can only be described as a ridiculous amount of fireworks and pyrotechnics, the ceremonies drew to a close. The cities have it a flame; tomorrow, the competition will be white hot. Hopefully, this furnace of sport will see many Krytenian medals forged in its flame.

by **A Kea** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 4:10 pm

KTV

And just like this A Kea's second olympic participation has began. The opening ceremony took place earlier today with our proud delegation opening the flag parade. Olympic silver medalist Simeon Kalousis waved our flag after having competed his first two runs in sailing's one person dinghy category the morning.

With a 3rd and a 16th place in the first two runs, I can't say I'm not satisfied, but I gotta keep the good runs going to try to repeat last year's success. I'm glad to be given the opportunity to be my country's flagbearer, it's always an honour representing my home island, let alone carrying our flag in such a huge and important event.

Our team, visibly larger than last year where less than 100 athletes competed, is having some high expectations to have an improved medal collection and potentially bring home our first olympic gold. Aside from Simeon, our other 3 medalists from last year (Lila Kofa, Pulheria Hatzisavva and Konstantinos Avgerinou) are all tipped to repeat their success, but also some top notch athletes as Djiva Trudeau, Jason Gryffin Fields who didn't succed last time and debuters as Manolo Karas and Miltiades Tangeou are all expected to fight for a medal.

Apart from first sailing runs for Simeon and his sister Sylvia who is unfortunately last in ranking for now, Keans witnessed some team sport action today. On a positive note our women's water polo team managed to secure a win against Darmen with a margin of 5. The girls are aiming to make it past group stage just like last year, and if they keep it like this it seems like they will manage to do so. Unfortunately our male football team disappointed the nation by a last moment goal by the Abovian Union, that ended up winning the match. Our boys played well but Abovians found a gap in our defense in the 84th minute and scored an impressive goal ruining our morale. Lastly the 3x3 basketball girls lost their match but had an outstanding performance given their experience. All 3 girls are high school students who played basketball as a hobby and decided to try to qualify for the Olympics to prove their male classmates wrong saying such sports are meant for guys. Despite the loss, just being here is probably enough to change their mind.

by **Erie-Arcadia of Wombats** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 5:53 pm

REDACTED

-WRONG ACCOUNT USED TO POST RP

by **Diarcesia** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 6:22 pm

Day One of the Games of the XVI Olympiad
Habpo Commons
Twin Cities, Quebec

"As we accepted on practice, we're about to start soon."

"Let's go!"

The members of Six Bullets stepped to the stage, where their instruments are already set up and ready for use. To their disappointment, only a few people await their performance.

"Oh man, I wish there's more of them." one of Bullets lamented.

"I expect nothing less," Guido, the leader, gave his reassurance. "After all, we're a local act within Diarcesia. It's our job to fire them up!" The rest of the members digested Guido's words and their weary expressions were replaced with energized anticipation.

Guido grabbed the mic and called to the audience: "Hey, Twin Cities! How's everyone doing!"

Mostly crickets and some hollers from the audience, but Guido was unfazed.

"We're called the Six Bullets, and a group of friends from Diarcesia full of passion for music! We'll perform several songs—a popular one from overseas to demonstrate our style, and several of our specialties that I'm sure you will enjoy! Okay... less talk, more action." Guido turned to face his group and asked them, "Ready?"

Sus-Anna, the drummer, raised her drumsticks and responded in the affirmative. "Yep! One, two, three, four!"

And so they began their first song.

The Six Bullets gave their all in their cover of the song, the one (and its artist and genre) the group bonded over and eventually formed their music and style around. Being able to perform in Quebec and Shingoryeo could be their first big international break if they nailed it. The evidence of such would be a thickening of the crowd in front of the stage. They're almost sure they'll be able to grab the attentions of the Diarcesians nearby (they're already substantially popular there and even have a TV show character named after their group). Maybe, that will also raise the curiosity of the locals and the tourists from all over and stick around should they like it.

