World Aquatics Championships - RP thread

[Greater vakolicci haven]

It was rare to see the sight of a qualifying swimmer leave the pool crying, but that was what viewers of the world aquatics championships were treated to as Shaa Clind pulled herself out. Shaa stood swaying, tears rolling down her face before she leaned over and with a howl, wretched whatever she had had for breakfast onto the side of the pool, her breath coming in hurried gasps as she tried to make her exit.

The Havenic double Olympic gold medalist looked absolutely exhausted, her movements jerky and unprecise, and her eyes and ears seeming oblivious to the presence of those around her. If one of her fellow competetors attempted to offer aid to the small woman, she wasn't listening: in the full view of the cameras she managed to make her way to where a gaggle of havenic staffers were waiting and, with a low groan simply crumpled at their feet.

The fact that she was out on the side of the pool for her next event, a mere 2 hours later, shocked everybody; her performance however did not. Shaa Clind held up her relay team in extraordinary fashion, leading Sonia Peltius to swim a time which newspapers were already evaluating for the possibility that it broke the 100m freestyle record. The bronze medal came as a complete shock to everybody, with Clind's performance being described as 'laboured,' 'painful to watch,' and 'robotic.' Although she was able to walk off under her own steam this time, hopes are fading that one of the Havens greatest talents will be able to add to the tiny medal hawl from a world aquatics championship that will leave most wishing they were able to forget it.

Speaking after the events, Clind's long-term friend Savenna Galos Konti placed the blame firmly at the feet of Havenssport aquatics.
"I don't care who swims those extra events," she told reporters angrily, "Don't enter them if you don't have the right people. Shaa is a middle-distance swimmer, not a 10 km swimmer. Papa is a long-distance swimmer, so is Sonia on her day: Shaa isn't. If you don't notice that?" she paused and glared at the camera "You're either a total idiot or you're not acting in good faith. No I won't take that back. I don't believe that Havenssport aquatics are acting in good faith, I think they want to remove Shaa and George from competition because they talk to much. About what?" Savenna was seen to grin "I think you'll find out very soon."

[Greater vakolicci haven]

controversial passport plan blocked
A plan to force Havenic travellers to use passports has been blocked by Velstrania's highest court

'Passport please?'
This has been the common refrain that, despite regular warnings, ruins the holiday plans of many a Havenic traveller. After all, to get around the Haven you don't need a passport, and in a country that has lands on 6 continents over half of the population will not leave in their lifetimes. To get onto most international flights you don't need a passport either: the problem occurs when you reach the other end.
A Havenic passport, about as useful as a piece of paper with a well-meaning promise, was first issued in 1933 for diplomats and was rolled out 4 years later for anyone who might want one. You can get them online, they're free, and all you need is proof of Havenic citizenship. To obtain Havenic citizenship, the person in question must click on a link on the same website, provide one person willing to sponsor it, and fill out a short form. It takes 5 minutes, costs nothing, and it is thought that the number of people living in the haven is only 1/4 of the number of Havenic citizens all around the world. The Havenic passport, therefore, is amongst the easiest ID documents possible to find.

It was thought that this was going to be changed, after a bill passed the Havensschkorpal by a vote of 5132-2940 last Tuesday, however this is not to be the case following a landmark ruling by the High Court of Cardinals of Velstrania. This court doesn't use anything resembling Havenic law in its judgements, however if it rules that a bill contravenes 'the right of the will,' the other provinces can forget about it.

It's the reason the Haven doesn't have a minimum age for anything. It's why child labour is a horrific problem, why wars must go ahead without any form of rashioning or forced conscription, and why some of Celeria's super-rich clans own nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The 'right of the will' is preventing the Greater Vakolicci Haven from becoming a proper nation.

The right of the will states that society is a meaningless concept, and that a nation is effectively a grouping of people who have all decided to live nearby. Some of them might band together to provide certain things: like healthcare or education or a military...but nobody is forcing them to and they have no more authority than a chicken farmer. If said chicken farmer would like access to 'secret' information, the group that bands together to provide services has no legal right to stop him having access to it: unless people exercise restraint, it will lead to anarchy...which isn't a problem as it just means that that group who have banded together to provide services drifts apart.
Created by the religious fundamentalists who rule Velstrania, it serves as a counterpoint to the evil 'tyrant' who is embodied by order and authority, and rules daily life in the 'fortress island' to a comical degree. They like it. It's when it moves abroad that the issue starts.

The Haven has been unable to raise taxes for 50 years, prevent terrorism or even prevent 6 year olds from drinking thanks to the right of the will, as all federal-level decisions will impact Velstrania. Thanks to the superiority of the provincial courts, lawmaking is at a standstill, and there is nothing that anybody can do about it.

So why doesn't the Haven just kick Velstrania out?

For our international readers, we will make something very clear. Velstrania isn't a microstate: 2.2 billion people live there, it has an enormous military and is perfectly capable of defending itself from enemies. It exercises autonomy in almost everything, and has an independent voice at many worldwide conferences...so why can't it simply be removed from the Haven so it doesn't impede progress?
The simple answer is because that would be illegal under the acts of unification. Velstrania must choose to leave the Haven, it cannot occur the other way around. If it does so, fair play to it: but it won't. Ever.

Velstrania's reason is that it quite simply has the Haven over a barrel whenever it decides to do something particularly Velstrania-like. The fortress island has a tendency to decide that some random country is not in fact a country and that it is 'Kelmundre' (land occupied by the Tyrant.) If it doesn't want to take military action of its own against that country, it does the next-best thing: allows for its own people to go on crusades, happily loaning them weaponry to achieve this. When the other country gets upset with Velstrania regarding the fact they've just allowed thousands of random people to invade it, Velstrania activates article 4 of the Treaty of Unification, making it a Havenic issue.
Once it's a Havenic issue, the Haven must therefore take responsibility for whatever shit Velstrania pulled this time. It must negotiate on Velstrania's behalf, and should the other country attack Velstrania militarily the Haven must provide its province with military aid, as if the other country had attacked a normal and peaceful province of the Haven. Velstrania knows this very well, and does it all the time.

