XV Olympic Winter Games - RP thread

by **Graintfjall** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 8:51 am

Max Joelsson flies into Græntfjaller Olympic history

Amid a sea of high profile alpine skiers and ice hockey players, Maximilian Joelsson isn’t quite the same pedigree of household. Or wasn’t – but after today, but after today’s efforts, he’ll take his place alongside cyclist Julia Magnussdóttir in the Summer Olympics in the special trivia category: first Græntfjaller Winter Olympic medallist. Joelsson entered the men’s normal hill competition ranked second behind Ernst Klængursson, but while the national champion was never quite able to put on his best performance at Entauren, Joelsson excelled, joint-leading the competition after his first jump and holding on to share silver with Inflite Aerosala, behind fellow Vilitan Union jumper Amazore Tileafa.

Joelsson’s first round jump, good for 135 points as he beat the 110 meter mark, was the undoubted highlight of the day’s competition for Græntfjall, although there were promising results in the women’s biathlon sprint: though none of the four Græntfjaller women reached the medals, two made the top ten and all four were comfortably inside the top 60 cutoff to advance to the pursuit race. Sina Villisdóttir was the best-placed Græntfjaller in 5th, though she and Dagan Brittany Ryder ahead of her were well off the pace of bronze medal-winning Chromatik Candice Zara. Lenny Leonsson and Liv Robinsdóttir also rejoiced in picking up a win, at the fourth time of trying, in the mixed curling doubles, as three stones in the sixth helped them overhaul West Phoenicia’s Jacob Dixon and Traci Gee, the two of them seemingly distracted by events in the figure skating arena.

Græntfjall’s medal hopes remain slim in the short-term, although cross-country skier Tragott Leosson could feature in tomorrow’s skiathlon race. But the main draw will the blue riband event of the games, the first race of the alpine skiing: the men’s downhill, often considered the emotional equivalent of the men’s 100 m at the Summer Games. Four Græntfjaller skiers enter: surprise national champion Filip Eriksson, who defeated heavily favored veteran Svani Maximiliansson at the National Trials, along with two young up-comers, Birger Christophsson and Benóní Julesson.

“We’re all excited to take part,” says Julesson, who is still midway through his university studies and had to apply for a deferment from national service to compete on last season’s winter tour. “It’s no secret that alpine skiing is what most Græntfjallers are excited about. It’ s literally our national sport.” The experienced Maximiliansson was modest in his appraisal of the course, reckoning it “a solid run” and hoping that clear weather conditions prevail. An enthusiastic mini camp of Græntfjaller supporters are to be expected at the finish line, with over half of those who’ve travelled to Clayquot saying that alpine skiing is their priority.

Also in the paper:

NEWS: Third night of calm on capital’s streets betokens an end to the violence
BUSINESS: Airline stocks rally after minister scotches plans for air fuel duty
POLITICS: Security moves up the agenda of new coalition after turbulent weeks of protest
ENVIRONMENT: Plastic pollution in oceans “overstated” according to plastic manufacturer-funded study
SPORT: KG mull schedule rethink after dismal IFCF performances

by **Srednjaci** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:47 am

WORLD ARENA SPORT CHANEL 1

REPORTER: Dear viewers, good evening from our studio and welcome to the XV Winter Olympics.

Yesterday was an exciting day at the Olympics. We also saw the distribution of the first medals, but unfortunately the DR Srednjaci did not have the good fortune to decorate themselves for the first time with a medal at the Olympic Games.

With us in the studio is Mr. Siniša Čunko, President of the Olympic Committee Srednjaci and President of the Ski Federation Mrs. Julija Sović.
Welcome.

SOVIĆ / ČUNKO: Thank you.

REPORTER: Here, you can, Ms. Sorić, comment on the course of the games so far.

SOVIĆ: Well, I am very proud of our representatives. They are performing for the first time and the pressure has taken its toll ...

REPORTER: Just to point out to viewers that we had medal fights in two disciplines.

SOVIĆ: Yes, in two disciplines, namely ski juices for men "Normal Hill" and 7.5 km for women biathlon.
I am very satisfied, it was a little short of bronze, but the fourth place at the Olympic Games is great.

REPORTER: Fourth place Ivan Čućić is really great as well as 11th Darinko Bučić

SOVIĆ: yes, it is a pity because Darinko was great in the qualifications, he shared the first place ...

REPORTER: Yes, we will have our Olympians later, so we will go through everything with them.
Mr. Crnko, what is the organization like so far? How do you feel about everything?

ČUNKO: Well, honestly, as far as we are concerned, everything is flawless and perfectly good. Our team and athletes are happy with everything.

REPORTER: That's great, the host really made sure everything was in the best order.
We have just been joined by our 4 Olympians, Ivan Čučić, Nina Mandaric, Ivana Mandarić and Darinko Bučić.
Welcome team.
We congratulate you all on the achieved results, we listen to your impressions. Ivan, we'll start with you.

IVAN: Well it was great, I actually have that feeling that you’re at the Olympics and that you’re entering the sports history of your country performing for the first time. Great actually.

REPORTER: For now, your fourth place is the best of our representatives.

IVAN: Yes, I'm sorry I didn't get to the bronze, but I'll have another chance.

REPORTER: Darinko, you did a great job in qualifying, what happened later?

DARINKO: Yes, in the qualifications I did all the schoolwork as they say, caught the airbag and shared the first place. Unfortunately in the main competition the first jump was bad because the wind changed direction and it disturbed me.
The second jump I jumped under a lot of pressure because I realized I had squandered the opportunity. I jumped better but that was only enough for 11th place.

REPORTER: And you will have a chance for a better result. To remind the spectators, in addition to the two of you, we had two other representatives, Salazar Nagyovy was 44th and Ratko Ložunić jumped to 98th place at only 16 years old.
Biathlon was the second discipline for ours, the first women’s discipline in which our girls competed.
Nina, Ivana, your impressions?

NINA: haha it was definitely not our day. The trail was extremely difficult. I didn’t sleep very well from everything and it showed in the race. In the standing position I had a lot of misses.
Enough for only 30th position .

REPORTER: Ivana?

IVANA : I started well and then I missed 2 targets in the standing position and 2 in the lying position. That took me away from the fight for medals. 4 misses is still too much for the top 10, let alone for medals.
We will have a chance to fix it haha

REPORTER: Ivana, you were 21st in the end, Nina 30th, Olga Masterkova 80th, disappointing for her and Dauda Tulyaganova 91st.

REPORTER: for now we are close to a medal, we hope so.
We wish our dear Olympians success in the coming days to reach the Olympic medal. Dear viewers, stay with our program and follow the Olympic Games.
A lot of excitement awaits us and I greet you as well as our guests in the studio.
Thanks for your attention and see you tomorrow at the same place at the same time.

by **Liventia** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:00 pm

(OOC note: In Liventian fluid time, each edition of the Winter Olympics takes place 2 years apart.)
Luger Stevens seeks two more Olympic medals in swansong
Clayquot, KELSSEK— Caleb Stevens knows his sporting career is nearing an end.

Luge is not a well-paying sport, even for the best-sponsored athletes; now in his third Olympic Games, the 27-year-old Stevens, twice an Olympic medallist, is ready to move on to the next phase of his life.

"I've loved having this experience for the last six years as an elite athlete, but our sport – even with the central funding we get – just won't let me live comfortably, and I have to be realistic," Stevens admits matter-of-factly.

"I think that when I first took this sport up at 21 I never expected to be where I am now," he nods as he walks alongside this reporter on the luge course before the last training run.

"It's been a crazy, crazy roller coaster and to win gold and silver in my first two Games was just amazing."

All the more amazing when you consider his career nearly never got off the ground after he suffered a broken neck at the Liventian Open Trials shortly after the XII Olympic Winter Games, which Liventia did not attend.

"I remember it so clearly, which is mad because it gave me a concussion and I should not have any recollection of it," Stevens laughs.

"I was in my last year at uni in Neverend, and I saw an ad for the Open Trials at the national sliding centre, which is obviously an Olympic track in its own right. Pretty daunting," he says.

"You know, 21 years old, you think you're everything and in great shape and this is your one chance to become an Olympian overnight. I'd been watching the luge in Prescott and thought I'd give it a go. But then I crashed, on turn seventeen. Flipped completely out of a high-speed turn, heard a crunch in my neck and knew I'd done something bad, slid all the way down.

"Straight into hospital, they thought I'd have to defer my studies and certainly no more luging. And yet I was back finishing my exams two months later – from hospital, obviously, and then six months after my accident I was back to have another go.

"I just showed up one day and told them I'd come to complete my Open Trial," he chuckles.

That put him on the radar of two-time Olympic champion, and the national team head coach, Charles Hewitt.

"You've got to have some balls to do this sport," Hewitt said. "To crash like he did and have the guts to come back and say he wanted another go, and to actually show that raw speed and talent, we knew we had something to work with."

Extreme hard work meant Stevens found himself fast-tracked into the elite performance team and in Prescott for the XIII Games.

"I was so nervous," Stevens says. "I could barely eat before the second day. But it was just a dream scenario. First Games, complete newbie, and Olympic champion."

Two years later in Yeaddin, he won silver behind local hero Osterrazi Onalinto, in a reverse of the positions from Prescott. However, a disappointing team relay left Liventia out of the medals in that event.

Now 27, Stevens plans to focus full-time on his teacher training.

"My girlfriend and I have just bought a house and I'm training to become a P.E. and geography secondary teacher, and that's really going to be my focus going forward although I'll miss this feeling," he says.

Before he leaves the sport for good, he has two final chances to write his name into Liventian luge history with potential third and fourth Olympic medals, in the singles and team relay competitions.

He sits fourth after the first two competition runs in the singles, only three-hundredths out of a podium position.

"I'd love to sign off on a high," Stevens agrees. "But whatever happens here, I've had fun. And it's been the best six years of my life."

by **Mytanija** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 2:38 pm

“I JUST DIDN’T HAVE IT TODAY” – OSTOJIC
DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE MEN’S 1,500m SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING

by Ilya Zivalvyuk

It will be back to the drawing board for Nedzad Ostojic after the short track star was eliminated at the semi-final stage of the men’s 1,500m event. Ostojic is held in high regard domestically and this was his eagerly anticipated first chance to take on international rivals, but the 22 year old was unable to qualify for the final after a mistake in the penultimate lap of his semi-final left him way down on his rivals. He finally crossed the line over five seconds behind Aslam al-Mussa of Xuande-Xiphoi with the Vilitan Union’s Emnbagi Trivaka qualifying through to the medal race in second. Aslam al-Mussa was the eventual silver medallist, demonstrating the calibre of those in Ostojic’s semi-final.

It will be a huge disappointment for both Ostojic and the OKM who hold him to be one of Mytanija’s best medal hopefuls during this Winter Olympics. He finished last in his semi-final, but he didn’t seem to be quite right all day, he and Darmen’s Tomi Gibb dominated their preliminary race and whilst his quarter final was competitive he squeaked through in third place (albeit over half a second ahead of Krytenia’s Derek Halko). To his credit Ostojic was honest in his assessment of his performance on the day: “I know it wasn’t good enough, even in the preliminary round and quarter finals I didn’t feel quite at it today. I felt like I should be pushing for the top spot in each round and for whatever reason I just didn’t quite have it in me today. It’s all about looking ahead to the other events now.”

The OKM will hope he can turn things around because he does still have the two shorter events, the 500m and 1,000m to look forward to and it is expected he will figure towards the latter end of those events too. The experience of having finally competed at the highest level should stand him in good stead, he now knows what to expect and the level required if he wants to fight it out for the medals. At 22 he has plenty of time and future Olympics to look forward to, but he does have the ability to compete at the highest level right now, so it may be seen as an opportunity missed should he come back from this Olympics empty-handed.

Patrik Ranogajec unexpectedly made it through the preliminary rounds in the 1,500m too, the 18 year old is very much one for the future and the OKM are using this Winter Olympics as a springboard for him (and a lot of athletes), to gain experience from and propel them towards better finishes next time around. He qualified to the quarter final stage alongside Mapletish’s Raul Higgins and Liventia’s Dylan Lowe before being eliminated. It will be an invaluable learning experience for Ranogajec and you can expect him to be enjoying every second of this games, he too has the 500m and 1,000m to look forward to – as well as the 5,000m relay where Mytanija has an extremely strong team and is expected to do well. Ostojic and Ranogajec make-up half of that squad alongside veteran Goce Dimitrov (eliminated from the 1,500m in the preliminary round) and another 18 year old in the form of Dmitry Inozemtsev. Mytanar short track speed skating is in good hands with the 22 year old Ostojic and 18 year olds Ranogajec and Inozemtsev all in the programme, but it’s definitely Ostojic leading the way at the moment – the individual medal hopes of the latter pair may have to wait until next time around.

Close but no cigar

The OKM will be pleased but perhaps a little frustrated with some strong showings in other events, Mytanija placed three in the top 15 of the women’s 3,000m speed skating event. Agnija Grueva’s 8th place finish was the best of the lot, but she finished six seconds down on Margot Hardanger (Saint-Domingues) who won the gold medal. The 34 year old veteran Nea Vogrin finished down in 13th with the comparatively much younger 23 year old Natalia Osokina a position behind her in 14th. Osokina was reportedly extremely excited to be able to learn from Vogrin during this Olympics, with the older skater being a bit of a childhood hero of hers. She may have to pinch herself a little when she prepares to race in the same events as her, with both competing in Mytanija’s black skinsuits with green, white and orange trim in the 3,000, 5,000, mass start and team pursuit events.

