Games of the XI Olympiad—roleplaying thread

[Valanora]

Valanora Times
A Duel of Aces

As the qualifying heats and games continue on as the road to Aeropag continues for the various athletes across the world, the Vanorian delegation has performed relatively well. While there has been a handful of poor performances by the participants looking to book their book their place to Paripana next month, for the most part the Vanorian athletes have performed up to expectations. In an ideal world, all of our athletes would have made it past the qualifying heats, but being realistic, that was simply never going to happen. This is especially true in a handful of the athletic events, as the skill of the Vanorian athletes were on average quite a bit lower than their counterparts from across the region, though that is not to say that there are not a few standout performers.

The most intriguing though is the draw in the men's and women's football, as both teams are in the second round of the qualifiers, where a victory in this stage means that they will be making their way to Aeropag and the Games proper. The draw though saw those ping pong balls bring up the Marauders against none other than the Aces of Krytenia in both sides of the game. Krytenia is one of Valanora's oldest footballing rivals, though it is more felt on the Krytenia side than it is on the Valanora side. It is a particularly interesting rivalry given that the Marauders once thrashed the Krytenian puppet nation of Keyne Island by an outstanding eleven to nil, a record victory that took many decades to be eclipsed. It is a defeat that Krytenia feels slighted about even to do this day, even if has become but a footnote in the history of the Marauders.

It will be a shame that one of our two nations will not see our wonderful national teams make it to Aeropag, as both of the squads have quite a bit of history in the game. That being said, while I want the Marauders to defeat the Aces in both halves of the game, I somewhat feel as if Krytenia might deserve it more on the basis on the Games themselves. Either way, the two legs shall be quite an entertaining game to see, as two titans in stature and skill take this qualifier's highlight and let the game play out as the fates decree.

[Vangaziland]

Women's Gridiron was a sport of budding popularity in Vangaziland. This is the first year they've put a team into international competition. Word went out that the sport would be in these games and the Vannish Sports Comission went into building a team.

The women come from a variety of sports. A select few played on boys teams in high school. It really is a hodge-podge of basketball, soccer and track athletes. They all share the passion for football and are happy for the chance to represent Vangaziland.

Their team took the name Red Lion. It's a species of wildcat similar to a puma, with a reddish-orange coat native to southwest Vangaziland. It's not to be confused with the Vannish Lion, a much larger species.

"We could relate to the animal", said Quarterback Dana Channers "The cat shares territory with the Vannish lions and is known to think of itself as an underdog. It doesn't give way of it's territory to bears either. Nor humans, for that matter. That's how I think of myself. A red lion looking to claw my way to the top."

Channers has done that so far in qualifying. She led her team to beat Cosumar 36-0 and the Free Republics 13-3.

The sport had done well to garner a significant viewing audience. The Vangazi were interested in this team. Millions of people watched the two games as they were broadcast live.

Fran Torchia was the halfback, the woman who would push the run. She was only 5'10. The Vannish women were not exceptionally tall, but they were strong.

They had female weightlifters, formerly on the pro-circuit, now playing on their line. The biggest was 6'2" Genifer Deterssen. "We know how important the O-line is to a good offense", Genifer told reporters. "We will look to protect the quarterback and establish the run. There may be some big girls on defense. We won't let them through without a fight."

The Vannish media would talk about the impressive score-line so far. Scoring 49 points and giving up 3 was ideal. The Lions could only hope to repeat this success once the competition began in earnest. Although these were important games. Vangaziland clinched their Olympic chance with the win over the Free Republics.

Vangaziland had a strong defensive end in Petra Sokol. She was related to Fred Sokol, a guard for the Vangaziland Royals, a team in the International Basketball Championships. She was representing her family in the Olympics as Vangaziland gave college basketball players the Olympic spot. Petra was a former basketball player herself, who tried out for the Lions with hopes of making the Olympics.

"This is all so new to us still", Petra told reporters. "We just started up, but we have some talented girls. We'll hope to bring gold back to Vangaziland."

If nothing else, the girls were motivated. They were poised to make a run at a medal.

[Wray]

The National Reporter Olympic Preview: Part 4

It tends to be the biannual apex of Wray sporting activity and achievement: The Olympic Games, held this time, at short-notice, in Aeropag, Paripana, is Wray's fourth, and whilst the Green-and-White has experienced substantial success in each of the three previous editions (each time outdoing the previous effort), we are always cautious of overhyping the delegation.

A 386-strong delegation travels to Aeropag this time round, having qualified through a combination of qualifying events in Wray, meeting OSS (Olympic Standard Scores) in private meetings, and achieving direct qualification based on previous Olympic and International performance. It's a young delegation, with an unprecedented number of athletes qualifying through collegiate or youth programmes - the youngest, just 18, is 400m runner Emily Dale. It is a testament to the true quality of Wray's athletic programmes that it is capable of producing such quality at such young ages. A significant portion of Wray's old guard has moved on - none more prominent than the indomitable Brendan Matthews, holder of 7 Olympic medals, but the quality coming through in his wake promises to be equally as exciting as medal-potent.

Through five editions across five days, we'll preview the delegation, it's strengths and weaknesses, and it's chances for medals. We have 7 journalists covering over 100 events in 28 sports in what will be your essential guide to Wray's chances this summer.

Part 4: Handball to Sailing
by The National Reporter Deputy Sports Editor Michelle Lewis and Hockey Corespondent Leyland Carroll

It's inconvenient that Handball starts off this portion, because it's always good to start with something positive, then work in the negatives, and finish off with a positive - so the reader comes out with an overwhelming sense that everything is good in the world, and forgets that Wray can't play Handball to save their respective lives. As with every less represented sport, the Men and Women present collegiate sides, but the issue is, no colleges actually field handball sides - so it's a roster made up primarily of basketball players who were too short or rugby players who weren't physical enough. It's amusing that they've brought in qualifiers, yet Wray still has to go through ritual humiliation at the hands of countries who actually play the sport, and they don't even get the positive of saying they competed at the Olympics. I don't envy them. Men's captain is Guy Hall, 24, from South-Eastern Territory College, and Women's captain is Karlie Lambert, 23, from West Cartersburg College. Best of luck to them, they'll need it. The men are in a qualifying pool with Thatius, Paputu and Vilita - the Women are with Estogium, Sarian and Valanora.

Ah, why couldn't we start with Hockey? Something we're actually good at. Last time out, they disappointed somewhat - the women went out in the octofinals, whilst the men didn't even break through the group. That caused a sense of disappointment amongst the Hockey community, and there's much desire in the air to make up for lost ground. Who better to lead the Men to do so than titanic defender Chris Warnes, now 35, in his fourth Olympic Games - the Attersea Giants player has just lifted his second consecutive Paynter Trophy and is looking to extend his success onto the international stage. Dynamic forward Brad Hayward and lightning-quick winger David Knight will look to help Warnes break his Olympic duck. As for the Women, Caitlin McLaughlin takes over as captain from the retired Jade Bevan, but leads a team every bit as potent as its predecessors. Makayla Wolff and Jennifer Hillgrove provide wing threats whilst lone forward Georgia Dunn is a goal-scoring machine - her 24 for Quayside last season was a league record. The Men have Pederal na Republika ng Pilipinas, The Greater Vakolicci Haven, Kannap and the Free Republics in qualifying - shouldn't be too difficult, whilst the Women have Mattijana, Kernansquillec, Taeshan and Ferkas. Both sides have the quality to go all the way, but you know the way it is with Olympic events.

Judo saw a surprise success last time in Centralis and Nassau Bay when Alexandra Munro took home gold, and she competes again in the Women's 52kg - she could be on for a repeat performance. Elsewhere a surprisingly talented squad departs for Aeropag, including Michael Reid in the Men's 81kg and Laura Greaves in the Women's 63kg - both could have a shot at the medals. 20 year old Ashton Broome is raw but potent, and could spring some surprises in the Men's 66kg. I'm obliged to dignify the modern pentathletes with a name-check, so good luck to Keegan Phillips, Connor Kerrigan, Charliw Howarth and Brooke Brinngylie.

Rowing is another traditional sporting stronghold for Wray, and it's another strong contingent presented here in Aeropag. Tom Harris reps in the singles, Will Swainton and Lawrence O'Hara go in the doubles and could both challenge for medals.Ashton Skirving and Marcus Logan compete in the lightweight double sculls, but the strongest male representation is from James Craig, Blake Pierce, Henry Fletcher and Jonathan Sheppard in the Lightweight Coxless Fours, as well as the Eight. The women find strength in Stacey Williams, Brooke Springhill, Ellyse Jacobsen and Rachel Brook in the quad sculls and Keira de Bruin, Helen Thassenberg, Sara Hooper and Abbey Osborne in the lightweight coxless fours. The Women's Eight, who finished an agonising fourth in Centralis, return with eyes set firmly on the gold. Captain Alice Clifford would certainly like to add an Olympic gold to her illustrious haul. Sailing is a sport where Wray naturally does well, but the format often means that individual talented performances go unrecognised by medalware - some phenomenal racing by the likes of Brendan Agar last time was hindered by some sloppy errors later on. Imogen Bicheno in the Women's One Person Dinghy is probably Wray's most stable candidate for a medal, but Alexis Freyett and Cecie Holt in the Skiff and Samuel Glassey in the Men's One Person Dinghy could also challenge.

[Sargossa]

SSM | Sargossan State Media
International Edition - Sport


Token Victories


Blanco Borrayo reports from Neverend;

As the crowd took their seats in Neverend’s Stade Grande Olympique they knew exactly what they were going to get. No more heats, no more filler, from here until the end it’s nothing but finals. Three of the five today featured Sargossan representation, typically those were in the shorter distances. The day’s session opened with the 800m, an event in which both Cipriano Artiga and Geraldo Avino had looked in great form in the heats and semis. And it was Artiga that held off the challenge of Avino to take the gold token and send a fifth Sargossan national record of the week tumbling.

Our Hurdlers have often proved a source of Olympic bling so the Men’s 400m event would have been picked as a potential medal winner. That belief took something of a knock when Danté Pedrosa failed to make the final but Emilio Caballero and Jorge Amor ensured the nation would be represented. And it was Caballero, second behind Pedrosa at the trials but the fastest qualifier here, who took the gold token with time to spare. Two out of two in finals and Sargossa’s Women made sure of the clean sweep as the team of Imelda Santistevan, Thalia Rama, Dominga Savala and Reina De Alba made it three golds from a possible three.