[Todd McCloud]

Vekaiyun Swimmers Struggle Early
Reporting for V3 News Services, Rin Slakori

KIRKENES - When the Vekaiyun Olympic Committee (VOC) made the decision to field a young, inexperienced roster for the World Aquatics Championships, it was generally expected that there would be obstacles that simply would not be overcome. After all, the previous Olympic delegation started off slowly when it came to accumulating medals, but in the end they righted the ship with their typical abundance of talent and experience. Those tools are lacking here. While talent indeed does exist among the ranks of those few selected to represent the nation, the talent is raw and prone to pushing, something that is usually mitigated by experience both by the athlete and the athletes around them. Was it a mistake to keep the entire roster young?

"Trust the process," chairwoman Riyna Yovisktre assured when asked that very question.

Yet it can be difficult to get through these growing pains for the common Vekaiyun fanatic. Vekaiyu is used to winning. We're used to seeing our athletes atop multiple podiums throughout the day in multiple disciplines. Are we spoiled? Perhaps. But, in order to keep that winning going, the nation will need a continuous supply of young talent at their disposal. After all, the stalwarts who have dazzled in the Olympics won't last forever. New blood is needed, and new blood is here.

"No, no not really," said Aksynia Eluviyey after the Women's 200 Individual Medley final in which the two Vekaiyun swimmers placed 7th and 8th, several seconds off the pace. "I don't really think we should win every medal out there. We made it to the final round, and that means we had to beat out 12 other [competitors] to make the final rounds. Some of them are Olympic players. And we made the final round our first go of it."

Teammate Sisilia Kalovistre displayed uncanny confidence for a young swimmer. "Someone has to finish last. Two people tied for first. The Olympic record is 2:08.28 for the 200 [IM]. They both came within... what? Was it two hundredths? Three? I'd have to turn in a record to beat them."

Dismissive? Perhaps. But recall that the previous rookie squad during the fifth and sixth summer Olympiad seemed to buckle under the pressure, finding difficulty in answering the tough questions. Maybe confidence, even if it is veiled behind the camera, along with practicality, is a sign that the VOC is considering a bit more than just ability this time around. It's not like the talent pool is thin in the vulpine nation - but perhaps there's more to these young men and women than just lapswimming.

"I'd wear my lucky swim cap, but that fit me when I was five," Yeromo Lapistoya, who finished just outside of bronze in the Men's 50 m freestyle, quipped. "No seriously it'd probably damage my ears if I did that."

Perhaps one should consider the current climate of the nation. After all, we are far removed from the authoritarian days of Max Venavle, and we've only recently adjusted to the policies of Ikrisia Levinile after the sharp transition from Selvala McEva and her brand of nationalism. This is a group of individuals who likely never experienced the type of lockstep fear associated with the near tyrannical regimes of the past, the times where citizens enjoyed much less rights than they do at current.

"Politics?" Makswel Ivigalo, another swimmer that finished fourth overall in his finals routine, asked as he made a face of disgust. "I hate that class. It's like chess and I hate that game. I can't believe there are people who actually like that stuff. Like, they play games about politics and diplomacy and stuff. They must be really boring to do that for fun."

Indeed, they seem less hypersensitive about defeat and more accustomed to speaking their minds. Is this what Riyna Yovisktre meant by trusting the process? Is she attempting to shape the culture of Vekaiyun Olympic athletes? Are we putting down the current squad of athletes and calling them wildflowers that bend at the slightest breeze their way? We don't intend to do that, no. But it will be interesting to see what happens if, when someone in this new group does obtain a medal. Will that change the dynamic? Youth can be tricky. Perhaps it would begin to make those obstacles, once insurmountable, seem less daunting.

[West Phoenicia]

Count Frederick Van Horne was the saving grace of the West Phoenician swimming delegation today. The Count who finished in the middle of the Men's 100 m breaststroke gave a remarkable come back in the finals to take home the gold, adding the second swimming medal and first in gold.
Allan Komad, Margie Brixton and Rowena Roxborough, three well seasoned swimmers and medal winners had shown off their talent by all pulling good times in the heats and semifinals. However the three failed to deliver a medal placing when it came to the finals.
It is increasingly becoming a common theme for the West Phoenician swimmers, pulling in great times in the lead up to the finals. Than falling flat in the finals where it really matters.
The Ministry of Sports continues to splash money at the Swimming Federation, hire the best coaches and update the facilities, but swimmers in the nation continue to give mediocre performances.
"We should be pulling in medals in all swimming events. Our swimmers are paid to train, that's their job. It's now time they give back to the nation that has given so much to them,"said the Vice President of the Swimming Federation.

With a number of days to go, West Phoenicians are praying more of the swimmers will step up and medal place for the nation.

---

The West Phoenician capital was alive and bustling, tomorrow would be the birthday of Empress Alotta; second wife of Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II. The air was thick with activity and excitement. Many citizens of the city-state of Jackson, the state where the main capital was located where in a celebratory mood, restaurants, bars, cafes and night clubs were full of people enjoying the evening. Many were out in the city streets enjoying the government sponsored activities to honour the empress. All other city-states in the Empire would be doing the same thing; festivals, street food, public entertainment. It was always competitive to see which city-states could offer the best for their citizens. When a member of the Royal Family had a birthday it became even more competitive.
Melbourne-Haven had lines of food and drink stalls for those who had come out to enjoy the live music in the heart of the city while they waited for the 30 minute firework display at midnight to ring in the empress's birthday.