Six Bullets - Members
Guido Bonaventura (Lead Vocals)
Metody Adam (Piano)
Irenaeus Marillamo (Guitar)
Sus-Anna Pickering (Drums)
Tri-Anna Ballou (Bass)
America Numbers (Bass)

by **HMS Onslaught** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 7:37 pm

Opening Ceremony

HMS Onslaught Sails to Quebec and Shingoryeo

On the bridge

Captain Fletcher: "We be at Menagwes Bay in Twin Cities, we be kinda stuck here as the submarine be too big to get into the Menagwes and Tartanmouth rivers."

Just then, a squadron of the Royal Quebecois Air Force conducts a flypast

Sub-Lieutenant Travis: "Dive-bombers Captain!"

Captain Fletcher: "DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!"

The bridge party descends into the control room and close all hatches

Captain Fletcher: " Take us to the bottom Leading Seaman Davenport."

Leading Seaman Davenport: "180 metres Captain, we're on the seabed."

Captain Fletcher: "Hydrophones, do ye hear any ordnance being dropped?"

Chief Petty Officer Irwin: "Nothing Captain, those dive-bombers aren't attacking us."

Captain Fletcher: "What kinda trickery be this? Periscope depth!"

Leading Seaman Davenport: "Periscope up."

Captain Fletcher: "Thar be nothing, just some guy in a blazer with a clipboard standing on the dock."

Lieutenant Hamilton: "It's a trap! I say we blow that dock away and then get out of here."

Captain Fletcher: "Agreed. Flood tube one."

Leading Seaman Bryan: "Tube one flooded."

Captain Fletcher: "Distance 80 metres, bearing 4-0-0."

Petty Officer Rollins: "4-0-0 Captain, she's in position."

Captain Fletcher: "Ready… tube one awa… WAIT! Be that a barrel of beer next to that strange looking guy?"

The guy in the blazer with a clipboard: "I say, can you hear me in there? I'm an Olympic official from Quebec and Shingoryeo. You're late for the Parade of Nations. Sorry your vessel couldn't fit in our rivers. Here's a complimentary barrel of beer for you guys."

Crew: "Free booze. YAAR!"

by **Pemecutan** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 7:55 pm

Sukra Wage Wuku Krulut, Pawukon 1783

Can We Rely on Them?

Agri, Electrum - Pemecutan Football Association (PFA) have made a shocking decision prior to the participation of Pemecutan in the Summer Olympics. In the last two editions, the senior team have been send to represent Pemecutan at Olympics although with a mediocre result. The result which far minion than their World Cup campaign. While for this edition, PFA decided to send the U-21 team which is rarely seen to compete in international stage. Why would the association choose them? Can we rely on them?

Pemecutanian U-21 team was established 4 years ago prior to their participation at Di Bradini 48/U-21 World Cup 69. But the team have been in an on-and-off participation in that competition. Besides the competition, there's no other regional or international joined by the team. By seeing this fact alone, there is a clear reason why the fans questioning PFA's decision. Although the association officially give their statement afterwards.

Putu Ayu Kusumawardani, PFA's current President stated that there are 3 main reasons about the decision. First, is to give U-21 team another competition for them to play. With a limited event choice for them, it is a good place for them to actually have their experience in international stage whether they entered or skipped the U-21 World Cup event. Second, is schedule conflicts. With the possibility of CMFA Mandalanusa Cup (former CMFA Melayu Archipelago Cup) run at the same time as Summer Olympics, the senior team won't be able to play in both competition. That's why the U-21 team is selected. Third, is players test field. At the latest transfer window, several Pemecutanian players (mostly free agents) were included in the window. Most of them are age between 18-20 years old. The PFA under their youth program decides to give opportunity for free agents players to be able to get experience by playing outside the country. This program is plan to create more potential football players for Pemecutan. At the end of transfer window, a staggering of 11 Pemecutanian football players were signed abroad. A surprising number. While the association saw these numbers as a success story from the plan. Some of the signed players are now in the country's U-21 team. And for them to compete in Olympics will be a showcase for their new clubs of what they can get by signing them. And with all of the explanation from PFA does the doubters go away? No, they are still there although maybe their numbers are shrink.