It was a similar story in the women’s 15km skiathlon as the 22 year old Avdic twins both finished in the top ten. Almasa finished in 8th with a time of 41:48.5, whilst her sister Ifeta finished in 10th nearly half a minute later. In both the speed skating and the cross-country skiing Mytanar athletes put in very good performances, but were just that little bit off the top-level. For what it’s worth, Cassadaigua’s Sarah Fuller was utterly dominant in the skiathlon, winning gold by over 20 seconds. That’s the level the OKM want the Avdic sisters to reach and they may well do so in the future. At 22 they have plenty of time to develop, but good performances like this do make you wonder what they could have done with a little bit more support from the OKM.

Teodor Dalkalachev finished 4th and just outside the qualification places for the final of the men’s slopestyle snowboarding event. He was pipped at the post by Chromatika’s Xua Le whose first run was good enough for second-best after the first set of attempts. Dalkalachev made a very good run second time around, also good enough for second-best in the second lot of attempts – but sadly Xua Le’s first run was better. Kelssek’s Dustin Wood also pulled out a stupendous second run, an 85.4 which beat Dalkalachev down the order.

It was better news for Branko Lazarevic and Danika Savicevic as they continued their good form with two more wins in the curling, they look very good value to qualify out of their group with two fixtures to go. The 36 year old Emil Marcec sits in 6th place after the first two runs of the men’s luge, he could well move into a medal position if he can improve slightly through the final two runs tomorrow. Finally, Pino Klum qualified to the final of the men’s moguls at the first time of asking as he tied for 7th with Quebec’s Alexandre Stewart. Vanja Pavlovic’s attempt in the second round of qualifying was enough to see him join Klum in Sunday’s final.

Tomorrow’s schedule

It’s the big one, arguably the blue riband event of wintersports, the men’s downhill at the Entauren Mountain Resort. Josif Tsonchev will go into the race as one of the main contenders after his performances in the last (curtailed) season of the Alpine Skiing World Tour. His win at Lake Toggeran lives long in the memory and he has long been considered a favourite for the men’s downhill amongst Mytanar bookmakers. The field at the Olympics is especially strong, though, so the level will be really high and as we know with the downhill it only takes one mistake to completely ruin your chances. MKV will have full coverage of the race and I will be reporting for Gazeta Sporta throughout tomorrow’s proceedings from Kelssek.

by **Aboveland** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 3:02 pm

Team Abovian Union Promises, Then Falters, in Figure Skating | Day 1

The delegation of athletes assembled by the Abovian Olympic Committee has gotten off to a reasonably good start at their Olympic debut in Clayquot, Kelssek. After Wednesday's start to the Games, where Nykipish ski jumper Neemo Baardsen finished joint 92nd in his first competitive outing outside of Nykipiflugpuu, all eyes were on the Abovian figure skating team, as they set out to capitalize on their decent showing the day prior in mens' and pairs' short program events.

The breakout performance for Team Abovian Union was the bi-national Mannisenmäki/Anttila Ice Dancing pairing, who skated precisely and gracefully to a traditional Abovian waltz. Taking few risks, all the while executing a clean curve dance lift leading into a series of spins, the novice pair managed to place Team Abovian Union fourth overall, ahead of last Olympics' gold and silver medalists West Phonecia and Diarcesia. Unfortunately, the pick-me-up would prove to be short lived, as Noora Kuivala's short program fell short, ultimately landing Aboveland out of the top 10.

Also on day one was the much anticipated Olympic debut of flag bearer Sami Katjamäki, the 19 year-old going out, along with Risto Vuohensilta, in the preliminary rounds of the 1500m short track event by less than a second's margin; surprisingly however, not all hopes were lost, as 27 year-old Miikka Salminen of Kylmajärvi qualified second in his heat and advanced to quarterfinals, finishing last in his round won by eventual silver medalist Aslam al-Musara, after a misstep cost him valuable time halfway into the race.

Team Abovian Union's best overall performance of the day, however, came thanks to luger Miikka Solveig-Sikk of Iskifjellrevenbyen, the Abovian putting in a very strong performance in his first two runs to finish within a second of leader Eduoardo Malampara, having set one of the quickest times in run one and going slightly off line in run two.

Ælunder Nyttispalvelu was able to reach out to Noora Kuivala after her disappointing routine, which unfortunately terminated Aboveland's medal hopes in the figure skating team event. The Abovian lamented her performance, promising to "make up for it" come the individual event later in the Games, and blaming her fall during the landing of her double axel and unstable spins on a damaged right blade.

"I had to go out there, no matter what," she said. "Just a few minutes before going out I asked Noora [Kukkula, fellow figure skater and domestic arch-rival] to hand me my pair of skates, but we dropped them and the blades bent. It's nobody's fault, of course," she assures, perhaps nodding to the second party in the incident, "but I'm obviously very, very disappointed, yet thankful I didn't hurt myself."

Team Abovian Union's medal hopes resume tomorrow, January 22nd, as Miikka Solveig-Sikk looks to improve on his final luge runs; Ilka Sohlberg and Emi Kaltakari, of Nykipiflugpuu, make their competition debuts in short track speed skating; and alpine skiing legend Jari-Matti Talvela joins Markku Salonen in men's downhill, with some of the biggest hopes of Team Abovian Union resting on their shoulders.

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 3:07 pm

TU Stelburg

Faculty of Arts - HIS 3305

Teus History Pre-1130AD
Professor Johann Richtenbach

Lecture 2: Religion, Part I

Any culture will usually derive at least some of its unity from shared belief. Consider the example of the Teus Empire - Teus Catholicism held a great deal of power within the realm, with priests amongst some of the main advisors of the Kaisers. The period of the Crusades established the Empire’s power, while the Twenty-Nine Years’ War changed its status in the Empire forever. Even the motto of the Teus Empire, found written on coats of arms and carved on soldiers’ rifles as they fought in overseas territories, represents this: ”Gott verteidige Teusland”, ‘God defend Teusland.’ The United Republics today are officially a secular state, but religion still plays a large role in society - see the conflict in Siovanija over legislation to ban public servants wearing religious symbols. One of the great differences in the modern day country remains the gap between largely atheistic Siovanija, and largely Catholic Teusland.

Some of you may be surprised, however, to learn that Catholicism was not always the religion of choice in Teusland. For thousands of years, Teus pagan beliefs held a great place in Teus society - and in some places remained that way even as late as the 1400s. The colony of Prinz-Eugens-Land eventually became a haven for pagans, who faced persecution from the Church at home, and this is reflected in place names such as Walhalla and the River Gjoll. What were these beliefs, and how did they come to be?

The earliest religious records we have of old Teus pagan beliefs come from a story of three priests, two male and one female, found dead near the city of Felsenstadt (present-day Felsenkirchen). There is no information as to what religion was practiced by them, or what they were doing or how they were killed, however, they are specifically referred to as religious leaders.

The earliest written record was discovered near the city of Marlesee. Written in the old Teus runic alphabet, which was the dominant language of the day, it is a poem written and dedicated to Bragg, the God of poetry. It is generally understood that the Teus pagan beliefs spread throughout the River Drai civilization in its earliest days, and were taken by the various tribes with them as they moved out of that ‘cradle of Teus civilization.’

There were, of course, differences between them in the earliest days. In the northwest, for example, the goddess Baduhenna was connected with war, and sacrifices were often given to her before major battles. In the area around Stelburg, however, Baduhenna was seen as a goddess of good health. Universal was the main core group. Woden, the father of all beings. Donar, his son, who wielded a hammer and was god of thunder, and Lokke, his other son, a trickster god. Of course, these descriptions are quite familiar across modern popular culture, so we shall not go too in depth here, instead focusing on how the Teus people interacted with these gods.

The most popular god amongst the ancient Teus was certainly Donar. The number of place names named for him exceeds all others, particularly the large urban centre of Donarsheim - modern-day St. Jakob. Lokke had places named after him as well, while none were named for Woden. Various villages and towns would adopt particular gods as their patrons, building shrines to them.

These shrines were thought to enhance the power of a village in war, and its luck as well. When the small town of Launitz, on the edge of the Teufelswald, held out in a battle against forces from Stelburg, it was thought that the town’s small shrine to Donar was the reason for their success. In Stelburg, as a response, a new temple was dedicated to the god of thunder - and two years later, Stelburg would defeat the army from Launitz in battle. Cities would also draw symbols in this way - Stelburg’s god of choice, Donar, was thought to be connected with wolves. Therefore, the wolf became - and remains today - the symbol of Stelburg on its coat of arms.

The stories of the gods began circulating in writing around the year 820, collected in the works of Volkmar of Stelburg. Volkmar was a traveller, who visited various regions of Teusland, collecting information and various customs. His works make up a great deal of the knowledge of this time period of Teusland, but their true accuracy is disputed. His tales of ‘vicious fighters’ who sailed to conquer foreign lands, for example, have been disputed: no archaeological findings prove that the Teus civilization left the island in this time.

Volkmar claimed to have travelled to the ‘Kingdom of the Mountains,’ now thought to be the territory surrounding Stahlberg, in the northwest, and to all the major centres of the country. His largest work, Volkmars Sagen or ‘Volkmar’s Saga’ was part-religious text part-history. It was used in various ceremonies and celebrations, particularly in his hometown of Stelburg. Volkmar’s Saga is today, however, vastly unknown to us - reasons for which we will explore in the next lecture.

Key elements of Teus pagan beliefs included the idea that all Teus who died in battle would join Woden in a place known as ‘Walhalla,’ and that there were nine realms connected to the gods, with the earth being just one of these. What effect did these beliefs have on the everyday life of the Teus at this time?

For the average Teus circa-850, belief in the gods was simply another part of life. There is no evidence of overwhelming devotion to the beliefs, and numerous nobles even during this time are specifically marked in texts as ‘non-believers,’ for example, Landolf of Felsenstadt, a duke of that realm in the era. Feasts were held several times a year in honour of various gods, and warriors would usually attend a ceremony at a temple the night before a battle. In what rudimentary education systems were present in the country at the time, religion was not really a major topic - it was more of a private matter, one between families. The runic writing system, however, which was used in religious texts, was widespread amongst the population, and was the main form of written communication. The growing standardization of religious beliefs, particularly after Volkmar's Saga was published, helped with a growing standardization of the Teus language, particularly in the north. In some ways, it led to Stelburg Teus becoming the 'centre' of the language.

Teus pagan beliefs were held by the vast majority of the Teus population circa 1000. However, they were unprepared for the coming arrival of foreign forces. In the next lecture, we will discuss the end of widespread paganism in Teusland, its Christianization, and how pagan beliefs continued in some form.

by **Ioudaia** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 3:44 pm

Biathlon: Women's 7.5 km Sprint
Coronet Park, Clayquot

Adva Gorgo bat Isadora coasted out after crossing the finish line. About fifteen seconds off the leader and eight off of bronze. Not good enough this time. She looked up suddenly, and rechecked the leaderboard. "Where's...?" she muttered.

A few seconds later, she got her answer, as Kyra Glezos skied up to her. "Where'd you go? I thought you were doing well," Avda asked.

Kyra gasped out an answer between breaths. "I was... just... outskied. I... I don't know."

"Let's go find the guys; maybe they saw something." They set off for the edge of the track, and were joined by Rumya bat Tafat before reaching the men's team.

Kyra nodded at Peneleos ben Chadad. "Did you see what happened to me? I just felt... outclassed."

He shook his head. "A little slow leaving the second shooting round. Did you have trouble with your rifle?"

"It wouldn't stay slung, but not this bad."

Peneleos looked to the other male biathletes. "Anybody see anything?" He got back a set of headshakes and no's. "Well, you qualifief for the pursuit... you both did... so you're not out of it yet."

"Yup. Hopefully a bit better tomorrow. But with only two of us... the odds don't look good for the country."

"I'll cheer for you!" Hermine Reut bat Antiope skied up to the group, cheerful despite finishing in the back of the pack. "Poor showing for the girl from Lemnion. Five missed shots didn't help her."

"No," Peneleos replied, "but I think I saw what happened. A bit of a pull to the left. Let's work on that at practice."

Men's Ski Jump: Normal Hill
Entauren Mountain Resort

Matan ben Utz checked the final scores and pumped his fists in the air and ran around whooping like he'd won. Sophia Laskaridou from Champion caught up with him, thrusting a microphone in his face. "Wow, that was a good finish! Did you expect it?"

"No way!" Matan practically shouted into the mic, pumping a fist one last time. "I was hoping for maybe the top ten after qualifying, but fifth? No, I didn't expect that, and definitely not less than four points less than the... well, they tied for silver."

"How do you feel--"

"About my chances on the large hill?" He shot her a wicked grin, too used to sportscasters' patter. "Well, pretty good. That's my stronger event, but first things first. I still gotta qualify for it. But I've got a few more days of walking on air before then." He showed a sunny grin. "This is the best I've felt in years! Training's starting to pay off! Maybe not this olympics, but the next one or the one after."

