Games of the XVIII Olympiad - roleplaying thread

[Electrum]

Logo credit: Tikariot

Results and schedule thread - Roleplaying thread - Rosters thread - OOC discussion thread - Host bid

List of delegations

A Kea (AKE)
Acastanha (ACS)
Afanc Strait (AFA)
Alezian Union (ALE)
Banija (BNJ)
Barkhastan (BKH)
Benjamin Mark (BNM)
Britonisea (BRI)
Calgasia (CGS)
Cannaland Islands and Jrok'k (CNI)
Chromatika (CMT)
Crpostran (CRN)
Darkmania (DMN)
Darmen (DAR)
Deadvlei (DVE)
Doubeia (DOU)
Drawkland (DRK)
Electrum (ETM)
Estogium (RWH)
Great Gooseland (GRG)
Haruhata (HRH)
Hispinas (HSP)
Hopal (HOP)
Kalosia (KLS)
Kanmer (KAN)
Kannap (KNP)
Katzeburg (KAT)
Kelssek (KSK)
Ko-oren (KOR)
Kriegiersien (KGS)
Krytenia (KRY)
Libesia (LIB)
Lisander (LIS)
Liventia (LEN)
Loch Dearg (LDE)
Macadia (MAC)
Magnus Phoenicia (KWP)
Malta Comino Gozo (MCG)
Mytanija (MYT)
Natanians and Nosts (NTN)
North Oharan Valley Union (NOV)
Nova Calania (UNC)
Panay Islands and Guimaras (IPG)
Polkopia (PLK)
Qasden (QAD)
Quebec and Shingoryeo (QUE)
Ralsalin (RLS)
Reginalida (REG)
Sangti and the Filindo Isles (SFI)
Sargossa (SRG)
Sirian (SRN)
Slaveška (SVA) [Sjovenia]
Slavo-Baltia (USB)
St Kristofian Democracy (SKD)
Strayaroos (STR)
Team Diarcesian (DCS)
Tero al Disco (TER)
The Da Cunha Islands (DCU)
The Godlands (GOD)
The Kytler Peninsulae (KYP)
Trimaris (EOT)
United Mandaran States (UMS)
Uskad (USK)
Valanora (VAL)
Vetrahjart (VET)
Waisnor (WSN)
Zenic (ZEN)

Roleplay criteria

• Tagged posts will not be returned to once marked so do not tag posts.
• Roleplay events in or related to the Olympics or its athletes in some way.
• Respect for other nation's roleplay permissions (usually posted on the roster thread) -- this includes not godmodding if it's not allowed and being consistent with what other people have roleplayed first.
• Don't regurgitate results -- we scorinated them!
• Quality is rewarded more than quantity.
• Abide by the AI policy as outlined in the OOC thread and host bid.
• There will also be no terrorist attacks or pandemics so do not roleplay them.

[Electrum]

Electrum is a very large but sparsely populated nation (with the vast majority of the population concentrated in the cities, with few people elsewhere) situated in the Terranea region of Rushmore. Its capital city is Centralis and its national food is the democracy sausage. The country is well known for its financial and scientific industries, and for its devotion to pacifist principles. Electrum has been ruled jointly by a sortition-chosen Governor-General.

There are a few quirks that athletes can expect in Electrum. They will have to contend with a completely digital currency (the Synergy), a fanatical devotion to strategic board games and (mostly) zero tolerance for hooligans. Lines to enter venues may take longer than usual due to stringent security checks -- no flares, no disorder, no obscenely large banners, no hooligans, and no criminality of any sort is allowed.

The landlocked city of Hamilton, Electrum's third largest city, has been selected to cohost the Games of the XVIII Olympiad alongside Schimpol, Liventia. Hamilton is a city on the edge of desert, two hours north by aeroplane from the capital, Centralis. It is the last of Electrum's major cities to host an Olympic Games after Centralis, Prescott, and the Terranean Coast cities. It is best known amongst sports fans as being the host of the Hamilton International, a Tier 1 clay court tournament on the NationStates Tennis Tour. For logistical reasons, hosting has been a little bit more difficult to come by for Hamilton as its dry wind, high temperatures, and sometimes near-drought conditions make it difficult to host sports that require water. Luckily, its partnership with Schimpol has removed this problem. Furthermore, with this event being held in the Electrumite winter, milder conditions are expected with highs of thirty degrees with dry, hot wind from the desert on most days. Sometimes, the wind brings with it red dust from the desert, caking every building in town, giving Hamilton the nickname "Red City".

The city of Hamilton is relatively compact by Electrum standards with most venues clustered in a new development on a former mining explosives and Government munitions site (informally known to locals as the Flameworks site) which is 10 kilometres, as the crow flies, from the city centre.

Venues

Flameworks cluster
Athlete's Village
Broadcast and Press Centre
Hamilton Convention Centre - weightlifting, wrestling
Flameworks Indoor Sports Centre - indoor volleyball (group A-D preliminary indoor volleyball), secondary arena in use during group stage
Flameworks Skate Park - skateboarding
The Amphitheatre - beach volleyball (group A-C preliminary beach volleyball, secondary arena in use for group D-F preliminary beach volleyball)
The Glasshouse - boxing
Tumbarama Park - football (group A preliminary football, group A football)

City cluster
Desert Pea Gardens - archery, road athletics (1km loop for the walk events and the start/finish of the marathons)
Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue (expanded - formerly a rectangular stadium) - rugby sevens, athletics, opening and closing ceremonies
Hamilton Tennis Park - tennis (main venue is The Cauldron - clay court), artistic and trampoline gymnastics preliminary rounds, badminton (court 2), rhythmic gymnastics preliminary rounds, table tennis (court 3)
Jane Bryson Memorial Arena, Hamilton Institute of Technology - gymnastics qualification and finals
Old Town Hall - fencing

Hamilton suburbs and countryside
Red Sands Country Club - golf finals
Wilkita International Shooting Centre - shooting

Other cities - preliminary rounds
More information available here: football venues, Centralis, Prescott, Terranean Coast.

Olympic Stadium, Centralis (group B and C preliminary football, group A-B preliminary rugby sevens, group B football)
Somersville Stadium, Somer (group D and E preliminary football, group C-D preliminary rugby sevens, group C football)
Northcote Oval, Prescott (group F and G preliminary football, group E-F preliminary rugby sevens, group D football)
Walkers Stadium, Agri (group H and I preliminary football, group G-H preliminary rugby sevens)
Sailors Stadium, Port Grenville (group J preliminary football)
Centralis Arena, Centralis (group K preliminary football)
Fairleigh Field, Fairleigh-Warburton (group L preliminary football)
Auras Oval, Auras (group M preliminary football)
Kale Memorial Park, Kale Island (group N preliminary football)
Fitzgerald Stadium, Burnton (group O preliminary football)
National Electrum University Field, Prescott (group P preliminary football)

Warburton University, Fairleigh-Warburton (group E-H preliminary indoor volleyball)
Centralis Multi-Purpose Venue, Centralis (group I-L preliminary indoor volleyball)
The Ice Palace, Prescott (group M-P preliminary indoor volleyball)

Ridgeway Bay Arena, Somer (group G-I preliminary beach volleyball)
Newton Beach, Centralis (group J-L preliminary beach volleyball)

Kingsford Farm Country Club, Prescott (men's golf preliminary rounds)
Port Grenville Country Club, Port Grenville (women's golf preliminary rounds)

[Liventia]

The Games of the XVIII Olympiad marks the eighth time Liventia has hosted the Summer or Winter Olympics, and the first time the country has co-hosted or hosted the Summer Olympics since the Games of the XIV Olympiad (Orean and Istria).

It is the first time that Schimpol has been officially the lead bid city in a Games for Liventia, but the city has previously hosted events both times the country held the Summer Olympics, holding sailing events at both the VIII and XIV Summer Olympics as well as surfing at the latter.

Additionally, Schimpol, the largest city on Lox Land Island, was also part of the City Centre—ANCR—Lox Land Island XVI Olympic Winter Games, hosting figure skating and short track speed skating; it also held preliminary events in those two sports in the nationwide XVIII Olympic Winter Games.

This year, Schimpol and Lox Land Island will host 16 sports, with some events also taking place at existing venues in Orean and elsewhere in Liventia.

Venues
In Schimpol
• Arena Wilson: Basketball finals, handball finals
• Harley Square: BMX freestyle cycling, sport climbing
• International Congress Centre of Schimpol: Joint Main Broadcast and Press Centre
• Island Convention Centre: 3X3 basketball, breaking, judo, modern pentathlon (fencing ranking round), taekwondo
• Island Cricket Arena: Ceremonies, equestrian, modern pentathlon
• Lox Land Swimming Centre: Artistic swimming, diving, water polo
• Motson Lake: Canoe sprint, rowing
• Redbirds Stadium: Hockey finals
• Schimpol and Lox Land Island (circuit): Road cycling
• Schimpol Harbour: Sailing, triathlon
• Schimpol International Aquatics Centre: Swimming
• Strait of Umber: Marathon swimming, surfing
• University of the Island: Olympic Village

On mainland Liventia
• Grovers Olympic Park Stadium, Orean: Hockey preliminaries (temporary artificial turf pitch)
• National Cycling Centre, Orean: BMX racing cycling
• National Indoor Convention Centre, Orean: Handball preliminaries
• National Indoor Sports Facility, Folenisa: Handball preliminaries, Hockey preliminaries (held indoors)
• Orean Great Hall: Basketball preliminaries
• Orean Olympic Velodrome, Orean: Track cycling
• Orean Olympic Park Arena: Basketball preliminaries
• Redford National Forest, Madford: Mountain bike cycling, canoe slalom

[Barkhastan]

The vials of deadly pathogen had been looted from abandoned Soviet bioweapons facilities deep in what was now the free and independent republic of Barkhastan. The terrorist cell Great Islamic Liberators Front (GILF) had acquired the warheads, routing their transactions through intermediaries in the hawala network. When unleashed, the deadly act of bioterrorism would not only cause chaos in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, but unleash contagious bioagents that would unleash a pandemic of global proportions. They loaded the weapons onto the plane and set in a course for Rushmore, targeting the upcoming Summer Olympics.

But unfortunately they used AI to program the autopilot, so the plane veered wildly off course and was never seen again.

Anyway, excitement is building in Barkhastan ahead of their international sporting debut, at the 18th Summer Olympics in Electrum and Liventia. While hopes for medals may be rather modest given the relatively small delegation compared to the numerous 500+ entry teams from other countries, most Barkhastanis¹ are simply looking forward to seeing their people competing alongside the world’s best. Because the Olympics will have two opening ceremonies, Barkhastan has named two sets of flagbearers. Boxers Qodir Abubakirov and Ona Negmatova will carry the flag in Hamilton, while in Schimpol the flag will be borne by two taekwondoins, Bobur Burkhanov and Dinara Arslanova.

---

¹ A note on nomenclature. Generally, Barkhi or Barqi refers specifically to ethnic Barkhis; Barkhastani refers to any national of Barkhastan, irrespective of their ethnicity. Barkhastan is a confederacy of multiple ethnic groups, of which the Barkhis are only the most populous. Kukuls, Sulyakhs. Zimmerians and Arcturians, Khumunds, Boghurtai, Uzhqara, and Northern Indigenous Tribal Peoples form the remainder of the eight officially recognised major ethnic groups.