Down in Orean there was a shock defeat for the Camino sisters in the Beach Volleyball, two sets to one to the Mapletish pairing of Emma and Fabiana, but Danika Candela and Cierra Zayas kept up their winning run with a straightforward victory over the Serbian duo. They will now hope to take a big step towards Aeropag with a victory tomorrow. The Indoor team will also be in action and there’s the small matter of seven separate Athletics finals, as the road to Aeropag continues.

[Swibia]

---

Swibian Olympic Bulletin
As brought to you by the Swibian Olympic Committee

---

Qualifying Highlights

Athletics — Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final
6 Luke Crawford (SWI) 8:10.62 QA

---

Volleyball — Men's Indoor
North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team 25 9 25 17 15
Swibia 23 25 19 25 12
2 Swibia 2 1 1 5 3 1.667 188 158 1.190 4

---

Hockey — Women's
Swibia 5–1 Drawkland
2 Swibia 2 1 0 1 8 5 +3 3

Welcome to the fifth Swibian Olympics Bulletin for the 11th Summer Olympics.

Hello again. It’s mixed news coming from the qualifiers at the moment. We start with Day 3B of the qualifiers in Liventia, and with the Men’s 400m semi finals. Lawrence Blacklidge has unfortunately come 8th in his group, and 24th (or last) overall, and so does not progress through to the final. In the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase final, however, Luke Crawford has come 6th with a time of 8:10.62, and so has qualified for the Olympic Games! Congratulation Luke! If we remember back to the last Olympics, Luke came 14th in the 3000m Steeplechase, and will be hoping to do even better than that this time round.

More good news in the Men’s 4x100m Relay final, with Jaylen Provins/Rudy Ping/Cullen Dobson/Russell Arnall coming 5th, and so qualifying for the Olympics with their time of 37.98. On to the Women’s 800m semi finals, where Summer Whitington has unfortunately come 5th in her group, with a time of 1:59.69, and 21st overall. She will not progress to the finals.

We head over now to Commerce Heights, and Matchday 2 of the Men’s Basketball at Olympic Tower. The Swibian team has secured another resounding victory, this time over Sargossa, beating them 92-66. Swibia retains their place at the top of the table for Group A1, although they are currently drawing on points with Estogium, who also won their match against Pederal na Republika ng Pilipinas. In Matchday 2 of the Men’s Handball, the team has had a bye day, and retains their place 4th in the group. They need to shape up and get to 2nd place in order to qualify further.

Matchday 1 of the Women’s Handball was a close, tough match against the Licentian Isles, losing 29-26. It was a good start for the team, who will now need to brush up on their ideas and not be so lax about the qualifiers if they want to proceed further, as the result puts them bottom of the table for Group A1. The team reached the Octofinals at the last Olympics, and will want to improve on that. In Matchday 2 of the Men’s Hockey, the team had a bye day.

Matchday 2 of the Women’s Hockey involved a stunning victory over Drawkland 5-1. The team were looking for a clean sweep, but unfortunately conceded in the final 10 minutes. The great result puts them second in the table for Group A1, behind the so-far undefeated Serbian Empire. In Matchday 2 of the Men’s Indoor Volleyball, the team played a long and exciting match with the North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team, eventually losing, but only narrowly. The match was the only one to include five sets that way played on Matchday 2. The results were, to Swibia, 23-25, 25-9, 19-25, 25-17, and finally, 12-15. One for the scrapbooks, we think. The result keeps Swibia second in the group, behind Judea, but as the North Eurasians have only played one match so far, and Swibia two, there is still all to play for.

We return, now, to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and start with the Men’s Beach Volleyball results. It’s Matchday 2, and, with the ladies eliminated, the chaps are hoping to qualify and continue to provide Swibia with representation on the international Beach Volleyball stage. Unfortunately, however, they lost heavily today against James Harrison/Toby Greenwood (KRY), losing in straight sets, 21-5, and 21-10. They remain at the top of the table, but only for as long as the other teams don’t score any points in their next match, which will be against each other. It will be tight, but it’s still possible Harrison/Greenwood can qualify.

In Liventia, for Day 4 of the qualifiers, we have some final results coming through. Dallin Plumb, noted Swibian long distance runner, has just managed to qualify in the Men’s 10,000m for the Olympic Games. Coming 9th in the final, with a time of 27:28.28, Plumb has just scraped through. Erin Wyse was not so lucky in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase final, coming 11th, and missing out on qualification by two places. That means no Swibian athletes are through to participate in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase, in which Swibia won the Bronze medal at the last Olympics.

Plumb himself has given a statement to a Swibian news channel expressing his agreement with Ferkian distance runner Curtis Richards’ comments over the qualifying stages: “I mean, Curtis is absolutely right. I don’t blame the Olympic organisers, running this thing on short notice, but for distance runners like me, running the 10000m three times before even reaching the Olympics is putting a lot of stress on me and my body. I have to be very disciplined to get through this, as well as competing in other categories, and have been worked closely with the team physios to be able to compete. I would be very surprised if we get anywhere near the Olympic record in this games – the result of these qualifiers will bring everyone’s quality down.” In the last Olympics, Plumb came 5th in the Men’s 20km Walk, and 19th in the Men’s Decathlon. He is hoping to win his first medal at this games.

QUALIFIED ALREADY
Allison Cuny - Women's 400m Hurdles
Luke Crawford – Men’s 3000m Steeplechase
Jaylen Provins/Rudy Ping/Cullen Dobson/Russell Arnall – Men’s 4x100m Relay
Dallin Plumb – Men’s 10000m

[Vilita and Turori]

Tropicoast, Tropicorp :: Tropicorp Sports to provide all uniforms for Vilitan Union athletes

Tropicorp have unveiled the official sportswear attire that will be worn by Vilitan Union athletes at the upcoming XI Olympiad in Aeropag. The designs, initially unveiled in a breathable athletic top will be worn across all sports with the following modifications on a per sport basis:

Archery, Equestrian, Golf, Table Tennis and Tennis - The official olympic print will be applied to a collared sportswear top, opposed to the displayed collar-free sportswear top.

Cycling - The top will include a zipper in the front

Aquatics, Rowing, Beach Volleyball, Gymnastics, Weightlifting - The official olympic print will be applied to a one or two piece leotard or appropriate swimwear, depending on the event.

The primary design for the Vilitan Union consists of a Silver base with the tri-streak olympic rings design across the chest. Trims of orange and a teal collar combine traditional tones of Vilitan Union nations into the design.

However, consulting with the athletes - some have their sights set on things greater than silver. As such, Tropicorp have also produced a blue version of the design. Athletes competing at individual competition events will have the opportunity to select their preferred color from the two designs. Athletes competing in team events will be instructed which uniform to wear for each event, with both designs being made available in cases where a color change is required due to the uniform choice of the opposing team.

The official olympic attire of the Vilitan Union will be exclusively worn by Vilitan Union athletes and will not be available for merchandise sales. Alternate Vilitan Union "Olympic Spirit" attire will be made available to the general public, but it will not match the exact design worn by the athletes.

[San Llera]

Your final Llerana Olympic Handball Qualifiers cutoff! The top three in each group will advance to Aeropag.

[Fluvique]

BASKETBALL—Men’s

The Golden Boys with the intact heart

The Golden Boys are always ready to a battle. They can deal with absences and a bad night of its figures, but they are always together. They annoy their rivals, receive praises from all sides, stand against the heavyweights, always fight. And excite everybody with their heart. They did it once again, when they achieved a formidable 87-77over North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team, a team with high perspectives and one of the main favourites to qualify for the Aeropag games.

The team has many virtues. One is the three-point shooting effectiveness and, using that, punished at the start. Carl Sheep made adjustments to avoid derailing the match and Fluvique, which was down by 6-13, was filing the disadvantage with a huge effort in defence. To do that, Elwyn Stojan was like at home. The pivot was the horse of the team, as proposed. The team has many virtues. One is the three-point shooting effectiveness and, using that, punished at the start. Carl Sheep made adjustments to avoid derailing the match and Fluvique, which was down by 6-13, was filing the disadvantage with a huge effort in defence. To do that, Elwyn Stojan was like at home. The pivot was the horse of the team, as proposed. He even sported in a great move: Luke Bram stole the ball in middle of the court, he ean, assisted Stojan and he thrilled the audience with a slam dunk. The opening quarter ended 17-20, better than the projected at the start for the Golden Boys, containing the offesive power of their rivals.

Fluvique progressed in the second quarter. And even when Sheep, at 2 minutes, decided to rest Victor Lebeau and Daniel Villa at the same time and ordered an almost entirely alternate line-up: Severin Kerr, Ethan Stijn, Simon Van Alst, Michel Nedjel y Vin Gayelord. And the things went good: the point guard was brilliant and the rest played its role effectively. And at 6m46s, Fluvique went ahead (37-36) for the first time since the beginning of the game, with a special play. Lebeau stole in the middle of the court, counterattacked, missed the dunk and Villa, who came from behind, corrected with another. Then the captain redeemed himself: closed the first half with a dribbling, a turn and a double for the 46-42.

The worst period for those in white shirts was the beginning of the third quarter, with a 0-7, while James Thompson seemed to start a festival of balls buriend in the basket. But in drought Sheep made a bet: all at 4. And the titanic figure of Victor Lebeau. emerged. He absorbed most of the attack, fought in the paint, imposed his quick movements and lifted Fluvique. His only problem what with foul shots. But Lebeau devoured the court in that third quarter, which ended 71-66 for the white team with a 3-point shot of Luke Bram at the end.

The team played so well in the last quarter that, even failing many 3-point shots, they took more advantage in the scoresheet. They had a team play, with Severin Kerr controling the time, stealing, assisting and Lebeau taking over the ball with rebounds and steals and defining in the basket. Fluvique even had a 12 points advantage (83-71) and seemed to be a finished match, without suffering. But they repeated a defect, like in the last matchday: reducing the intensity when victory seemed certain, and several counterattacks reduced the distance (83-74). However, after time-out requested by Sheep at 47 seconds left, the team entered to the court with determination and with steals of Kerr and definitions of Villa, ended the game with a 10 point difference.

Then emerged the clasic "La Fluvique, la Fluvique, allez, allez, allez..." that a few fans with white and red shirts shouted from the stands. The team start to have its own traits: defence and counterattack (typical of Sheep's teams), Lebeau appears when is needed and the usual commitment and heart. On the other side of the balance, a bad performance for the 3-pt shots and some deconcentration in the early and last minutes of the games.