At the Melbourne-Haven Royal Palace the palace was alight with colourful lights on the palace lawns and gardens, bursts of purple, gold and maroon lights flickered. People milled the gardens at inside the palace. The theme was a masquerade ball, the guest list was a who's who of West Phoenicia. Politicians, members of the Aristocracy, movie stars, high ranking military officials, singers, foreign ambassadors and sport stars rubbed shoulders as they drank champagne and nibbled on hors d'oeuvres.
Security was out in force, blending in with the guests, while members of the Imperial Guard stood close by to protect members of the Royal Family.
No expense had been spared, Empress Alotta loved opulence and decadence, there was even a life size ice sculpture of the queen alongside swans, her favourite birds. Empress Alotta stood with some of her close friends, lightly laughing at the ice statue, as the diamonds around her neck and in her tiara shone like bright stars in the sky.
It would be a beautiful evening for all to celebrate the birthday of the Empress. Celebrations were expected to last the whole weekend.

[Kriegiersien]

The seat of government of Kriegiersien in Schoenwetter.

The secretary approaches the President again.


“Sir, we have new Issues...”
“Sure, sure, I am following the World Swimming Championships. They are showing the best scenes from the last Water Polo match.”
“Sir, the people demand free voting and the Timber Industry…”
“Ladida. Boooring. See, I took over this country to have jolly nuclear wars, good competitions and collect cards.”
“But Sir, we have problems we have to face..”
“See, with this lunatic making his rain dance we got the rain back. And we are still getting supplies out of Kelssek for free, right? I solved a problem.”
the president winks

“I don’t think that there is a connection. And a bit of pool water doesn’t help our water reserves. You shouldn’t listen to your crazy military advisors and other madmen.”
“They did that without my permission. If people help themselves with good initiative, who am I to stop them?”
“You didn’t thought the same of the religious fanatics.”
“Oh, no, I hope they all got shot?”
“Yes, as you demanded.”
“Good. And how are the WAC going?”
the secretary sighs and opens a page on his smartphone

“We won 2 gold and a silver...”
“Fine. And bronze?”
“No bronze today.”
“What? Damned, these Ko-oren took them all, am I right?”
“Not all at all, but Lochario won one, that is their first medal.“
„Damned. These are my… our bronze medals.“
„But Gold and Silver are much better. I thought you wanted winners?“
„That is now a matter of principle. I want to be the Queen, I mean King of bronze medals. A worthy title.“
„Is that another thing like when you tried to make Kriegiersien the nudest nation in the world?“
„And that campaign is still going on. Don‘ t think to dress yourself with mantling clothe as long as you are in our nation.“
„Oh, I am looking forward to the winter. Somewhere else...”, the secretary mumbled before raising his voice again.
“...however, we have issues to work on. The earthquakes...“
„Our female water polo team will play against Vekaiyu in the quarter final. Oh, that will be a great game. Thrilling. What do you think?“
„I wish I was a furry….Who knows, all teams are nearly the same quality.. Sir, we have to talk about the Icebreaker fleet you wanted to build...”
“Yes, breaking the ice. It seems we are the favored, but now the tournament begins. All the matches in the group stage are for nothing and the true fight begins, now the players have to focus..”
“Sir, If I would give you a set of five trading cards, would you listen and decide on one urgent political issue?”
“5 Cards? A whole pack? What sort?”
“You will see. It is a surprise.”
“We have a deal.”

[West Phoenicia]

Justice Amber Trustee who has been a Justice for the West Phoenician Supreme Court for the last 20 years has officially retired from the bench, and has now been voted in as Deputy Leader of the West Phoenician Justice Party. She has been appointed a seat in the Senate after fellow party member Justine Conventry, stepped down to pursue other interests within the party as the National Secretary and found the task of being a senator and National Secretary at the same time too daunting.
This move sparked response from a number of other parties who accused the Justice Party of handing Senate seats to favourites outside of an election year and robbing Justine Conventry of her senate win.

Now that Justice Amber Trustee has vacated the seat in the Supreme Court,
Sinnethopia and Narrewood are seen as moderates. While de Vutton is the lone liberal judges. The remaining 5 are Conservative leaning.


Chief Justice: Sophia Sinnethopia
• Justice 1: Gaius Gryphon I
• Justice 2: Bradley Curran
• Justice 3: Alan Narrewood
• Justice 4: Thuy Swanston
• Justice 5: Rev Rob Church
• Justice 6: Inga Horne
• Justice 7:
• Justice 8: Cate de Vutton

With Justice Amber Trustee departure Moderates and Liberals braced for an additional Conservative justice to ascend to the bench which will keep the court conservative for many decades to come.
Justices are nominated by the Prime Minister confirmed by the Senate, the nomination is than presented to the Emperor who has power to veto the nomination. However In all the history of the Supreme Court, a nomination has never been vetoed.

The Senate is now made of of 422 Senators after a recent change expanded some boundaries and new electoral divisions were created.
205 make up the Coalition, if a strict Conservative is chosen they will receive the support from the Far Right Bloc which holds 35 seats giving them more than enough power to ignore the dissent from the Moderates, Left wing and Far Left wing bloc. However if the Prime Minister selected a more center-right justice they are sure to get the support of the 77 moderate senators.

Since the news of Justice Trustees departure there was much speculation as to whom would be the next appointment. Prime Minister Jimmy Bain confirmed to the Senate of his top two people for the role.