PEMECUTAN 3-1 DARKMANIA 

Ketut Catur Adi Putra 21'
Satya Permadi 39'
Yusuf Wiryajaya 74'

But maybe the doubters now have to rethink about their doubt. At the first match of Men's Football, Pemecutan success to win 3-1 against Darkmania. The result have placed them currently in the lead of their group with Brookstation eyeing at the second place. It sure is still the first match and there are still 2 matches to go. But the win have elevated several doubts about the team. And this win is surely give more confidence to our U-21 players that they can do better. We just have to see how things ended as the next two matches would likely be a tough one.

Other News

SAILING Panca Darmawan is on the right track while Jayanti gets disqualified.
BOXING Targaroha feel nervous for the upcoming match.
WATER POLO Women's team failed to stopped the host from winning.
CANOEING All eyes to Pemecutan Canoeing team as they will start the competition in the second day.
BADMINTON Are girls better than boys? Question arise as both men's single lost their first match.
GYMNASTICS Exclusive interview: Made Dwi Andika on his road to artistics qualification
JUDO Lesmana and Parwati placed a bet for Judo's first two medals.
SWIMMING Can they win more than 1 medal? A question for their repetitive 1 medal win in each of the previous Olympics.
ROWING Will there be more? Pemecutan Rowing team eyeing for medal as their events will get started.

by **Chromatika** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:13 pm

The Sixteenth Olympics - Chromatika

As Chromatika enters the sixteenth Olympics, held in Quebec and Shingoryeo and Electrum, they enter their third Olympics on a rise. In the fourteenth Olympics, the Chromatik delegation managed twenty-three medals (7 gold, 8 silver, 8 bronze). Then, they improved that haul to 25 medals in the last Olympics, though the number of Gold Medals reduced to six.

Now, as another bunch of Chromatiks head to these games, let us take a look at two sports that Chromatika has historically done well at, and two others that may catch Chromatik viewers as they cheer on their athletes.

Rising Up - Archery

In the Fourteenth Olympics, Chromatika absolutely crashed and burned despite having some kind of a reputation. They recovered in the fifteenth Olympics, getting a Silver Medal (Isaak Kristoffer in Men's Individual) and a Gold Medal in the Men's Team event. The Chromatik women still haven't managed to win a single medal, which they will try to make up in these Olympics.

The team that Chromatika is sending in these Olympics are a little different.

On the men's side, Cameron St. John defeated Frederick von Marshall 6-0 in the Semifinals, and then von Marshall took down Hugo de Vries, the archer that lost to eventual champion Isaak Kristoffer, to squeak into the Olympics. It will be the first Olympics missed for de Vries, who just got the short end of the stick; Cameron St. John, the twenty-one year old from the University of the Islands, is the CCFA Champion. The Urrheddiao native has been shooting since he was seven years old, and now, it'll be his turn to shine. Will he be able to make the leap?

On the women's side, it'll be Yelena Polova making her debut, as she won the third place match against Franz Cedostera. A veteran of twenty-six years of age, she's been biding her time. Hailing from Z'ai'ai, she didn't start shooting till about eighteen years of age, but has taken to it like fish to water. Franz Cedostera will be back - she's not even twenty-five yet, after all.

Familiar foes Team Diarcesian, the Vilitian Union, Kriegiersien, Valanora, and Quebec and Shingoryeo await, along with other archers that will be trying to make it big for the first time.

En Garde - Fencing

Ah, fencing. Five medals in twelve disciplines last time around - not as good as Quebec (5 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze), or Lisander (2 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze), but still respectable. Medalists Terrance Vicomb (Men's Individual Foil), Sara Hoyashimi (Women's Individual Sabre), and the Women's Sabre Team (Bronze) will be looking to take their next step, while the lone Gold Medalist, Estelle Roberts (Women's Individual Épée) is hoping to defend her title.

The one to watch is Women's Sabre, where the team lost to Gold Medalists Quebec before hanging on for the Bronze and Sara Hoyashimi hoping for revenge against the Quebecois. As for new faces, Kim Bo-Shik, Lance Boivin, Auberon Voclain, Ana Herrot, Jasmine Waters, and Anastasia Irena make up the squad; they'll have their hands full, but they were tested within Chromatika, so it'll be interesting to see how they fare.