Speed Skating: Women's 3,000 m
Fratellis Olympic Oval, Clayquot

Lenvona Jaleh leapt into the air. "I won a medal! I won! I won!" Her teammates formed a tight huddle of a group hug around her as they congratulated her. Minutes later, tears of pride streamed down her face as she stood on the lowest step of medal podium.

She was barely down when Pentapolis Broadcasting's Myron Daniel raced up to her, camerawoman and light guy close behind. "Lenvona, congratulations! How does it feel to be Ioudaia's first medal winner at the XV Winter Olympics?"

"I... The first? Oh, wow! I thought... well, probably one of the skiers..." She needed a moment to recover her wits. "Well, it's pretty good, I feel pretty good. We're a young team, and while we all hoped to do well – OK, we hoped to finish in the top half of the skaters – I don't think any of us expected this. I didn't. I hoped we wouldn't make fools of ourselves, but... I guess more fool me." She managed a timid smile at her own joke. Fortunately, Myron wrapped up his interview quickly, leaving her to make sense of her victory.

Cross-country skiing: Women's 15 km Skiathlon
Coronet Park, Clayquot

200 m left to go. I'm feeling good, hitting my pace. Phyllis bat Ilana risked a glance over her shoulder. Still holding second. She turned forward, fixed on the finish.

Faintly, she heard the swishing of approaching skis, and tried to speed up, but after almost 15 km, her arms and legs weren't having any of it. The skis grew louder. Phyllis was able to slow their gain but not stop it. No! Come on, bod'! Move! Move! No! The skier passed her.

OK, bronze then. 100 m. Let's just hold this together. 75 m... Just-- oh, no! Somebody was creeping up on her. I want this! She put her last reserves into a final push, but it was weak; her vision started to go dark around the edges. The finish line rushed up at her, at them, and--

There was a delay in reporting bronze, as though somebody was reviewing video. Then the times went up. "Oh, no!" Phyllis wiped tears from her eyes: so close... so close, but no medal. Somebody, a teammate, skied up to console her, but Phyllis barely noticed them. "Oh, damn! Blew in in the last 10 m! Damn me!"

by **Kelssek** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 4:03 pm

Cutoff for day 2. Results

RP-relevant note: The downhill run at Entauren is known as the Bear's Paw.

by **Mytanija** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 9:05 pm

TEARFUL MARCEC CELEBRATES UNEXPECTED BRONZE MEDAL
THE 36 YEAR OLD WAS GREETED BY HIS WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN AT THE ETNIER SLIDING CENTRE

by Ilya Zivalvyuk

Emil Marcec broke down into tears of happiness as he stood on the podium with his bronze medal after his unexpected success in the men’s luge yesterday. The 36 year old was not widely regarded as a realistic competitor for a medal heading into Clayquot but he triumphed with a consistent if unspectacular set of four runs which were most importantly error-free. Marcec’s calm demeanour throughout the last couple of days was undoubtedly a crucial part in his consistency, but that fell by the wayside once he was stood on the podium and received his medal. Marcec broke down into tears, his life’s work – in a sport which isn’t very rewarding monetarily – completely worthwhile and the joy on his face was clear for all to see.

Marcec’s four runs were all below 51.8 seconds and it was this consistency which allowed him to creep up the standings as the competition went on. After the first day he sat in 6th and even then he was sceptical of his chances of moving up: ‘I felt like I had had a really good day and a few others had had a bad day. I thought I might slip down a bit, so I was just hoping to try stay around a similar time and hope things fell into place for me to get a top ten.’

It ended up a whole lot better than that. A strong third run of 51.794 put Marcec in a good position, particularly because Renzynistan’s Edoardo Malampaya and Liventia’s Caleb Stevens having expensive third runs of their own. Malampaya recorded a 51.926 and Stevens’ third run was the wrong side of the 52 second mark. Marcec was in the top twenty and through to the final run and all of a sudden in with a very good chance of a medal if he could remain as consistent as he had been through his opening three runs. ‘I knew I had no divine right to make it into the top twenty and get to do a final run. The goal coming in was just to get to that point. Anything extra was always going to be a bonus.’

And what a bonus, Marcec saved his best until last and pulled a 51.557 second run out of the bag, it ended up being the third-best final run in the competition – only beaten by a 51.394 by Andrew Stone (Mapletish) and a 51.551 by Thomas Berger (Siovanija and Teusland). Berger ended up being Marcec’s closest rival for the bronze medal, but his expensive third run hindered in him in trying to catch Marcec despite his marginally better final run. In the end Marcec was only two-hundredths of a second off a silver medal as Falkasia’s Yildirim Sezen – part of the unified Teremaran delegation – narrowly beat him into third-place. Saint-Domingues’ Gonzalo Fresno won the gold medal.

As Marcec got off the podium he was greeted by his wife Rozalija and their two kids, seeing them for the first time since the competition started. They celebrated as a family, with Marcec showing his young daughter his bronze medal after his son had eagerly high-fived him. ‘It was so nice for them to be able to be here in Clayquot, it’s an experience for them, Kelssek’s very different to back home and it’s such a good opportunity for them to be here with me. The past couple of days have been difficult – not being able to see them whilst I’ve been competing – but it’s all been worth it.’

Going into the games Marcec was aware of his responsibility to Mytanar luge, there’s not exactly a pipeline of talent as there is in other sports but his success may well be the catalyst for a renewed interest in the sport. The sheer emotion he displayed in finishing on the podium had many reporting on social media that they too were welling up themselves back home (as a result Marcec’s story has even beat Leonid Glagolev’s gold medal down the pecking order!). A bronze medal in such unexpected circumstances may well pique the interest of some young athletes and who knows? In four years we could be seeing another unexpected success in this event. If we do, we’ll have Emil Marcec to thank.

Glagolev gold!

If Marcec wasn’t widely regarded as a medal competitor in Mytanija ahead of Clayquot then Leonid Glagolev wasn’t even on the radar. The 27 year old speed skater won gold in the men’s 5,000m event, winning by two tenths of a second ahead of Valanora’s Jonathan Løver with Britonisea’s Tom Smith getting the bronze medal. Glagolev is much better known for his proficiency in the mass start event, but here he put in a very strong performance, leaving his competitor behind from the outside lane and gradually building up a lead out on the ice. It was clear Glagolev was putting in an incredible performance, the Mytanar coaches were roaring him on with their support and when he finished he had put in a 6:15.59.

Glagolev faced a nervous wait for the remainder of the athletes to finish, including fellow Mytanars Slaven Nanusevski and Milo Karadaglic, but in the end only four others were within a stone’s throw of Glagolev’s time and none of them could beat him. It was tight at the top, the top five separated by less than three tenths of a second, but Glagolev’s performance will ensure he goes down in Mytanar sporting history. He still has the 10,000m, mass start and the team pursuit to go during this games and he will be looking to build on this incredible start – few would doubt him after winning gold. Turn to page 3 for more.

Disappointment in the men’s downhill

Darko Prelosnjak ended up being the best-placed Mytanar in the men’s downhill at the Entauren Mountain Resort. His 11th place with a 1:55.11 run represents a huge disappointment for Ski Mytanija and the OKM who had the event earmarked as one which they wanted to medal in if at all possible. Josif Tsonchev’s performance was perhaps the biggest disappointment of all, he was expected to be the strongest competitor for Mytanija but ended up down in 38th after an error-strewn run. As we all know, the downhill is perhaps the most unforgiving event of all in terms of errors causing big issues for your performance and he lost time throughout his run down the challenging Bear’s Paw course. Jasno Hajdarevic and Vadik Lagoshin ended up in 31st and 32nd respectively.

Alpine skiing is an event which the OKM invest significant public money into and there was an expectation that Mytanija would be placing someone into the top five as a minimum given the quality of talent and investment the sport has seen over the past few years. The downhill is arguably the true blue riband event of the Winter Olympics and this performance will be a blow to Ski Mytanija and the OKM who had put together a programme to try to improve Mytanar competitors to a level where they could challenge towards the top of the standings in this event. It is an unforgiving event, but there will be a sense of failure among those involved in the preparation for Clayquot. Our hopes will now turn to the women’s giant slalom and Jemina Kopanja in particular, a good performance there and it’ll soon change the mood around the alpine skiing programme.

by **Teremaran Olympics Delegation** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:07 pm

Days Before The Opening Ceremonies
Ministère Chargé de L'athlétisme
Paritte, Gaul

Alec Beaumont sat in the lounge area of the large meeting space in his Ministry. He looked across the room once again at Lady Elisabeta Kosma Ionescu Arano din Olteni, The Taraniman official from over the border. She had been very polite, greeting his staff, as well as early arrivals of the other Madurinite Ministers, then had sat over in a corner by herself, going over papers or working on a laptop. She hadn’t gone near the buffet, other than to grab herself a water bottle.

He remembered her from the past summer, when they had convened yet again to bring a united delegation to compete in the Olympics. She had been rather reserved then too, but maybe he hadn’t noticed it as much. His old friend Jean-Marc Koepller, the Neu Engollian Minister, was a charismatic natural leader and usually took charge of these gatherings, and so it would be understandable if Alec had not noticed her aloofness with Jean-Marc keeping them busy and marshalling the forces.

It was a bit off putting to him still, even if she had been very gracious and polite. He felt that he wasn’t being quite a good host to not engage her enough. On the other hand, he felt that his hosting skills were being put to the test in dealing with Colonel de Villalobos, the San Rositan Athletics Minister who sat across from him, speaking just about any thought that came to his head. He also had a plate of snacks from the buffet and wasn’t quite getting down his rhythm of eating, not talking and not spewing food bits and crumbs at his listeners.

Alton Ortez, the Port Edwinnian Sports minister, gave Alec repeated looks indicating he was reaching his patience with Bruno Salamanca de Villalobos, when he could break the gaze of the San Rositan Colonel. Half the conversation was in Spanish, between the two of them, except when the Colonel decided he needed to include Alec in on parts of their conversation. Alec was not fluent enough in Spanish to be comfortable, but in this case, he didn’t feel left out.

“I know that I have said this before...but it is sooo good that we have athletes participating again with the rest of the region. And now...our first Winter Olympics in 62 years! You think of jungle and tropical heat when you think of my country, but did you know that we actually have a mountain...just one...one mountain that has snow?! Granted, the slopes do not lend themselves to skiing on Mt. Govalio, but…”

“I had heard that, yes…” Alec jumped up, glad for rescue. “Jean-Marc! My friend!”

Koepller strolled in with other officials behind him also flowing through the double doors of the Gaulic Ministry conference room.
“Alec! It’s like we never...No, scratch that...Always see each other every few months! It’s good to see you, paisami!”
Jean-Marc turned aside, motioning to those behind him and ushering them forward.
“We all arrived around the same time and were ushered to your cars...You remember Mirèio Soler…” He put a hand out in deference to the Lacetan Minister. “And this...is Minister Siegfried Bahnhoff, of Austrakia…”

Beaumont shook hands with all of them, familiar and new faces, giving them greetings. “Enchanté...Good to see you again.”

“Good to see you again,” Mirèio said as she held out her hand.

“And to you as well, madame. I owe you a visit to your home turf one of these days.” Beaumont gave a slight bow as he took the Lacetan Minister’s hand.

He raised his eyebrows to Koepller as he shook hands with Bahnhoff.
“Minister Bahnhoff, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I had not heard that Minister Bruchmeier had retired.”

The large, rotund man with thinning grey hair smiled, already proving that he was well on the other end of the spectrum from Bruchmeier, who had never been known to smile, at least not amongst this crowd.
“Oh...he did not retire. He was removed from office, Minister Beaumont.”

Bahnhoff paused a beat, aware that his statement had quite the effect of halting normal conversation in this part of the room.
“...Erm...Yes. Bruchmeier was separated from his position with the Ministry and any government office. The same to be said for many other Austrak officials. The Bundesrepublik no longer wishes to be associated with certain volatile policies...It should not be a shock that Bruchmeier is out. He was quite horrible at his job and rather obstructive, if all I’ve read is to be believed. As you can see from me…” He motioned down to his rather ungainly body.
“...I have never been an athlete, but I also would never pretend I know more about athletic endeavors. I stand by only to assist in whatever way I can to expedite our operations as a regional delegation.”

Beaumont refrained from outwardly clapping.
“Well said, Minister Bahnhoff. I think we will get along famously. I really do look forward to working with you.”

“As do I…” Koepller added.

Colonel Villalobos was up also greeting the new arrivals.
“I look forward to it too. I am Colonel Bruno Salamanca de Villalobos of the Sports Ministry of the Republic of San Rosito, at your service..”

Bahnhoff nodded.
“Oh...uh, oh. I guess I hadn’t read the paperwork too closely. Not quite aware that the San Rositans were sending along part of our delegation. That is very...interesting.”

“As I was telling Minister Beaumont, we only have one mountain with snow cover, but it doesn’t lend itself to skiing very much so we must send our skiers up to the Roman Federated States and Neu Engollon to train. Let me tell you all about Mt. Govalio, though…”

“Well...maybe in…”

“Nonsense, let’s go sit down and talk about the beauty of my country” The Colonel insisted.

Beaumont was overjoyed to be foisting the San Rositan onto the Austrak. It was like a small, second Christmas.
“Jean-Marc, come, let’s get food and talk.”