Mary Prestonia, 50, Centre-Right ideology. Mary has been a member of the Court of Appeals for 10 years. As an appellate courts that sit below the West Phoenician Supreme Court these judges have often stood out as the most experienced to promote. There are 10 appellate courts in the nation which are split into 10 mega districts that encompass all 50 city-state. Mary Prestonia represented Mega district 2. She is a staunch supporter of The True Path Faith, Pro-life politics, Pro-traditional Marriage, Pro-environmental and Pro-Social Welfare


Thaddeus Le'Croix, Centre-left. Thaddeus is a serving justice on the West Phoenician International Court of Justice. Located in Free Dixie, the capital city of New Dixie It acts as a separate and independent court and unbiased attitude towards foreign disputes.
The West Phoenicia International Court of Justice settles legal disputes submitted to it by city-states or West Phoenicia as a whole against other nations of the world. Other countries in the world can also raise legal disputes against West Phoenicia.
It also provides advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international branches, agencies, and the World Assembly. Considered Centre to-Far left in policies. Pro-Choice, Anti Death Peanlty, Supporter for Traditional and LGBTI+ marriages, Pro-Peace policies, Pro-Environmental, Pro-Ooen Borders and Immigration

The two nominations have shocked many West Phoenicians who believed he would go straight for a right wing conservative. In this instance he has selected two moderates, who also lean in polar opposites of each other. Both over the coming days will field questions from the Senate before a vote commences.

[Ko-oren]

Unlucky - Day 11

And with me out, it's all over to my colleagues. We've did a lot of talking after training, and there are serious talks about building pools across the country to make swimming and diving our strongest Olympiad events, given how good we've been in Kelssek. Counting today, we lead the tally in bronzes, we're tied for first in silvers (with Liventia), but the number of golds is staying a bit behind. Or are West Phoenicia the luckiest delegation ever? I get why Kelssek is near the top, given their home advantage. That's normal. But our time will come. There are a lot of medals still to hand out.

Or are we pretty lucky? A new delegation, 22 medals so far, and a retry in what should have been the pinnacle of my stay here. Remember that Women's Combination event? A big phat L in my last event here, after such a successful campaign otherwise. Well, the scoring was wrong, other things didn't go as planned and they rescored it all. Guess who went from 8th to 1st?

Also, I expected to hear a lot more languages from my fellow Ko-orenites here. With pretty much everything else that's sports on TV, it's all English, French, some Dutch, and that's more or less it. I don't know how, it must be the warmer climate, it's all Finisterran, Mawryshirish and Japanese here. My Finisterran is fine, it's what I grew up with. I'll be honest... my Japanese is rusty at best and I frankly couldn't give you more than 50 words in Mawryshirish. Japanese comes mostly from TV and the little rugby league I watch (yeah, I'm from a rugby league family).

Unlucky? Here are the unluckiest delegations (placed 4th in medal events):
VKL 8
VEK 8
KGS 7
KSK 7
KWP 7
RZN 6
LEN 2
NWD 2
KOR 2
DAR 0
LOC 0

[Kriegiersien]

Great Topic. I totally like it.

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It totally helped me, getting lots of Gold medals in Swimming. Really. I first was sceptical, too, but it is the best there is, proven by Kelssek engineers.



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Good luck.





You think this post wasted a minute of your life? Leave a dislike and learn reading faster. And don't click every stupid link.

[Todd McCloud]

Inyeri, Alaseru Take Medals in Vekaiyun Firsts
Reporting for V3 News Services, Rin Slakori

KIRKENES - Earlier we reported that patience should be stressed when dealing with a young and inexperienced roster. Perhaps we were a bit hasty - patience, while a good virtue in of itself, is not completely necessary when one's delegation is talented. Medals will come, and glory will come in its own time. For the likes of two swimmers, it comes a bit earlier than expected.

Take the case of Viktor Inyeri, who hails from the rainy Kunnat Heights. After finishing fifth in the initial heats, he managed to finish first in his semifinal round, narrowly edging out teammate Salvatoro Ilesestru, who also qualified for the finals round. In such a competitive event like 100m backstroke, any sort of imperfection is magnified. Unfortunately, filming reviewed that the start of Ilesestru was somewhat delayed, and it doomed his run, especially as he would be nearer to the edge of the pool and therefore unable to capitalize on the wake. Inyeri, however, was in the center and had a masterful start, something that would propel him into the lead by the turn, but he would fade in the second leg to noted andriod (?) Alf Swimtob.

"I'm glad that I was able to honor my nation," Inyeri, who identified Vinsent Ivere as his idol, informed V3 News. "I didn't really think I could compete for a medal, but it was because of my coach and my training that I was able to do so."

One might expect that winning a medal would be akin to "punching their ticket", to coin a Codexian phrase, to the Olympics. Not so, as Vekaiyun Olympic Chairwoman (VOC) Riyna Yovikstre warned. "Winning in international competition is indeed a plus as it suggests talent that transcends what we normally see at home. But it in no way locks someone into consideration. There are many variables at play, and our selection process is very involved. It is difficult to make such selections, but rarely do we have a sense of poignancy."

Later in the day was the women's 100 m breaststroke event. The breaststroke is typically the style of choice for vulpine swimmers as it allows the athlete to utilize their strong shoulder muscles in conjunction with appropriate quads to handle the kick. It is a natural style considered, and one vulpines tend to favor at birth. Perhaps this is why the nation has has the greatest success in breaststroke events, but a growing individual might face difficulty in securing the top spot in a diverse and open international competition. Such is the case for bronze medalist Levisa Alaseru, whose form seemed perfected in the pool, but ultimately just was not as fast as the competitors from Ko-oren and West Phoenicia.

We could not catch up to the young swimmer, who is an avid card collector of the Woman's Major League Underwater Hockey circuit. Per her parents, she has written to every player in the 2019 Lopps card set in an effort to get the player to sign their card. One would presume this to be an endeavor, as the set features 792 cards printed on white stock with action-packed photos on the front and stats on the back.