The Art of War - Kata

Nobody knew what Kata was in Chromatika before the last Olympics. Now, the country is crazy about it. With Oren Nyung getting the Gold and Whitney Pan the Silver, Chromatika almost swept the event in the last Olympics. Both of them return, and though Whitney Pan has been doing better domestically than Nyung, they will have all eyes on them. Nyung has been practicing a routine that has a series of long, fluid moves accented by sharp interruptions, while Pan's is more like that of a swan - graceful, majestic, and almost peaceful.

They may not win it, but they'll absolutely be a treat to watch.

In Their Sights - Shooting

They definitely don't have the same following as archery, but the Chromatik Shooting Team is starting to make some waves. Mattias Pyung and Riley Minagella both won medals in the 50m rifle three positions discipline, and Laria Myun won the silver in the 25m pistol. Riley Minagella didn't make the Olympics due to a shoulder injury, but Miyahira Moriko and Nakano Chnatsu will try to follow up her spirit.

Chromatika's team has lots of twists and turns, and people who are hungry for more. Let us cheer them on.

by **Lacfroid** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 4:43 am

Bienvenue en Lacfroid, pt 1 “Politics”

Lacfroid is a small, isolated country, located high in the mountains of Atlantian Oceania, somewhere in the vicinity of both Quebec and Whitecroft. It derives its name from the large lake at its center, which was created seventy years ago with the damming of the Riviere Froide, an event which marks the start of the Lacfroidois calendar (year 0). The capital and third-largest city, Ville du Lac, is a planned city which was founded in year 0 as a purpose-built capital for the new nation. The second-largest city is Saint-Laurent, located in the far northeast, which is also home to the Universitie Lacfroidois, and the largest city by far is Champlain in the southwest. Whereas the three cities were roughly the same size in year 0, Saint-Laurent and Ville du Lac are constrained by their physical geography of undulating hills and mountain peaks, where Champlain has sprawled across the high plateau it occupies.

The Lacfroidois have a presidential republic, and all three branches of government are resident in Ville du Lac. The Capitol and the Presidential Mansion are both located in Ville du Lac, as is the headquarters of the National Court, though the court mainly sits in tribunals which may travel across the country to hear cases. Of the major political parties, the Parti Conservateur is headquartered in Ville du Lac, the Parti Progressiste is headquartered in Saint-Laurent, and the Parti Reformateur is headquartered in Champlain.

The ruling party is the center-right Parti Reformateur, which rules through a tentative alliance with the more centrist Parti Conservateur. The need to keep the PC in the alliance tempers the more radical aspects of the PR’s platform, which calls for more stringent citizenship laws and a reduction in protectionist trade policies. As it is, the PR-PC alliance has succeeded in its major policy objective, which is the re-establishment of interregional trade with Anaia via the Lacfroid-New Gesem portal and a warming of relations with New Gesem. The Parti Progressiste is a moderate left-wing party which advocates against relations with New Gesem and stronger ties with the rest of Atlantian Oceania. Of note, the PP controls the mayor and city council in Saint-Laurent, which includes the Lacfroid side of the Lacfroid-New Gesem portal.

The president of Lacfroid is Maëlle Merlet of the PR and the prime minister is Marco Bauer of the PC. The daughter of the largest car dealer in Lacfroid, Merlet is derided “Princess Mae” by her detractors on the left and the right, but has shown herself to be a canny politician in her dealings with foreign countries on both sides of the portal. She rarely weighs in on domestic issues, leaving the heavy lifting to Bauer and her own cabinet ministers. Bauer is a career politician who has served at various times in Parliament and as mayor and alderman in Ville du Lac. He is respected by both sides of the aisle and is a key figure in keeping the PR-PC alliance from fracturing. Other important politicians are the Shadow Prime Minister Kayla Brunel of the PP, a sharp-tongued women’s studies professor at the Universitie Lacfroidois, and Home Minister Marwane Diop of the PR, that party’s primary mouthpiece on domestic issues.