[Libesia]

Mixed reactions as Barkhastan poaches Libesian medal prospect

Lilian Jerotich, the former Libesian national cross-country champion, will be competing in the 5000 m and 3000 m steeplechase at the 18th Summer Olympics in Hamilton, Electrum – but will be running under the flag of Barkhastan after moving overseas in search of more opportunities. Distance running, one of the few disciplines in which Libesia may have a chance of earning an elusive Olympic medal, is a historically competitive sport in the country and selection battles for the national Olympic team over the last four years have been fierce. Despite her success in cross-country, Jerotich’s personal best on the track was only the sixth best among active Libesian steeplechasers, and so three years ago she moved to Barkhastan under an expedited nationalisation law introduced by the former Soviet republic designed to attract sporting talent. Fellow runner Caroline Musyoka has also achieved eligibility to compete for the Barkhastani Olympic Committee. Sports Minister Chinua Chineze said that Jerotich’s “selfish” decision was a poor way of paying back the years invested in her training by Libesian sports administrators. But Florence Nakalema, who won the Olympic trials in Jerotich’s absence, wished her former teammate “all the best” and said that the important thing was that Libesian runners did their best at the Olympics, regardless of what colours they were running in.

[Krytenia]

XVIII OLYMPIC GAMES PREVIEW

ARCHERY
MEDAL HISTORY: 1-2-2
HISTORY PENPIC: Krytenia have a long history of being “just OK” at archery, usually decent enough to win a couple of rounds in the team contest, and having one – and usually only one – archer reach the latter stages of the individual events without troubling the medal matches. Istria changed all that, with the women's team claiming the nation's first ever gold medal in the sport, and the pair of Aston Jeavons and Kat Kristensen pairing up to win mixed team bronze. Jeavons would claim a second bronze eight years later, leading the men's team to third place in Prescott. The medals have dried up since, but Krytenia's archers are still at least competitive in Olympic competition.
PROSPECTS: Victoria Ainslie is now competing in her fourth Games, and the thirty-five year old knows this might be her last chance of a medal. Chris Jennings, meanwhile, is also feeling confident as he competes in his third Olympics.

ARTISTIC SWIMMING
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-0-0
HISTORY PENPIC: Not Krytenia's strong (one piece swimming) suit; imagine everyone's surprise, then, when Miranda Lloyd and Eve Webster not only reached the women's duet final in the Twin Cities, but finished a simultaneously impressive and agonising fourth. They reached the final again four years later, again reaching the final – this time finishing fifth.
PROSPECTS: Lloyd and Webster remain the only realistic medal hope, whilst Graham Jespers and Martin Lauritsen know they're better than the second last they managed in Jolbonopolis.

ATHLETICS
MEDAL HISTORY: 18-16-19
HISTORY PENPIC: Krytenia have a tendency to pop up somewhere at random and win a few medals – usually in the sprint and one-lap hurdles, where the nation has medalled nine times. There's a smattering of medals in the middle-distance events, too, whilst on the field side of things, we've ploughed a nice little furrow of top three performances in the discus. Four years ago, though, there was a big breakthrough in an unexpected place; racewalking. Evan Walker and Kevin Chappell scored a one-two finish in the men's 20km event, with Ellen Hafren adding a silver for the women over the same distance. Walker's win, though, would turn out to be the only athletics gold of that Games.
PROSPECTS: Walker and Chappell return in the 20km walk alongside promising teenager Liam Henderson, whilst Kenny Nais, Julian Thomas, and Ian Powell are all in contention in the men's 800m, with Thomas doubling up in the 1500m as well. Elsewhere for the men, Brede Vaesen is looking to finally bag that elusive Olympic medal in the 400m hurdles, whilst Scott Olave (shot put) and David Sablon (discus) are the best hopes in the field. The women's team is lead by 100m hurdler Juanita Marón, who'll be hoping to overcome her disappointment of four years ago. Gabrielle Pietersen in the 100m and Caroline Stroll in the 800m will also be hoping to make their mark on the track. The biggest women's prospects, though, come in the 400m hurdles, where Keeley Bryson, Candace Ewell, and Justine Drake are all serious medal contenders. Hafren will be looking to upgrade that race walking silver, whilst shot-putter Linda Timothy and long jumper Jane Tam are also coming into the Games in top form.

BADMINTON
MEDAL HISTORY: 4-6-2
HISTORY PENPIC: Shruton's finest, Dana Ireland, contributed at least in part, to a third of Krytenia's medals. Lasft saw her win a gold and bronze, with a silver and bronze on home court four years later. Since then, the highlight has been an all-Krytenian final in the women's doubles sixteen years ago.
PROSPECTS: Krytenia underperformed in the Afanc Strait four years ago, with only the mixed doubles pairing of Manuel Cortes and Sally Ryan making it as far as the last eight. The team is better than that, and hopes will be pinned not only on Cortes and Ryan, but also singles competitors Christian Stone and Denise Garrick, and the women's doubles pair of Joanne Kennedy and Nicole Kightley. Given the paucity of form in recent performances, though, a medal may be out of reach once again.

BASKETBALL
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-0-1
HISTORY PENPIC: Don't get us wrong; we don't hate basketball. We're just not very good at it. This would explain the lack of anything approaching a medal. There are simply many nations who take the sport more seriously than we do. That being said, there has been a pickup on the 3x3 front in recent years, and that was reflected in a surprise bronze medal for the women – and a fourth place from the men - last time out.
PROSPECTS: Tracey Spencer takes over from the now-retired Maria Meulensteen as women's 3x3 captain, and she'll be hoping to lead her new-look side to a second medal. John Bresnan-Smith, on the other hand, is back to lead the men's 3x3 team, looking to overcome the heartbreak of four years ago in what will almost certainly be the last throw of the dice. For the two full-court sides, it'll be astonishing if they're anywhere near qualifying for the knockout phase.

BOXING
MEDAL HISTORY: 3-7-13
HISTORY PENPIC: Thirteen bronze medals prove that the Krytenian semi-final curse never truly died; it just moved to the boxing ring. That said, the three medals won in Prescott were a gold and two silvers, before normal service was resumed with a solitary bronze for heavyweight Marvin Simmons in the Afanc Strait.
PROSPECTS: Simmons returns in the men's heavyweight division, but Krytenia's best medal hopes are a pair of debutants. Men's light-welterweight Austin Withers, and women's heavyweight Nell Cook have both looked strong in the build-up to these Games, and could turn some heads.

BREAKING
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-0-0
HISTORY PENPIC: It's only the second Games for this dance sport, and it's not one that Krytenians have shown much interest in. It's entirely possible our four Olympians are the only people in the country who understand what breaking actually is outside of the context of “...and entering”.
PROSPECTS: Ewan Goric and Georgia Joseph return, joined by Harry Powell and Natalie Westerveld as the sport doubles its entry places. At least they get to enjoy the sights while they're away...

CANOEING
MEDAL HISTORY: 6-12-23
HISTORY PENPIC: Krytenia plus boats equals medals. Columbia was our most successful Games in terms of volume, with nine medals – though surprisingly no golds. Georgina Sarrozi soon rectified this, winning the kayak kilo in Aeropag before retaining the title in Outineau; Lizzie Guaita, meanwhile, medalled in the canoe slalom in four consecutive Olympics. Just don't mention Republica; the team failed to win a single medal. That's been rectified since, but gold has proved elusive since the second Aeropag Games. That's over a quarter of a century ago now.
PROSPECTS: The young team from the last Games are maturing nicely, with only Maria Diggory in the women's C1 making their Olympic debut this year. Whitewater prospects are Mona Gelders in the women's K1 and Cliff Howard in the exciting kayak cross event. On the flat, Amanda Leandri looks to upgrade K1 silver, with Carly Brokken in the C1 sprint and the duo of Chantelle Webb and Naomi Watson in the K2 500m also looking to break into the medals.

CYCLING
MEDAL HISTORY: 36-27-17
HISTORY PENPIC: Yes, you're reading that right. Eighty medals and counting for the cyclists of Krytenia. Just think how many more that might have been if not for Delaclava and (Gods rest them) Sorthern Northland. “Only” two medals were won eight years ago, and Cycling Krytenia's reaction was to take that personally. Five golds – and seven other medals – followed in the Afanc Strait, with all five of those golds, plus two silvers and a bronze, coming in the track events. There's a reason Krytenians call the Olympic velodrome “The Medal Factory”.
PROSPECTS: It would be glib to say the entire track team are medal prospects. It would also be entirely true. Triple gold medallist Jacques Aurier may have hung up his pedals, but that's fine, here comes a teenager by the name of Luis Navas who's just as fast. Same goes for debuting women's sprinter Juliette Bastogne, only with the lack of the “teenager” tag; she's twenty-two. Outside the Medal Factory, meanwhile, there's still plenty to get excited about. The nation is developing nicely in BMX freestyle, and both Lawrence Maxwell and Melissa Wiegmann return. Sabrina Solano does the same bike, but concentrates on going as fast as possible; she'll be looking to improve on her bronze from last time out. Finally, there's the road events, where Gloria Glass and Rowena Federer both claimed silver in their respective events four years ago.

DIVING
MEDAL HISTORY: 1-3-4
HISTORY PENPIC: Krytenians are better at going across water, for sure, but in recent Games they've at least make a decent fist at entering it as well – at least in pairs. Amanda Ireland's gold-silver double in Aeropag has been the high point, but the last three Olympics have each brought a synchro springboard bronze to keep the counter ticking over.
PROSPECTS: Stephanie Muratova competes at her fourth Games, still looking for that elusive individual springboard medal. She's even recused herself from the synchro competition where she and the now-retired Linda Collingwood won bronze four years ago. Best chance for the synchro this time might actually be in the women's platform, where the experienced duo of Harriet Boyle and Deborah Morrison have finished top-ten in the last two Olympics.

EQUESTRIAN
MEDAL HISTORY: 4-1-2
HISTORY PENPIC: When it comes to Krytenians in the saddle, it tends towards bike rather than horse. It took until Republica for Krytenia to even pick up a medal in the event, albeit a gold courtesy of eventer Graham Barton. Recently, though, the nation's equestrians have burst onto the scene. A bronze for the jumping team eight years ago proved to be the leak that opened the floodgates, with Krytenia picking up five medals – three gold – in the Afanc Strait.
PROSPECTS: Amelia Morley is at the forefront of the team once again after picking up individual and team eventing gold – and dressage silver – four years ago. The team behind her is mostly made up of returning veterans from the nation's equestrian “Golden Generation”, including fellow gold medallist Joseph Hiden in the jumping.

FENCING
MEDAL HISTORY: 8-6-7
HISTORY PENPIC: Any fencing establishment that gets the Quebec and Shingoryeo seal of approval must be doing something right, and Escrime Emberton is just that. All bar one of Krytenia's fencing medals have been courtesy of the converted manor house in Oakwood; surprisingly, though, it took until the Twin Cities for the grand club to produce an épée medallist. Must have been waiting to show off in front of the Quebecois – which also explains the record medal haul of five last time out in Jolbonopolis.
PROSPECTS: Sadly, our one gold medallist from four years ago isn't defending her title; to be fair, though, Honey Boden is forty, and she's still travelling with the team as a coach. Boden's protégé, Rhoda Whitehead, will be hoping to emulate her mentor and former teammate in the women's sabre. For the men, meanwhile, it's still the épée team leading the charge, with veterans Deon Jones and Mark Cooper-Johnson joined by debutant Eric Bentley.

FOOTBALL
MEDAL HISTORY: 2-0-0
HISTORY PENPIC: We could wax lyrical for days about the Dragons, but this is Olympic football we're talking about. Truth be told, the Krytenians have underperformed in this department for the most part. The exception was the team forged in Lasft; they scored the gold medal – the first Krytenian national football team to win a major tournament – before the core of the team returned to retain their title on a memorable day at Oxley Park.
PROSPECTS: For whatever reason, the youngsters never seem to light the burners on the Olympic stage, and this is likely to continue. Knockouts for the two sides would be an achievement.