It is quite possible that Vekaiyu will not reach more medals in this competition, but, through the tenacity of these two athletes, we may not be finished when it comes to winning with these new athletes. Patience, in this sense, should be handled in abundance, as expectations remain high, but their possible Olympic dreams remain far in the future.

[West Phoenicia]

Davina Auckland first came to the attention of West Phoenician swim fans when she pulled in a spectacular gold medal win at the Summer Olympic Games in The Free Republics in the Women's 200m Freestyle. In a sport that struggles to pull in gold, her and the small handful of others who won gold at the last Summer Olympics were treated as celebrities.

Before appearing at the World Aquatics Championships, Davina appeared briefly at the
First Federation of Conservative Nations Olympiad. She signed up with Ellen Stuart, Kylie Stuart and Melanie Power to take part in the 4×100m Medley relay.
While it was not the best results for the foursome, who are all medalists in their own individual events, the four managed to pull in a bronze medal to add to the tally of 15.. Gold 22.Silver 27. Bronze 23.Demo Events, making it a very successful result for Team West Phoenicia.

Going into the World Aquatics Championships, the media buzzed around Davina Auckland like flies, wanting to get her views and secure interviews for her post race in the 200m Freestyle, where sports pundits had Davina pegged to take out the gold in the event. A second gold in would be a feather in her career and certainly help boost her endorsements.

It was a very tight face from the moment the buzzer sounded. Elana Remestravi of Vekaiyu,
Erica Tanayake of Kelssek and Brenda Diaz of New Waldensia had all launched off and making good times.

In the semis she had finished in first place with a time of 1:56.04, being the finals she knew she was going to have to improve thst time if she had any chance of placing. She was up against some good talent and while she had an early lead Elana Remestravi was only two strides behind.
By the time there was 15m to go it was on for young and old as the strokes and kicks became harder and more determined.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see her competition a stroke ahead, and it felt like a weight had been placed on her feet as she attempted to kick ahead.

She felt the end wall, her fingers training it with a satisfied smile that she had finished, her stomach churned, did she win, the last few metres were a blur. In her opposition's lane she could see her wavering in victory, and the cheers from the West Phoenician fans had melted. A quick look to the scoreboard displayed her fate. She had pulled in second place, a mere • 4 milliseconds behind the woman from Vekaiyu.
She gave her rival a nod and a wave as Davina turned and waved to the fans who had come to see her swim. Silver was still a great outcome.
Davina would return to the pool tomorrow for the Women's 4×200 m Freestyle Relay, where she hoped the team could pull in another medal for West Phoenicia.

[Kelssek]

"Good morning and thanks for joining us here on KBC Sport for our live coverage of the World Aquatics Championships from Harbourside Gardens in Kirkenes. We have the morning heats just about to get underway, and later from 2:30pm some highly anticipated action from the quarterfinals of men's water polo as we'll go live to Kelssek vs. Renzynistan. Joining me now from the pool deck is Swimming Kelssek executive director and member of the organizing committee for the championships, Kyle Liebenberg. Thanks for joining us."

"It's my pleasure."

"How do you rate Kelssek's performance so far?"

"I think on the swimming side, definitely, we have a lot to be proud of. We can see that we're making some progress, there was a lot of, you know, a bit of negativity that wasn't all that justified after the Olympics in Republica, and to their credit our athletes responded well and are showing that we're still a force to be reckoned with. You had Frédéric Desjardins winning gold last night, the dominating effort by the women's freestyle relay, that was a big win for them... this really has been about showing that our swimming program is on track."

"But competing against a smaller field, nonetheless. A lot of people are saying this isn't really the World Championships because not as many countries, or athletes are taking part as in the Olympics. Is this event worthless?"

"Absolutely not. It's true that a number of countries didn't enter. It's true that if you look back to the last Olympics, some of the top swimming medal contenders from Free Republics, Cassadaigua, Electrum, aren't competing here in Kirkenes. Much less the case in water polo where indeed you're seeing the teams competing there are those you'd pick as favourites no matter who else shows up. In the end you can only play against the opposition you have, and we do have many of the top competitors here at the World Championships. You could well say that equally, you're seeing the very best and most dedicated federations taking part. I don't think anyone can have doubts about the level of competition here."

"Well yes, and turning to the competition itself, I can also see some federations who have one or two top swimmers but are put off by the administrative costs for entering an event like this. What could be done to encourage that?"

"That's an important point you're making there. We're looking at a number of options to make it easier. The registration and qualification process isn't the easiest, especially compared to some other sports out there. One possibility is to allow anyone who qualified for the last World Championships or Olympic final in an event to be entered free of charge."

"What does this mean for the future of this competition, do you think it has one? Are people going to be like, nah, I'll wait for the Olympics?"

"I think we've definitely met expectations, this is ultimately a new event and I think we'll get greater participation by making sure this becomes a reliable part of the sporting calendar. Certainly the plan is to hold another World Championships before the next Summer Olympics, and that will also increase the buzz for both events we think. I think the World Championships will help build anticipation, will help build fan interest, and complement the Olympics quite well."

"Will that be in Kirkenes again?"

"I think it was a great move to hold the championships here. Attendance figures have been strong and it's clearly been a hot ticket in this city. We've had expressions of interest from some other cities in Kelssek, but of course there could be a hosting effort by another country if one were to be forthcoming."

"Thank you for your time, Kyle, enjoy the rest of the meet."

[Kriegiersien]

Water Polo Madness

Kriegiersien beats Vekaiyu 11–5, reaching semi final.


The taverns, pubs and homes with big TV Screens in Kriegiersien were full of fans when the match between Kriegiersien and Vekaiyu was broadcasted live.

Even games in the Killerwaterballleague were suspended and the Arenas used for public screening.
When Selena Waterfall, the daughter of coach Anita Waterfall made her first goal for the first lead in the match, the crowd at home erupted.