The Neu Engollian was wise to what his friend was doing to extricate himself from the Colonel. Or did he have an ulterior motive?

“Of course, I will follow you.”

The Ministers split off, striding quickly to put distance between themselves and the others.
“What’s up, Alec?”

“Oh, other than the usual concerns?” They reached the buffet table and began to load up plates.

“We have a brief window before the Tavlyrians arrive…”

"Namestikov is going to be with them, Jean-Marc. I can't take that uptight surety of his that it all has to play out a certain way. We can't let him get near the athletes..."

"Look, forget about Falkasian 'Moneyball Guy' for a bit here. We don't need to listen to him. Just like the Summer Edition, he'll blow a gasket as soon as things start getting a little off track from his spreadsheet predictions. He'll go off and cry in his spreadsheets and we won't have to deal with him again for a little while.
Alec, what do you really think of our chances for this year?"

"You mean after your 'stop-loss' to keep our medalists from retiring?"

"Hey! Shhhh...just...." Jean-Marc looked around quickly to see if anyone had closed the gap with them. He guided Alec further to the corner, "Just keep it down. Besides, we all agreed to that."

"Well, except for the athletes. I don't like it, J.M. A lot of them have been ready to retire...More than a year now. A lot of them from your own Confederacy..."

"Pretty sure I explained my case before...We couldn't have all the veterans leave just all at once. Especially not with all these greenies coming in. It would have been disastrous. We needed a smoother transition for the vets to break in the new team members. Also, the medalists, I mean...Who sends as big a delegation as ours without a single medalist?”

“I understand the justification. Just not how we were able to strong arm the athletes themselves to stay in it for another year.”

“It took quite a bit of political clout, and I think you know that. Especially when it comes to talking to the uh, less desirable nations...Your Foreign Affairs Ministry helped us out with the Austraks as we don’t normally have direct relations with them.”

“I don’t think the Austrakians would even consider not sending their medalists, they have a lot more authoritarian control over their program than say, yours or mine. Same with the Yellowsians and Falkasians...”

“Still, we had to be sure for us, especially. And when it comes to the Winter edition, the Glisandians, Yellowsians and Falkasians dominate everything.”

“I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon. Especially now that we have a bunch of disgruntled Madurinite athletes forced to stay in past retirement. You know, J.M., I backed your play, as did my government, but personally, I don’t think the benefits will outweigh the fallout. Just going to say that now.”

“Well...I don’t think you had to voice that, old friend.” He bit into a baby corn, then ate the rest in the next bite.

“Friends can disagree, Jean-Marc.”

“Oh, I’m well aware, Alec. Let’s shelve it. Looks like our colleagues from Tavlyria have arrived.”

They wandered over, dropping their plates at a corner of the big table to pick up later, after all the new round of greetings and introductions were over.

by **West Phoenicia** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:13 am

** Vibr is the leading social media site in West Phoenicia.

Vibr allows users to share pictures, music, videos, polls, articles in addition to consumer and business to consumer sales and auctions. It allows users the freedom to post their thoughts and opinions without restrictions.
It includes an inbuilt video-calling service to communicate and live stream with one person or hundreds. It also allows users to create groups to post messages or engage in live streaming with friends and fan bases.

Kyle Wannamaker Vibr Live Stream

Kyle has been a part of the Vibr community for 10 years. In the beginning, it was to keep in touch with family and friends while he was away studying at University.
It wasn't until a year ago, he decided to step up and broadcast his first live stream.
His first live stream was a flop with only five people viewing his stream, leaving him disheartened and questioning whether he should attempt live streaming again.

Kyle refused to be a defeatist, he spent time watching other live streamers who were pulling in big audiences and started to incorporate elements into his streams. Lavish backdrops, silly challenges, and hot topics to garnish attention.
Now one year later his stream was popular, and would often have 500+ people tuning in during his live times.

The hot topics trending at the moment were the XV Winter Olympic Games being held in Clayquot, the emergence of WP-Pop on the airwaves and polygamous Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II search for a 4th wife.
While other popular streamers like Angel Lee were critiquing the Winter Olympics, he decided that was also a topic he wanted to get on board with too.

He chose the perfect backdrop, fitting for the topic. A large West Phoenician flag dotted with handmade snowflakes, surrounded by purple and gold balloons and streamers. He found a pair of skis in his garage and placed them on one side of the flag.
The backdrop oozed Winter Olympic realness.

He painted half his face purple and the other section gold. No one could fault him on his patriotism.

He appropriately titled the live steam Onya West Phoenicia!

He sent out an update blast to alert those who had favourites his profile he was going live.

"Good Afternoon West Phoenician sports fans both here and abroad. Welcome to my stream, today and for the duration of the Games, I'll be discussing all the good, bad and ugly of the XV Winter Olympic Games. I hope you will enjoy it. If you are new to my stream, don't forget to click the favourite button and if you support the channel and it's content don't forget to send lots of hearts, roses and diamonds."

Kyle paused to take a sip of water, carefully showing the brand on camera. Who knew, many companies were using live streamers to promote their brands to their audience, maybe he would receive an endorsement.
Kyle watched fans treacle in. He shouted out to his regulars and waved to the new people entering the room.

"Hit the thumbs up emoji if you absolutely loved the opening ceremony! Kelssek did an amazing job. Opera is not my cup of tea but Arlene Nah of the Etnier People’s Opera belted out their national anthem with such gusto, I doubt Madame Sofia Le'Oranga and Jade could do better."

Cuddlebear12:For someone who doesn't like opera, you know two of our biggest stars.

Kyle chucked at the comment, one of many that appeared on the screen.

"I don't Cuddlebear12, I dated a girl in university who loved opera, so I researched some of our best to impress her. Moving on. The fireworks display is always a hit, we are certainly a nation that loves explosions in the air followed by bright colours to distract us.

BettyWooWoo I adored the holographic dragon, that was fantastic. The natural disasters were depressing. But the dragon made up for it.

" Yeah, a tad depressing at the P’gourix spirit, reminded me too much of our government."

Kyle chuckles

"That's a joke, so calm down any pro-government fans out there. I always love the
parade of nations, it's really good to see nations marching out in their chosen uniform or cultural garb."

Mike_Blaine: West Phoenicia was so boring during the parade. No pomp, hardly any glamour.

"I think they saved money on this event by reducing the glamour. But it was missed, the reason why many of us tune in is to see West Phoenicia rise to new heights with the performance or crash and burn with melodramatic nonsense. Aside from the robot-like entities, I do like the story Kelssek told. It certainly was different. I give it an A- and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron was tasteful, respectful and a good tribute to one of their fallen athletes."

White_TrashBarbie This stream sux. I'm off to Angel Lee's stream.

Cuddlebear12 No one asked bitch. Go crawl back under your rock.

"Ignore her Cuddlebear. Thanks for the comment, but only positive vibes here. I'm sorry I don't talk about the crotch area of a male figure skater or which of the men's hockey team I'll blow. I'm just keeping it real. I hope you find what you are looking for over at Angel Lee's stream"

Eye-Heart-Kyle1 You're far too nice.

"That's how I roll. I love all my fans and those who come to watch me. But if you don't like me just click off."

Kyle paused to have another sip of water.

"Thank you GarySniper for the 12 roses."

GarySniper Welcum. What's the topix 4 2day?

"Each day I'll focus on some of our wins and loses, but today I wanna focus on something I find funny. A friend of mine from another nation found some of our names amusing. I had to explain that is West Phoenicia for ya. Gone are the days of John, Mary, James and Sarah's being the norm, West Phoenicia now days tend to have some outlandish names, and it's not as if their parents are taking the piss, they just seem to like their children being different."

Mayday55 Tell me about it. My real name is Mayday. Thanks Dad!

"Love the name."

Eye-Heart-Kyle1 Me too! And Kyle, my real name is Mary. Hope u not saying I'm boring!!!! Lol

"No disrespect. Mary is a good fine name."

Kyle performs a heart symbol with both his hands.

"I just find it wonderfully weird, in how names have become over the top in the last 30 years. It's cute but weird. And I feel for those kids, who are cursing their parents for doing it."

"So while I'm not disrespecting the athlete and their talent. Today's challenge for my fans is to post a West Phoenician athlete who you think has a wonderful weird or even disturbing name. For each response that gets liked, I'll donate a heart or diamond gift to the poster."

Xanadu007:Not these games, but at the XIV Winter Olympics but in the Ice Racing demo event. Bernike Freebush placed second.

Mike_Blaine:Bernike is not a weird name tbh. Old but not weird.

Xanadu007:I meant her surname Freebush. I find it suggestively funny. Get it FREE-BUSH

Marsha-QueenofDiAmonds What are you 12?

"How about Dionysia Starquest, one of our up and coming Biathlon starlets. Unfortunately, she finished in 63rd place. Not a good look for a favourite of the Biathlon Association."

GarySniperIsn't that a lolly?

BettyWooWoo That's starburst. She sounds like one of the team's astrologers, not an athlete. I wouldn't be giving someone a weapon with that name.

"Placing 63rd doesn't ooze crack shot. I'm sure as long as you moved, she would miss hitting you."

Eye-Heart-Kyle1 So funny. Lmao. If I can find a weird name, will you take off your shift and show us your six-pack?

"Cheeky. But because it's you who asked sure."

Cuddlebear12:Find one quick. Haha

Aaron1978 Live long and prosper with Vulcan Costa.

"Whose that?"

Aaron1978 Short-track - Men's 1 500 m. Just hard to tell if his parents had a thing for Star Trek or Roman Mythology.

Kyle attempts to do the hand symbol of Dr Spock.

"Life long and...ouch my finger is cramping. But here are some hearts coming your way as a gift for that answer."

GarySniper While not a funny name. Nikau Fuimaono placed eighth in the Ski jumping - Men's Individual Normal Hill.

"I have a confession to make"

Kyle moves closer to the screen, beckoning his fans to also move closer.

"I thought Ski jumping was like Long Jump and the athlete ran with his skis then tried to jump as far as possible in a snowpit. I had no idea they zoomed down an in run
take-off table and shot into the air as if fired from a canon."

MissZee How about Snowboarding:Men's Parallel Slalom snowboarder Mathghamhain O'Shea?

"I'm not a fan of maths. I would hate to have it in my name if I sucked at that subject. And would take ages to spit his name out if you were trying to get his attention."

Eye-Heart-Kyle1 lol. I can't find one. Usually, every man and his dog has a weird or unique name. I must be missing something.

Cuddlebear12: Need any help? I'm just ordering a pizza then I'll help.

"No helping. You enjoy your snack, if she can't find, she gets no six-pack. Ahhh bad at rhyming poetry."

Eye-Heart-Kyle1 Found one!!! Ankhesenamen Sadis. FreestyleSkiing:Women's Slopestyle. Guaranteed her parents are from the city-state of New Egypt with that mouthful.

"Ehh I don't know. Sounds common like Amy or Lisa."

Kyle raises an eyebrow to the camera, scratching his chin in thought.

Mike_Blaine: Citizens from New Egypt tend to be a little on the freaky dippy side. Much like those from the city-states of Polythesia Haven and Olympia Hills. Obviously, someone laced their water with LSD.

Kyle who was taking a sip of water, laughs and spits it out.

"Better be careful, just in case."

Eye-Heart-Kyle1 No cheating! A promise is a promise. Show us some flesh.

I'm not that kind of streamer if you want X-rated hop over to Venus69 or Loin-cloth Cowboy's streams. I'm a good man I am."

Eye-Heart-Kyle1 Just your shirt. Come on. You promised.

"Gee, it's not like I'm all muscles and hotness. I'm shy."

BettyWooWoo That's not what Angel Lee said on her live stream. She said you're in the top 5 of male streamers, she would love to see without their clothes on."

"Wow, won't anyone defend me? Cuddlebear12?"

Cuddlebear12: If you support Team West Phoenicia you will show us your patriotism by taking off the shirt.

"Et tu Cuddlebear12. Sigh. Ok, But if I lose followers, I'm suing you all."

Kyle stands and slowly unbuttons his top.

by **Waisnor** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 6:30 am

Another one in short-track

Day two in this Winter Olympics brought another nice result of Waisnorian in short-track discipline, only for this time it's from person from which it was expected:

Inna Bonbardirova wanted to prove her reputation as one of the best short-trackers in Waisnor. In the first round, Inna was determined to win. From the very beginning, Bonbardirova managed to become the leader of the race, and then her main goal was to keep the leading position. However, Ligea Giannopulus from Diarcesia did not agree with this and tried in every possible way to take the first place, but Inna was not going to give it up. However, somewhere in the middle of the race, Ligea made a powerful leap and for a short period of time was able to become the leader. Inna was not going to endure it and gradually began to approach her rival and overtook her, after which she began to increase her advantage. Bonbardirova was able to finish first, overtaking Giannopulus by more than a second.

In the second round, Inna had to fight Giannopulus again, but it was clear that she had taken into account her mistakes of the last race. Both rivals were immediately overtaken by Ótta Jonathansdóttir from Graintfjall, so Inna and Ligea again began to fight among themselves, not paying attention to the others. Moreover, this was a battle for the next round. Most of the time, Bonbardirova held second place, holding back Giannopulus. However, towards the end, Ligeia made a rather strong leap, thus overtaking Inna, and, like Bonbardirova, began to build up the lead. As a result, the second place remained with Ligea, 0.280 seconds ahead of Inna.