General elections in Lacfroid are held every five years on the Summer Solstice, which is the Lacfroidois New Year. The president is elected by general election, while the prime minister is elected by Parliament and subject to votes of no confidence at any time. The Summer Solstice is also the anniversary of the flooding which created Lacfroid and the nation, and so serves as a national holiday of sorts.

by **Vilitan Union** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 5:26 am

Vilitan Union Olympians desire Training Facility Upgrade

Despite a solid performance in the 15th Summer Olympic Games, some athletes from the Vilitan Union have chosen to utilize their temporary spotlight as athletes participating in the 16th Summer Olympic Games in Prescott & Twin Cities to highlight what they believe to be a gap in quality of the training facilities available to those athletes preparing for the Summer Olympiad versus the facilities that are offered to athletes preparing for the Winter Olympiad.

While the Olympic Committee of the Vilitan Union has made no official comment on the issue of quality - or lack there of for the Summer Olympic Games training programme, some well-known third party commenters have voiced opinions both for and against the idea that the facilities need to be improved.

There does seem to be one thing that all commenters can agree with the athletes on - and that is, through the narrow lens, the Olympic Committee of the Vilitan Union have absolutely invested more into modernizing the facilities surrounding the winter games in recent years - the majority of that investment coming when Yeaddin, Vilita was a co-host location for the 14th Winter Olympiad. Where commenters disagree is in whether or not that puts the Vilitan Union's Summer Games athletes at any sort of competitive disadvantage.

Of course, at its core the perceived gap only came to light as a result of the hosting of the XIV Winter Olympic Games in the Vilitan Union. Large dump trucks filled with tures were unloaded in Northern Vilita - Yeaddin and the surrounding areas to transform what had been at times just a seasonal curiosity among a small band of dedicated outdoor enthusiasts into a permanent fixture of the Vilitan way of life.

One of the biggest amenities cited by Summer Athletes that they feel would improve their training programmes is the state-of-the-art living spaces in the former Yeaddin Olympic Village - where one of the former olympic village towers has been transformed into an open-stay retreat for Vilitan Union winter athletes. There are a total of six floors of living space in the facility with each floor having a different theme fully integrated into the architecture - not just paintings on walls but fixtures down to the last detail. The Space themed floor includes two space flight simulator - one a simple ride-along experience and another cooperative control-bridge team-building mission simulator with over 200 scenarios for athletes to put themselves into. Of course, on the flip side, some may wonder exactly what benefits space mission control could have on an individual athletes training program. Those in favor of the side-bar activities at the Vilitan Union complex in Yeaddin cite the Mission Control as one of the most impactful, however, teaching the athletes to be aware that sometimes it is not their actions alone that can lead them to victory - but they need to either work together - in team events - or be aware of the adversaries positions and mistakes or successes which they might have had that can help an individual athlete build upon their own performance.

Of course, its not just the themed living quarters but the all-in-one ecosystem native to an Olympic village that some of the Vilitan Union's summer athletes are hoping to get for themselves in the future. The Yeaddin Complex also includes a plethora of food options on site to match all diets from the most stringent all the way to the pizza and Vilaye extreme sports staples. The complex also contains an on site Movie Theater, Creative Workshop, Gaming Center and Library in addition to a multiverse-class Fitness and Tuning center with the ability for many athletes to practice their trade indoors before heading up the slopes to hit the snow.

Many have noted, however, that the reason that the Vilitan Union Winter Athletes need all that support is exactly because of the fact that the Vilitan Union is trying to continue growing its winter sports presence - and hoping to persuade its top athletes to remain home in Vilita to train opposed to moving away and taking their talents to places like Quebecois, the Squornshelan Remnant States and Aboveland.

The Union does not have a similar issue in retaining its Summer Games talent as much of the Vilitan Cove region is already outfitted with multiverse-class training and athletic facilities and sites in a majority of the Summer Olympiad's most prominent events. From World Cup level stadiums to some of the largest coastal beach spaces in the region and a near uniform temperature offering in many locations, the Vilitan Union can offer its Summer Olympic Athletes and hopefuls top class training programmes throughout the Vilitan Cove region without having to specifically enhance the experience for the athletes in times where it may not be as conducive to training in the environment.