GOLF
MEDAL HISTORY: 1-0-1
HISTORY PENPIC: Golf has always been seen more as a recreational than a competitive sport in this country. There again, tell that to David Finch. He came within an inch of a medal– twice – being beaten to bronze In a playoff hole twelve years ago before finishing fourth a second time in Electrum, before braking the curse in spectacular style on the Afanc Strait. Not only that, but he had company in the medals, with Leona Wright picking up bronze in the women's event.
PROSPECTS: Finch and Wright are both back to take another crack at glory, whilst Joshua Sertina will also be hoping to be in with a shout of the medals if he can remain consistent over the four days.

GYMNASTICS
MEDAL HISTORY: 6-9-6
HISTORY PENPIC: Traditionally a sport in this country that the women have dominated – through Republica, all six Olympic medals for Krytenia had been won by women, and all of them in the artistic events. Orean changed all that, with Damon Armfield winning on the parallel bars as the nation won a then best-ever four medals in the sport. It seems to have sparked something, as the medal count has ticked over at each games since, culminating in Krytenia besting their Orean peformance four years ago. Highlight of their six medals in Jolbonopolis was Gina Dexter taking the women's individual all-around title.
PROSPECTS: It's a changing of the guard for our artistic gymnasts, with Armfield and Dexter both having called time on their careers after the last Games. Scott Woods, though, is no shirk, being a three-time medallist, and he leads a men's team that includes an intriguing mix of youth and experience. The women's team, meanwhile, will include two apparatus medallists from Jolbonopolis in the form of Stephanie Quigley (floor, silver) and Martina Ovana (beam, bronze). Best chance of a medal away from the artistic events, meanwhile, is women's trampolinist Imogen Hartwell.

HANDBALL
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-0-1
HISTORY PENPIC: Handball had received, over the years, precisely zero central funding, being a niche recreational sport. That was before Melissa Womack and the Ousevale University Women's Student Handball Club decided they were going to put the sport on the map. OUWSH convinced the KNOC to send their team to Republica, and the students repaid their trust with a bronze medal.
PROSPECTS: The promised investment into the sport sadly never materialised. All credit to the University of Ousevale, though, who have taken the team under their wing, including establishing a men's club which now arguably eclipses the women. Sadly, a lack of competitive opposition – even domestically – has stymied development somewhat.

HOCKEY
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-2-3
HISTORY PENPIC: Hockey has been a source of both success and frustration for the men's team, having medalled five times without ever getting their hands on the gold. Those five medals came in the team's first five appearances; sadly, their star has waned quite dramatically since.
PROSPECTS: Both teams met the exact same fate four years ago – elimination at the hands of the Alezian Union in the round of sixteen. This time around, the women maybe – maybe – could trouble the medals; the men's team, on the other hand, have struggled, and will be happy just to make it to the knockouts again.

JUDO
MEDAL HISTORY: 11-6-19
HISTORY PENPIC: Krytenia have a long and storied history on the judo mat. The complete dumpster fire that was Orean, then, came as a bit of a shock. The (in)famous black front page of the Cy'un said it all. It also kickstarted a renaissance in the sport, culminating in a stupendous seven medals in the Afanc Strait, capped by a gold for Ed Cross in the men's under-100kg.
PROSPECTS: Polly Gennaro may be thirty-five, but she's lost none of her killer instinct. Two bronzes in the under-48kg are already in her locker, and she'll be looking for an upgrade this time. Kyle Danson will also be hoping to break his duck on day one. Ed Cross returns to defend his gold, Emile Robertson is here to try and regain his from eight years ago, whilst both Connie Mimms and Cassie Smith-Horton are looking to upgrade from silver in what looks like Krytenia's strongest-ever cadre of judoka.

MODERN PENTATHLON
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-1-0
HISTORY PENPIC: Modern pentathlon is a curiously Olympic sport. As such, it doesn't exactly get a lot of love in terms of participants or funding. That being said, Jessica Southern somehow managed to pick up a silver at the first Areopag Games.
PROSPECTS: Both Damien Scannell and Sabrina Dixon return for a second Games; neither is expected to feature at the business end of proceedings, however.

ROWING
MEDAL HISTORY: 28-25-23
HISTORY PENPIC: With seventy-six medals in the bag, rowing is Krytenia's second most successful Olympic sport. Trouble is, it used to be in top spot - blame those damn cyclists. After the disaster of “only” two bronzes in the Free Republics, our rowers went all RAWRCRUSH in Orean with four golds, three silvers, and two bronzes, a haul not seen since the first Aeropag Games. Apparently, the Licentian Isles took this personally, which has led to a series of titanic battles...which, unfortunately, the other blue boats seem to be on top of; Krytenia haven't won a single rowing gold in either of the last two Games.
PROSPECTS: The brief is simple; beat Licentians, win golds, no excuses. The Oakes twins will lead the team as honorary captains, whilst also hoping to finally win a medal in the women's pair.

RUGBY SEVENS
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-1-0
HISTORY PENPIC: A quietly growing sport in Krytenia, partially thanks to our women reaching the final in Republica.
PROSPECTS: Both sides have reached the last sixteen in the last two Olympics. Can either of them go further this time? The stats suggest no, but sevens is a game that can turn on its head quickly if you're not careful.

SAILING
MEDAL HISTORY: 5-8-3
HISTORY PENPIC: As previously stated, Krytenia + boats = medals. Sailing is no exception: the main exception with them is that it's talented individuals rather than a concerted team effort, with Harry Bartolo, Carlos Valencia, and the pair of Moretti and Chokroun account for twelve of the nation's sixteen medals. Only two of those medals, though, have come since Emberton, both off the coast of Liventia (albeit almost a quarter of a century apart).
PROSPECTS: No medals last time out, with Natalie Croft coming closest with fourth place in the women's windsurfer. She's back for a third attempt; kiteboarder Joanna Macduff and men's dinghy singles sailer Ben Scott are the best other chances at this year's regatta.

SHOOTING
MEDAL HISTORY: 5-0-3
HISTORY PENPIC: Krytenia's tight gun control laws have had our shooters at a bit of a disadvantage...until Orean. Robyn Wilcox won bronze in the women's trap and Adrienne Parker the same colour in the women's three position rifle to bring the nation's medal total to three. It also brought about a few exceptions to the law for sport shooting; that and the media kerfuffle around biathlete James Makone competing in both seasons of the Games has helped the sport grow, and Team Krytenia collected their first two men's golds – plus a bronze in the women's skeet – in Prescott. Two more golds followed four years ago; curiously, both came in the skeet.
PROSPECTS: James Makone competes in his fourth Olympics; he and Robyn Wilcox are the elder statespeople of the team, with both now into their forties. Cameron Travis and Lana Nash defend their skeet titles, Helen Clayton provides a dual threat alongside Wilcox in the women's trap, whilst Travis' main rival in the men's skeet could well be the man he deposed as champion – fellow Krytenian Emerson Mariano.

SKATEBOARDING
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-0-0
HISTORY PENPIC: Skateboarding largely passed Krytenia by until the efforts of Richie Brown eight years ago, coming agonisingly close to a medal. Scott Madsen became the first boarder to carry the flag for Krytenia at the last Games; the onus is now on the youth of the nation, Madsen included, to continue to raise the bar.
PROSPECTS: Injury has prevented a return for Brown, but Scott Madsen is back to try again in the men's park alongside Jordan Tennyson. For the women, the street event provides the best chance, with Evie Wagstaff leading the chance in her second Games.

SPORT CLIMBING
MEDAL HISTORY: 1-0-0
HISTORY PENPIC: Eight years ago, we said Krytenian prospects were laughable. Dominique Blondin proved us wrong, qualifying first for the final before finishing a creditable sixth. Simone Pravi continued the run, finishing eighth at the last Games, before the men got in on the act. With speed climbing separated from the lead and boulder events, Yannick Gustin's muscle memory and agility carried him to a stunning gold.
PROSPECTS: Gustin returns to defend his title, with Lauren Laporte also a strong contender in the men's speed. Simone Pravi, meanwhile, returns for her third Games in the women's combined, hoping to put a disappointing performance four years ago behind her.

SURFING
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-0-0
HISTORY PENPIC: The sport, like its waves, rises and falls with the exploits of Reacher Bay's own Samantha Ryder. Quarter-finalist in her second Games eight years ago – so far, the closest the nation has come to a medal.
PROSPECTS: Looks like it's up to the girls for medal chances again, with both Ryder and Mia Miller looking to push on from promising but ultimately frustrating performances in past Olympics.

SWIMMING
MEDAL HISTORY: 27-10-19
HISTORY PENPIC: Krytenia do like to keep the medals ticking over in the pool, with their best performance being a twelve-medal haul in Emberton. With six golds, three silvers, and five bronzes, Sarah Farnerud has contributed more to Krytenia's Olympic medal total than the majority of sports. Istria produced four medals, and the Terranean coast three, to keep the Krytenian total ticking over, before the team hoovered up five medals in the Twin Cities, including three gold. Last time out, however, was a watershed, with ten medals – six gold – being their best performance since they hosted the Games forty years earlier.
PROSPECTS: Olivia Naylor leads the team in her third Olympics, with three golds already to her name and seven shots at glory this time...at the ripe old age of twenty-two. There's also multiple Olympic gold medallist Chantelle Maitland, defending 800m freestyle champion Paulina Martinez, and breaststroke specialist Yolanda Severini – and that's just the women's team. For the men, sprint freestyler Ian Howard, 400m freestyle silver medallist Robert Mitcham, the somehow not medalled Esteban Camacho, who's finished fifth and fourth in the 800m freestyle at the last two Olympics, and breaststroker Scott Rossi lead the charge.

TABLE TENNIS
MEDAL HISTORY: 3-4-5
HISTORY PENPIC: Once upon a time, there were two brothers named Andrew and James. They had a part in all six of Krytenia's table tennis medals. They retired after the Emberton Games and Krytenia hasn't been near a medal since...until Istria, when a young woman named Rebecca Morris won bronze in the women's singles. Since then, there's been a decent tickover of medals, with Sophie Matisse and Naomi Dellavedova collecting gold and bronze in the women's singles last time out.
PROSPECTS: With three reducing to two in the singles, Rebecca Morris' likely retirement was rubber-stamped the moment her team-mates secured their medals four years ago. Matisse and Dellavedova will start among the favourites in the women's singles. Jocelyn Lonsdale will partner the pair in the women's team, as well as Daniel Baines in the mixed doubles.

TAEKWONDO
MEDAL HISTORY: 1-2-9
HISTORY PENPIC: Krytenia in taekwondo are the Krytenia of the Olympics, right down to the single global title. Nine of their twelve medals in the sport have been bronze – eight to either Harvey Fillion or Veronica Ortiz. Oddly, there appears to be a prediliction for larger jin being successful; all of the nation's medals have come in the heaviest class of either the men's or women's event.
PROSPECTS: No medals four years ago...another performance like that and the Cy'un will be rolling out the black front page again. And if we're honest, it's our weakest looking octet ever at the Olympics. Ursula Black may be our best chance, filling the big...er...socks of Veronica Ortiz in the women's over 67kg.

TENNIS
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-0-1
HISTORY PENPIC: One bronze medal, and one Opening Ceremony protest are about the sum total of Krytenia's forays into Olympic tennis. The latter of these led to the KTF pulling out of international competition, and no tennis players heading to XV. Since then, the EOTC – a member's club based in the capital, have been in charge of sending players. For all the will in the world, club players are no match for the world's elite.
PROSPECTS: Getting the chance to play top players for a change – and perhaps beating one or two – is about the limit of ambitions here. In the meantime, Daniel Jeffries gets to become a three-time Olympian, so props to him.

TRIATHLON
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-2-0
HISTORY PENPIC: We have decent swimmers and long distance runners, and a litany of world-beating cyclists. When it comes to putting the three together, though...not so much. Samuel King's silver in Aeropag was the exception rather than the rule...until the relay team matched that effort eight years ago.
PROSPECTS: Tim Sweeney and Atlanta Williams are best prospects in the respective individual events, whilst David Cohen and Freya Smith complete a strong relay side. Medals are a possibility, but by no means a guarantee.