OTHER WAISNORIAN RESULTS
Vyacheslav Gorbachev ended 15th in luge individual competitions, Boris Balabanov improved his position and became 37th
Larisa Kirillova in the same competition with Inna Bonbardirova, 500m short track, was knocked out in the first stage, placing 3rd in her heat
Vladimir Shlapakov earned best Waisnorian position so far - 9th place in 30km skiathlon, Yuri Kuzmenko ended 45th

by **Saint-Domingues** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 7:56 am

GOLDZALO
Luge - Men's individual: Second gold medal won as Gonzalo Fresno places first after four runs
Saint-Domingue have won a second gold medal in just the second day at the Olympics in Clayquot. Fresno becomes the first male athlete from Saint-Domingue to have won an Olympic gold, following on from speed skater Margot Hardanger's triumph on day one.

As reported yesterday, Gonzalo Fresno became a surprising contender in the luge after his first two excellent runs, which left him in 2nd place ready for his third and fourth runs the following day. Fresno showed he was a man for the big occasion, bettering his first two runs with a personal best of 51.538 that catapulted him into the top spot. His fourth run was not as good (51.743) but he was still able to finish first with a total of 3:26.555 over four runs.

This medal is a greater shock to the wider sporting world than the last Saint-Domingue win. Hardanger was one of the favourites for a medal both within Saint-Domingue and amongst pundits across the multiverse. Fresno was far more of a rank outsider, and before the tournament the luger himself had admitted to a personal target of breaking into the top 20. To come out top of the pile is a massive upset and a fantastic achievement for Fresno. The Dominguan luger was competing against big names such as the Vilitan Union's Osterrazi Onalinto (who won the gold medal at the previous games), the Liventian Caleb Stevens (the runner-up on that occasion), and the pair from Siovanija & Teusland, Thomas Berger & Emil Sedlak.

Yildirim Sezen, representing the Unified Teremaran Delegation, is another outsider to profit against the odds. Placing third after two runs, Sezen then secured the silver medal with his final two runs. He beat Mytanijan Emil Marcec - another pre-games favourite - by just 0.02 of a second. Marcec will have to be satisfied with bronze, though at least he obtained a medal unlike some of the other highly-fancied lugers. His compatriot Sedlak, for instance, placed in 27th. It will be a particularly disappointing games for Onalinto, who did not even make it into the top twenty (26th) to partake in a fourth and final run to defend his gold medal. Stevens could only place in 7th, whilst Berger narrowly missed out on a medal by finishing 4th. Eduoardo Malampaya from Renzynistan, who was leading the way after two runs, unfortunately fell away with his final two and ended up in 5th. A chronic underpeformance from the stars can be seen in the fact that Fresno's gold-winning score would have seen him place just 7th at the previous games.

Saint-Domingue's Gonzalo Fresno: "These are the days you train so hard for. As I said in an interview to you guys before the Games, top 20 was my aim. If I could get into that and have a 4th run and really showcase my talents amongst the best guys that would have been great. I didn't think my first run was amazing, but I did pretty good. I was easily in my target area for who I wanted to be around. It took a bit of getting used to but I was already placing pretty high after that, and I knew I could 100% get better with the second one. I wasn't expecting to be so high up though, no! I bet Yildirim Sezen would say the same thing."

"When you have a day between your runs, it's just another challenge to make sure your focus and preparation are right. Of course I was nervous last night, but I saw that as another test to prove I could be one of the best. I wasn't thinking about gold at that moment, I was feeling confident about top 20 and did bump my target to top 10. I was feeling like that was really achievable. Matching my second run, that was the aim. Then what I did better than that I was thinking about winning something. I blame that for my last run, which was actually my worst! I might have lost focus a little bit. Thankfully it worked out as I had done enough already. I'm really grateful for the support here and the good atmosphere, I still have the doubles to go but now I feel like I can enjoy the games a bit and experience some of Clayquot. I want to watch a few events myself and help support the rest of Team Saint-Domingue."
Day Two Summary
The biathlon continued as the women's pursuit commenced yesterday. It was more disappointment for Violaine Demaret, who finished in a lowly position of 45th. Huguette Leclair, meanwhile, was able to look upon her result with pride. Seen by pundits as one of the weakest competitors, she overtook her compatriot and managed to finish in the lofty placing of 32nd.

Blaise Arceneaux and Nina Guillaume continued their good form in the curling doubles. The Dominguan duo, who had won their previous two games, made it four wins on the bounce when they defeated Traci Gee and Jacob Dixon from West Phoenicia 6-4 and then the West Floridian pairing of Kitty Saloone Festus Dillon by the same scoreline. They are now third in Group A, just one point off the top.

The women's short track has begun in the 500m and Eugénie Favre, the lone Dominguan representative in this discipline, is soaring. Favre had to race through four rounds - finishing in the top spot in three of them and second on the other occasion - as she made it to the semi-finals. Her quarter-final time of 43.513 was the best of any competitor.

Daniel Spanghero secured a very respectable 7th place in the 5,000m speed skate. Though he finished well behind the time needed for a medal - he was just under 4 seconds behind 3rd - it was a very pleasing result for the young Spanghero, who was aiming for a top 20 finish at best. His onwatching father - a famous sport shooter and actor - will be very proud.

Jacques Brochard got one of the worse results for Saint-Domingue so far. The skiier finished 103rd out of 107 finishers. Phil Touchard did much better in the cross-country ski, getting a 31st-place finish.
					Run 1	Run 2 	Run 3	Run 4	Total 
1	Gonzalo Fresno (SDM)		51.727	51.547	51.538	51.743	3:26.555  GOLD
2	Yildirim Sezen (FLK)		51.915	51.548	51.795	51.579	3:26.837  SILVER
3	Emil Marcec (MYT)		51.801	51.705	51.794	51.557	3:26.857  BRONZE
-
7	Caleb Stevens (LEN)		51.530	51.964	52.005	51.677	3:27.176 [Silver at XIV Games]
-
26	Osterrazi Onalinto (VLT)	52.743	51.940	52.017		2:36.700 [Defending Champion]

by **Banija** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:58 am

Introduction to the Banijan Royal Family- Part I

Are you, aspiring learner, trying to learn exactly about what makes Banija, well, Banija? You may have visited Istria and seen and learned so much- about our faith, our history, our differences and similarities. What makes Banija, Banija. Here in Clayquot, Banija's Olympic house will have an exhibit mostly focusing on Banijan history. We encourage you to go out and enjoy Clayquot, take this Olympic city for all it has to offer!

Different days at the Olympic House, we'll focus on different aspects of Banijan culture and history. The first thing we'll focus on, is the most well known symbol of the country- the crown. Held by, of course, the Kabaka. We'll talk about four major things with the Banijan monarchy. The first? The rules of succession. Second? The rules of marriage. Tomorrow in part 2, We'll talk about the actual individuals in the Royal Family right now, and their role in Government today.

And without further ado...

Royal Succession

Of course, one of the most important things a country can do is secure the line of succession. Of course, now we are a nation of laws. A semi-constitutional monarchy. And, of course, a functioning democracy, with an elected government. But in the past, when the monarchy was nearly absolute, and democracy was not common around Atlantian Oceania, the stakes around succession were extremely high. So you had to define some clear rules, to ensure that the death of each Monarch wouldn't turn into civil war.

Here are the rules for Banijan succession that have been in place since the founding of modern-day Banija, in 1621.

1. Succession is Agnatic- only males can inherit the throne
2. Succession is via primogeniture- the Kabaka's sons(and their descendants) are preferred over the King's brothers
3. Male descendants of the female line are eligible to inherit the throne, although male descendants of the male line are preferred.
4. Descendants must be related by blood, via a validly recognized marriage, to be eligible for the throne(aka excluding out of wedlock children and adopted children)
5. Succession is restricted by religion- Only males who are baptized into the Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints(aka the Banijan Mormon church) are eligible to inherit the throne.
6. The reigning Kabaka can otherwise exclude anyone from the line of succession.

So, are these rules complicated? Not really. Fairly simple and straightforward. It's like most monarchies. You start with the Kabaka. The current Kabaka, Kabaka Mwanga, has three children- Immaculate, his only daughter, is his oldest. Then Mutungi, his oldest son, is his second oldest. And then Ttembo, his second son, is his youngest. So that makes Mutungi, as the oldest son, his heir to the throne. And then all the descendants of Mutungi. Mutungi's sons(from oldest to youngest), would then be next in line. And after that, any potential male descendants of Mutungi's daughter.

Then, after that, it would be Mwanga's next son, that son's male descendants, and so on. Then, any male descendants of Mwanga through his daughters. Then, of course, Mwanga's brothers and his male descendants. Does this sound confusing? To make things easier, here is a chart of the present line of succession. At present, there are 14 direct line male descendants of the previous monarch(Kabaka Albert III, may he rest in peace) who are eligible for the throne.

Rules of Marriage

And the rules of marriage! Like many Royal Families, the young Princes and Princesses of this family cannot simply get married to whomever they choose, and keep their rights to the Throne. There are certain rules that people must follow, although they have recently changed.

The rules are as follows

1. Both participants must be at least 18 years of age, and meet the valid conditions for a Banijan marriage- of sound body, mind, heart, and soul, as well as making a free will choice for this marriage.
2. Any marriage of any member of the Royal Family must be approved by the reigning Monarch. Any member of the Royal Family who gets married without the approval of the Monarch shall automatically forfeit all rights and privileges of being in the Royal Family, including but not limited to- security, financial compensation, permanent exclusion of themselves and their heirs from the line of succession, and permanent exclusion of themselves and their heirs from any Banijan royal titles.
3. Males can only marry women who are baptized members of the Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and commit to raising their children as Mormons. Women no longer have this restriction and can marry men of any faith, although a ban on marrying publicly professed athiests is in effect.
4. Males in the Royal Family must remain in a monogamous marriage- Males in the Banijan Royal Family cannot practice polygamy.

Fairly simple, isn't it? The last rule may make the least sense. In Banija's Mormon faith, polygamy is both practiced and encouraged for men. Of course, for simple reasons due to demographics and economics, the vast majority of men are not polygamous. But almost everybody knows somebody who is, and there are a few more famous Banijans who are, like World Cup 86 Winner Kizza Okafor. It is a sign of status if you are able to financially support two wives, and children with both of them.

However, it is banned within the Royal Family. It would be Allopu II, who banned the practice among men in the Royal Family when he took the throne in 1684. In his writings, he said that "the men of our house take too many wives, and leave none for others." He also said that it was a danger to the stability of the Kingdom. "Imagine," he said in his writings with his reasoning. "You have a monarch with 7 wives. He has two sons with each wife. That is too many sons for a monarch! Too many people who will want power, too many people who will believe they have a right to the throne. And not sharing a mother with your half-brothers, you are far more likely to bring violence upon them to try and achieve your aspirations to the throne. We must not bring that type of instability to Banija."

And he made a radical move. He made all the males who wanted to stay in the line of succession divorce all their wives but one, and annulled their marriages. All the males had to pick one wife and their children with her. Those ex-wives, and their children, immediately became commoners- thrown out of their houses, them and their children banned from royal family functions, and all their titles stripped. They were given a small stipend for two years, but otherwise essentially thrown onto the street.

Was it shocking and brutal? Yes. Was it heartless? Absolutely. But Allopu II had learned from his father, Ruhakana. Be decisive and take action. In his father's last three years of life, there was brutal competition with Allopu II and many of his half-brothers, as half-brother after half-brother tried to get Allopu II excluded from the line of succession. At the time, Allopu II had three wives himself. He only had sons with one, of course. His own ex-wives were exiled to far northern Banija, and although they had stipends for much more than 2 years, he never saw them, or any of his daughters, again.

It's a miracle that such a radical action didn't see him pay the ultimate price. But he was decisive. He got lucky as well, having six sons of his own, his youngest four being a stunning set of quadruplets, who all would grow into adulthood and help him isolate and eliminate the relevancy of his own half-brothers. A brutal ruler who was not afraid to use force, but one cannot disagree that his own decisive action, while described as "heartless at best", and "downright cruel at worst", helped secure the long-term stability of this Kingdom, especially when it came to Monarchial succession.

And that's it for Part I! Come back to the Clayquot Olympic House for Part 2, where we'll talk about the present men and women who make up the Royal Family, as well as their role in Banija's governing institutions today.

Meanwhile, attend these Games! We got 5 Banijans competing in tomorrow's events- Chinaka Chinweuba, in Women's Giant Slalom(Alpine Skiing), which is a general entry medal event. We also have four female snowboarders participating in the women's' slopestyle qualification rounds- Persinna Assi, Zenaye Arya, Habiba Susenyos, and Eden Tariku. Although we aren't known for our Winter abilities, we're hoping we can get a couple of medals at these games here in Clayquot!

Grab your flag, throw on your green and orange jacket, and cheer for Banija!

by **Kriegiersien** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:25 am

Olympic telegram

Only in curling Kriegiersien athletes were in the mixed double unquestionable successful. Unusual compared to the indifferent other members of the Hamsterteam, the couple Ingrid and Boo always argues with each other and explaining to the other cheeping what he or she just did wrong. The two are still with 5 wins on a good way to the next round.