It will be interesting to watch as the Summer Olympiad kicks off whether the thrill of being at the games and back in the Olympic Village well temper or re-ignite the facilities upgrade conversation among Vilitan Summer Athletes.

by **Rarungan** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 9:10 am

kabaRaru

Dina 118 Warsa Caturkusuma

Badminton Weak Start

Twin Cities, Quebec and Shingoryeo - The opening day of Summer Olympics have become a major hype back home in Rarungan. People are waiting far too long to see their athletes competing again in international stage. And this Olympics have give them the treats. Before the big opening night, several events have kick start its competition. And one of them is Badminton.

Considered as one of the popular sport in Rarungan (besides football and tennis), Badminton have drawn viewers from all over the country. But despite the huge support, the athletes are gained a mixed results. Only 2 badminton events that start their competition at the opening day. Both are in single and only 1 Rarungani from each event that competing.

The first one is Anita Reksono. She play the first match against neighboring country, Dian Suastini from Pemecutan. Reksono was on fire in the first set after leading far by 8-0. But Suastini able to turn the table after Reksono's failed netting. Suastini gained point one by one until Reksono stop her at 8-6 position. Even though Reksono was still on the lead but Suastini keep eyeing her. Reksono eventually win the first set by 21-16. In the second set, Reksono was still on the lead. But now, Suastini make a huge change on her way of play. Reksono's was chase point after point until she had to give Suastini the first 11 point of the set. Feeling confident, Suastini continue her strike after that. Reksono try to balance her performance so she could still chase Suastini's point. She made a huge efforts so their point gap was not too huge. But although with all of her effort, she failed to chase Suastini. She win the set. 21-19 for Suastini. The third set becomes the deciding set. But Reksono seems to be out of breath. The young and energetic Suastini was easily played out her move. She gain point after point from the already exhausted Reksono. While Reksono also made several errors which add the advantage to Suastini. The Pemecutan player eventually win easily by 21-8 and claim the match as hers.

On the other hand, Pandu Dharma have a better luck. Facing Chromatica's player, Dang Myung-Hyuk, Dharma was in it to win. The first set was clearly for Dharma after he lead the set by 11-2. He continue the lead until the end of the set which he won by 21-10. The second set saw the rise of Myung-Hyuk. The Chromatica's player able to give some difficulties to Dharma and even turn the table when he lead 17-15. Dharma get a hard time to break free from Myung-Hyuk dominance. He only get one chance by halting Myung-Hyuk win when the position was 20-16. But a forceful smash which fall outside Myung-Hyuk's field give him the victory. Dharma felt disappointed with his too powerful smash. Starting the third set, Dharma play beautifully. He didn't want to rushed things out and keep his focus intact. But Myung-Hyuk also give his great performance as the set was the most important one. Their points were so tight that the gap never passed 3 points. Dharma was above the air as Myung-Hyuk's failed netting give him the 20th point and the cock was in Dharma's possession. The rally begin which immediately turn into one of the longest. Both players were jumping and running here and there to save the cock. Until Myung-Hyuk made a heavy blow. This give an advantage for Dharma to smash his ultimate strike. He looks like forgetting about his failed smash earlier which cost him the second set. But this smash was so accurate that it fall on an empty squared of Myung-Hyuk's field. He was unable to reached it as he was still in shocked with the powerful smash. As the referee pointed down his palm, Dharma scream with joy. He eventually win the match by 21-10, 16-21 and 21-18.

There is still a long journey for them as they will need to face another 2 players before they can confirmed the result. And the hardest part is, they have to lead in their respective group in order to advance to the knockout stage. But the next test will be fall to the double as it will be their time to play the first match in the second day. Will they be able to score some win?

Other news
Football - A surprise win for Rarungani team make ways to possible qualification.
Sailinh - Eka Erisanthi is on the right track as she currently at 7th in the leaderboard.
Basketball - The women's 3x3 team was crushed by Mytanija team.

by **Brookstation** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 9:34 am

One for the nation
Part-0

by Jeremiah Rhodes

Sailing Away

If anyone was to enter a Brook pub on the opening day of the 16th Olympics, he was sure to find the football or softball match playing on the television but none would find a group of Brook men watching sailing. In fact sailing is a completely unknown sport in the nation and the viewership of the sport was so low, that the ABQ Broadcasting Company halted the broadcast of the event totally. Little did anyone know that sailing would be one of Brookstation's most successful events on the inaugral day of the Olympics. Clive Chapman who had been in the news for quite a long time recently for his confident remarks on social media. However, the validity of his remarks are not under any question as Chapman finds himself in the lead in the Men's one person dinghy category. Chapman's main competitor was New Gelderland's Sean Curran who was in a better position after the first race. However, the second race would work in Chapman's favour as the latter would cruise his way past the waters of Prescott to take the lead.