VOLLEYBALL
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-1-2
HISTORY PENPIC: No-hopers indoors, but challengers on the sand. Krytenia's beach volleyball teams have historically proven hard to beat, especially the women. Sarah Davis and Jane George won silver at Emberton, whilst the second Aeropag Games produced a bronze for the duo of Paige Austin and Tracey Wood. It was all change four years ago, though, with a men's pair winning a medal for the first time.
PROSPECTS: Aaron Olsen and Ashley Maitland are gone, but they've passed the torch to Tommy Micciche and Mikey Holt in the men's beach volleyball. For the women, Rosemary Peacock and Nikita Konrad return, whilst the new pairing of Fran Hamilton and Belinda Holmes will also want to impress. Krytenia will also send indoor teams.

WATER POLO
MEDAL HISTORY: 0-0-0
HISTORY PENPIC: Quite frankly, it's a sport that happens to other people.
PROSPECTS: Staying afloat, throwing the ball, attempting to look halfway competent.

WEIGHTLIFTING
MEDAL HISTORY: 3-2-2
HISTORY PENPIC: Weightlifting used to go under the radar...then Ieuan Llewellyn happened. One gold in Istria later, and suddenly people started paying attention. With a further three medals coming in the Twin Cities – including a dominant gold courtesy of Gemma Tadden – followed by a second gold for Llewellyn four years ago – the bar(bell) is set high once more.
PROSPECTS: Ieuan Llewellyn is back at the age of thirty-eight, looking to add to his two gold medals, whilst Phillip Richmond will want to upgrade his bronze in the 89kg category. Look out too for Paul Beckham (men's 61kg), Nicola Fenn (women's 71kg), and a debuting Isobel Willis, who has the unenviable task of following on from Gemma Tadden in the women's over 81kg.

WRESTLING
MEDAL HISTORY: 5-11-11
HISTORY PENPIC: Krytenia spent three Games not caring about Olympic wrestling – it's nothing like the SWF after all – and then Emily White happened. Since then, there's been a slow trickle of medals in the freestyle. Greco-Roman was still a no-go zone, though, until Orean twelve years ago, when Tilda Polsen, Greg Chesterton, and Lucy Sixsmith all picked up medals. With six medals in the Twin Cities – including a first men's gold for Simon Calderdale – and an unprecedented nine in Jolbonopolis, expectations are at an all-time high.
PROSPECTS: The last of the Orean veterans have gone, but don't think for a second that this will mean a weakened Krytenian team. In the freestyle events, Letitia Spelman is defending champion in the women's 62kg, Belinda Osman has two medals under her belt, whilst the men are led by their heaviest wrestlers in the form of Zachary Smith and Oliver Sharp. In the greco-roman, look out for Twin Cities history maker Simon Calderdale looking for a third medal in as many Games, Colin Norman hoping to upgrade his Jolbonopolis bronze, and Angela Bowes still trying to add to her Twin Cities silver.

[Panay Islands and Guimaras]

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WHAT IS GOING ON THE HEADS OF THE ATHLETES?
Hamilton, Schimpol, and Iloílo City

This is the first time that the Panayenses have entered into the competition. There are some feelings that these Panayense had when they enter their first Olympics. So, what's going on with their heads going to the Olympics? Mariano Fujiyoshi, a light heavyweight boxer from Aklan, didn't know that he could enter the Olympics to fight for his country, that's what he said: "Well, I didn't know that we're going to our first Olympics in our lives, including me, and it's the first time I'll face some good boxers from around the world. I'm kinda nervous but also happy. But nobody knows what the outcome will be. But now, I'll focus on my training and bag the first medal, and the first gold for my beloved land." Jorge Ocampo, a badminton player from the Iloílo autonomous province, knew that his day would come and showing out the world who he is. "I'm so happy that the government send us to Electrum and Liventia for our first Olympics. And hopefully, I'll show that Panayenses are great in not just badminton, also in sports. My training could take s many hours to go world class and manifesting for our first medal, and a gold too. But it is what it is." JD Williamson, Panayense-American by birth, is nervous about running for the azures. "I'm really nervous, man. Like, these athletes are too strong man. But I could give it a chance to show my speed and, hopefully get the gold as our first medal." Beach volleyball besties, María Takehara and Sonia Jung, trying to do their best and show the world what friendship brings. "We're really ready for this event, but we're still nervous as hell!" *both laughing* "Anyways, anyways, anyways, even though we're too nervous, we should show the world what power of friendship brings into the sands." These are the athletes we've interviewed and stay tuned for the 2nd part of.. What Is Going On With The Heads of the Athletes.

[Sargossa]

The Olympic Authority of Sargossa had their headquarters on a couple of floors of a posh office block in the business district of the capital, Soluca. Débora Sarmiento had naturally been offered her own office there, but the returning Chef de Mission had politely declined. Instead opting for a workspace within the Sargossan Athletics Authority’s offices, nestled within the Estadio Matías Almeida. Surrounded by one of the nation’s most prestigious sporting arenas, named for one of its greatest sporting figures, just seemed more appropriate. A superstitious type would have counselled against it. Given that, four years earlier, Sarmiento had overseen the delegation that had produced the nation’s greatest ever showing at a Summer Games, they would question why you’d change anything. But the lady herself was not the superstitious type.

The competitions hosted across Jolbonopolis and the Afanc Strait had been spectacular. They’d yielded fifty-eight medals, twenty-seven of them gold, and fifth place in the overall medal table. Comfortably eclipsing the previous best, the forty-one medals won at the 8th Games in Orean. She could have stepped away then, with job offers from the sporting and commercial worlds rapidly lining up. But something stopped her. The delegation four years ago had been battle hardened, it had been at the peak of its powers. Four years on, a lot of that experience had left the stage. To cut and run didn’t feel right. Someone had to bridge the gap, someone had to lay the foundations for a new generation of athletes to excel. So Sarmiento had stayed with the OAS, assuming, that when the decision as to who would lead the next delegation came around, she would have first refusal. She did.

There were moments when she questioned exactly why she’d inflicted this upon herself a second time. Wrangling the nation’s various sporting bodies was like herding cats. But, with the disparate factions having presented their respective qualification results to the OAS, and the OAS in turn presenting the completed delegation to the Olympic Council, now the real work began. Typically, the Sargossan delegation was amongst the largest at the Games. Hundreds of athletes, with their support staff and their equipment, would have to be transported to the host nations. Everything from kayaks, to horses, from shotguns to racquets. It was a behemoth of a task.

‘You’re about to get a video call from the president.’ Laura, Sarmiento’s assistant poked her head around the door.

‘Again? How many times do I have to tell him, I can’t make the broadcasters put his damn regattas on network television.’

‘It’s not that president.’

‘No?’ The relief that she didn’t have to go another five rounds with NACRS president Juan Esteban Ros Junior, who couldn’t understand why the entire nation didn’t share his personal passion for sailing, was palpable. She eyed up her call sheet. ‘Which president?’

Laura leaned in. ‘The president.’ She whispered, conspiratorially.

Débora Sarmiento starred back at her, the information not fully coalescing in her brain before the icon popped up on the computer screen to her right. She pushed the button. Her background, a pleasant landscape of the wine country around Camíri, disappeared to be replaced by an instantly recognisable figure.

‘Señora Sarmiento, I hope I’m not disturbing you.’

‘Of course not, Presidenté.’

‘Haha.’ Gregorio Emparán chuckled. ‘Of course I’m disturbing you. I know I am. But I’ll keep this brief. You have impressed a lot of very important people. Do you have plans for after the Games?’

‘Erm… no. I mean, no. I’ll probably see how it goes, I guess.’

‘Then let me put my cards on the table. I know the OAS will always have a role for you. And I know the SAA would snap you up in a heartbeat. And the private sector will pay you handsomely. But you can make a much bigger difference working with me. Eduardo Rubio is retiring, so I need a new Sports Minister. And I’d like it to be you.’

Débora blinked at him, not quite knowing how to react. ‘That’s a great honour, sir. Truly. But, I… er… you see… I’m not actually a member of your party.’

It was Emparán’s turn to look uncertain. It took a moment for the penny to drop. After several decades of autocracy, the concept of political parties, elections, voting and everything else that came with them was still a little alien. Even to those directly involved.

‘Ha, don’t worry about that.’ He waved away the concern. ‘We all have our crosses to bare. In truth, i’m not even sure if my wife is. Besides, it would be, what’s the word? Bipartisan. And that’s a good look, apparently. Obviously, I’m not asking you to decide now, the nation needs your focus elsewhere. But the offer is on the table.’

‘Thank you, sir. I’ll certainly consider it.’

‘Good, good. That’s all I ask.’ He steepled his fingers. ‘Now, there is one other matter you may be able to assist me with. As you know, my daughter is on the Olympic team. We’re very proud of her. Not like her feckless brother. But I would be prouder still if she were to, say, carry the Sargossan flag at the opening ceremony.’

Débora opened her mouth to answer, closed it again and considered very carefully the words. ‘Presidenté. Sir, there are procedures that must be followed. I wouldn’t be able to promise that. It wouldn’t be right.’

Emparán smiled. ‘Good. I knew I was right about you. I don’t need yes men, surrounding me. I’m getting too old for that nonsense. Besides, Elena has been very, very vocal about her desire to succeed on her own merits. If she even got a whiff that I had pulled strings for her, well, it would probably be me on the end of that sword of hers. Very good Señora Sarmiento, thank you for your time. And good luck.’

With that, he touched a button off camera and the screen went to black.

[Sjovenia]

SLAVEŠKAN SUMMER OLYMPICS


Seal of the Slaveškan Olympic Committee

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For the first time in 36 years the Slaveškan Olympic Committee is happy to announce that Team Slaveška will be participating in the Summer Olympics. Often overshadowed by the nationally celebrated Winter Olympics, athletes from across the country aim to bring the Summer Olympics back into the limelight.

“It has been a hard-fought journey” the SOC spokesman said. “Previously our athletes were dispersed amongst fellow Drejveškan nations due to lack of funding for both National Training Centers, uniforms, and push back on the formation of a Summer Olympic team. It has taken 36 years of jumping through bureaucratic hoops and convincing the right parties to get our athletes the chance they deserve to represent our nation on the world stage of sports.”

The public reaction has been positive to the announcement with airlines receiving an influx in flight bookings and merchandise running out of stock as thousands show support for their fellow countrymen.

“As an athlete, of course I’m going to go show my support” said skier and two-time Olympic medalist Katarina Pančochova. “Whether it’s motorsports, snowboarding, or soccer, I just love watching sports. Something about being there in person is just magical. History is being made and this is no different since it is the first time Team Slaveška has been formed since 1988.”

Among a lot of new athletes making their debut there are also some returning veterans. This time however, representing their home country, and speaking of veterans…we have some representing different branches of the Slaveškan Armed Forces. With three Sailors, six Soldiers, and four Airmen amongst the 81 selected athletes, this is surely going to be a great event!

[Kannap]

Kannapian National News
Official coverage of the 18th Summer Olympic Games from Electrum and Liventia

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Kannap Returns to the Games; What to Expect and Why The New Trigram?
By: Artie Henrill

This year, Kannap returns to the Olympics for the first time since the 12th Winter Games. Naturally, there is much excitement across the nation as we send our first athletes in 22 years in our largest delegation of any Kannapian Olympic appearance. Over the coming weeks, I expect we will see a number of our best athletes compete their hardest and hopefully return home with medals around their necks. 425 of our best athletes have traveled to Electrum or Liventia depending on their particular sport. What can you expect from the Kannapians in these Olympics? Look at some highlights below.
But, before that, you may be wondering why Kannap has a new trigram this year compared to previous Olympics. That’s a sensible thing to wonder about. In earlier Olympics, Kannap competed under the ‘KAN’ trigram. In the absence of Kannap from the Olympics and other international sporting events, another nation in the international scene, Kanmer, has used the trigram for their nation. With the Kannap submitting a delegation to the Olympics after a lengthy hiatus, they needed a new, unused trigram. The Kannapian National Olympic Committee settled upon ‘KNP’ – this will be used for this Olympics and all future Olympics that see Kannapian participation.