+++

Even though Nadja Nude ended the Biathlon - Women's pursuit on a fourth place, far behind the third place, she was still sassy. “I caught up from behind and I am best Kriegiersien. The other losers didn’t even came close. Shoutout to my ‘teammates’. Maybe you can catch me on my UWhoop channel.”

The head of mission, Atlanta Johnson, wasn’t that happy with this statement.
“It was still a failure of the whole team. Medals are the goal, not petty face-offs with your teammates. If we don’t win medals here soon, there will be consequences.”

+++

Zomba la Bomba was one of the few who was satisfied with his result. 10th downhill on the Bear's Paw was for the Paralympic champion on wooden skier a good result. And he one of the least colourful athletes with his pale complexion, but an eventful journey to (un)life.

He also explained why he, as former citizen from Zombiestan, started for Kriegiersien now:

“I was born when we were still part of Kriegiersien. I even remember the old president, he looked nearly the same. Curious. Then came the Zombiecalypse, I lost my legs, my life, became vegan, the war, the Independence, the civil war. After that the plague. The disasters. I began with skiing, qualified for the Parateam. The Paralympics in Liventia were the greatest days in my live. Then came quieter years and unlife became good, but I missed the competition. And now they offered me so much money if I would change my citizenship back to Kriegiersien and start for them at the Olympics, that I couldn’t say no.”

--------------------------
Etnier Sliding Centre

“I am a doctor, not a mechanic”, said Doc Groom.
“But you are listed under technical and medical staff. And isn’t that the same in the orcish world?”, persisted C van D.
“No. I guess you think of my father who has the same name. I studied medicine, Art and Linguistics at the University in Schoenwetter.”
“That explains a lot.”
“I believe every other Dr. like this Strangelove fellow would been more suited for that.”

C lifted his luge and showed the Orcdoctor the damaged blades.

“But you are here. Look, the blades were furthermore contaminated, when I drove over some feathers. Probably from the Cocoabo.”
“And what should I do about it?”
“I thought you could use some orctechmagic to clean them?”
“I told you I am not one of these orcs.”
“Maybe with a magnet?”
“Are you sure YOU understand what you are working with?”
“No, that is why I ask you. My brother build the thing, but he couldn’t come with us.”
“Can’t you call him?”
“No, he is dead.”
“I am sorry.”
“I am not, he was in front in succession. I tried to get my hands on the sled from the guy from Saint-Domingues, who won, but he saw me.”
He sighed.
“So I do have to find one of the other guys of the techmedteam to help me with that?”
“I guess so”, the doctor shrugged, when his phone rang.
“Yes?”, he answered it, while the luge driver strolled away.
“The Zombieskier broke his wooden leg? I hate to repeat myself, but I am not that kind of doctor. Well, at least it is closer to my expertise. I am coming.”

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 4:04 pm

RBC Sports

Olympic Mornings Live with Ronald Mensing

Siovanija & Teusland’s First Medalist Joins the Show

Ronald Mensing: Good morning Siovanija & Teusland, and welcome back to our studios here in Clayquot, Kelssek, as RBC Sports brings you continued coverage of the Winter Olympic Games. There are plenty of events of interest on the calendar for today, day 3 of the games, but I also have a very special guest with me this morning. Yesterday, you cheered him on as he brought the first medal of the Games in for our country - here is downhill skier Elias Buhl!

Elias Buhl: Good morning, Ron - and of course, good morning everyone back home, especially those in my hometown Stahlberg!

RM: Elias, how does it feel? Surely one of the happiest days of your life and career.

EB: Well, my wife and kids are watching back home, so maybe not the happiest day of my life, but definitely top 5! No, seriously, it’s an incredible feeling. It’s indescribable, really, the way you feel standing on that podium. I felt like I was a kid again, just glancing down at that medal every few seconds, haha.

RM: It’s been a long road for you to get here, Elias, hasn’t it? Tell us a bit about how you got started in the sport.

EB: Well, I grew up playing hockey, like every kid back home, haha. But I knew pretty quickly I wasn’t good enough. Living in Stahlberg though, you get a unique access to mountains in your backyard - literally. When I couldn’t play hockey anymore, I was just a ball of energy still, and so I’d spend my days out on the slopes., just getting better all the time. There were so many kids like me, back then, I was just lucky enough to make a career out of it.

RM: So a case of not necessarily your first love, but the one you found along the way?

EB: Absolutely, looking back, probably the best thing for my career was being cut from the Stahlberg Junior Steelers Under 13’s, haha.

RM: Some coach out there is a Siovanija & Teusland Olympic hero, that’s for sure, haha. Let’s look back a few months now - it’s the qualifying for the Olympic Games, the Sankt Gotthard Winter Trials. All the best downhill skiers in the country gathered, and it was pretty ruthless, honestly - one run, and the top four make it. How do you prepare yourself for something like that?

EB: Well, I knew most of the competitors going in - there’s a great bunch of guys, honestly. And I knew that if I put my everything into that event, I had a pretty good chance of going to the Games. Was it ruthless, I mean yeah, but look at today’s event - dozens of the best skiiers in the world, from all around the world, and only 3 come away with anything. That’s the reality of competition, and it’s really thrilling for me, honestly.

RM: Do you approach the Olympic Games in a similar way?

EB: Other than the difference of not really knowing on a personal level most of the competitors - other than the fact that they’re obviously masters of the sport - the preparation is the same. More focus on timings, perhaps. The STOC was really happy with our times in the trials, they felt it would be competitive - and looking back, they were right, I beat my time from Sankt Gotthard when the original would’ve also been good for bronze. The big difference, obviously, is the stage.

RM: How does that feel for a competitor? Is it more just the pressure that comes with the biggest stage, or just regular pressure multiplied by a million?

EB: It’s like… when you’re here in Clayquot right now, everywhere you go, the Olympics are everywhere. You can’t forget about it, everyone you see in the Village is involved somehow, you practice for the Olympics, and you compete in the Olympics. And you know that you can’t make even the slightest mistake - because everyone else here is a master of the sport themselves, and there’s no room for any error.

RM: Clearly, you managed to cope with it quite well - any advice for some of your colleagues back in the village?

EB: Every other athlete here - except for the guys who are like multi-time champions, but that’s a pretty exclusive club - is feeling the same way as you. So take the pressure and turn it into something positive.

RM: You aren’t quite done at these Games yet either, two more events on the schedule for you. You’re competing in the Men’s Super-Combined and the Alpine Mixed Team events. How are you feeling about those?

EB: Super-Combined is a really fun one, and I’m honestly really excited for it, but I’m not expecting too much out of it, I’m definitely not a favourite even amongst our delegation here, so I’m just going out with the intent of being the best I can. We’re all really excited about the mixed team event, though, I was talking to Jana Eichberg the other night and she’s looking forward to that one more than her own event I think! We’re a fun group, the four of us, and I think we work really well together and you’ll hopefully see that when we compete.

RM: How does Elias Buhl, multi-time Olympic medalist sound to you?

EB: Sounds incredible, Ron. I’ll never let the one I’ve got already go, haha, I’ve already told my wife she needs to get a new door before I get back or else my head won’t fit!

RM: Hahaha, well, you’ve certainly earned it. Speaking as an observer, which events are you most looking forward to following the rest of these games?

EB: Of course I want to see all my friends in the different skiing events do well - Thomas Tannenberg and I have actually trained together before, he’s from Stahlberg, so I’ll be watching the large hill jump closely. But am I even from Siovanija & Teusland if I don’t answer hockey? The women’s team looks really, really strong, and the men’s team, obviously it’s not the A team, but that’s still a damn good hockey club, haha. Any of those players could make the World Cup of Hockey team and you wouldn’t be surprised. There’s a few Stahlberg boys on the team too, so I’ll be hoping they do well.

RM: I think everyone is excited for that, yes. Let’s look through today’s events, Elias. Anything you see here in our schedule that you’ll be keeping an eye on?

EB: Women’s Giant Slalom. Have you had Odette Kleinman on the program? She’s incredible, haha. I remember the day we showed up for training for the mixed team, obviously myself, Jana and Erik Werner are all good friends and know each other well, but Odette is 20, and had never met any of us. She was too shy to say anything to us, haha, but then went out and beat all of us right away! She’s a really lovely person, and I really hope she does well.

RM: She’s definitely a headliner for Siovanija & Teusland today. Women’s ski jumping too, what do you make of our prospects in the normal hill event?

EB: Felizia Korte, I’ve been told, is one of the nicest people on the team, but I haven’t got a chance to speak with her yet. But I was asking Thomas Tannenberg about this too at the Opening Ceremony, and he said to watch out for Romana Ondrackova, the way she recovered on day 2 in Sankt Gotthard to win the event and make it here. You can never count her out.

RM: Just a quiet day for you then today, Elias? Take in some events and, of course, show off that medal in the village?

EB: I wish it were quiet, this is my first of many interviews, haha, and my phone still hasn’t stopped buzzing of course, so there’s a million calls to return. But you can bet that if you see me in the village, I’ll have that medal around my neck, haha.

RM: I wouldn’t dream of thinking anything else, haha. Thanks for joining us today, Elias, and best of luck the rest of the Games! When we’re back from break, RBC Sports Olympic Morning will continue, as we preview the day’s events in depth.

by **Krytenia** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 4:47 pm

ALPINE SKIING: Reigns supreme as it goes downhill for Carver

Taeshan's first gold medal of the games came in the biggest event of them all at the Entauren resort, as John Reigns took victory in the men's downhill. Reigns had the cleanest run of a high-quality field, with the top eight separated by less than half a second. Caught up in this maelstrom was Krytenia's own Thomas Carver, whose run was technically excellent, but amongst a bevy of technically excellent performances, a slight error somewhere along the line would prove fatal for anyone. Perhaps a slightly wide turn somewhere, possibly a heavier landing than expected off one of the jumps. Whatever it was, Carver missed out on a medal by just thirteen hundredths, finishing fourth. Krytenia are still waiting for their first medal of the Games; there are likely few events where they'll be as close and this without taking home the prize.

BIATHLON: Koenig shoots for the moon, only just misses

Joanne Koenig gave it everything in the women's pursuit, and almost shocked the world by picking up a medal. The Adanac skier, 26, hadn't had the best sprint performance, finishing only twenty-third, but was determined to make up for it in her second event. Koenig's time of 30m 25.3s was only beaten by four other skiers; unfortunately for the Krytenian, the fifty-seven second deficit she started with meant she was "only" able to catch nineteen of the skiers in front of her. That being said, Koenig was overtaken herself at the halfway mark, as Bozena Gomolka of Equestrian Poland made a mockery of her seventy-four second handicap to take silver. The result will, however, raises Koenig's confidence ahead of the 15km event later in the week.

SHORT TRACK: Oh, come on Irene!

Irene Silversmith's tilt for 500m gold ended in ignominy as she was disqualified from her quarter-final. Having negotiated the early rounds, the Hefor-born skater looked in position to qualify in second place for the semis before taking a spill on the penultimate lap. As she fell, she caught the leg of the blameless West Floridian skater, Rosemary Flynn, sending her crashing to the ice as well. To Silversmith's credit, as the two got to their feet, the Krytenian apologised to her fellow racer, and deliberately skated behind Flynn to give her second place, rendering the disqualification effectively moot.

Krytenian interest remains in the event through Paula Valka, who won her quarter-final without anywhere near so much drama.

Want to take a shot at biathlon? Find details of local organisations for this and other Winter Olympic sports and get active at www.kbs.kt/sportforall

Watch all the action from Clayquot at www.kbs.kt/smartview[/quote]

by **Taeshan** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:11 pm

Note: All RP's this Olympics are a part of an ongoing TSPN Documentary about Olympic Events of the Past involving Taes, winning moments, moments of joy, etc. This is the beginning of Episode two of the A Team and a dream, The Story of the Taeshan Olympic Team (The Documentary) (continued on from the Summer Olympiad)

The first olympiad Taeshan competed in was held only hours away from the current one in another city of Kelssek, Alvaria. Taeshan came into their first winter Olympiad hopeful about the things to come. After all while Taeshan has been known to compete in many more summer style sports, the people of our nation find themselves at home in the cold. After all it one of the coldest nations in Rushmore, and throughout the multiverse. While soccer is the most well liked sport, and some of the inside sports sides have earned high acclaim internationally, it sometimes seems like Taes are born on the ice and snow.