After the match car processions in the bigger cities started not even seen that enthusiastic after the Olympic Rugby 7 title or the Championship victory of the Schoenwetter Dwarfs in Calvinball, partying and patriotic flag waving continued half the night.

The nation is drunk of the success and already dreams of a final against Kelssek.

Coach Anita Waterfall was more cautious.
“First we have to beat Renzynistan again. That will be hard enough, now we know each other better.”
She also agreed that the more combined playing style of talented younger players, experienced Olympic participants and Killerwaterballplayers helped their game.
“You can observe what happens if you focus too much on these brutal play style of the Kriegiersien version. The man are not really evolving and will have a hard time in their quarter final against Darmen”, she predicted.
“We are still trying to make the team and the game better. And the next match is a further step.”

[Todd McCloud]

Remestravi has Balanced Attack, Takes First Vekaiyun Gold in Swimming
Reporting for V3 News Services, Rin Slakori

KIRKENES - It was close, but the teenager from Solike managed to take gold for the Vekaiyun home team, winning the first gold medal in swimming for the vulpine nation in the inaugural World Aquatic Championships. A quick start by her teammate, Yva Imlasistre, seemed to put pressure on the entire field, but after the second turn, she started to fade as Elana Remestravi took the lead. Imlasistre would continue to fall back in the tight race, as she could not capitalize being closer to the center lanes. Instead, the other Vekaiyun in the field maintained and held onto the lead thereafter. After the final turn, Remestravi remained in front but a surge provided by the reach of the second and third placer from West Phoenicia and the home-favorite Kelssek, respectively, made it extremely close, even considering that it was a 200 m race.

"This one is for the home nation!" she exclaimed, making a V-gesture with her hands, which can only be assumed she was creating the Codexian equivalent of the letter "v" with her middle and index fingers. Analyses from past Olympics, however, indicated this could also be interpreted as a "peace" sign, common in Codexian-speaking nations. The deliberate movement may have been odd, but judging by her jovial expression, no harm was meant in it. This "pleace" sign can also be construed as a symbol for victory, further adding to the apparent ubiquitous expression.

Nevertheless, the gold medal was solely owned by Elana Remestravi, who will undoubtedly be the talk of her town, perhaps her province. The Vekaiyun Olympic Commission (VOC) will also note her performance, especially considering the time in which she scored was only five hundredths of a second off the Olympic Record. Times have been slightly faster in Kirkenes, but handicapped by a shorter stature and arms that have yet to full grow, this bodes well for future performances. Could we see Remestravi set another Olympic record as she is recruited to the Vekaiyun Olympic roster? Only Riyna Yovkistre and her team know that answer.

Despite the gold, Vekaiyu continues to fade somewhat, now middle of the pack in total medals, weighted by gold, then silver, then bronze. The vulpine nation had held its own early on with a surprising resurgence in its diving program that no doubt redoubles confidence in the program, but youth an inexperience continue to hamper the nation in swimming.

[West Phoenicia]

A leaked email from Rayford Pyr; Vice President of the West Phoenician Swimming Federation addressed to the West Phoenician Aquatics team and fellow council members of the Federation has gone viral. First through the Aquatics team who then passed it onto other athletes, friends, family and media.


To: All <WPAquaticsteam.kwp; WPAquaticsfederation.kwp
From: Rayford Pyr <R.pyr@WPAquaticsfederation.kwp
Subject: Sink or Swim

We started with a very successful appearance at the World Aquatics Championships. Our diving and Artistic swimmers have done our nation proud and pushed up our medal tally. We now sit at the top of the medal tally but now that is being threatened by Kelssek, Renzynistan and Kriegiersien.

The last few days our swimmers have taken to the pool and four days remain and we are starting to struggle.
What the fuck is wrong with you swimmers?
You pull a large salary, have the best coaches money can buy and upgraded facilities to train in and you still can't pull in medals. We are averaging one medal a day and most of those are silver and bronze. We only have one gold medal, thanks to Count Frederick Van Horne in the 100m breaststroke.
Why are the rest of you doing so bad? Some of our former champions are pulling in 4th and 5th place, yes I am talking about you Margie Brixton, Angela Rhodes, Lucas Haggerty, Tom Zealand and Lee Von Will, among others.
Do you all suddenly decide to be pathetic on mass? It is making our swimming delegation a laughing stock that you can't beat some of these teams. Even our Paralympians pulled in more medals, maybe we should trade them for you. Remember no one is replaceable. If you can't perform to the high standard we have trained you up to, quit now and find a job flipping burgers.

Many nations have even sent some of their newbies, and you still can't best them. This should be a cake walk, we should be winning medals in every event as we know you all are talented. But you are losing to a bunch of newbies and drug cheats.
I expect a vast improvement over the next few days, I wanna see more gold; silver means you came in second and were the first to lose. And don't get me started on bronze.
We are a nation of winners not losers. So get over your Aquaphobia as that is the only logical reason why you guys must not be pulling medals. Start performing and earn your place among the delegation or get out so we can replace you with people who are excellent performer. We want sharks in the pool not sea cucumbers.
Come on asshats, pull up your game. Make the nation proud and a parade awaits you. Otherwise don't expect to be on the Olympic Games squad for the next games. West Phoenicia has no place for Losers.

Rayford Pyr,
Vice President, Swimming Federation of West Phoenicia.

[Kriegiersien]

8-9

Riots in the streets of Schoenwetter after a nail biting loss against Darmen in the water polo quarterfinal.


In the moment the game was lost with one goal difference, the storm broke loose in the countries Killerwaterpolo heartlands. Scorpion City was in state of emergency.