With that, the White Foxes already won over two rivals in the Group A3. The most important games are the upcoming, but for now, Fluvique takes firm steps. In results and performances.

HOCKEY—Men’s

The Young Lions began their dream to be in the Olympics with a victory

It was the second matchday for the Group A5, but the fist game for the Fluviquean team. During the entire game, the team of Stephen Shaw suffered in defence and had troubles to reach the area, but had the needed patience to score in key moments and achieved a deserved victory. Césaire Gosselin y Ezequiel Noguiera, both after a rebound in a penalty corner, and Augustin Flores and Benjamin Denis, gave the victory to the national side against Drawkland.

Facing a rival which won in the first matchday and saw in this match a crucial point for their future qualification hopes, the Young Lions had serious problems to create risk situations. Thus, despite the fact that the ball was more on Drawkland's side, the Fluviquean players were unable to create a goal attempt in the first quarter, which finished with a boring 0-0

At 2 minutes of the second quarter the first clear chance appeared, but it was for Drawkland: a quick counterattack, with the a weak Fluviquean defence, finished in the first goal. However, their joy only lasted five minutes. The Young Lions had two consecutive penalty corners. The first, of Carlos Lammert, was saved and the second went wide after a shot of Kevin Darnell. But the third time was the charm. Over 7', Lammert crashed a new corner in the right angle of the Drawkland's goal and Ezequiel Noguiera took the rebound to seal the 1-1

It seemed the start of a best and open match for the Lions. And the confirmation came with only two minutes to go: a great move in the midfield and a quick attack, left Benjamin Denis face-to-face with the goalkeeper and he didn't failed, securing 2-1 before the half time. However, Drawkland hardened their defence and tried to force mistakes in the Fluviquean midfield and they weren't capable of enter to the semi-circle in the first five minutes. Stephen Shaw, hence, sent the team to have a high pressure, but not always did it well, allowing Drawkland to get out of their side, putting danger to the César Huerta's goal. They finally materialized their attempts after a corner, scoring the 2-2 at 12' of the third quarter.

The match became more bland and we had to wait until the final minute of that segment to celebrate again when Césaire Gosselin took a rebound in the goalkeeper after a corner from Étienne Abraham abd with a luxurious shot scored the 3-2. In the final quarter the game became more interesting. Brad Sawyer appeared with his magic, facing a more open defence. The Young Lions were more incisive and had a just reward with just a minute to go when Augustin Flores put definitive numbers to the scoregoal with a beautiful goal.

It was hard, but at the end the debut was more than possitive. The team achieved the first victory in a tournament which awards the three first in the group. Now we can dream with more, to have a better image, leaving the nerves aside.

HOCKEY—Women’s

Second victory for The Panthers

The Fluviquean women's field hockey team defeated Orion Islands by 3-1 on the second matchday in their group in the Olympic qualifiers of Aeropag. The Panthers won with goals of Emiliana De Snaaijer ( two) and Eva Leilah confirmed their good start in the tournament.The team of Dan Kusht won after being 0-1 in the first half, recovering in the second half and scoring two goals to secure the victory. The goals came due to the efectiveness in the penalty corners of De Snaaijer and the magic moves of Eva Leilah, who scored the third and decisive goal.

[Todd McCloud]

Last game ended a bit early tonight! Scores will be posted as they roll in via VSPN.... I mean, V3.

[Commerce Heights]

The fourth day of qualifying results from the Olympic Test Events and Olympic Football Qualifiers are now available (part 1 · part 2).

[Dunnes]

MIROLA TODAY

DUNNES SETS FIRE TO THE TRACK

Medals Galore in Neverend

NEVEREND-Yesterday was a spetactular day for Dunnes on the track in Neverend, as four Dunian athletes earned a spot on the podium. Sierra Pontheir won the women’s teeplechase, setting a new national record of 9:02.66. She was followed close behind by the previous record holder, Anna Pruter, just three tenths of a second behind her. The men’s 10000 was also a special event for Dunnes, as Dan Reid and Connor Henebry went two-three to book their tickets to Aeropag.

“I just don't know what to say right now, that whole race, it was, it was just a blur.” said Pontheir. “I’m just so thrilled!”
The women’s steeple got out to a quick start with Tianna Marley of Mapletish setting the early tempo. However, as the race neared the halfway point, the girls of Dunnes started to push the pace. “Kate [Ratliff] went to the front and just made the race.” Pruter explained post race. Pruter and Pontheir joined Ratliff and the Dunian girls started to pull away. With a kilometer left in the race, only Preida Nartiuy of the Greater Vakolicci Haven had joined the Dunian trio. Right before the penultimate water barrier, with 600m to go Kate Ratliff decided she’d have another go at a golden token (remember no medals because it’s an Olympic qualifying event), as she put in a surge out of the water jump. Pontheir reacted quickly, jumping onto Ratliffs move. As they crossed the finish line with a lap to go, they were all but guaranteed Olympic qualification and could now focus at the race at hand. Ratliff lead into the backstretch followed by Pontheir, Nartiuy, and Pruter, with Pruter moving up on the outside. The foursome stayed in position through the last water barrier, but then Pontheir put down the hammer. Pruter tried to respond, but wasn't able to eclipse Pontheir at the line. Kate Ratliff, tired by fatigue, lost out on a podium spot by a mere thousandths of a second to Nartiuy.
“Did I miss the podium, yeah, but ya know, I’m still going to Aeropag, so I could really care less.” remarked an ecstatic Ratliff.

Dunnes will also be represented on the podium in the men’s 10000m run, with Dan Reid accepting the silver token, and Connor Henebry the bronze. Their race had a much more tamed beginning, with the runners competing the first two miles in a decent, but hardly arduous pace. Dallin Plumb (SWI) then picked up the pace, and half of the field was able to follow. Wade Nygren however was not part of this group, and would eventually finish 16th in 28:00.49, outside of the Olympic qualifying spots. With the group then narrowed to seven, Reid and Henebry knew that they had qualified and moved in for the win. They narrowly missed out by just a couple of seconds to Mohammed Al-Zurnwa who ran 27:01.59, just two seconds ahead of the Dunian pair.
“We accomplished our goal. Thats what we needed.” said Dan Reid, “On to Aeropag, and hopefully the medal stand.”

Beach Volleyball

Nik Lizdenis and Jack Lynch lost their match to the Kernansquillecian pair of Stanley Cearley and Sal Zabala. They lost in a disappointing result of two sets to none (21-12, 22-20). “We need some wins now. We’ve come to far to not make it to Aeropag.” said Lizdenis. “We’re going to come with guns blazing these next couple of games.”

[Liventia]

Results from Day 5A of Liventian qualifiers are now available.

[Todd McCloud]

A Chance for a Visit from The Premier
Reporting for V3 News Services, Rin Slakori

ELDURA - The Vekaiyun Olympic Council (VOC) is a body that has been in effect since 2008, when then-Premier of Vekaiyu Selvala McEva kickstarted an Olympic program charged with sending a delegation from Vekaiyu "which closely represented that of the populace they represent." Such wordage is perhaps a bit confusing, but was congruent with many of McEva's policies, which attempted to showcase the strengths of the vulpine race, or the race which makes up the majority of Vekaiyu. By doing this, she was heavily involved in allocating funds for each sport, and in some cases outright banning them completely. Take for instance shooting, which would eventually be absent from the first Vekaiyun delegation. Her reasoning? "There is no art in shooting - it is merely a calculated attempt at establishing victory one shot at a time. As such, we cannot possibly send a delegation that would provide potential enemies with a glimpse into our acumen." Many saw this as a way to quickly absolve Vekaiyu of any poor shooting skills should they lack the skillset in international competition.

A major civil war and a change of leadership would soon follow. Kral Commodore Ikrisia Levinile, then in charge of all armed forces offensive maneuvers, staged a coup and deposed of McEva following tense diplomatic meetings in Allegheny. The response of the international community was mixed, but the rumored political views of Levinile kept potentially devastating opposition at bay. In the end, she would change Vekaiyu from the inside out at a cost of many lives. While some suggested the nation could not possibly prepare for a delegation to send to Lasft, she insisted that the VOC provide a delegation or risk losing their legitimacy as a body. Her rule was simple: carefully screen competitors and select those deemed worth of Olympic consideration in all sports.

That was the last time the Premier of Vekaiyu meddled in the affairs of the VOC proper. And, quite frankly, it has paid of quite handsomely, as Vekaiyu looks to continue a string of fifth place or better in the overall medal standings dating back to the Seventh Summer Olympics in Krytenia. For quite some time, Premier Levinile has been very hands-off when it comes to the delegation of her nation, but certain rumblings of those in the media and even on the political forum have seemed to suggest they want something that Sevala could never deliver - representation from a leader that is just happy to be present at the games. For years Levinile has been absent during opening and closing ceremonies, and has never actually been to any host nation during the games. Indeed, it seems that we as a people have gone from one end of the pendulum to the other when it comes to involvement from Vekaiyun Premiers.

But there have been glimmers of change. It was widely anticipated that Premier Levinile, an avid underwater diver, would have taken advantage of the crystal-blue waters of The Kytler Penninsulae, but she never booked a flight. Last year many felt she would finally show in Electrum, but negotiations in Free Pacific States followed by a terrorist attack in Vilines put things in perspective. There is little a delegation can do to persuade Vekaiyun leadership to join in on the festivities, it seems. But perhaps this year could be different.

If she wouldn't show based on comradely, perhaps she would show if she were a part of the delegation herself? While it may be a long stretch, it is known the Premier was a swimmer in college. Perhaps she would be able to find time and enter the grueling world of Vekaiyun Olympic qualifying? The odds of her stacking against the likes of Sulevire, Sayli Koveseru, or Ivalsa Beraseri are slim to none, and when one factors in what she said on a 2014 interview, "the competition could swim laps around me," it hardly seems plausible. Still, she did say during the playoff run of Eldura in February that she would consider Olympic competition provided they "make underwater hockey a demonstration event" and if she "qualified fairly, but only as a reserve". So there is a hope, provided that's what some fanatics are looking for. Premier Levinile did play underwater hockey in college, and her rookie card still goes for a decent amount among fans, even if she never amounted to much beyond a reserve role.

Could the Premier finally find time for her Olympic countrymen in the friendly confines of Paripana? It is possible. But if past Olympics are any indication based on her past and the past instances and altercations among some of the more flamboyant delegations, it may be a moot point. Still, if she does happen to show, V3 news will of course follow closely, but not too closely, because we're not weird like that.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Here's your Day 5 Cutoff hailing all the way from Quebec.