Race 1-2			R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Total
Clive Chapman (BRO)		9	1									1
Sean Curren (NGD)		1	14									1
Captain Fletcher (HMS)		22	2									2

However our sailing success was not restricted to Chapman alone. David Diamond, perhaps the most celebrated sailor in Brookstation provided yet another tackle to Leading Seaman Bryan of HMS Onslaught. Diamond's race in the previous edition of the Olympics was a roller coaster. Diamond stayed in the first part of the Bunjil Olympics before suffering a series of bad races which eventually snatched the hopes of a medal. But four years later, we get to see a more experienced Diamond who will put in his best efforts to bring laurels to his nation. Young Anna Quigley is also in a similar position as Diamond in the Women's Windsurfer category, just a few places behind Liventia's Louisa Morse.

This might just be the beginning of the sailing event but a set of early success definitely hints towards a bright future for Brookstation in the sport. The upcoming events in the sport will also be crucial for the propagation of the sport in the nation. The nation that has been Brookstation's rival when it comes to sailing is HMS Onslaught, a nation centred around a ship. HMS Onslaught has a history of success when it comes to aquatic sports but to quote David Diamond, "We don't believe sailors and captains can scare us. We are here to achieve a dream and we will even fight pirates to achieve that."

An Onfroy brace sees Brookstation win their opener against Britonisea

Coming to ermm...football, one of the major games in our nation although ironically our record in the sport recently has been in short, "trash". Nonetheless, Olympics football is slightly different from the mainstream game. The Olympics usually acts a platform for young and uncapped to represent their nation in the sport. The Brook football team led by the experienced Dwayne Onfroy was head to head against Britonisea. A veteran team, Brookstation struggled to get the ball during the first few minutes of the game. However, the dry run would be broken in the 37th minute when Onfroy would find the ball at the edge of the box from where he would strike a volley which would find the corner of the net. Just as the first half was about to end, Britonisia would strike back with a long distance goal that would pass through Artur Rybus' hands.

With the scores levelled, the second half was expected to be a more interesting one as both teams would try to regain momentum. Onfroy's men striked again in the 56th minute, this time with a header from Jamieson which sealed Brookstation's second goal. Onfroy's men now looked much livlier and this goal had definitely helped in reaffirming the confidence of the team. The following few minuted would display a complete Brook dominance on the field and the team would reach close quite a number of times. For instance, in the 70th minute of the game, veteran striker Waters would shoot a long range shot which was eventually deflected by the goalpost missing the net by not more than a few inches. This disappointment would however be short lived as captain Onfroy would dribble his way past the Britonisean defenders before playing a bit of a passing game with Waters and after finding the comfortable position, shoot straight at the goal, giving Brookstation their third treat of the day.

Brookstation (BRO) 3–2 Britonisea (BRI)

Britonisea weren't disappointed however. The team would rather put up a way more fiercer approach and with around 10 minutes left in the game, Britonisean centre midfielder would net the fifth goal of the match by flicking the ball over Rybus. Brookstation, still in the lead took a way more defensive approach to counter the effects of the Britonisean formation and in the long run, the Brook defense would prevail. Coach Browne was satisfied with the results however the fear of playing one of the best teams in the world(Pemecutan) still disturbs him. Hoepfully, our team will succeed in keeping up with the expectations of the people.

How to steal the hearts of the home crowd ?

Basketball, another sport which has lost it's importance in the nation over time after the failed debut attempt by Brookstation in the 33rd International Basketball Championship but anyway Brooks are still familiar with the format of the game. But the Olympics would see Brookstation participate in an alternate format of the sport where each side would be represented by 3 instead of 5 athletes. This would basically require more coordination between the athletes and scoring wouldn't be as frequent as the default version of the game.