Swimming
From Kannap, 48 athletes find themselves in Liventia to compete in swimming events. You should keep an eye on the swimming events, as it is likely Kannap may earn some medals here. There is a moderate respect for swimming here at home. Phillip Fonten brought home a gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle at the 10th Summer Games. That was a few decades ago, of course, but it's also been a couple decades since we've sent athletes to the Olympics. If you're looking for one event to keep your eyes on, I recommend the 10km marathon swimming event, where I expect a strong performance from Eugene Barker in the men's event and Miranda Hodgens in the the women's event.

Archery
Kannap's only archery appearance in the Olympics until now was at the 10th Summer Games. Nothing came from that, as our athletes failed to perform well back then. That may change in the coming weeks, as I suspect Gwen Mumpower may come home with a medal this year. Keep an eye on her as she competes in Electrum. Kannap is sending six archery athletes in total.

Athletics
In our biggest contingent of athletes, 118 Kannapians will be traveling to Electrum to compete in athletics. This is where I expect Kannap has the chance to bring home the most medals across any of the disciplines that our athletes are competing in. Domestically, Kannap has a strong tradition in athletics. In previous Olympics, Kannap has sent a handful of athletics competitors across various events with mixed results. This is the first time Kannap is sending a full athletics contingent with high hopes. Max Chand brought home a gold medal in the men's 1500m at the 10th Summer Games. Chand also finished 8th in the medal finals for the men's 5000m at the 11th Summer Games.
This year we have some amazing athletes to keep our eyes on. Watch out for Felix Davis in the men’s 100m and 200m. He is in his final year at the University of Kannap in Antons (UKA) and is the present champion in both events, having won first place in both events in this year’s National University Athletics Championship (NUAC). Freddie Pritchard, who just finished his first year at the University of Kannap in Veribel (UKV), is a recent name on the radar of fans of the sport. He won the 1500m at NUAC. He’s also competing in the men’s 800m, where he placed 6th at NUAC. Another man to keep your eye on is Jonas Baxter. At 32 years old, he’s run 25 marathons and has won 15 of them. For this, he’s one of the best marathoners in Kannap.
On the women’s side of athletics, keep a look out for Brenda Stulk, who won first in the 400m at NUAC. You won’t want to miss Kristen Jackson or Carla Lewis in the 5000m race. Jackson, a student at Mountain Tech University (MTU) finished second in the distance at NUAC. Lewis, a student at Waverly Mountain University (WMU) placed third, finishing just seconds behind Jackson. Both women finished close together in multiple 5000m races throughout the university athletics season and are considered rivals by fans. It’ll be an interesting race to watch as they both represent Kannap abroad. Finally, keep watch for Tori Dolan and Briana Davis in the women’s marathon. At 35 years old, Dolan has run 38 marathons and has won 19 of them. Davis, 24 years old, is a relative newcomer to the sport; she’s only run 10 marathons, but she’s won three of them and placed 2nd in two of them.

Badminton
A lot of excitement as Kannap makes its badminton debut in Electrum. Eight athletes will represent Kannap in the sport for the first time at the international level. You won’t want to miss this one, as Andy Caroll and Fred Carter compete in the singles competition and together in the men’s doubles. See Andy Caroll again in the mixed doubles competition alongside Angela Wheeler, who’ll be competing in the women’s singles and in the women’s doubles with Patricia Tancred.

Cycling
In cycling, 50 Kannapians find their way to Liventia to compete across BMX freestyle, BMX racing, mountain biking, road racing, and track racing disciplines. This is Kannap’s debut in track events in Olympic cycling. Kannap doesn’t have as strong of a cycling tradition domestically as we do in athletics. Yet, Harry Perk finished 6th in the road race at the 10th Summer Olympics. In the same race, Matthew Yates finished in 15th. This Summer, look to the mountain biking, the road events, and the track events for the best chances for Kannap to medal in cycling.

Modern Pentathlon
Compared to other events in the Olympics, Kannap has a relatively strong showing at the modern pentathlon in the few Olympics delegations have been sent to. I expect to see this continued. At the 9th Summer Games, Howard Johnson placed 9th in the men’s event while Barbara Wayland placed 10th in the women’s event. In the 10th Summer Games, Harry Folds placed 5th in the men’s event and Steven Woodward placed 14th in the same men’s event. Harley Ash placed 10th in the women’s event. In the 11th Summer Games, Natasha Wilkens brought home a silver medal for her performance in the women’s modern pentathlon.
This year? Look forward to Roland Harmsworth, Alan Grindley, Judy Levine, and Johanna Meadows continuing the tradition. They’re the four athletes traveling to Liventia for their chance to shine.

Triathlon
Triathlon is another of those sports that a Kannapian won a silver medal in long ago. Nonetheless, expect some strong performances from Thomas Howlett and Gwen Carson as they seek to earn Kannap’s second Olympic medal in the triathlon. The Mixed Team Relay also looks promising.

Other Sports
Kannapian athletes will also be participating once again in diving, canoeing, gymnastics, table tennis, and tennis. Debut events for Kannap, those that have never been entered in the Olympics by Kannap, include boxing, equestrian, fencing, golf, rowing, sailing, shooting, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing.

[A Kea]

With the Olympics approaching it's time for our annual events summary. What should Keans be excited for in the XVII Olympiad and 4th participation of our island nation?

Archery
Medal History 0-0-0
Once again a full delegation of 6 archers will represent our nation. Although our medal hopes our low, with our best ever outcome being a Ro16 elimination of Mikhail Evristheni two years ago in the XVI Olympics, we're still hoping our archers can go as far as possible in both individual and team events.

Artistic Swimming
Medal History: 0-0-0
Women's duet, Kalliope Tavros and Manolia Haleplis have been flirting with a podium finish in the past two Olympic Games, finishing 7th in XVI and 4th last year, barely missing out on a bronze. The girls are back and are hopeful on a first ever medal in this event. We're also represented by a men's duet and a women's team.

Athletics
Medal History: 1-3-1
All past medalists (Lila Kofa, Evangelos Pithagoras Scorsone, Morgana Kassiopi and Miltiades Tangeou) are once again competing aiming to repeat their past successes. They will be joined by 54 other athletes, returnees and debutants hoping to increase our athletics medal tally after a dip to just one medal last year (Our team achieved 3 medals, one gold and two silvers in the 16th Games). Regardless of our success, athletics are the most popular Olympic event among the Keans and will definitely give us some big moments to look forward to.

Basketball
Medal History: 0-0-0
Basketball is very popular in the country and the men's team relative success proves it. The Kean men have always made it past the group stage, sadly crashing in the Quarterfinals in both previous games. The 17th Olympiad was also a milestone for our women's team, which made it out of the group stage for the first time ever, getting all the way to the QFs where they lost to hosts Quebec and Shingoreyo. A men's 3x3 basketball team will also represent our country for the first time ever.

Boxing
Medal History: 0-0-1
Mihalis Sanatas' bronze in the 16th Olympiad, the first one where a boxing delegation was sent to represent our country, spiked the interest leading to a much bigger team for the 17th games. Sadly aside from Christopher Fourlis and Dorothea Orfanou reaching the Quarterfinals, everyone else was wiped out in the first round. This time, with an even bigger team, we're mildly hopeful for some further success.

Breaking
Medal History: 0-0-0
Our sole representative in the previous games, B-girl Eleftheria Sofia Mikes, crashed in the Quarterfinals. This time she's back, joined by B-boy Josh Ostworth. We're glad to fill the male category quota but have no further expectations other than simply competing.

Canoeing
Medal History: 0-0-0
Canoeing is a bit underdeveloped in A Kea. Yes, we are an island nation, and water events are extremely popular, but maybe because of the lack of major rivers and other areas where canoeing and kayak could naturally evolve we lagged behind. Last year we were represented in this event by 3 athletes one of which, Stefania Halepou, achieved an impressive 6th place in women's C-1 200m (improving her 8th place in Prescott). Our team is now larger by 2 people, but the experience gained in the Saintlake Regatta & Water Polo GP held in Britonisea might be what was needed to further enlarge our team next year.

Cycling
Medal History: 0-0-0
Marco Viene finally qualifying last year, after two previous failed attempts, in the BMX men's freestyle final and placing 6th is the sport's highlight for our nation. Last year we also saw success in Men's time trial where Hristos Maragos placed 8th. Despite not being particularly competitive in cycling, we have a bigger team here too and are glad to participate in new events.

Diving
Medal History: 0-0-0
Yiannis Pavlakos became the first Kean to qualify for a diving final last year in Afanc Strait, ultimately placing 6th in men's 3m springboard. This together with the 6th place of Mariantha Hatzistavros and Hariklia Minos in 10m synchronized platform two years ago is the highest place any Kean diver has achieved. We have no medal expectations but we hope our divers can continue improving our showing in this event.

Equestrian
Medal History: 0-0-0
Athena Olga Karpeti is for the 4th consecutive games our only representative in equestrian. She has been gradually improving her results but is still far from a podium placement, with her best result being 13th in dressage last year.

Fencing
Medal History: 0-0-0
Our 7 member fencing delegation is the largest ever in the sport. Despite not having achieved any medals, Pantelis Rafias was close to writing history for Kean fencing last year, losing the bronze medal final and being the first ever Kean fencer to reach so far in the Olympics. We're really hopeful that this time he'll manage to enter the podium.

Football
Medal History: 0-0-1
Kean football was good enough to make it out of the group, but not good enough to go much further. That changed last year, when our men's team went all the way to the bronze medal game. Our guys wrote history in Jolbonopolis beating Semarland in a thrilling game that ended with a score of 5-4 in penalties, after a 2-2 draw in extra time. That bronze medal will always be remembered as a huge achievement and we're hoping to repeat such success, even though it's not easy. Our women's team reached the quarterfinals in our Olympic debut in the 15th Olympiad but hasn't made it out of the groups since.

Gymnastics
Medal History: 0-2-0
Our gymnasts have reached various levels of success individually, with the highest points being the silver medal of Pulheria Hatzisavva in floor in the 15th Olympic Games and the silver of Georg Kvartsikhvili in rings last year, but we've never had any success in the team events. On a positive note, we've always had at least one gymnast qualify for an apparatus final, while 3 of our gymnasts (Pulheria Hatzisavva twice) have qualified for an all around final. With full men's, women's and rhythmic teams we hope to continue the success for yet another year.

Judo
Medal History: 0-0-0
Our judo debut last year led to many eliminations in the first round. The only exception being George Mavyiotis, who through the repechage got all the way to the bronze medal final where he sadly lost Diarcesia's Jimmy Eriksson. Our team, inspired by this close call, has trained harder and is ready to get our first ever judo medal.

Modern Pentathlon
Medal History: 0-0-0
With the unpopularity of this sport, it's surprising that we even have representation. Stratos Iosif Pagratiou, after a 2nd consecutive 16th place in the men's final, is ready to return for his 3rd Olympics. He's joined by another returnee, Takis Maragou, and debutant Klelia Favli, our first ever female representative in this sport.

Rowing
Medal History: 1-0-1
Our Olympic debut in rowing in the 16th Olympiad gave us our first ever gold medal, achieved by Christine Salvakou and Speranza Isidorou in women's double sculls. Despite a successful debut with a 50% final rate for our crews, last year things didn't go so well. Even though all our 10 crews reached the quarter finals, only one made it to their event's final, where they placed 5th. This year our goal is to not only maintain our 100% quarterfinal qualification rate but also return to the medal table.