Here are your results, divided in Part 1 are Part 2. If you guys are in my qualifying zone, make sure to take a look at change in scorination time.

[Dunnes]

PRESS CONTACT: JOSE ESLEAS, DOC PR
PHONE: 42-242-2429
EMAIL: esleasj@DOC.org PR@DOC.org
@DOC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Opening Ceremony Uniform Revealed

Diver Jill Rowbury, and Austin Nash, Canoeing sporting the look

Mirola – With just a week until the Opening Ceremony of the Aeropag Olympic Games, Ares Sportswear Corporation and the Dunnes Olympic Committee today unveiled both the groundbreaking new apparel concept for Team Dunnes’s flag bearer, which will light the way for Dunian athletes entering the Olympic Tower Stadium on Aug. 5, and the official Opening Ceremony parade uniform.

Two-time Olympic cyclist Daniel Willett, the Dunnes flag bearer at the Aeropag Games, revealed the Flag Bearer Jacket and Opening Ceremony parade uniforms live this morning on TV4’s This Morning Show.
Ares Sportswear’s Team Dunnes Opening Ceremony parade uniform is fresh and sporty, with classic elements, and features an all-Dunian palette of green, white and gold. Team Dunnes will be outfitted in a deep greenblazer complemented by gold buttons, pinstirpe trim and a signature embroidered Ares Volt. The combination of the jacket with a classic striped T- shirt and selvedge white denim jeans with inspirational details creates a polished ensemble. Classic boat shoes get the team treatment in green, white, and bronze. Striped cotton bracelets and green grosgrain belts offer the perfect touch of sport and style. 

Polo Ares Sportswear’s commemorative Flag Bearer Jacket is the ultimate integration of innovation, fashion and technology.  The jacket was exclusively designed for the flag bearers of the Dunnes Olympic Team.
Electroluminescent panels brightly illuminate individual elements of the Flag Bearer Jacket, spotlighting an elegant combination of classic Dunian tailoring out of Mirola with innovative apparel technology developed at Mirola Tech University.

“The Flag Bearer Jacket will literally light the way for Team Dunnes as they represent our country in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. This groundbreaking jacket exemplifies Ares Sportswear’s continued exploration of the intersection of fashion and technology. For an athlete, being chosen as the flag bearer for Team Dunnes is an extraordinary honor, and we wanted to pay tribute to that position.” says John Johnson, Executive Vice President. “Ares Sportswear is incredibly proud to dress Dunnes’ best and literally brightest athletes at the world’s premier sporting event.”

Being chosen as flag bearer is among the most prestigious distinctions bestowed on an Olympic athlete, and throughout the Modern Games, Dunnes flag bearers have a long history of embodying the values of the Olympic Movement. The illuminated elements of the Flag Bearer Jacket are designed to spotlight the great honor that comes with the position. The athlete is selected by his or her fellow Team Dunnes teammates through a voting process.

To further support and celebrate Team Dunnes, The Ares Sportswear Foundation today launched the “Like to Light” campaign on social media. For every post shared or liked on social media using the hashtag #LikeToLight, The Ares Sportswear Foundation will donate $1 (up to a maximum of $100,000) to the Dunnes Olympic Committee. An official outfitter of the Dunnes Olympic Team, Ares Sportswear has designed iconic parade uniforms and an authentic sportswear collection of commemorative pieces for men, women and children. The Ares Sportswear Team Dunnes Collection, is available for purchase online at aressports.com, in select Ares Sportswear retail stores, in select Dunnes department stores and online at TeamDunnesShop.com. The collection will also be available at the Dunnes House Shop in Aeropag, open during the Olympic Games.

[Abaja]

Games of the XI Olympiad Qualifiers

Women's athletics don't disappoint

- By Amina Ogwu

3:03 AM EST

Athetics

We would like to begin this article with track star Isaan Ali, who had finished 1st out of 7 in Heat 1 in the Men's 200 m. He finished with a time of 20.29; a full second longer than the World Record holder Tristiano Droga (PRB). Halfway into the 200 m, Ali started picking up the pace. He only had to beat one guy. That guy was Colton Eon (EON). Isaan Ali managed to slide past, and finish just 0.03 second before he does. He advances (obviously) but has yet to qualify for the Olympic Games. Samuel Mologo also had a terrific night, going second place out of 7 in the 200 m with a 20.35 time. He was a step or two away from snatching the 1st place spot from Adin Samala (BNM), but could not quite pull it off. At least Mologo advances, though. Christian Egolugiréfiki managed to hold on down the stretch of the 200 m, finishing 3rd out of 7 and surprassing Walden Erikssen (RKB) by just one-tenth of a second. Walden Erikssen (RKB) finished with a time of 20.44 while Christian Egolugiréfiki finished with a time of 20.43 to secure the last advancing spot of Heat 5 to take him to the semi-final. Boy, was he happy.

In the men's 400 m, it wasn't looking so good for Donté Usim. After a really good performance the other day, he couldn't seem to do much at all this time around, being placed 7th in Semi-final 1, out of 8 people, and the 8th guy didn't even finish.... Usim fails to qualify for the Olympic Games, but it get's better! In Semi-final 2, Michael Bábátundé finished 2nd place with a time of 44.66 to qualify for the Olympic Games! That was just the first of quite a few for Athletics in both men's and women's. Bábátundé went off to an early lead, until Laurence Dumphries (CKF). He ran past Michael Bábátundé and Aston Darby (TSA) to get first place. After the race, each of the three congratulated one another, as all three of them qualified. Bábátundé's overall ranking was 2nd. Malachi Addausi also managed to qualify for the Olympic Games, finishing in 3rd place with a time of 44.70 in the men's 400 m.

Another disappointment follows in the men's 1500 m, where Henry Osnah was unable to advance to the semi-final. Finishing in 6th place, he was almost a full 2 seconds shy of Cadete (BNG). It get's even worse, when Quinton Guinoi was also unabe to advance to the semi-final in the men's 1500 m, as he also went 6th place, with a time of 3:39.13. Guinoi had an early lead, and he was suddenly in 4th place, but Nick Hunter (TLI) and Gregory Lindst (VTR). Unfortunatly, he could not catch back up before they crossed the finish line. Guinoi had his hands on his hips and his head down, obviously very upset. Don't cry though. Daniel Ifieomrenike saves the day as he manages to advance to the semi-final of the men's 1500 m. He finished in 8th place, but, but at least he was one of the 8 people to go to the semi! Also, remember when I said Quinton Guinoi was out of the men's 1500 m? Well, guess what. He advances to the semi-final for the men's 5000 m! This time he was in 6th place with a time of 13:41.22. Now that he knows he is getting closer to qualifying for the Olympics, he doesn't feel so bad about that dumb ol' 1500 m.

Daniel Ifieomrenike was unable to advance for the men's 5000 m, finishing in 15th place... 15th place out of 16 in Heat 2. He looked pretty slow near the end, and could not keep up with the others. Welp, at least Martin Quiddai was able to advance to the semi, as he finished 4th place in Heat 3 in the men's 5000 m. Ennis Débaba also advances to the semi-final for men's 110 m hurdles, with a 13.45 and finishing in 4th place. Not too shabby for the 27 year old. Many people thought he could have done better, but at least he isnt Olamide Milioga, who finished last in heat 2 for men's 110 m hurdes. Yep, he's done. Heat 2 was pretty damn close too. 1st place had a time of 13.43, second place was 13.44, third place was 13.46, fourth place was 13.46, fifth was 13.47, sixth was 13.48. From first place to sixth place; only a 0.05 second difference. Then comes Milioga with a whole 0.25 second after sixth place. In Heat 6, Mercedes Vixon was another one to advance to the semi-final.

Now that we have covered the men's athetics, lets go to the women's athetics. Ifi Ambrose, Amina Edioupodai, and Ashanti Ayim all advance to the semi-finals for women's athletics. For the women's 400 m, Jalina Alochi has qualified for the Olympics, going 6th place with a time of 51.05. It gets even better, and better. In Semi-final 2, Nnami Ubago finished second place behind Rochelle McCarthy-Pierce (CKF). Ubago went and congraduated McCarthy Pierce for finishing first. Ubago felt good, not just for qualifying, but for also being one of the top two in Semi-final 2. Maureen Okosa also qualifies for the Olympic games after going fourth place in Semi-final 3.

Though Maureen Okosa qualified for women's 400 m, she was unable to advance to the semi-final in Heat 1 of the women's 800 m. Victoria Boateng, however, was able to take the second spot of the women's 800 m in Heat 2 to advance to the semi. It was a pretty impressive performance, finishing 15 seconds before Maureen Okosa did. Kelley Malone (CKF) was the only one she could not get past. In Heat 5, another Abajan woman, Ayesha Usaami, got 4th place, with a time of 2:00.45, the same time as Victoria Boateng. Good job by the women so far, and they continue to make Abaja proud during the women's 1500 m.

In the women's 1500 m, 2 more Abajans were able to qualify for the Olympic Games. One of them was Ava Aleakwe, finishing 4th out of 12 in the final to advance to the Olympic Games. Uma Deigu, just 2 spots down, was also able to qualify. The two hugged after the race was over. There was one that was unable to qualify, though. That was Alexis Nosi, who finished 11th out of 12. If she finished a little earlier than she did, she would had been the 3rd Abajan to qualify in the women's 1500 m.

It was an exciting one in the women's 100 m hurdles, where the two sisters Alloni Uzo and Demarah Uzo both finished in first place in Heat 1 and 2. Alloni Uzo had a time of 12.68, while Demarah Uzo had a time of 12.90. It was a stellar performance between the two, and we will see both of them again in the semi-finals. Sadly, Aliza Um-Aziz was unable to join in, as she fails to advance to the next stage of the women's 100 m hurdles. She finished off in 5th place with a time of 13.38.