"Entering their first Winter Olympiad the expectations were big. The nation had announced themselves with their first medal in Columbia, but Alvaria was to be the coming out party for perhaps the greatest hopes. Skiing, snowboarding, the Hockey, it was about to be real competitive, and while it was not the high water mark of the most recent winter olympiad in Yeaddin and Neverend, the Alvaria games was the start. - Bertrand Summers, Winter Olympics Commentator, TSPN

"Taeshan had a lot of hopefuls for this olympiad. It wasn't a great showing, but we all must start somewhere. Three medals, one of each color. It was a start, but it all came out of a weird place, and Taeshan's success in Cross Country Skiing mostly comes from one incredible 15 km race." - Ashton Wilke, Cross County Skiing Commentator

"Georgia Lennon was not exactly a favorite in the 15 km race. But she ended up on the podium. She had a style about her that got her to the olympics, but nothing much was expected of her. Dr. Melissa Carvalho would run away with the Gold representing the Landau Institute, what was she a Doctor of, perhaps not skiing, but on this day she was. Emma Beverly of the Bluth Corporation was a distant 2nd, but far ahead of the pack. Leading that pack was our very own, Georgia Lennon. " - Bertand Summers

"The thing about the last kilometer, is it tends to be the hardest. Georgia was clearly struggling as she got closer and closer to the finish. Nina Sander of Lovisa was gaining for the last 1500 meters and Georgia was just slowly but surely coming to the finish. She thought she could, and she did. The first winter medal, first bronze, and first female medalist. That will never be taken from her. A gripping effort. A thunderous finish. 6 tenths of a second separated her and going home with nothing, but she earned it and in the moments after holding the flag and crying, I remember her husband, future Silver and Bronze medalist Johnathen Lennon, grabbing and parading his wife around in his arms. The happiest couple Taeshan had ever seen at the time. " - Ashton Wilke

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:48 pm

Running Up That Hill

PART 12 (41) - Evermore

The very next meeting was about an hour later. Her Majesty Christine II, with the sudden vacancy on her schedule (her husband, Prince Consort HRH Caspian, was assessing Valladar military training exercises offshore), had decided at the last-minute to schedule their meeting. Sure, the better timing could have been found but under the Quebecois soil. So it was her call to see a friend abroad for once, before they would head to their respective agendas- Her Majesty continuing onto the Eastern leg of the Celebrations from Vaugania to Valladares via Norrskie Zasousti, Norrehavn and Novopetrograd, while Asher would join his love on a last-minute detour to San Ortelio.

It took about ten to fifteen minutes for Asher to arrive at a parlour in Downtown Edmonton. Finding her, naturally, wasn't hard- the number of security personnels present would indicate such anyway- and sooner than later he had arrived.

'Unexpected, spontaneous and yet delightful!' responded the writer, not in the slightest surprised to see his friend. Unlike with Eileen, whom he mostly spoke in English, Asher made sure to speak in a refined, Capitolien Korean in which the nation's intellectuals and their officials spoke as expected in the manner of court and old world society. He went up to Christine, kissed her hand, presented his hurried self and then were seated on a coffee table right in front of him.

'Your Highness, my friend, Christine, you never cease to surprise me with the unexpected engagements!' said Asher, pushing forward with the usually unstoppable tone in his voice, separate from the normally formal tone that Her Majesty's individuals would speak to her.

'Hey you. Am I correct in saying that you're still nervous and rush as usual?' asked Christine, with a clear sense of irony attached to her voice. 'I have heard of your articles that told those back home of your adventures. Quite delightful, if anything, that you did not become insane over there.'

'Why would I? It was more introspective than expected, for it was the tale of war, both internal and external, for me,' said Asher, being much more forward with his words. 'Our ancestors, regardless of their ranks and class, had fought for the right cause on the other side of the Ocean, and we ought to remain proud of them.'

'Always. And always.' She dragged her voice, with the intonations enough to suggest the solemn and the silent in her. 'How is she doing?'

'She? She's always delighted, though more concerned about the tour than the pomp and circumstance for sure,' said Asher who, as a matter of fact, was expected to be alone for three months as a first leg of her Multiverse tour was lurking in about a month's time. 'Enjoying the matters of the normal woman with cyclical schedules.'

'And what does that differ from yours?' asked Christine in a mockery of Asher's unnecessary sharpness.

'None. We all live cyclical lives and so do you,' replied Asher in declaration of what was a clear matter of fact to them all. Alas, that was expected. 'And that's what we live for. Unfortunately, my sorry self is the one least proficient at it. I remember a line of song from her album, that went along the lines of this:

'And if I could reach the Northern lights
Maybe then I'd understand it all
Sometimes I try so hard to find
When all I want to do is fall
Into the night
Into your arms, surrеnder.'

'Aren't our lives wonderful, because of that...' Christine smiled, always delighted to see Asher narrate the lines of his love. Their differences, going back to the very first history tutorial they had at Universite St. Croix under Celine Arnaud-Gibbons, were always stark- the monarch, from the years of lifelong training by her father, always spoke with the sense of all-understanding mater dei, with flares of empathy that her father unfortunately lacked and wanted her to be full of. Asher, on the other hand, was never short of eccentricity and animation in his actions. The tingling of his fingers, the way the limbs would elongate and then sway as if a maestro’s baton, were some of the finest treats any fellow of the Quartier Calanien community would find pleasurable. Perhaps that, in some ways, had Asher become man of every collegiate event, a treat, and may even have helped overcome his challenges with obesity back in those days. Ah, one could have only wondered about what if the Divine Lord, high above, had not designated Her Majesty to be with our favourite Dagan...

In the middle of their conversation about their collegiate memories, Christine delved a bit further. 'Have you ever thought of what if's in your life, dear friend?' she asked, trying not to expose too many details, even to a friend. 'Yesli vyis...'

'Always,' said Asher, trying not to chuckle, 'It would be preposterous to not think of such, especially when not everything goes so fatefully or luckily as your majesty may have had. And it is because of those what if's, that we all make mistakes. But we are also taught to familiarise ourselves with such scenarios, prepare ourselves for the worst, and set ourselves for the best.’

'You are absolutely right, and in that we cannot deny,' Christine nodded, thinking twice before continuing to speak with a bigger smile. '..and it is true that I will be expecting a child, a son, by the year's end. It is a truly blessed news that you may have missed while in Sicoutimont, but I wished to state directly to you.'

'Absolutely. My congratulations on the arrival of your son, the future King, to our earth,' said Asher, smiling for once after all the tensions on their ten-minute conversation.

'Absolutely,' said Her Majesty, relieved that the degree of his response was high enough. 'And someday, a daughter between you and Eileen may be the right match for him, though I'm afraid I may be looking too far into the future...'

'Why would it be?' was all he said, before bowing twice to emphasise the reception of his honour on hearing such promise. 'While such roads may be far and away, at least for Eileen and me, the idea alone will be delightful.'

'Don't be humble,' she continued, her being the more excited one of the two people present in the room. It's almost as if the timing's just about right to shift from a more formal matter of circumstance to a personal situation. 'Caspian and I certainly think that one day, when we all have children, they will be friends by the matter of chance and would find themselves on the wheels of fate all over again...it would be amazing, I would say.'

Asher smiled once more, once again amazed with how Christine turned something so realistic into a magical form. There's a reason why she's Her Majesty, Asher thought to himself.

Twenty four years later...

‘Your Majesty,’ Claire Lundrigan greeted Her Majesty Christine the Second, by placing one place one foot behind the other, slightly bending your knees, and bowed your head. Under the normal constances the Quebecois would have bowed slightly, to indicate their casual approval, but the proper etiquette for the visitors to the Royalty had remained the same- to make a deep bow per Korean-Quebecois customs dating back centuries. ‘It is my honour to be here, as father has often told me so.’

‘Avec mon plaisir, ma fille,’ responded Christine II, her middle-age form allowing the grace to replace the golden aged beauty that she was known for in her initial decade of the glorious reign. After a gentle handshake, in which the commoner followed the protocol and shook her hand, she instructed Claire to sit on an assigned chair, with the tea table right between. ‘My son said you are well acquainted with whiskey, the specific Almagnac XCs of 2010s, if that’s true…’

‘Yes, your majesty.’ Claire nodded, trying to give absolute respect a prospective daughter-in-law, the future Princess of Abitibi, could give. This came even as her late father’s friendship with the late Monarch, whose stories she grew up hearing on the fabled estates of Coxwell Park, would have allowed them to get away with a minor error or two in royal protocol. ‘My late father has told me stories of your majesty, and I am delighted to be under your direct presence.’

‘Well, you are always welcome here in the Palace.’ said the Quebecois monarch, looking at the younger woman. It was evident from her very first glance resembled Lady Lundrigan more than the late Earl himself. Of course, that was a good thing, given the history of beautiful men and women who have come out of the fabled Lauzon house, but she only could have wondered if otherwise, for Her Majesty herself looked lot more like her grandmother, the late Queen Mother Nathalie, rather than any male of her paternal line.

‘Someday, the palace will be home for you and your children.’ she remarked, hitting every bit of truth with the words. ‘I remember that feeling, twenty five years ago.’ Christine reminisced, giving herself a reminder to the five-year period of prolonged courtship between her and her consort, HRH Caspian, Duke of Halifax. Normally a romantic partner to the prince or princess, barring a romantic engagement, were not invited to the Palais Royale per customs, but Claire Lundrigan, the daughter of a lifelong friend, the late Quebecois author, was an exception, especially as they had expected her engagement to Alexandre VI, Prince of Abitibi (approximate title given to the Crown Prince/Princess of this holy royaume). Naturally, Her Majesty had invited Claire for an afternoon tea, which would follow after a normal drink or two. After her arrival at the Blue Room, they were talking about their respective memories.

'As always, I am happy to see you.' Christine said. 'I am delighted to hear that the likely engagement will be happening soon, even though it won't be easy...Alex always takes forever with such matter of concern.' And they both chuckled, being reminded of Prince Alexandre's notoriety for his excessive interest in planning every step of personal matters out. This issue, the product of his schoolboy days at the Kingsley-Avon School two hours outside of Halifax, has become a problem at various points between him and his parents, or girlfriend of four years, and two of the three people happened to be here. 'But I'm sure that all shall turn fine, as the gowns convocate and forms matriculate. N'est-ce pas?'

'Yes, your majesty.'

'No, no, no. Just call me eomeonim (author's note: a Korean-language term for a woman to call their mother in law).' Christine II responded. As she nodded, Claire Lundrigan responded to her question. 'Yes, I agree with you that all will turn out fine with the next year of our lives, as we move into full adulthood, and accept increased responsibilities. Your majesty, Alex and I are all Anglicans loyal to our faith after all.'

Christine nodded in approval, and gave her junior a pat on the shoulder. 'Your father was a loyal man, who truly loved your mother. Thirty years ago, when we were both the students at Trinity College, Saint-Croix, he would occasionally ask me, What would a man be without his love?. It is true that he was proud of his reputation as a rake, someone who would find his pleasure coexist in intersectionality with his ambitions. But never did he let go of what he truly desired, and always carried her photograph, almost as if he wore an icon embedded to his heart. It’s in such faithfulness of a man where humanity's hopes lie, for reasons both good and bad.'

Claire was amused, hearing the Queen's remarks about her father, as she slowly downed a cup of tea. 'It was a happy childhood for us all,’ she responded. ‘One with a truly idyllic setting for me and my siblings. I wish to give back the way my parents had done so too, and that is to live a life appreciative of its gifts, but also to shine the light when asked.'

As the eldest of three children, Claire had immediately remembered the implications of her future mother-in-law's remark as the past and the present intersected. Everybody on Saint-John-Upon-Battersea and the Palais Royale, thanks to many drunk and sober remarks left by the Crown Prince, knew they were getting married soon. Heck, the preparation phase for the festivities and ceremonies that would come with it would suggest as if the eggs were getting hatched before the existence of a chicken that would lay it.

The only downside behind it was the absence of their father, whose passing from an unexpected illness three years ago had left the Earldom to Claire's 19 year old brother Henry, the second Earl of Battersea Woods who was studying at Mount Ester University. Such level of inexperience on the Silverhill estate, had meant that the process, even without starting, had spelled overwhelming weight on the college seniors.

Fortunately, the good thing was that the Palais Royale had long prepared for it all. It was the slightest bit of action Christine and Caspian, from the moment young Alexandre saw the light of the world, had prepared. Was it by the matter of surprise that the lovers were playmates from time to time, or happened to end up in the same private school as freshmen? I believe not.

The conversation continued, with their reminiscence of their late Earl's memories racing their hearts. Eventually, it came down to a tearing moment.

'Christine,' Christine said. 'My apologies for not being able to come to your father's funeral. I know Alexandre and Henri were able to comfort you and your mother back then, but it was beyond my control, a royal protocol, on whether I could attend his or not.' She made a couple of hand gestures, apologising herself for shedding a tear in the presence of her subject. 'But the fates were never wrong, and I wish that he's delighted you are here....'

Claire just nodded. 'I understand, your Majesty,' Claire responded, trying to hold back tears on her own front.

by **Ioudaia** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 6:59 pm

Speed skating: Men's 5,000 m
Fratellis Olympic Oval, Clayquot

After winning his race, Ardashir ben Regev felt pretty good: he was near the top of the leaderboard, and all he had to do was watch the times roll in. His teammates, long since knocked out of medal competition, clapped his back and cheered for him as it seemed that he had a medal in the bad.

Ardashir's mood remained sunny until the very end of the day's racing. One faster time went up, and then another. "Oh, come on! There's only two more races left!"

Faridoon Parsozhad scoffed. "Oh, you come on! The odds of them beating you time are so small it's not worth worrying about!"

The last race's times went up. Ardashir dropped to his knees, hands clawed, roaring incoherent frustration. Rahim ben Dror rolled his eyes at Faridoon and patted Ardashir on the shoulder, then started to help him up, whether he wanted it or not. "'C'mon, on you feet." Ardashir glared at him, refusing to move.

"Look, we're all done. Let's... errr, explore the city. Yeah, there's stuff to do here."