Rugby Sevens
Medal History: 0-0-0
Keans might not know what rugby sevens is and how it works, but our diaspora abroad does. A men's team formed from Keans abroad is aiming to be our first representative in this sport. But first they have to make it past the qualification tournament which is going to be challenging to say the least.

Sailing
Medal History: 1-2-1
As an island nation, it's no surprise that sailing is among our most successful sports. It became so successful and popular in our country that for the first time, we're represented in all sailing events. This is all thanks to the Kalousi family. All 4 of our sailing medals are thanks to the brothers Simeon and Evristhenis Kalousis and their sister Sylvia who have medaled in all 3 Olympics we've taken part in, and are now hoping to get a 5th medal in the family. It's noteworthy that our only gold last year came from sailing as Simeon and Evristhenis won men's skiff.

Shooting
Medal History: 0-3-3
Shooting brings also another almost guaranteed medal to A Kea. In fact, Konstantinos Avgerinou won our first ever Olympic medal back in the games of the 15th Olympiad, a silver in men's 10m air pistol. This event has since always had a Kean in the podium, Avgerinou got bronze in the exact next games while his teammate Alex Skonda finished 3rd last year. We hope to keep this streak going and hopefully also get our first gold shooting medal, don't we deserve it after six medals? After all shooting has become a very beloved sport for the Kean audience and is synonymous to success and national pride.

Skateboarding
Medal History: 0-0-0
Despite being a world class athlete, Jason Gryffin Fields has yet to show his full potential in the Olympics. Last year he finally qualified for the men's park final, finishing 6th, which might be a solid result for others but he wants more. He's joined by 4 more athletes, which makes this our largest delegation in this sport.

Sport Climbing
Medal History: 0-0-0
A completely unknown sport in A Kea. Katerina Velotsou has represented us twice already and is going to do so again, this time joined by Heraklitos Mantis. Both are there for the experience without any viable medal hope.

Surfing
Medal History: 0-0-0
Marianthi Sokora was our first ever surfer in the Olympics last year, where she surprisingly made it to the quarterfinals. Now she's back hoping to repeat that result, but it's not going to be an easy task.

Swimming
Medal History: 0-0-1
Johnny Kontostavlos and his bronze in 400m freestyle two years ago is our only swimming medal. Despite that our swimmers reguralry reach finals, they're just unlucky there. With 3 finals two years ago and 5 last year, we're now hoping to further increase that number and also get our 2nd ever swimming medal.

Table Tennis
Medal History: 0-0-0
Djiva poor Djiva. Widely praised as one of the best table tennis players of all time, Djiva Trudau has been unlucky when it comes to the Olympics with the Ro32 elimination last year being her worst Olympic result in the singles. Two years ago she almost achieved the medal she's been trying hard to get, but ultimately lost the bronze medal final to Krytenian Rebecca Morris. She suffered a similar fate last year, losing the mixed doubles final to Quebecois Ye-Bin & Seung-Ho. With representation in every table tennis event, we're praying our super star will finally get the title she deserves.

Taekwondo
Medal History: 0-0-0
Djiva is not our only unlucky athlete. A Kea debuted in taekwondo two years ago, sending two athletes to Afanc Strait. Vaso Karpouza had an impressive run but narrowly lost the bronze medal game for 2 points. Last year she returned determined to get a medal, sadly she suffered the same fate being disqualified in the bronze medal game. She's one of our flagbearers this year and we're hopeful that this will give her the courage and strentgh she needs to finally get an Olympic medal. She will be joined by 4 more taekwondo athletes which is our largest delegation in the sport.

Tennis
Medal History: 0-0-0
Despite tennis being a popular sport in A Kea, a dispute between the Kean Olympic Committee and the Kean Tennis Federation prevented us from sending athletes to the Olympics. The two organizations have finally set their differencies aside and therefore A Kea will be represented by 6 tennis players for the first time. Stars of our maiden delegation are Maro Karakosta and John Andreev.

Triathlon
Medal History: 0-0-0
Andre Justine's 7th places in the 15th and 17th games are the best and only top 10 placement any Kean triathlete has achieved. Our four triathletes also achieved an impressive 9th place in the mixed relay last year. Once again, the experienced team of siblings Andre and Layla Justine, Europa Katsouli and son of the former Prime Minister and current leader of the opposition, Peter Yosef Papadopoulos Jr. will be representing us.

Volleyball
Medal History: 0-0-0
Both our men's and women's volleyball teams are great on paper. In the Olympics though, things are different. Despite having an 100% streak of making it past the group stage in 3 participations, our teams crash right after, with the best showing of a Kean volleyball team being a Quarterfinal loss of our men's team two years ago. Despite being hopeful that this time things will be different, we know that such curses are hard to break.

Water Polo
Medal History: 0-1-0
Our women's water polo team might be getting increasingly worse, but our men's water polo is doing the exact opposite. After a Ro16 elimination in our debut and a Quarterfinal loss two years ago, our men managed to go all the way to the final last year, where they narrowly lost to Britonisea by one goal. Our team is in top form, snatching bronze in the Saintlake Regatta and Water Polo warm up Grand Prix right before the Olympics.

Weightlifting
Medal History: 0-1-0
Six Kean lifters will represent our country in these games, with the undisputed start of the team being Fiona Abrahams Stefanou who received a silver medal last year. Unfortunately this medal didn't change the public opinion of the sport which led to the exact same team returning for the 2nd consecutive year. Hopefully further success will manage to increase public interest.

Wrestling
Medal History: 0-0-1
Our Olympic wrestling debut last year was successful with George Takmenides winning a bronze medal. This year our team is even larger as we went from 3 to 5 wrestlers. Our wrestling committee's major attempts to increase our team's numbers almost were in vain, due to the erroneous omission of the Kean wrestlers from our Olympic signup. Thankfully the public outrage that followed was enough for our Olympic Committee to modify our submission and include the previously omitted wrestlers, including our Olympic medalist Takmenides, right before the deadline expired.

[Magnus Phoenicia]

WP||Magnus Phoenicia Global News Corp

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Lead up to the Olympic Games;


The President of the Olympic Federation, Kim Na-gil, was beaming with excitement as he announced Team Magnus Phoenicia's participation in the XVIII Summer Olympics Olympiad, to be held in Hamilton, Electrum and Schimpol, Liventia.

The announcement kicked off at the Melbourne-Haven Centralis Ballroom. His eyes twinkled with joy, his heart beating with anticipation as he shared the news.

The champagne luncheon began with an air of anticipation as the delegation was formally introduced to a crowd of eager athletes, media and VIPs.

Glasses clinked, and cameras flashed, capturing the moment as each athlete selected to be an official flag bearer stepped onto the stage.

The scent of fresh flowers and the soft pop of champagne corks adding to the celebratory atmosphere. Magnus Phoenicians loved celebrations, any excuse to pop open a bottle of champagne.
The Melbourne-Haven Centralis Ballroom was infamous for hosting such exquisite events.

Kim Na-gil remembered his own magical moment when he was selected to wave the nation's flag at an opening ceremony. It was a high honour. He now was going to pass that torch to other extraordinary athletes.

With a clear raised voice, he began to read out their names, and the achievements which landed them this once in a lifetime opportunity.

“The official flag bearers for Hamilton, Electrum will be;

“Kim Bong-Cha; Gold medalist in the women's tennis at the XVII Summer Olympic Games. Bong-Cha returns to these games alongside national darling Tiffany Love to take on the women's doubles. She will not be contesting the singles at these Games.”

“Sidd Pattel; Patel has emerged victorious in all Magnus Phoenician golf tournaments and numerous international competitions. He is a regular participant in the Olympic Games, relentlessly pursuing his ultimate goal of clinching a medal, much like Ahab's pursuit of the White Whale in Moby Dick. We as a nation are behind Patel to bring home our first Olympics medal.”

“Flag bearers representing us at the Schimpol, Liventia opening ceremony are;"

“Timothy Saini; Saini has a bronze medal and a gold medal under his belt. He will be competing in the 200m & 400m Individual Medley, where he will be defending his 400m Individual Medley gold medal win from the XVII Summer Olympic Games which were co-hosted by Afanc Strait & Quebec and Shingoryeo.”


“Inga Horne; These games will be the final appearance for Horne. As she competes in the Canoeing - Sprint, C-2 500 m.
She is a popular name in the canoeing world having achieved gold, silver and bronze from three prior appearances.”


Those in attendance were told to raise their glasses and give a round of applause.
The event moved on to each flag bearer as they gave a touching speech thanking coaches, family and friends. The flag bearers were selected by a secret ballot from all competing athletes attending these games and special shout outs were directed at all athletes for taking part in the ballot and finding each of them worthy for a vote.

[Ralsalin]

BE PROUD FOR YOUR COUNTRY

The Ralsalien Order had recieved a permission from Kanmerin Enlightened Emperor Damian I Rinmein to participate in the Olympic Games. Not so big but proud delegation will make its debut and try to bring some joy and happines to the Order of constant depression.
57-year old Grandmaster Dhidhen I Gunfi, who rules the Order since 1987, participated himself in the creation of Ralsalien Olympic team. Finally the Grandmaster had done something useful in his free time, instead of watching anime and being constantly sad.

Ralsalien olympic journey could have been ended already, as the national Olympic committee managed to got into serious troubles and scandal due to flag-bearing dilemma. Almost everyone thought that the strongest Ralsalien Athletes, shooters Tõru Tanainsen and Riina Kuru, would hold the Ralsalien flag at the opening ceremony, and initially, they were named as flag-bearers. Although, then Olympic Comittee of Ralsalin suddenly made an unexpected desicion. Instead of Tanainsen, they named equestrian Meinhard von Reinmann as the male standard-bearer, saying that only a man of noble origin is capable to hold the national flag at this very important ceremony.
This desicion caused a spark of dissatisfaction among Ralsalien people, who critisized this desicion of National Olympic Comittee. Tanainsen himself was enraged and decided to seek protection from the Enlightened Emperor. He send a message to Kanmerin Leader, asking for help. Emperor Damian I himself, like Tanainsen, descended from a family of workers and spent his first 32 years of life as a usual man. The Emperor never forgets his roots, and tries to stay close to the people. And so, he decided to intervene, protect the people and restore the justice. Jaŭhien Dandzin, head of the Kanmer Imperial Olympic Committee, sent a message to his Ralsalien counterpart, Theobald von Gaikh. In that message, he strongly condemned the discrimination by class and ancestry, demanding Ralsaliens to solve this problem, or the Order would suffer harsh punishment. The exact type of punishment is unknown, but rumours were circulated that Kanmer could ban Ralsalin from participating in the Olympic games. It is unknown, if members of the Olympic Committee knew about those rumours, but von Gaikh decided not to develop a conflict with the suzerain, and made a compromise desicion. According to it, Tõru Tanainsen was finally made a flag bearer at the opening ceremony, and Meinhard von Reinmann would hold the flag at the closing ceremony. And this is how the justice was restored.