The Uzo sisters continued to make things happen in the women's 400 m hurdles, as both were able to qualify for the Olympic Games! In Semi-Final 1, Demarah Uzo finished off in 4th place. Though she could not make it to the final, she still made the people across Abaja proud. Her sister, Alloni Uzo, finished off in second place in Semi-final 2. She advances to the final and qualifies for the women's 400 m hurdles. In Semi-final 3, Aliza Um-Aziz redeems herself after quaifying for the women's 400 m as well. She got second place. It was a close one between her and Mindy Lambert-White (CKF). Lambert-White beat her by just 0.03 second

Basketball

In women's basketball, the Abaja Lionesses whooped Pederal na Republika ng Pilipinas by a whopping 30 points. The final score was 90-60. The deadly duo between Claudia Babha and Denise Bolabo caused many problems for the Pederal na Republika ng Pilipinas defense. The two combined for 38 points, and Denise Bolabo had 3 blocks in the game. Awelah Oliomali was also very active on defense, getting 4 steals, all of them resuting in baskets, and one of the baskets was an and-one on the fast break. With the win, Abaja goes 2-0 with a +52 point difference. They are doing great so far, currently 2nd in the group, but they are going to have to keep pushing. Free Republics is right on their tail, also 2-0 and with a +51 point difference. It's a close one so far. We'll have to see who can pull away here.

Football

Both the men's and women's football teams managed to shut out their opponents. In men's football, Alan Atsi, who now plays in the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, was the one who scored both of Abaja's goals in the 16th and 68th minutes in a 2-0 victory over Llanrhyddid in the round 2 first leg. For women's football, Alan Atsi's sister, Yuri Atsi, also put up a goal against West Phoenicia in the 7th minute. That was just one of 3. The other two were scored by Ulena Asunao in the 36th minute and Akaeli Neyambé in the 73rd minute. Pam Onini got many saves in the game, constantly batting the ball away. After a bit of mouthing from West Phoenicia, the Lionesses were looking to silence them with a win here. Both teams are victorious in the first leg of round 2.

Volleyball

James Ifieomrenike and Francis Jebara take a loss against Sal Peralta and Pietro Carazzo (NEG), while Missy Balewa and Maddi Trinidaad take the win against Lydia McKenzie and Ivy Morris (TLI) for a victory in round 2 in beach volleyball. For men's indoor volleyball, Abaja came up with another win over Wray to push their record up to 2-1 and advannce.

---

COMMENTS ・42,093
Top Comments・New Comments

Loading....

[West Phoencia]

---

Olympic Qualifying - Matchday Three and Four Recap

---

The 24 hour Olympic Sports Channel.

Hosts:

Devlin Carter
Princess Stephanie Sunbury, West Phoenician Figure Skater
Mitchell, Former Captain of the West Phoenician Basketball Team
Richard Home, Gold Medalist, Paralympics swimmer
Genevieve Horton, Sport Columnist

Mixed day of Heats. Semi-Finals and Finals.

And a Special guest Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator.

Devlin Carter: "I would like to announce our Special guest Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator"

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator: "It's an honour to be here"

Devlin Carter: 'Before we start on the highs and the lows of today's sports. You will also be competing in these games?"

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator:" Indeed. I qualified for Men’s 10 m Air Rifle, Men’s 50 m Pistol, Men’s Double Trap and Men’s Skeet."


Devlin Carter: "How do you think you will go?"

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator:" I better bring home gold or my Father may choose my sister to be the next in line. hahaha"


Genevieve Horton:" We would be honoured if you were able to give your view on all that has occurred at the Qualifiers today."








ATHLETICS—Men’s 200 m

Woody Doe ranked 8th overall with a time of 20.34 allowing him to progress to the next heats.

His team mates did not do so well Christian Pisaccio placed 30th and Anh Cell placed 48th. Stopping both from progressing.

ATHLETICS—Men’s 1500 m

Ricky Parramatta finished 6th in Heat 1. Helping him progress to the next Heats.

Nathan Twin finished 8th overall with a time of 3:36.04 helping him progress to the next stage.

Teammate Matthew Chatterman placed 48th stopping him from progressing.

ATHLETICS—Men’s 5000 m

Heats:

Ricky Parramatta placed 8th overall after coming 2ns in Heat 3 helping him move on to the next stage.

Nathan Twin placed 27th with a time of 13:51.34 helping him progress.

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator: "I am here a lot of good things about these two. If they can pull off some medal wins also, it will help lift up the portfolio of this sport to the nation. We are not a big Track and Field nation in regards to wins. These boys may be that shot."

Eddie Samuels placed 34th and his dream to progress has ended.


ATHLETICS—Men’s 110 m Hurdles

Heats-Overall

Tim Bain placed 19th and team mate Scotty Mare placed 21st. Both achieved good times enabling them to progress to the next lot of heats and semis.

Not so good news for fellow team mate Jacob Bain who placed 34th and will not be progressing.

ATHLETICS—Men’s 3000 m Steeplechase

The dream ended for Steve Del Lorenza who placed 10th overall, Just missing out. And Daniel Mac who placed 14th. Both men ran great but in the end it just wasn't fast enough.


ATHLETICS—Women’s 200 m

Repentance True-Path finished 3rd in Heat 4 and ended up overall 11th enabling her to move to to the next heats.

Not such a sunny day for Jeanette Bunny who placed 25th overall and fellow team mate Jeanette Defence who ended up 38th overall. Neither girl will be moving forward.

ATHLETICS—Women’s 400 m

Semi Finals

More bad luck for Jeanette Defence who placed 15th. Sun-Hi True-Path placing 18th and Jeanette Bunny who placed dead last overall at 24th.


ATHLETICS—Women’s 800 m

Heats:

Jeanette Bunny bounced back to place 14th giving her a move to the Semis and another chance to attend the Games.

Adele Italia will be joining her in the semis by placing 24th.

Lisa Italia narrowly missed out placing 25th just behind her team mate.

ATHLETICS—Women’s 1500 m
Finals:

Teressa Napolitano has qualified for the Games placing 10th with a time of 4:04.42

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator: Amazing performance. She has made our nation proud. Debut entry and she is off to play in the Games for a chance to win a medal.

ATHLETICS—Women’s 100 m Hurdles

Heats:
Tanya Thorne placed first in Heat 5. Giving her 2nd palce overall ranking and moving on to the Semis.

Rowena Debney placed 16th and will also be moving on.

Gen Swanston will be joining them placing 19th.

Devlin Carter: "A good time for all three girls. And West Phoenicia is hoping all three progress to the Games."

ATHLETICS—Women’s 400 m Hurdles

Semi-Finals:

Gen Swanston failed to make it passed the Semis placing 23rd overall.

ATHLETICS—Women’s 3000 m Steeplechase

Susan Tasman will be heading to the Games placing 2nd overall in the finals.

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator: "Another great win for West Phoenicia. Our Track team is really showing the men how it is done"


BASKETBALL—Men’s

West Phoenicia defeated Drawkland 80–61. The win has kept them in 2nd place in their pool with a 3 wins to 0 losses.

Mitchell: "When they play like a team, they win like a team. 3 WINS. They are through just waiting on the invite into the Games now."

Princess Stephanie Sunbury: I here the Segregation Party is funding them now."

Mitchell: "Don't get me started. No more politics for this team."




FOOTBALL—Women’s

Result:

Abaja 3–0 West Phoenicia

West Phoencia has a lot of work to do to beat the hags of Abaja in their next match if they wish to progress.

Princess Stephanie Sunbury: "As if anyone even thought they stood a chance. This is not miracle on Ice. Under funded, most of our nation doesn't even know they exist and they haven't played in any international competitions to get there name out there. They need a lot of work, and I don't know if they will be ready for even the next Olympic Games."

HANDBALL—Men’s

West Phoenicia beat The Greater Vakolicci Haven 35–25.

Keeping them in 2nd palce in their pool. With a 2-O win advantage.

HANDBALL—Women’s

West Phoenicia narrowly defeats Free Republics 29–21. The win has kept them in first place with 2 Wins in their pool.

HOCKEY—Men’s

West Phoenicia lost to Estogium in an uneventful game. 0–1.

They still place 2nd in their pool. But punters predicts they will continue and qualify.

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator: "The Women's team is already through. And the men are struggling even if they are 2nd in their pool. Will punters predict they will progress. I am concerned they may not. Would not look good for this team to return home without even qualifying."




RUGBY—Men’s Sevens

Ndaku lost in a massacre to West Phoenicia. 12–42.

Keeping the team in 1st place with 2 wins and high hopes to move towards the games.

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator: "We came, we conquered."
Princess Stephanie Sunbury: Don't get too cocky, your father may marry you off to a Ndaku Princess!"
Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator: "Not if we are not related. ha haha"
"


BEACH VOLLEYBALL—Men’s

Round 2

Darren Eastlow/Tom Eastlow lost against Marko Salakov/Matej Djurcic (MTJ).

Devlin Carter: "The guys will be keeping last place warm for the moment."


INDOOR VOLLEYBALL—Women’s

West Phoenicia defeated Bulgar Rouge (29-27,25-15, 25-17) The win has kept them in first place with 2 wins

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator: "They have a lot of promise. I don't see any issue with them progressing to the Games. Will need to take a major plunder."



WATER POLO—Men’s

Free Swiss States lost to West Phoenicia 9–12. But the team is likely not to progress as they place 4th . And will need a big win to move up to the top 2.

WATER POLO—Women’s

Kaboomlandia defeated West Phoenicia 11–6. With West Phoencia placed 4th little chance that they will progress unless they have one last match that they win.


Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator: "Very disappointed in the Men's and Women's teams. As a where we excel at Water Sports, it's a horrible shock to be playing so badly. "

Princess Stephanie Sunbury: " Sinking faster than the Titanic. Neither will progress. They can go home in shame."





AMERICAN FOOTBALL—Men’s

Ethane beat West Phoenicia 41–3. But by placing 3rd in their pool, they have Qualified for the Games.

Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator; " We were beating badly by Ethane. But who cares we qualified and once at the Games, we will beat them twice as bad"

AMERICAN FOOTBALL—Women’s

Britonisea lost to West Phoenicia 3–17. Leaving West Phoenicia in first place in their pool and qualifying for the Games.

Genevieve Horton: "Girl Power in its finest. We outplayed Britonisea. We had a brilliant line up. They knew it too."



BASEBALL-SOFTBALL—Men’s Baseball

West Phoenicia beat Judea 6–1 to claim the first spot in the pool and making them progress to the Games.


Crown Prince Glenton Bush III Philopator; " We took out the first spot. Undefeated. I am sure back home people are praying to the God, gods, goddess or animal deities they worship for this team to go all the way to gold."



Rugby Sevens, women's MD5

West Phoenicia (KWP) 14–28 Ethane (ETN) the loss placed West Phoenicia at the bottom of their pool and they will not be progressing.

Princess Stephanie Sunbury: "Just like our Women's Football team, this Team is also under funded, not noticed by the mainstream and does not play outside of West Phoenicia. This sport could be a little nugget of gold for our nation if they funded them and mentored them."