Flags of the referees nation and Darmen were burned and an angry mob looted and raided Bigtopian shops and restaurants because “they are always to blame”.

“The foul from Grumpel was never a red card. His victim didn’t even have to go to hospital, that is an outrage!”, shouted a Killerwaterballfan, burning a West Phoenician flag he mistook as Darmen.
“That wasn’t even a foul. That was normal body contact. These Darmens are all sissy fakers”, cried a mother of 2 year old twins, while letting the buggy with the kids rolling down a hill.

The Interweb was flooded with memes showing Darmen players faking deadly injuries after getting hit by a splash.

[Kriegiersien]

Renzynistan 7–8 Kriegiersien



It was a story sounding as if someone made it up.
In the last minute Selena Waterfall made her second goal. The winning goal in the semi final. The daughter of the coach, the reserve player deciding the match, elevating the team to its dream, the final against the host.
“I really hoped we could win the match again. It was much harder as in the group stage, but that I would score the decisive goal is just... Unbelievable. Now we have done it. We have nothing to lose anymore”, Selena rejoiced.

Electrum born Roberta Windsong, only player left from the former Olympic bronze medal team beside the Coach, said:
“This is even bigger than winning the Olympic medal in my native nation so many years ago. To end my career with a World Cup Final against Kelssek in Kelssek, with my new home country is the sweetest thing I could hope for. We will do everything to win this.”

Coach Anita Waterfall was pleased with the match and the spirit of the team.
“We never gave up, never got nervous. We wanted it more and we made it. Everyone in the team!”
Asked about the final opponent she said:
“They are the end boss. I know Kelssek, I have watched their matches, I have seen them winning bronze at the Olympics. The are strong, they have home advantage, but we also know a massive crowd attendance from home, our players are tough, we have options. I am confident that we can win this, if we want it. We have to give our best and more.”

Only scarred Killerwaterball player Rama Rainbow was underwhelmed.
“I have played with mermaids, Ogres, Munchkins, Murlocs and fought with sharks, seahorses and Kraken in the water. I have broken my nose, arms, legs, back, butt, been cut, eaten, tickled, electrocuted and burned in the Arena. Here I haven’t even been injured. This is a piece of cheesecake, a walk in the children's paddling pool.”

[West Phoenicia]

The World Aquatics Championship has been an overwhelming success for Team West Phoenicia. Currently sitting on 12 gold, 11 silver and 10 bronze, making it one of the most successful championships the nation has attended.

With one day to go, things are going to heat up even more for day 15 in the pool.

Day 14 had some terrific results for the team with Lord Austin Von Dixie and Melissa Thomasi both pulling in gold medals for the team. Melissa Thomasi gave a victory fist pump in the air when she finished first in the 200m backstroke. The win was a huge victory for the young lady who had also pulled in gold in the same event at the Summer Olympic Games in The Free Republics. The two gold medal wins allows Miss Thomasi automatic qualification to be included in the next West Phoenician Summer Olympics delegation for the 200m Backstroke and more than likely the 100m event also.
Daphne Celle, Lord Austin Von Dixie and Count Frederick Van Horne will all need to compete in the West Phoenician Olympic Swimming Trials and place in the top 5 to also get a spot on the squad, while they finished with such amazing results at this Event, they did not pull in such terrific results at the Summer Olympic Games in The Free Republics or the First Federation of Conservative Nations Olympiad and will have to prove their worth if they want to make the next squad, which is almost a certainty. However their success today has put them ahead of others.

While fans piled in to watch the swimmers in the pool, it was standing room only as fans flocked to the Men's Water Polo semi-finals where The West Phoenician Mermen were playing against one of their main rivals and home advantage team Kelssek.
The rival between these two began during the World Water Polo Championships and at an Olympic level.
The Mermen had some early victories at the World Water Polo Championships winning both the First and second series with the golden team. It went downhill from there during following championships with Kelssek and other nations rising to the challenge and team changes that were not the most beneficial to the team.
While the Mermen took a thumping at the Summer Olympic Games in Novonaya, Kelssek and Provinsk, Vekaiyu. New team members and coaching staff improved the new team, building them up to their former glory. With new life breathed into them, they pulled in a silver in Free Republics and followed that with a gold medal win at the First Federation of Conservative Nations Olympiad. They came to the World Aquatics Championship in top form and showed why they are one of the teams to beat.
So a West Phoenicia vs Kelssek match up in a semi-final or final was going to draw in a huge crowd. Both nations deserving to be in the finals and both teams fighting hard in the pool to dominate the game.
West Phoenicia won the day 8-6 in a close fought game. A much higher goal difference than the
Darmen vs Ko-oren match up where Darmen ran circles around Ko-oren beating them 12 to 4. Skill had alot to do with the Mermen winning, but against such a strong talented team, it just came down to luck and West Phoenician players knowing the best opportunity to get Kelssek to foul against them especially in the last quarter where West Phoenicia focused heavily to get their opponents to foul against them.

West Phoenicia will next take on Darmen in the finals. Where West Phoenicians will be flocking to watch. Win or lose they will medal, but the team would love to swim away with another gold.

[Todd McCloud]

Remestravi has Balanced Attack, Takes First Vekaiyun Gold in Swimming
Reporting for V3 News Services, Rin Slakori

KIRKENES - The teenager from the mountainous province of Caviru, Ives Relesestri, dominated the field in the short 100 m Butterfly event earlier today. This feat represents Vekaiyu's second gold in swimming, and seventh overall. A footnote in what has become an extensive resume for Vekaiyu's young talent? Hardly. Let's not forget that Relesestri tied for 7th place in the semifinals, meaning he would be relegated to the edges of the pool - not necessarily a spot where an athlete would like to perform. As Yva Noveli, former multi-medalist to the Vekaiyun delegation, put it, "The center lanes have an advantage. You're able to see more of the field and you can feel if you're in someone's wake. At the edge, it almost feels like you're swimming your own race, and the waves tend to toss around a bit more over there too."