Brookstation (BRO) 18–17 Quebec and Shingoryeo (QUE)

Brookstation would face hosts Quebec and Shingoryeo, a nation which has a way richer history in the game and more importantly the host nation in what would be their first international game in this format. Quebec had the support of the entire crowd wheres a handful of Brook fans constituted the small crowd in Twin Cities. Quebec would start the game smmothly, bringing out their experience in the sport in every move they played. Quebec was in short dominant and after the first time the scores stood at a ridiculous 10-5 in Quebec's favour.

Brookstation would then make one of the greatest comebacks in their sporting history. In front of the home crowd, Brookstation would slowly accelerate by scoring nets. Luka Dragovic's performance would be splendid in particular as he would score quite a number of nets giving Brookstation a further boost. Quebec didn't sit idle however. Both teams had a lot to lose but more to gain. When the scores would almost be equal, Mitch Martin would net the final point of the game, giving Brookstation a lead by just one point. After that the stadium would witness an ovation from everybody to congratulate Brookstation's surprise comeback. This wasn't Brookstation's best result of the day as the nation went on to win majority of their team games but such a brilliant start might have a lot in store for us. Coming up with a preview of Day 1 shortly. Till then, signing off Jeremiah.

by **Huron League** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 9:51 am

Day 0 Review

After (and during) wonderful Opneing Ceremonies in Electrum and Quebec and Shingoryeo, in which Clara Ricketts, star 1st Basewoman for the softball team and Nils Van Der Quist, respectively, were the flagbearers for Huron League. Just four Huronian competitors participated on Day 0, with mixed but surprising results.

In Quebec and Shingoryeo, the women's water polo team defeated Ioudaia 7-5, in an exciting competition. Star player Marie Trevin scored three, and goaltender Patricia Nelson saved a large percentage of the shots she faced. A solid start for the well-ranked women's water polo team.

Meanwhile, in Electrum, Huron League was defeated by Beepee 3-2 in a thrilling men's football game. This result was to be expected, with Huron League's men's team mediocre at best. Striker Malik Henderson scored both of Huron League's goals in a great performance. He will need to keep up this pace if Huron League is to have any success in men's football. A shoddy performance from goaltender Cole Gardener led to a loss that potentially could have been avoided, with one blunder goal and another that was close to being saved.

In a shocking victory, Huron League's terrible rugby team upset high-ranked New Gelderland in a wonderful performance. Fans at home expected to be utterly obliterated by the powerhouse New Gelderlandian team, but were instead met with an exciting, close performance led by some of the veterans of Huron's men's rugby team. The final score was 28-22. Huron League's women's team did not have the same results, being crushed 24-12 by a strong Lisander team. This is more of the performance expected by players, coaches and fans alike. Here's hoping Huron League's women's team can somehow turn it around and that the men's team can somehow keep it up.

That's all to comment on today, folks! Stay tuned for hopefully some of Huron League's strongest performances tomorrow with the men's cycling road race and the men's street skateboarding final, both held in Electrum.
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by **The Daystar Isles** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 10:15 am

Although the Opening Ceremony wouldn't take place in the two host nations until later in the evening, the Olympic events were already underway on "Day 0," and a good portion of the Daystar Islian athletes were in action, including some medal hopefuls.

An action-packed Day 1 will feature lots of action on the open water, as the dinghy sailors and windsurfers will have their next heats, as the rowing and men's surfing events get underway. The surfing is likely to be watched very closely in the Daystar Isles, as DSI's Bok Yasiteki is considered a possible medal contender. Speaking of medals, Daystar Islian athletes will have their first opportunities to win them on Day 1; Dod Jojikivu and Tek Tiribali will be in the pool for the men's 400m freestyle, while the foursome of Sisi Mokurozi, Trixi Yuminoga, Rokot Dizifizi, and Oso Dasigora will contend in the women's 4x100 freestyle relay. The action will continue on the badminton court with the first doubles matches, while the men's water polo team and women's beach volleyball pairing of Rowdi Kilimoku and Pixi Molakoli will embark on their quests for gold!

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The Daystar Isles -- Day 0

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