Beach Volleyball, men's MD5

Round 2

Micah True-Path/Amos True-Path defeated Maximilien Riaz/Elijah Najjar (EFL) Placing them 2nd in their Pool.

Princess Stephanie Sunbury: "Anyone else see our Beach Volleyball teams dying a slow death. Even this win was blah. And the rest of the squads need to be fed to the sharks off the coast of Oceania Ocean."


Indoor Volleyball, Men's MD2

West Phoenicia lost to West Angola. In a rather long match that saw the match drag out for 5 games. West Phoenicia is last in the pool. And does appear they will move up the ladder enough to progress to the Games.




* Qualified to attend the Olympics Games

* Basketball - Women's
* Hockey- Women's
* Ajay Pisaccio- Athletics-100m
* Woody Doe - Athletics-100m
* Anh Cell - Athletics-800m
* Hayden Bishop - Athletics-800m
* Steve Del Lorenza - Athletics-3000m Steeplechase
* Daniel Mac - Athletics -3000m Steeplechase
* Teressa Napolitano- Athletics—Women’s 1500 m
* Susan Tasman -Women’s 3000 m Steeplechase
* AMERICAN FOOTBALL—Men’s
* AMERICAN FOOTBALL—Women’s
* Men’s Baseball

[Kernansquillec]

The calm before the storm

Double handball qualification
To be fair, this was expected of both teams given the depth of their squads and recent exploits at the Handball World Cup. The men's 30-19 win over bottom-of-the-group Sargossa made sure they qualified for Aeropag, finishing in second place in their group. While the team maybe wasn't the most impressive, they will be a tough side to beat at the games and few will want to be drawn against them at the Games. The women's team will be even more feared however. With five wins out of five and just an average of 21.4 goals conceded per game, they are proving themselves to be a bright prospect for a medal. Having already qualified, Alberta Haggard was able to rotate her team somewhat against the North Eurasian Unified Sporting Team. Her much-changed side did well as players tried to impress and steal a spot in her starting line-up in Aeropag as the Kers won the game 28-22.

Second legs to be decisive
It was a tough night on the road for the two Kernansquillecan football teams. Both were unable to win against their opponents, but with some away goals in the bag and the return leg to be played in front of a sell-out Green Jewel, both will hope to overcome their opponents. The men's team could only muster a 1-1 draw against San Llera who were unlucky not to get the win, with Madoc Pugh pulling off a couple of world class saves. David Senior's 57th minute had looked as if it was about to somehow claim an undeserved win for the Green and Whites, but a late equaliser sets up a finely balanced return game. The women are in a slightly better position, having picked up two away goals, but having also conceded two goals, they will know that they can't afford any slip ups against Mapletish. The women's team will be hoping to match or better the only previous medal Kernansquillec has picked up at the Olympic Games - a silver in Cafundeu. But an upset could be on the cards for the much fancied team as Mapletish should provide a stern test.

And another team is qualified
At the Tristiano Droga Arena there was more good news for Team Kernansquillec, as the women's hockey team secured their place at the Olympic Games with a game to spare, thanks to a 2-1 win over group rivals Wray. Adrian Porter will now be able to make some changes to his final game that shouldn't give him much of a sleepless night. Goals from Wanda Cross and captain Charlie Harrison made sure of the win despite Wray's long range stunner, as the hockey team shapes up to be yet another medal prospect at the Games.

Men in danger of water polo exit
Following their 11-11 draw against Britonisea, the men's water polo team are in danger of not qualifying for the Olympic Games. With just a game left to play, the team are outside of the top two on goal difference, but all the teams around them have a game in hand. Victory is a must for their final game at the Aeropag Natatorium. Anything else would make the team the first to have to leave Aeropag, which would be heart-breaking for them as they come across those who have already qualified. But even a win might not be enough should results not go their way. The prospect of an early exit looms. No such danger remains for the women however, with the girls picking up qualification with a 14-4 win over Thatius.

A stress-free afternoon in the rugby 7s
After the women had already sealed their fate before the final matchday on which they could sit back and enjoy the games from the stands, the men's team still had a game to play, but we assured of qualifying for the Olympic Games. A crushing 31-5 win over Kelssek confirmed their good form in the tournament. Both teams will continue to play in Liventia however, with a sixteen tournament being hosted there as an Olympic warm up event. The men shall face Britonisea while the women will play against Estogium. Both will be hoping to make their marks on the field and stake a claim for the medals at the actual Games.

Rough times at the beach volleyball
Stanley Cearley and Sal Zabala saved Kernansquillec from losing all three of its beach volleyball group games as they sealed qualification. Their 21-16 19-21 15-8 win over the team from Mapletish was good enough to seal qualification, but their fellow men's team crashed out with a game left following their defeat. The women's team's fate remains in the balance. They will face Annie Millar and Clare Kelly with the winners securing the treasured second place.

[West Phoencia]

---

West Phoenicia Confederates slam Judea 6-1





West Phoenicia is going pretty good within the qualifiers and a great many are going to live their dreams by attending the Olympic Games.
There were so many moments this last day but we would like to choose one of our better wins.

One such dream is that of The Confederates... The West Phoenician Baseball Team. In their debut entry to the Olympic Games they have succeeded in beating 3 nations to claim the number 1 spot in their field.

In match 2 West Phoenicia beat West Angola 8-4.
In match 3 West Phoenicia beat North Eurasian Unified Sporting 6-4

The Confederates secured their third straight win by defeating Judea. 6-1. The Confederates walked into the game with the will and determination to win. Judea scored their one and only run in the bottom of the 1st. From than on they were outplayed by West Phoenician pitchers.

Emanuel Army who plays 2nd base was the star of the team. Hitting two home runs, one in the top of the 3rd the other top of the 8th.

The Confederates will stop at nothing to bring home gold for the nation.

[Ferkas]

Athletics Qualifiers Continue, Ferkians Largely Match Expectations

Ferkian Sports Bulletin

(Olympic Tower Stadium, Aeropag) Qualifying rounds continued today in Aeropag, as athletes from around the world compete in one of the three qualifying rounds ahead of this years XI Olympiad. A new addition this year, the qualifying rounds have been generally kind so far to Ferkian athletes, although a few more have seen their Olympic dreams end before the games officially begin.

Mens 100m

While only George McBride made the final here in the qualifiers, both he and Adam Santry will advance to the Olympics. McBride ran a strong 9.92 to win his semifinal heat before placing fifth in the final with a time of 9.90. Santry advanced to the Olympics on time, his 9.97 good for 4th in his semifinal, easily securing him a qualifying spot. Both athletes look to rest, recover, and prepare now. Timothy Titus, the head mens sprint coach for the Olympic team noted that both McBride and Santry are "Well positioned now to do well in the Olympics and both know what they have to do between now and the resumption of competition to prepare themselves fully. We brought plenty of recovery equipment with us and well sure of our ability to give all our athletes, including McBride and Santry, the full support which they deserve."

Olympic fun fact - The Ferkian National Athletics Association has provided ten trainers and sports therapists for the athletics team in Aeropag.

Mens 400m

The heats for the mens 400m were thankfully non-eventful for Ferkas - Dominic Matthews, Fredie Mendoza, and Laurence Dumphries all placed themselves in automatic spots to advance to the semifinals.

The semifinals were not as kind, as Dominic Matthews was a DNF in the first semifinal. Mendoza and Dumphries did both advance into the final and earning spots for the Olympics as well. Matthews was not available for post-race comments.

Mens 800m

Again, three for three and no major surprises. While Dave Strickland and Arturo Sanders both had to wait to be sure they would advance on time it was never too much in doubt, both finishing just outside automatic spots. Dwight Dixon meanwhile won his heat, which was fortunate given that only the top two finishers advanced out of his heat with none of the other finishers earning time based spots.

Dixon would go on to win the final here, a close fought affair over Finja Mikelsonn (MTJ) and Mohammad Kelson (ETN) who both ran 1:44.67 to Dixon's 1:44.65. Post race Dixon commented "Getting the win here is a nice confidence boost ahead of the main events, so I'm thankful for that. Any time you can win a race against competition of this caliber it's a great achievement and a great feeling."

Mens 3000m Steeplechase

The semifinals passed without any of the Ferkian entrants being eliminated, another step towards asserting Ferkian strength in the event which many see as having established Ferkian athletics internationally back at the V Olympiad. Scott Jones will enter into the final with the number two seeded time, while Cody Maxwell and Harold Schneider sit at ninth and eleventh. All three men seemed pleased with their performances, with conserving energy and a focus on advancement over place being the major themes in their post race comments.

Womens 100m

May Schwartz and Genevieve O'Brien both reached the final, while Blanca Wagner also secured her place in the Olympics as a time qualifier. With all three making the Olympics, Ferkian sprinting is demonstrating its continued growth and progress internationally, a sentiment Genevieve O'Brien echoed in her post race comments. "I think having all three of us advance really shows how far Ferkian sprinters and Ferkian women have progressed lately. I'm looking forward to competing with May and Blanca and think we can really do well this year."

Womens 400m

The heats were successful for Ferkas - Marcella Ried and Rochelle McCarthy-Pierce winning theirs as Carolyn Soto finished second in hers. In the semifinals the successes continued, as all three women have advanced onto the Olympics.

Womens 1500m

The semifinals of the 1500m were rough for Ferkas. Although Aiko Cohn automatically advanced from heat 1 she will continue on alone. Hope Johnson finished less than a half second out of advancing on time, while Rebecca Cross was disqualified in heat 2 for allegedly coming into contact with several athletes during a rough period with about three hundred meters to go.

Fortunately Aiko Cohn did advance from the finals as well, finishing in eigth place in a tight final. Running 4:03.19 in a race where the winner ran 4:00.38 and the tenth place final qualifying time was 4:04.42 and the twelth place finisher ran 4:04.92, Cohn proved her coolness. Running in the pack the whole race she stuck to the inside curve and avoided making any major moves.

"I just tried to keep my head down, cover any of the big moves up front, but didn't really try to put myself out there" Cohn commented afterwards, "The goal was to get through nice and clean and I did that, so I'm happy. I didn't come here to win the qualifiers. I'm here to try to win a medal."

Without any teammates in the Olympic heats and finals to help, that goal may become trickier for Cohn. Post-race though, Rebecca Cross did confirm that she will be staying throughout the tournament to help her training partner prepare.