Nevertheless, starting from lane 8, Relesestri was able to make quick work of the field, seemingly dispatching the favored Takeshi Uchida from Ko-oren, who finished seventh. Short races such as the 100 m are often determined by a matter of hundredths of a second, and this race was no different, as the Vekaiyun male claimed gold by just one hundredth of a second - only a tenth of a second separated first place from fifth. For those keeping score, a time of 50.62 is only slightly better than what was scored at the last Olympiad, and some five hundredths of a second off the pace from the Olympic record. In short, it appears at least by this performance, that Relesestri can indeed compete with a field of elites.

Don't tell that to Vekaiyun Olympic Chairwoman (VOC) Riyna Yovisktre, however. "We hold our cards rather close, to coin a Codexian figure of speech," she said after fielding questions shortly after addressing the media later in the day. "Let my team do its job. If one is selected, it is through extensive research conducted, and screening by myself. Vekaiyu remains top-five in Olympic medals all-time, so a middle-of-the-pack placement in this event is immaterial to me. We know what we are doing, and we will continue to do so."

Despite the lukewarm response that seemed to dull the sentiments of those in the room just after addressing the performance of the gold medalist, one would be keen to note the chairwoman must have at least been surprised by a pair of bronze medalists from Vekaiyu securing both medals after tying for third in an event. That accomplishment, at least, has never been realized by any pair of Vekaiyun swimmers in international competition before, though ties in swimming are not what one would call "uncommon". Heck, there was even a four-way tie for third in the woman's 50 m butterfly event today, so who are we to claim uniqueness?

Regardless, the atypical finish occurred yesterday between Reko Aveseru and Viktor Inyeri during the 200 m backstroke, with Inyeri in the center and Aveseru on the edge. Despite the potential for advantage, the two managed to tie, only a hand's length behind James Skittles of West Phoenicia. Ostensibly, one may consider the two being rather happy with this outcome, especially considering they both managed to place in an event that featured stiff competition. Yet, that aura of competition was ever-present on the podium, as the two seemed to be rather unhappy to share the distinction.

"We're all friends, kind of, but I'm not really here to make friends," Aveseru said when asked of his feeling regarding the tie. "A tie just says I'm as good as the other citizen I'm competing against, really. I mean, I think I have longer arms, though. That counts for something, right?"

As the competition wraps up, we will continue to follow these athletes and find out, ultimately, where they size up against the competition, be it competition from outside of the nation or within.

[Kelssek]

AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED TRANSCRIPT: KBC1 SPORTS BULLETIN 15AUG 22:35:44 KCST

[PRESENTER: MARK GORDON]Going now to Anya Gallardi with the reactions from the water polo coaches after the final matches of the World Aquatics Championships, Kelssek taking silver in the women's and bronze in the men's competition. Quite close results but a very different tone from the locker rooms wasn't it, Anya?

[REPORTER: ANYA GALLARDI] Yes that's right. We're seeing teams sort of at different points in where they are with the women's team expecting to take the gold and disappointed with how the final went, while the men's team is in a transition phase. With the women's team falling short in the gold medal match, coach Jean-François Trepannier admitted they faced a struggle after letting in three unanswered goals in the first quarter."

[INTERVIEW: JEAN-FRANÇOIS TREPPANIER] "We started poorly, and after that we let Darmen control the game. It was a struggle that we could have avoided. I thought we played well after that, but the damage was done. Sometimes things just don't go your way at the crucial moments and we showed the right attitude but it wasn't enough in the end."

[AG] Men's coach Martin Hosster emphasized progress for a team knocked out in the second round of the last Olympics and saw Nathan Cavendish's decision retirement from the international play as influential. Hosster even actually downplayed the bronze medal win.

[INTERVIEW: MARTIN HOSSTER]The two losses in the group stage were a big learning experience for the team. It's clear how much Nate Cavendish brought and what we were missing, it's now up to the younger players to fill that leadership role. That's what I demand of all the players. I think the bronze medal is something to be proud of, but it kind of overstates where we are now and the amount of hard work we still need to do to reach the level we need to be at.

[Kriegiersien]

Summary of the Kriegiersien delegation

Artistic Swimming and Diving

With 1 Silver and 1 Bronze the disciplines who needed elegance showed the expected results. Terrible. Only Jamie Logan and Tim Tim won surprising medals.

Swimming

The World Aquatics Championships in Kirkenes ended with a further bronze for Alf and a first silver for Nova Swimtob.
Besides a Gold from Tse Moor and the only medal in a relay event with a silver won by the Swimtobs together with another duo of siblings, Pad and Jiriki Marmot, all other medals were won by the Top Stars of the team.
With 4 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze Alf beat his sister barely, who had 4 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze in the “single” events.

Water Polo

Kelssek 4–8 Kriegiersien

The day of the title win of the women’s team was declared a holiday in Kriegiersien (at least for one year). The winners will get a heroes welcome back home.
A big parade is already organized. The first World Championship title for Kriegiersien in an Olympic sport. History was made in a great match.

Coach Anita Waterfall, asked how they were able to beat the heavily favored host, answered after a pause at the Press conference:
“I think it is... because the coach mistook us for Darmen.”

The men also ended ok with a win and a 5th place, overall the delegation took the fourth place in the medal table, thanks to many gold, but only a few medals overall.

“Thanks go to Kelssek for a smooth organized championship. Their water tastes great”, said the captain of the Swimteam of Kriegiersien. A plush version of Tina the Hippo was handed over together with Kriegiersien canned tuna to the chief of the organization committee of Kirkenes as a present in gratitude.