Ralsalien Olympic Comitee had set a target for the Olympic delegation - at least one medal. Who could bring the nation its first medal? There are some candidates. At first, the flag-bearers, Tõru Tanainsen and Riina Kuru, who will participate in skeet shooting. They are seen as the main hopes of the Order and many people hope that the flag-bearing scandal had not inflicted too much stress on Tanainsen.
Equestrian dressage is another event with good medal chances, as Von Drackendorf, Von Reinmann and Von Weiss are very decent athletes. Otherwise, one of them would not be a candidate for flag bearing.
The biggest number of Ralsalien olympic participants is in athletics,and the main hope here is Miron Chihardzin, who will participate in 20 km walk. Born in Kanmer, Chihardzin failed to qualify to the Olympics as a member of Kanmerin team, and so he decided to switch sides and compete for Ralsalin. Another athlete to watch is 200m runner Viktor Kripu. A descent performance is expected from Ralsalien gymnasts, Riku Kritamik and Wilhelm von Renwal, and the last, but not least, Ralsalien sport lovers should pay attention to taekwondo athlete Niilo Neermain.
Everyone is excited to travel to the foreign land for the first time. The RTV's correspondent, Thomas Leitner, had a small talk with some of the athletes, and here's what they said:

"I hate my fucking name" - says Obamaslav Smirnov, who will compete in the 100 metre running.
"Instead of this stupid runner, you could have interviewed me, I have many things to tell, and, of course, is proud to represent my country" - says Felix von Ranwartin, a tennis player.
"I will try" - says Roman Chetverikov, a wrestler.
"As a citizen of Ralsalien Order and a subject of our Benevolent Grandmaster, it is my duty to perform well and bring an awaited medal for a country" - says ambitious Wilhelm von Renwal, a gymnast. Athletes, be like Renwal!
"I have no time, i need to return to training as fast as possible" - says Dietrich von Erlaid, captain of Ralsalien football team.

Competitions are about to start, and many Ralsalien athletes will perform in the qualification, which would occur days before Olympic Games opening. Some of the athletes, sadly, could have an unlucky fate of ending their performances before the games would even officially start. Let's hope and pray that many of them would pass that hard test.

[Da Cunha]

"Don't tell me you're thinking of backing out now, Tima! We've already paid for the pad! Beachfront, too, that ain't cheap during Olympic Games, you know that."

"No, no, we're doing it. All I'm saying is that they aren't gonna like it back home."

"Hey, screw 'em! They kept dangling another deal like the winter games and then just cancelled on it because apparently we're 'Not the right demographic'. We're showing them. And we can do it proper, serious, you know? That's way easier now that we're just two. I love Olívija, but she's way better at being a parent than doing sports."

"You keep saying that, Zenzi, but you're being awfully secretive. Like, we're supposed to be equal in this. Was supposed to be easier to balance things after Olívija left, but I can't be a partner if this is how you're gonna do this. I wanna do serious, too, but you gotta trust me."

"I... Look, you're right, you're right. I don't... I just wanna surprise you with some cool stuff too. You react so great to surprises, and we really gotta hit the first thing out of the park. You prepare some surprises, too, okay? You're smarter than I am, I know you've got some ideas for your bits that you can spring on me."

"But... Look, just..."

"I'm pulling strings to see if we can get some cool guests, Tima. Won't tell you who, but if we can kick ass for the opening ceremony, just the two of us, then we're golden, I promise. Two of us, great guests, great show from an Electrum beach pad. How is regular old telly gonna compete with us then?"

"Heh... I mean, we're way better on screen than some old farts, that's for sure."

"Damn right. And if we both have good surprises for each other, then we also have the chaotic energy we're known for. Look... I may... I should've explained that better initially, I guess. I'm just... I'm really mad at getting dumped by them, and I have been focused on trying to get us better guests and stuff. We've got a full Olympic team for the first time, it's full of young kids, and they've actually scoured to have a wide range of society there. These young people... They need to want to come talk to US, not the national channel."

"Vengeance, then?"

"Heh... They cannot keep shutting us out if we steal all their viewers, Tima. They... Don't roll you eyes, c'mon!"

"You're a lot sometimes, Zenzi... You know that?"

"And you love how that makes your snark straight woman act look, don't lie to me."

"You stick out your tongue at me one more time, sister..."

"What, you'll grab it? Hahaha! C'mon Tima, lemme show you the private beach we have."

"The WHAT?"

"I ain't sparing any expenses. We doing this, we doing it right."

"Geez. Just promise you lighten up after the opening."

"I'll tone it down when we beat them to a gold medalist studio interview. They won't know what hit them. What're they gonna do, get THREE girls in beachwear to present?"

"...Whatever, Zenzi, let's not burn the energy before then. Show me that beach, then. We can plan the live stream for the opening ceremony out there. Getting too clammy to wear a shirt."

"..."

"...What're you giggling at?"

"Bit young to get menopausal, aren't you?"

"Alright, that's it, you're getting dunked in the sea!"

"Eeek, no, Tima, no!"

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

In the next beachhouse over, a middle-aged man sighs.

"This is gonna be a long few weeks..."


(((((Author's note: Yes, I have decided to double down on the cringe I made in the winter olympics. God have mercy on me. )))))

[North Oharan Valley Union]

Timestamp: 4 September 2024 - 23h21
Tags: Games of the XVIII Olympiad, Mission Olympica

---

More Than One Road To Hamilton
Contrary to the expectation, our Olympic selection will bolster a tennis and beach volley presence

At the launch of Mission Olympica, minister O’Reilly left little room to the imagination. Whilst the targets to achieve in the Games of the XVIII Olympiad seemed to be formulated as vague as possible, the list of entrants was presented as fleshed out and set in stone. The Minister of National Spirit, as her job description reads, announced that our Olympians would be spread across thirteen sports. Six of those were marked as ‘focus sports’, with a sizable delegation aiming to play its role at the international stage: reaching the top ten was the benchmark, hitting the medal table the ambition. Seven others got grouped under the banner of ‘discovery sports’ in which a handful of Oharese would try to showcase themselves to the world, finding out in the process how far the distance to the top really is. While it would be unfair and incorrect to say that these are not athletes of international class, the ambitions are far more realistic.

But disregarding the quality of our athletes in their discipline, all sports had a few common denominators. Firstly, these are in essence individual sports (even if some, such as canoeing or medley running are contested as a team) that get fewer of the spotlights in the North Oharan valley. And more importantly, these were all sports that are being contested by amateurs. It is important to underline that the wording of ‘amateur’ can be controversial: some of those present can win monetary prices with their best performances and in the run up to the Olympics, the national committee did its best to offer a financial support for time off, in order to prepare in optimal conditions for their adventure in Schimpol or Hamilton. But none of the athletes that will march behind the red-green-yellow flag in the opening ceremony (or that will compete in the Olympic preliminaries) are full-time professionals.

This is not due to any constrictions set within the Olympic Charter or because of regulations by the Games organizers. When discussing the entry list, O’Reilly was well aware of (or some would say, pressured by) the handful of professional sports in our country. The relation between those and the Ministry reminds one of the midpoint between an intricate dance and a tug-of-war. On the one hand, the Ministry has cleared the road to set up a national competition for the seven most popular sports: football, basketball, volley, local code football, tennis, motor racing and fighting. Whilst (semi-)professional status existed before the unification in all seven, the potential of a national sphere for paid sports is far larger. It is the Ministry that has their hands on the red tape to make that easier (or harder). On the other hand, all financial means need to come from private enterprise, which strengthens the role of the separate sports organizations. Minister O’Reilly might have the power to draw the chalk lines, she will ultimately not decide upon the game played.

With the poor state of the treasury and as a consequence a lack of leverage, it was a sigh of relief that the teamsports thanked for the honor. Sending a whole team oversees adds to the bill whilst especially the football and basketball organizations disliked the idea of being just a sideshow in a huge event: the IBC and World Cup qualifiers showed the strength of international confrontation to arouse the interest domestically, but only if all spotlights would be directed on the Red Wolves or the Green Lions. As such, they respectfully declined and managed to strongarm O’Reilly into dropping the team sports all together. In that same effort, they convinced the fellow pro sports to follow their lead. While these seven are theoretically independent, their power structures are interwoven and despite their short existence, they are already well aware of the importance of banding together to keep the Minister under their thumb.

And still, the entry list of the Valley Union features two anomalies to the original line-up. While all codes of the professional sports seemed off limits, two beach volley duos sneaked their way into the athlete’s village at the Fireworks site. More notably, they will not enter without ambition: Helland and Overby are an experienced duo that could be an annoying opponent for anyone but it is more importantly the female duo of Repukadze and Holenkova that could pose a genuine threat. The latter two are, despite their young age and only recent partnership, highly rated. Breaking the ukase set by more wealthy federations, the NOVSF (North Oharan Volley Slam Federation) managed to find a way to have their cake and eat it. So far, volleyball failed to get the clout of their (financially) stronger brethren as the next Volley Expo is not yet on the horizon. They nonetheless desired a piece of the cake, even a small one, without compromising the official guidelines. In a way, beach volleyball is only barely a team sport, some anonymous sources in the NOVSF grinned. With two reliable duos stepping into the Amphitheater, the mission already seems accomplished for them.

At least as remarkable is the story of our two tennis players, who will start their preliminaries soon in the hope to step into the mythical Cauldron. Contrary to our volley duos, the presence of Jadviga Dzene and Vira Stelmakh came to be despite its own federation. The TOTO (Tennis Open Tour Organization) runs a tight ship and stood by the collective decision. In part to hold the lines, in part as the management of the Tour is closely interwoven with the one behind the FA: both on a professional as on a personal level, with FA head Ritashvili having his nephew as vice-director in the TOTO. The official line is that they wanted to keep the focus of all players on the ongoing Open Tour qualifying series: a warm-up for the official start of the Tour in 2025. But one woman did not take that ‘no’ for answer.

Thirty-years old Jadviga Dzene has little reason to be bothered with the financial side of sports. Her parents Roberts and Lilija Dzene are the couple behind chemistry giant CCDC (yes, that D stands for Dzene) and it will be a hard task to spend all their money in her lifetime. But to Dzene, it was about the dream to perform at the highest level rather than the result. Throughout her career, she has been a vocal supporter to break down boundaries for female athletes, a process that runs surely but (too) slowly into the right direction. The playing down of female sports is the result of a long standing trend to split the leisure into juxtapositional parts. In a traditionalist separation, sports are the male field of excellence, whilst the vast majority of artists (from writers over singers to painters) are female. A backward and (bit by bit) retired view, but one that still heavily impacts our sports community and hampers the talent development. Inclusion in professional sports remains hotly debated yet so far closed off.

For Dzene, the combination of not being welcome at the Open Tour and seeing it as the excuse to stop her Olympic dream, triggered a sense of injustice. But aware of the reach and impact of the TOTO, she decided to hunt for a weaker opponent. Contrary to most disgruntled athletes, being it due to the exclusion of their sport or a disagreement with the entry rules set, she has the means to enter a long court battle. Dzene decided to sue the Ministry instead with a set of complaints, all centered around the unfair barriers set upon her. To raise the pressure, she added a hefty fine for non-compliance to the domestic Olympic Committee. Even if the details of her case were shaky, the Committee chose buckling over a potentially long and expensive legal battle.

In a clever decision to raise the profile and impact of her court case, Jadviga Dzene advocated to subscribe Stelmakh for the tennis tournament as well. While Dzene is a more than decent tennis player, Vira Stelmakh is rightly considered to be the biggest talent of the day and maybe of all time (or at least, within the Valleys). Just turned twenty, the shy but disarming Stelmakh combines the physical requirements of modern tennis with a natural technique and an uncanny insight into the options of her opponent. The Hyrniki-born player could be the one to shift the public attention to women’s tennis or at least make the final field of sixty-four. The TOTO (off the record) looks to the mission of the two frontrunners for women’s sports with a disgruntled eye but as the Committee raised the white flag, there is little they can do to stop Dzene and Stelmakh from conquering the scene, one serve at a time.

---

Four to Watch Today

Raimonds Grimbergs [artistic gymnastics] * The final paperwork still needs to be completed but the field in the men’s preliminaries could contain somewhere between 160 and 180 athletes, among which three Oharese. At the Hamilton Tennis Park, they need to be cut to 96 but as we will not qualify for the coveted team spots, the requirements to make the Olympics proper are much stricter. Despite the potential of Trym Ringen, it seems as if Grimbergs has the best cards to make it through these grueling preliminaries. Twenty-one and hailing from the notoriously impoverished Sebase burrough in Vilarme, Grimbergs overcame the odds already more than once in his life. His specialties are the rings and the pommel horse, but he can bring a sufficiently difficult exercise in all six elements. If he approaches technical excellence, something could be possible for him.