Womens 10000m

Ayanna Reiter and Cassie Vann made the tight six athlete cut for the Olympics, with Reiter running an impressive 30:01.62 to easily win the final by more than half a minute over Anne Duncan (TLI). Reiter ran alone for much of the second half the race, but didn't appear to strain as she easily gaped the field. Vann meanwhile stuck in the pack and coasted to the final qualifying spot. Checking back as she entered the final straight, Vann noted that she had enough of a gap and didn't bother with a kick, saving energy for the Olympic final.

Analysts are torn on Reiter's dominating run today. While there is excitement over such a strong showing, many experts expressed confusion over the desire to run so far ahead of the pack, expending valuable energy and possibly endangering her shot at an Olympic medal. Two time national champion Elizabeth Lockett (1997, 1999) noted afterwards "Well, it wouldn't have been my approach, especially with so many rounds. While it does show that she is in excellent form it just doesn't seem worth using all that energy now. Hopefully she saved enough for the next round. If she did, if today was a conserving run for her, then she is obviously in fantastic shape."

Running with the pack for most of the race, Doreen Brock-Peaks dropped out with just over a mile and half to go, pulling off the track. She commented post race that she had been having some digestive issues over the last couple days and her body was unable to continue on, lacking fuel for the rest of the distance.

Womens 400m Hurdles

No surprises in the heats, as Mindy Lambert-White, Genevieve Buchanan, and Danielle Montgomery all made it through. The success continued in the semifinals as all three earned spots in the Olympics.

Womens 3000m Steeplechase

In the heats, Melba Mack easily won in 9:21.19 as Fannie-Maie Fitzgerald secured one of the last qualifying spots out of the second heat with her 9:37.20 performance. Sadly, Maddie Connelly fell hard over one of the barriers on the fifth lap and was unable to finish. Team doctors later confirmed that she had suffered severe bruising to her left knee, which was noticeably swollen as she limped off the track.

In the finals, a surprisingly fast affairs, Melba Mack placed third with her time of 9:02.07 and Fannie-Maie Fitzgerald was close behind in fifth (9:05.19). The speed of the final surprised Mack, who commented afterwards "I was expecting a bit more of a sit-and-kick routine, but I'm not going to complain. With how fast some of the recent FNAA championships have gone I think Fannie and I were both pretty prepared to handle this."

Mens 200m

Orlando Fletcher made up for his poor showing in the 100m, easily advancing out of the heats here. Also advancing are D'Ashawn Briggs and Cory Rogers. All three men will look to perform well in the semifinals and finals, with the eight finalists and next 6 best times advancing.

Mens 1500m

Ken Figueroa, James Paul Peterson, and Todd Woodson all made it through the heats here without any incident, meaning the semifinals will be stacked with Ferkian talent. It will be tight though, only eleven spots in the finals will lead to the Olympics.

Mens 5000m

Much the same as many other heats, all three Ferkian men will continue into the semifinals. Adrian Erickson was a comfortable second (13:38.32) in the first heat, while Garth Murray finished fourth (13:40.42) in a heat where thirteen advanced and Quinton Cassidy easily advanced with his third place showing in the third heat (13:39.68).

Mens 110m Hurdles

Again, no major news with all three athletes advancing to the next round.

Womens 800m

Heats continue to be a fairly successful field for Ferkas as all three entrants will advance to the semifinals. Kristina Harris-Marx currently tops the performance list with Kelly Malone and Lois Michel both siting in the top fifteen.

Womens 100m Hurdles

Again, all Ferkian entrants will advance.



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

To: Jamil Mosidarni, Financial Secretary, Havenssport (Fielders Sports complex, Freepost 11212, Iros, Greater Vakolicci Haven)
From: Evelyn Grant-Murray, Under-Minister for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
CC: Gareth Lewland, Under-Minister for International Activities, Ministry of Sport; Richard Grosse, Deputy Counsel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Memorandum on Received Invoice HVSP-229113CC

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Chancellery Kingdom of Ferkas confirms the receipt of Invoice HVSP-229113CC regarding the incidents at the Arova Sports Complex.

At this point the Chancellery Kingdom of Ferkas is able to transfer the sum of 4,760,000 dral to ease and expedite the process of returning victims to Ferkas for burial.

However, the Chancellery Kingdom of Ferkas does so without prejudice to the potential for future legal actions against those responsible for those deaths. Payment in no way represents a settlement or waiver of rights in that regard. Furthermore, the Chancellery Kingdom of Ferkas contests the amount of 2,890,000 dral charged for Renovations to a Havenssport-owned sporting facility and refuses to transfer such a payment until all legal actions are settled and payment is ordered by a court.

Additionally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes at this time that its primary responsibility is to protect and serve the needs of Ferkian citizens abroad. To that end all legal options are being considered regarding any crimes committed against Ferkian citizens. It should also be noted that the families of those affected may chose to pursue individual civil actions against any responsible parties through the Ferkian court systems. Again, no portion of this memorandum should be considered to waive the legal rights of the Chancellery Kingdom of Ferkas or any of its citizens in the pursuit of appropriate legal settlements.

We thank you for your continued cooperation in this matter.

[Liventia]

Results from Day 5B of Liventian qualifiers are now available, including the first broken record in qualification events.

A quick reminder to athletes/teams in Liventian qualifying that the next scorination will take place at approximately 20:30 UTC tomorrow, or nearly 30 hours from now.

[Fluvique]

In five minutes Fluvique made kaboom

It was a Misstep. In the game, in the spirit, in the confidence. Fluvique was winning, holding. The energies fell, the head failed. And they lost. The U-23 White Foxes suffered their first defeat in the qualifiers and Christiaan Van Aalst's clean sheet finished. Agile, elusive, but without much aim. The tricolor team fell 2-1 against Kaboomlandia and know has the obligation of a victory at Greencastle, seeking to qualify for the Olympics. The Fluviquean team had gross errors in the last line and also had not aim. Also suffered physical exhaustion.

During the first 15 minutes, Fluvique exhibited its best version. It was not only a footballing idea, but the concept was directly related to climate. Beautiful and picturesque city where the team played in middle of a heavy rain, always a difficulty that the national sides often had to pay. Fluvique's attitude in the first time was interesting. They hed the ball, was protagonist and captured the only serious chance in the first half, a classy goal of André Villeneuve, after successfully partering with Mathieu Barbieri. After that period, with the creativity and commitment of the midfielders, although without offensive presence, they tried to stand, but Kaboomlandia cornered them more than once. For the sides, especially for Snijders' side, the local team left the White Foxes without air, off and cornered. However, Kaboomlandia wasn't unable to be clear in the final meters. They missed clear situations, one after another, specially with long shoots

Fluvique showed a lukewarm reaction for a few minutes, although it was far from its best. On the one hand, of course, the slowness of his steps was directly related to the weather, but also lacked of freshness, decision. And as Kaboomlandia did not tickled them -at least in the last metres- the minutes passed between the inconsequential audacity of the local team and the Fluviquean carefree accordance. Until the Kaboomlandia scored the 1-1 when it seemed that the result was not going to change. There, like magic, everything changed. At least in development.

Because Kaboomlandia believed in victory and because Fluvique escaped from the torpor, with a dangerous advance of Auze in middle of nowhere. The ball was flying here and there: at times, the midfield was a transit zone. In return, the local team, wich knows more and better the context and the stage, found the difference, with a goal five minutes later and turned the result and the stage.

With little, with what remained-in the physical and the spirit, Fluvique tried a timid reaction, without strength. Now, we must wait. Calm down. In Grencastle, the story will be different. They has all the elements to change history. It should improve, though. In all aspects.

BASKETBALL—Men’s

The Golden Boys lost in their worst match

Defeat of Fluvique in the third matchday of the Olympic qualifiers. It was 76–71 loss to Britonisea, the best team in the group. Perhaps it was the first real test for the tricolor team. A hard one. The first quarter was very tough for Fluvique. Britonisea displayed its physical play and went out to play with overwhelming intensity. 28-16 was their advantage, dominating from start to finish

In the second quarter the Sheep team was much better, but the difference was only a point in favor of Fluvique: 17-16. Victor Lebeau appeared, but in the other side the effectiveness in three-point shots was great.

The national side even was 20 points down at the start of the third quarter but could close the gap. Many golpes in the Fluviquean defence were key to allow a 20-17 in favor of Britonisea in that quarter. The difference was always on the outside shot: at the end of the thir quarter, Fluvique had only 25% efecctiveness (3/12) and tehir rivals had better number, with 67% (6/9)

Fluvique showed reaction in the first minutes of the last quarter and even was two points behind Britonisea, but near the end, in the last possessions, the national side mishandled the attack and their rivals didn't failed in the counterattacks. It was a defeat in the third game, but the hopes for the qualification are big with two more games to go.

Victory for the Young Lions and tie for The Panthers

The men's field hockey team, the Young Lions, won over Edhros by 2-1 on their second match for the Olympic qualifiers in Aeropag. The team coached by Stephen Shaw had in Ezequiel Noguiera and Brad Sawyer, the goalscorers of the match. Hence, the Young Lions have a perfect start after beating Drawkland and do the same with Edhros, the two teams which were leaders in the standings before the Fluviquean debut. The upcoming matchday could mean the ticket to the Olympics for a team better every time and dreaming high.

Meanwhile, in the Tristiano Droga Arena, the Dan Kusht's team reacted after being down by two goals, to tie provisionally the match 2-2 and after recovered again with a goal scored in injury time to avoid the defeat. At three minutes of the first quarter, taking advantage of the penalty corner, Mapletish opened the score. The second goal came came at 7m of the third quarter, after a mistake in the midfield.

The young Marina Capittanni, of a backhand, discounted at 11' of that chapter. And, almost at the end of the third, Nina Sneijers stamped the partial equality. However, Mapletish, which has the same points than The Panthers, but three goals less, took the lead again on the board with a goal at the start of the final quarter. And in injury time, after a penalty corner, Eva Leilah established the definitive parity.

The Red Devils are in Aeropag

The men's Sevens rugby team qualified of the Olympic Games in Aeropag, after beating Eastfield Lodge 26-12 in the last matchday in the Group O1. The 7's Red Devils are, together with Kernansquillec, Eastfield Lodge, Taeshan, Amnarei-asud, The Greater Vakolicci Haven, East Saintland, Pederal na Republika ng Pilipinas, Britonisea, The Licentian Isles, Ethane, Serbian Empire, Liventia, Paputu and Mattijana, the qualified for the Olympic Games in this qualifiers.