"Yuh-huh. Like what?"

"Welll, we could, um," Trying to come up with a solid answer, Rahim dug out his phone. "Hey, there's an electronic art and music museum! We can do that! It's got five stars on this review site. Aaand... Oh! It looks like we can all drink here, even you, Faridoon! Some fun drugs too!" Faridoon ignored the jibe.

Ardashir's expression remained hostile, as did his tone. "OK. One drink." He gestured sharply at Rahim. "But if the wine's no good, we're coming right back here."

"Fine. Lemme see if the girls want to come too."

"The last thing I need is for Levona to--"

"She won't. Honestly, she's not a bitch. And she has better taste in drinks than you." Rahim make a teasing face at Ardashir.

"One. drink. Things better be better after that."

"Fine." Rahim sent the text and waited a couple of seconds. "OK, we'll meet them at the subway stop." He tugged on Ardashir's arm again, and this time Ardashir got to his feet. "Let's go."

by **Sonnel olympic delegation** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:09 pm

The Silver Standard
Silver Beach's #1 source for news!

Sonnel throws together a 'united delegation' as they look to make an impact at the Clayquot Winter Olympics

Silverian snowboarder Gideon Webber at a pre-Olympic event in Silver Beach

ZION, SILVER BEACH- The Silver Beach Olympic Committee(SBOC) has announced their intention to join four other nations in Sonnel- Chartitstan, the Pripet Socialist Republic, Sevendia, and Almuzahara, in sending a joint delegation to the XV Winter Olympic Games in Clayquot, Kelssek. It is an ambitious proposal. Other region, like the Teremaran Union, regularly send in joint delegations to the Olympic Games, but to the knowledge of the Silver Standard, it would be the first proposal of its kind for the Sonnel region.

Sonnel is a lesser known sporting region, aka a non-major one. Of course, this is not the only delegation from Sonnel at these Games. The nation of Juvencus, a major sporting nation within Sonnel, announced a Unified Panjuven Team with a few other Sonnel nations- Nuovo Juvencus, and Oscioru. Of course, the big sporting nation in these region, Drawkland, is not sending any individual athletes, although Drawkish athletes are going to be on a few of the team sports rosters.

SBOC press officials said that the proposal was ambitious, and it would be a good way to foray Silver Beach back into the Winter Olympiad. "After missing the Summer Olympics, we wanted to get into the Winter Olympics, and this is a good way to do that. We want to continue to integrate ourselves as members of Sonnel- as non-native sons, of course, continuing to work on and build these relationships is extremely important to Silver Beach in so many areas. THis is a difficult thing to do in sports because of our size, but we've got a lot of smaller nations in this joint delegation. Together, we can show up on the world stage and truly help gain respect not for our nations as individuals, but for Sonnel as a whole."

Already, although we have not medaled, Sonnel's athletes have gotten off to a strong start in the Games. In Men's individual normal hill ski jumping, two Sonnel athletes qualified for the medal round. Seattle-Seven Qwven(Sevendia) was third in Qualifying, and Jannes Steinberg(Silver Beach) also qualified for the medal round in the competition. Additionally, Vassili Alesnarovich(Pripet Socialist Republic) advanced to the medal round of Men's Moguls freestyle skiing. A number of athletes already having early successes, although of course they want to turn those simple "early successes" into actual medals.

Time will tell whether this will be a success or not. But credit to all five Olympic associations, plus Drawkland, for pulling this together. This is an out of the box, creative idea to get people more engaged with the Olympiad all across the region. We'll see if it can work.

by **Augusticinia** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:25 pm

Michel Gandzé: an up-and-coming surprise for Augusticinia

Lately Augusticinia's hopes for an olympic medal have fallen short. Snowboarder Mattias Bash after a strong showing in the qualifiers had a slightly less than stellar run with low air time in the final round, while medalist hopeful Ludovico Chiellini, high off of a few top placements in the Skiing World Cup, fared much poorer than usual on atypically icy conditions during his run. The Bear's Paw as the Downhill run is known featured a particular curved section midway through the course that threw Chiellini off of his best form, costing him a few seconds, and ultimately a top placement in the run or even a medal. In a post-race interview Chiellini expressed disappointment at "balking under pressure" but "would continue to work hard, and hopefully keep his career strong." Chiellini was ranked 56th in the event, yet only less than 3 seconds behind the top time.

However, in the Men's 5000m speed skating, a lesser invested-in sport by the Augusticinian team, Michel Gandzé a veteran skater finally saw a worthy payoff and Augusticinia's best performance at the tournament yet. Gandzé following a solid and cool run that according to Augusticinian Speed Skating coach Eduoard Nomelo featured "his best form, and a perfect accumulation of practice and dedication," landed in 13th less than 6 seconds from the top position -- a close margin for a 5 kilometer race on ice. Gandzé although exhausted and slightly exasperated that his best efforts in his career didn't land a medal for Augusticinia, seemed relieved at the result and ecstatic at the support of his coach, team, and fans. From now on Augusticinia and the world will watch Gandzé, ready for a bright future for the 27-year old speed skater.

by **Diarcesia** » Sun Jan 24, 2021 1:56 am

Short Track

Ligea Giannopulus so far successfully fended off elimination in the short track to advance past the quarterfinals. And it was something that she pulled off finishing second in all of her rounds. However, would she able to sustain it all the way to a medal?

Joining her to the next round is her compatriot Mascana Demetriing. After convincing wins in the preliminary rounds, she suffered from a bad start in her round won by the Royal Kingdom of Quebec's Alexanne Bahng. Demetriing proved to be a real threat going into the quarterfinals as she was constantly chasing just behind the Krytenian Paula Valka. Valka managed to shake off Demetriing later on, but a second place finish is enough for the latter to advance.

The quarterfinals were not without drama. A third Diarcesian, Hester Donaldsdaughter, fell out of the quarterfinals. She was neck-to-neck against Maríam Kársdottir until she claimed that she was impeded and that Kársdottir of Teremaran Glisandia had to be disqualified. Further review was ruled that nothing that transpired was intentional.

The short track events are held in the Red Star Clayquot hockey club's home in Portage Centre.

The Bear's Paw downhill run saw a very competitive contest for an alpine skiing gold medal. A grand total of thirty milliseconds separated between the gold and bronze medalists. Hugo Langland was not one of them, but he was all smiles when he learned that he finished at 16^th out of more than a hundred hopefuls.

The man known as 'The Bulldog' was not a normal competitor. One of the immigrants fast-tracked to a Diarcesian citizenship as a (sporting) "pioneer", he has no qualms on taking part in the sport even if he figures in crashes and gets injured. While training in the resort town of Sedlovina in the Magevskaya region of Mytanija, he was said to keep detailed journal entries of how he crashed and its effects on him. When he was not training, he was known to tour around the place for sightseeing adventures or keep tabs in his private investments. Although he has a fairly aggressive style, he has a knack on choosing well when to attack or not. This ability contributed to his decent time at the Bear's Paw.

The gold medal went to John Reigns of Taeshan with Prince Erik Norvik of New Waldensia and Elias Buhl of Siovanija & Teusland earning the silver and bronze, respectively.

The Diarcesian women's ice hockey team has announced that Volgrima Blue will be one of the starters in the upcoming games. This will be Blue's, among with most of her team's, second appearance in the Winter Olympics. Previously, they fell against the Teremaran Unified Team in the round of 16. Blue brings a wealth of knowledge from two professional sports backgrounds. In addition to ice hockey, she also had a stint at the lacrosse league for a short time.

"I am really excited about the potential of our team", said Blue. "Even though we didn't make it last time, we didn't stop in our tracks. After countless hours of hard work, I think our team has a lot of potential to finish better last time. Bowing out in the round of 16 is not bad for a first timer; we've shown we can compete with teams from around the world. Personally, it's really an honor to be selected to represent my country in the Olympics."

As a team captain, the Olympic spirit is taken with much importance. She sees it as a lynchpin of how one is to cooperate with others in the face of a changing world. "In the face of change, some nations stand by alone and convinced in the righteousness of their values. Some others look back in their glorious past, or their ambitions in the future. Others yet, take stock of the present and build themselves up by helping to build up their neighbors too. The last one I hold to be special."

Other starters selected are:
Stamenelta Ostrovski, Goaltender
Srekislava Krall and Megan Nelson, Defencewomen
Stošija Einarsson and Stamenelta Adamet, Forwards (alongside Volgrima Blue)

by **Vilitan Union** » Sun Jan 24, 2021 5:38 am

Vilitan Union Flying High in Ski Jumping

Entauren Mountain Resort, Entauren, Kelssek :: It was a massive day for the Vilitan Union contingent to kick off the 15th Winter Olympic Games as the Vilitans were able to secure the Gold Medal in the prestigious Men's Individual Normal Hill competition for the second straight games.

During the games at Yeaddin and Neverend, famous Vilitan Ski Jumper Inflite Aerosala became the first Vilitan Union athlete to claim gold in their home games. However, the Ski Jumping competition during the 14th Winter Olympic Games was being held in Neverend at the Ferrandieu Ski Sports Centre and not in Yeaddin.

Many of the Vilitan Union's top athletes who did get the chance to compete in Vilitan soil contemplated retirement after the Yeaddin games. Having competed in Neverend, however, that was never a consideration on the mind of the Vilitan Union's top Ski Jumpers - particularly Amazore Tileafa.

Tileafa has jumped in the shadow of Inflite Aerosala for much of their career in competitive ski jumping and entering the 15th Winter Olympiad had never won an individual gold medal. With all the focus on defending event champion Inflite Aerosala, Tileafa set a monster score of 135.0 on their first attempt to move level top in the standings with Graentfalljer Maximilian Joelsson and Matan ben Utz. Defending gold medalist Inflite Aerosala was no where to be found at the top of the leaderboard and all the focus shifted to Tileafa.

By virtue of leading on the 1st jump, Tileafa would be one of the last to go out on jump number two. The mark had been set by Tileafa's fellow countrymate and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist INflite Aerosala. After a score of 128.5 in the first attempt, Aerosala recoorded the highest single-run score of the competition on their second attempt with a 136.5. It moved Aerosala to the top of the board only needing to weather the three top performers from the first round.

Graentfjall's Maximilian Joelsson was first up and dramatically would equal Aerosala's total score despite a performance sub par to their first run. It left a tie for Gold with just two jumpers to go - which also meant both Aerosala and Joelsson were guaranteed a medal. The only question was - what color would it be.

Second to last would be Matan ben Utz but the pressure got to ben Utz who landed short and only received a score of 126.5 taking them out of medal contention in a tie for 4th place with just one to go. That one was the Vilitan Union's Amazore Tileafa. After a score of 135 in the first jump, Tileafa needed just a 130.5 to secure their first ever Individual Gold Medal.

While some Vilitan Union competitors may have considered retiring after the Yeaddin games, Tileafa was definitely not one of them. The Vilitan was agonizingly close to a medal in their home games but a bobble on the second jump cost them. If they had just equalled their first Jump's score they would have had the bronze medal. Instead, Tileafa placed 6th and watched as teammate Aerosala took gold. Now, standing atop the hill, the same situation presented itself. Either Tileafa put in a run approximately equal to their first Jump, or, they would likely finish out of the medals and have to watch Aerosala claim another gold medal.

After many cycles of disappointment, the day would finally come for Amazore Tileafa. With a second jump of 132.0 - a conservative yet strong run, Tileafa had done just enough to top the chart and secure the Men's Individual Normal Hill Gold. The Vilitan celebrated at the bottom of the hill and got congratulations from his teammate and some of the other competitors as a mixture of joy and shock overcome the first time Individual Gold medalist.

The Gold and Silver Medals earned in the Ski Jumping competition would be the only medals earned for the Vilitan Union through the second day of competition though a number of other athletes from the Union were in competition. The first half of the Luge competition kicked off with Jualzk Nauosla posting the second fastest time on the first run, tackling the course in 51.609 seconds just behind the time of leader Eduoardo Malampaya who did it in 51.528 seconds. Nauosla lost some time after a poor second run time of 52.104 but is still well within striking range for a medal with two runs to go.

Another competitor looking forward to second runs is Ysnogavi Mralipo who was the 10th and final competitor to advance after the first Qualifying session in the Men's Moguls. A Total of 20 competitors would advance but by sneaking through on the first attempt, Mralipo avoided the uncertainty of Qualifying 2 and could begin to mentally prepare for the Final Round and a chance to claim a medal.

Vilitan speed skater and current Olympic Record holder Emnbagi Trivaka had the chance to contend for a medal in the Men's 1500m after making it through to the final but Trivaka was muscled out of the pack near the end and crossed the line in 6th place. Despite failing to secure a medal in the event, Trivaka's Olympic Record time of 2:10.587 set in Yeaddin was not matched in Kelssek.

by **Hannasea** » Sun Jan 24, 2021 6:43 am

From the rolling news channel SuperBusiness.

totally

Trickle Down Love

Friedmanity Insanity

probably

SuperSports

did

* Pearl City’s medieval streets are very narrow, so there’s just not room for a Broadway.

XV Olympic Winter Games - RP thread

WORLD ARENA SPORT - OLIMPICS SUMMARY

A Meeting of Ministerial Minds Part One

Day 1/2 - Ski Jumping Gold & Silver

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