Meanwhile the women's team lost the chance to go to Aeropag after falling 14-26 to Liventia

[Astyrian Olympics Delegation]

To: Zoran Kostic, Manager of the Neu Engollian National Men's Football Team; Provisional Head Coach of the Astyrian Unified Men's Association Football Team <z.kostic@moafootballprogram.neg>
From: Adrian Deresan, Manager of the Zitran National Men's Football Team <adrian.deresen@zitrannatassocfootball.ztr>

Sent: 21 Feb

Coach Kostic,

Thank you for your kind words but they're not necessary. Yes, I was hoping for the top position, but I understand the decision and I fully support you in the head coach slot for our Unified Team. We're just a few months out now, and whoever is in charge, we need to get to training and integrating the team as soon as possible. I am just happy to be able to play a part in the process and be there for that, as well as on the sidelines. I made some notes to pass along to you for our selections for the men's Unified Team, as well as what I know about some of the women players, should you have any say in that selection process.

I would recommend talking with my Women's Manager counterpart, Anastasia Zieler, though, to really clarify more on the women. Again, that's if you have anything to do with the process for the ladies team, which I'm not even sure of at this point.
Let me know what else you may need, and I will also be happy to talk in person with you about our selections and their strengths. I can catch a flight out next week at the earliest. We'll be in touch.

Anyway, here are my notes:

MEN'S
Mitchell Vürnen
Age: 19
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: F.C. Raedburg
Info: Can be used as either a substitute or a starter, I'm not too bothered with this player as he's just been promoted to his club's first team from their youth academy.

Michael Raüse
Age: 25
Position: Central defender
Club: Balsak F.C.
Info: Raüse is an experienced defender and is the captain of his club. Starter.

Mario Güzen
Age: 20
Position: Central midfielder
Club: F.C. Raedburg
Info: Although he's a young player, Güzen played a major role in his club's domestic treble last season. Despite this, he makes a better impact to the game coming off the bench than he does starting. Substitute.

Adrian Jansen
Age: 22
Position: Striker
Club: A.V. Dynamo Sportaka
Info: Jansen is a young player, but performed well for his club in the previous season. Despite this, he isn't the best striker Zitru has to offer for the Olympics. Substitute.

Lewis Gïll
Age: 24
Position: Striker / Winger
Club: F.C. Raedburg
Info: Gïll is arguably the best Zitran player at the moment. Starter.

WOMEN'S
Ella Müller
Age: 27
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: F.C. Raedburg (women)
Status: Müller is one of the best Zitran goalkeepers and is the captain of her club. Starter.

Karlena Backen
Age: 21
Position: Left back
Club: Primeden F.C. (women)
Status: Backen is a young, versatile player, but she doesn't have the legs to play a full 90 minutes. Substitute.

Kara Kreiber
Age: 24
Position: Central attacking midfielder
Club: Balsak F.C. (women)
Info: Kreiber is perhaps the best Zitran female footballer at the moment, and is a highly rated player internationally. Starter.

Katerina Levensen
Age: 23
Position: Right midfielder / right winger
Club: Ahckman F.C. (women)
Info: Levensen is fast and can deliver a good cross. Substitute.

Anna Pazhkelazo
Age: 24
Position: Striker
Club: F.C. Raedburg (women)
Info: Pazhkelazo is one of the best female strikers in the world, and has a keen eye for goal. Starter.

We'll keep in touch. Let me know what else you may need before we meet.
Thanks,

Adrian

---

Orean, Liventia

Ileanna Wegener, the head coach of the Neu Engollian women’s rugby sevens team, was not a large imposing woman, despite being a great rugby player in her day. She barely hit the 1 and a half meter mark. She had been one of the best wingers of the Neu Engollian women’s sides to come around in many years. She was fast and agile, but she could also throw in a good tackle and bring down a woman, or man, twice her size, using their own weight against them.
She was wiry, athletically muscular and had a perpetual deep tan. There were numerous wrinkles in her face, and some had unkindly called her leathery in appearance, but from a distance, it wasn’t so noticeable. Neither were the few strands of grey in her jet black hair put back in a pony tail. She was in turns stern and compassionate, as the situation called for at any given time.

Right now, she seemed to have a sparkle, but it was tempered with a practical need not to jinx the moment.
The players sat, mud clumping off them as they shed gear, getting ready to shower. They would meet later for a brief after match party with the Pilipinas team. It was traditional in rugby that the two opponents got together and made nice after beating each other up on the pitch. The Lady Goats believed in that as much as any rugby squad to ever play.
Wegener cleared her throat and looked around.
“Nice work out there ladies. We did it. The Pilipinas were tough. A lot tougher than we thought going in.”

“Filipinas?”

“Pancakes?”

“Be nice.”

“I’m proud of you, in any case. It wasn’t an easy match, nor was the Swiss one. But we did it and we get a chance to bring it to Paripana.”

“All these ‘pees’.”

“I have to pee now.”

“Shut up and sit down ladies. Let me finish, please. So....we did good, even if we won by a penalty. I’m not going to go on about that. What matters is we get our chance to shine in the big show. We qualified. This is our first outing to play with the big girls outside of Astyria and we’re doing it. A lot of people are watching back home, here, and will be in Aeropag. Let’s not blow it by doing something stupid in the next couple days, starting tonight. 2 drink max. Get some sleep. Light drills in the mid morning to stretch it out and keep limber. We have a flight to catch and we all need to keep fresh. Alright?”

“Yes, Coach!” They were in unison.
“Alright Goats, bring it in. Bring the love.”

They huddled their sweaty, battered bodies in the middle of the locker room. Nothing was said, it was all just smiles, hugs, and a shared moment. It lasted for just a minute, but a lot of feeling was exchanged in that moment.

“Awright. See ya at the party. Clean up, Goats.”

---

RP Courtesy of Zitru and Neu Engollon

[Kelssek]

OLYMPICS QUALIFICATION SUMMARY
Dessautiels leaps ahead as relay team sets a bar
1 Aug. 2016

Water polo fans nervous about the prospect of a humiliating failure to qualify can now look forward to being nervous about failing to get out of the group stage in Aeropag. After winning their first two games the women's team are now guaranteed qualification while the men's team is all but there.

While questions have been raised about a men's team relying on a mix of veterans from the successful teams of the 5th and 8th Olympics with relatively new players like Burnaby Thunderbirds teammates Harry Sponner and Nathan Frolik, they had a relatively smooth run through in Vekaiyu with the coaching staff's main concern their relatively poor finishing. It hasn't hurt the team yet, but it could be a recipe for a quick exit if shooting percentage doesn't improve.

For the women's team the question was always more about quality rather than consistency, and the challenge will be for team leaders like Amber Linsdale to push the squad forward to reach the raw potential that has been touted for them.

Track and fields
The men's 4x400m relay team also set the best qualifying time in Iqaluit with Patrice Dessautiels anchoring the hopes for Kelssek's track success in Aeropag. While performances in the qualifications meets may not be reliable indicators of how the runners will perform on the big stage which their training programs are ultimately planned for, Dessautiels thinks sending a message still matters at this point.

"I'm very happy with my own performance, and everyone else's. We all know it will be tough. Already a lot of our team are out and won't even be going. It's a big blow but we know we have to carry the flag and make an impact. To have the best time so far, it is a statement that we will do the maximum to win the gold." Dessautiels said.

The women's 4x400m met with a more cruel fate after they were disqualified following a ruling that Julia Pyatt obstructed Cosumar's Maria Cerdà leaving the track after the baton hand-off. The Kelssek athletics federation could face fines after a coach allegedly confronted officials and threw a clipboard at the timer's bench following the ruling.

But more startling is the way that both rugby sevens teams have slumped: the men are out of the Olympics after going 1-4, capped off by a terrifyingly poor 5-31 loss to Kernansquillec, who topped the qualifying group as a result. The women's team could only manage a draw against the Serbian Empire and must win their final game against Krytenia to stand a chance. With both teams made up of professionals, albeit in the 15-player code, this is a disappointing showing.

[Sargossa]

SSM | Sargossan State Media
International Edition - Sport


Records Tumble


Blanco Borrayo reports from Neverend;

It was mere days ago that those in charge of Sargossan Athletics were getting all angsty. It wasn’t the lack of competitors securing their places in Aeropag that bothered them, we’ve been pretty impressive on that count, but more the fact that so few Sargossans were competing for the golden tokens here in Liventia. Little did any of us know that those track stars in the darker blue who would represent the nation in the finals here would do such with such aplomb. Last night three national records feel as three gold tokens were collected. And tonight was even better.

We had high hopes for Roque De Santa coming into this qualifying event. He’d been clocking up some very quick times in the Azure League and, largely unhelpfully, had been tipped as the natural successor to former 100m star Matías Almeida. The 200m is his secondary event, he finished behind both Rafael Jardón and Israel Pérez at the Sargossan trials, but he was the last man standing here so took the full brunt of the pressure. And boy did he respond. Despite occupying an outside lane, having reached the final in seventh place, De Santa left the traps like a bullet from a gun and continued down the track as if the very hounds of hell were hot on his heels. That it was fast was undeniable, but there was a collective gasp from the crowd as those inside the Stade Grande Olympique twigged exactly how fast it was. The big clock registered 19.27. 19.27. Two hundredths of a second quicker than Tristiano Droga’s world record that had stood for an age. Take a bow Roque De Santa, the instant favourite for Olympic gold.

Also in the mix for Olympic hardware must be Israel Ibarra, performing well in the 110m Hurdles. Ibarra had looked good in the heats and the semi and brought that form into the final, taking the gold with a close-to sub thirteen second time and yet another new national record. In the Women’s half of the draw Lela Montesino continued the gold rush with victory in the 200m, with Calda Pomales finishing in fifth. Clearly Juan Verzeri’s nerves of a mere few days ago were all for nought. In the Women’s 400m Hurdles Thalia Rama added a silver token to the team’s impressive haul and Cipriana Aguilera finished in a confidence building seventh. And there was a big smile too on the face of Rogerio Valle at the culmination of the Men’s 5,000m. He may not have troubled the podium but an impressive sixth place finish meant Valle would be joining his illustrious teammates in Aeropag.

Five days down, two to go, and tomorrow is going to be a thriller. There’s eight more finals on the cards, including the always exciting 100m. We’ll be crowning champions over 400m, 1,500m and ending the track events in the traditional manner, with the thrills and spills of the 4 x 100m Relay. Away from the track tickets to the Games proper can be booked in the Beach Volleyball and the Indoor sides face off in their semi-finals as the road to Aeropag continues.