Marie Bandzeladze [golf] * Despite having transformed from a child prodigy into the leading lady of our national golf scene, Bandzeladze only qualified for the Olympic selection by a hairwidth. During the qualifiers, contested in difficult conditions, she required a play-off to win the second ticket next to Kobalia. But ‘a bad dress rehearsal is an excellent opening’, according to the old proverb, so maybe Bandzeladze will be more than ready to shine at the Port Grenville Country Club.

Paulina Lismane [canoe slalom] * Our delegation in Schimpol is limited to cyclists and a canoe selection due to the water-averse nature of our landlocked country. The scarcity of the crucial goods makes sports such as swimming a spoiled luxury and the few rivers available twist and turn rather than making a majestic stream. But that leads to a respectable canoe line-up that proved to be ready to compete internationally during the preparatory Saintlake Regatta in Britonisea. Of those fourteen, it is Lismane who gets the first shot to escape the preliminaries. The youngster showed remarkable consistency in Saintlake and could set the tone for her teammates with a strong qualification time.

Misak Melkonyan [pole vault] * A great number of major names in athletics start their journey to glory in Hamilton, with Iosava, Assylhanov, Mikoyan and Mamaladze to name just a few. The most eccentric among them might be Misak Melkonyan. The pole vault was (and actually still is) a barely contested event in Oharese athletics but Melkonyan literally raised the bar on his own. The man from the Luyhatsak region innovated the sport with specific but efficient training methods that allowed him to improve the national record from just 5m42 to 5m68. That last height was reached at the most recent national championships that doubled as Olympic trials. It confirms two things: that Melkonyan is in great shape and that he has a habit of standing tall on the big days. Let us hope that combining those two elements will launch him to land among the final thirty-two vaulters.

[Reginalida]

The preliminary football matchdays for the XVIII Olympiad are fast approaching, and we here at the RBNSD are very much looking forward to getting to see our RIFTers in action! For these games, our men's team are in Group N, up against a number of famed nations, including none other than one of the Olympiad hosts themselves! Thankfully, it is not the host country that football is being held in, that's Electrum. Instead, we're up against Liventia, but still, what an honour! The RIFT men will be heading to Kale Memorial Park, Kale Island, so let's hope that those protests about the grounds being built on an ancient burial ground don't disrupt the match. Or do! We can assure you, we're none too happy about that either - but we don't exactly get much of a choice in where it's being held.

As for the women's team, we get to head to National Electrum University Field in Prescott! We do love a good university. Let's hope the likes of Slaveška and Mytanija are ready to be educated by the lovely Miss Gonsales and her team! Or maybe we'll end up learning a thing or two ourselves! Regardless, the next few days are going to be very exciting as Reginalida launches itself into its debut performance at the Olympics. It's a well-known fact that sports is typically an underfunded area within our beloved country, but with any luck, the excitement drummed up by our debut here will help change that. ROC President Giovanna Eudano was kind enough to give us an interview yesterday, so if you missed that broadcast, here's a short clip!

Interviewer: You've been quoted in the past as saying the delegation this year was put together in quite a hurry!

Giovanna: It was! I'm not going to shy away from it. We would have liked to have a more through and intense preparation session but honestly, we still weren't sure we'd be able to get everything up and running in time. We're sadly still down on a number of events were just won't be able to compete in this year, but we're still looking forward to this year and what this means for Reginalida!

I: You're very confident, which is great to see. But aren't you worried that being so open about all of this could harm us on an international stage?

G: It might, certainly, but I feel that honesty is a very good policy. And besides, everyone loves rooting for an underdog.

[Libesia]

As Libesia is a newly independent postcolonial nation competing in their first international sports cycle, most of our competitors will be unknown. So each day¹ we will be bringing you the story of a couple of different members of the Libesian delegation, so you can learn a little about their stories, the events they’re competing in, and about Libesia itself!

Day “-4”: Anna Bischoffshausen, athletics, women’s 400 m preliminary heat (Hamilton)
Aaron Fendler, swimming, men’s 100 m backstroke extra heat (Schimpol)

White stripes in the rainbow nation

Libesia’s participation as an independent nation in the Olympics is being promoted by its politicians and celebrities as a celebration of its emergence from white² colonial rule. Which makes it all the stranger that a disproportionate number of the athletes that those lucky few Libesians who make the trip to Rushmore (and rather larger number who stay back home and watch, with local governments already planning mass TV viewing parties for the most popular events such as distance running, basketball, and football) will be cheering on will be white. Of the approximately 200-strong athletes who comprise the Libesian Olympic delegation, more than 30 are white. Less than 0.5% of Libesia’s total population is white, and so the overrepresentation of what might be considered as faces of their former oppressors among the avatars of their current liberation has not gone unnoticed, but opinions are mixed about whether it’s a problem or not.

While the majority of white settlers left before independence and many more have followed since, some have remained, keen to contribute to the new nation. Two of them are Anna Bischoffshausen and Aaron Fendler, both of whom are competing for Libesia at the Olympics, and whose different stories illustrate some of the complexities of the issue. Biscoffshausen, a lean blonde sprinter, looks a little out of place among her track and field teammates, and admits there have been occasions when she’s seen people ask whether she’s wearing the wrong bib. But she’s proud to be competing for Libesia all the same. “Some people ask why I don’t go back home but to me, this is home,” she insists. “I was born here, my parents were born here, I’m Libesian through and through, and I want to prove that there’s a place for everyone here.” With a university degree in environmental studies, Bischoffshausen’s day job is working for a sustainability start-up. “Libesia is a stunning country and I want to contribute to handing it on to future generations to enjoy, whether that’s through a sustainable water project – or through putting in a performance on the track that makes Libesians proud,” she says.

By contrast Fendler, a backstroke specialist in the pool, hardly stands out: 10 of Libesia’s 12 swimmers at the Olympics are white. And with the other two being of Watoto origin, questions about accessibility have been raised. Swimming pools and clubs were generally reserved for whites under colonial rule, and though modern clubs – such as the one Fendler trains with – have now opened their doors to all in theory, in practice the high fees mean they continue to exclude the majority of Libesians.

Sociologist Alfonso Crisanti says: “It’s hard not to see the ethnic divisions of the country at large reflected in the Olympic delegation. The sports with a higher barrier to entry are dominated by white and Watoto athletes. Decades of underinvestment in rural communities and colonial extraction, of ‘whites only’ signs at pools, of Watoto being coopted into the colonial administration and now providing athletes with military backgrounds in sports like fencing, shooting, and modern pentathlon, are not going to be overturned overnight by a few hopeful press releases about inclusion.” Crisanti points to Fendler, who did not accept an invitation to be interviewed by the Ouwarongo Chronicle, as an example of a white athlete who makes little mention of Libesia or national pride in his social media posts. “You have these guys who say, ‘It’s an honour to compete at the Olympics’,”, says Cristanti, “But not, ‘It’s an honour to compete for Libesia’ – because for them, it’s not.”

Public opinion seems a little more open-minded, though. Enthusiasm for the Olympics is running hot in Libesia, and questions of ethnicity don’t factor too much into the excitement of those on the ground. At a sports bar in Mitwabunda, fans gather to watch flickering pirated feeds of the Tumbran Premier League, Sylestone Crash n’ Smash T20, and Darmeni National Club Rugby Championship over warm beers and groundnuts. The bar’s largest and least cracked plasma screen has been proudly set aside for the Olympics. “I don’t care who they are, I will just cheer on Team Libesia,” says Serge. Bom-Bom agrees: “We don’t mind whites competing for us, so long as they win!” Barmaid Fatumata is less sure, though. “We have people asking, when’s the football on, when’s the 5000 m, the 10000 m. No one really asks when are we showing gymnastics, when are we showing horse riding. Don’t think they care.”

Political science professor Jacques Gour says that the forthcoming elections to the first ever free Libesian Parliament look set to shatter the current Government of National Unity, largely along ethnic fault lines. “There is no national unity if Ihlathi won’t vote for Watoto, if Akrama won’t vote for Kuroo, and if none of them will vote for whites,” he says. He warns the Olympics may offer up little more than a display of “false national consensus”. But, he also says, he is looking forward to watching the Games. “Not everything has to be about politics,” he said, to our infuriated reporter who then asked what the point of being assigned this article was.

Whatever the next four years hold for Libesia, Bischoffshausen wants to be part of it. She and her partner Thando plan on having children after her athletic career is over. Fendler, disdaining participation in the pre-Olympics delegation launch party and instead staying on his family’s compound sending off a mix of social media blast promoting diet supplements and regurgitating motivational messages, as well as the occasional dark jeremiad re-quoting reports of violence against white farmers, seems less invested in the future of the nation. But for now both of them will be united in a single purpose: getting through the preliminary heats and qualifying for a place to compete in the full Olympics. Millions of Libesians – Ihlathi, Babban Jemage, Akraman, and white – will be watching them.

Women’s 400 m
Defending champion: Xènia Carrizales (SRG)
OR holder: Tessa Forgrave (NGD)
Favourites:³ Marija Terezija Ogrin (MYT); Zarina Sáez (SRG); Danielle Rodgers (KYP)

Men’s 100 m backstroke
Defending champion: Alan Treasli (STR)
OR holder: Arnie Dagen (ETM)
Favourites: Alan Treasli (STR); Jeremy Tungortok (QUE); Niko Repin (DOU)

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¹ For some variable definition of “day” and for as long as we can be fucked.
² Within Libesia there is some debate about whether “white” should be capitalised or not. It is the editorial policy of the Ouwarongo Chronicle not to capitalise it, but see also many, many angry letters to the editor.
³ The Ouwarongo Chronicle picks of the day are presented in the interests of commentary and are purely speculative. The paper disclaims any responsibility for gambling losses, perceived insult, or loss of erectile function, incurred as a result.

[The Cannaland Islands]

THE FOURTH CONFEDERATION OF THE CANNALAND ISLANDS AND JROK'K OLYMPIC DELEGATION
THE CANNALAND ISLANDS AND JROK'K
4ʲ Konfedérátrik ë mà añà Kannalek añ'Uça-Jrok'k Olympicsporpoti
Kannalek añ'Uça-Jrok'k

NSS Trigrammes:
Official: CNI, KNI
Unofficial: KIJ, CAN, KAN
Committee:
Kannalanatíoniolympicsporpoti
Medal History:
Gold: 0
Silver: 0
Bronze: 0
Flag Bearers:
Dean Farrell - Athletics - Men's 1500m
Wyaç Ynak-Aaato - Athletics - Women's 800m
Athletes (by medal entry): 269

The Cannaland Islands & Jrok'k Olympic Delegation has arrived in Liventia & Electrum for their first ever NS Olympic Games.
With the athletes are over a hundred physical therapists, private chefs, and psychologists. The Teals will not be staying in the traditional Olympic Village this Olympiad. Representatives from Cannalandic universities, athletic foundations, sponsor companies, and cantonic governments are arrivinCag shortly. The King and the Chancellor will arrive in time for the opening ceremony.
The uniform to be worn during the opening ceremony will be in the traditional Ostrali-Kamoan style of dress, symbolic of our indigenous past, and uniting athletes of all ethnic groups across the islands, as one Cannalandic People. It will feature the traditional green and orange color pattern with the national colors teal, red and black woven in. Men will wear an ornate jacket and a kilt-like skirt with traditional headwear, and women will wear a long flowing dress in the same pattern. The outfit was designed by Cannalandic fashion icon Wyaçis Jenedomeçaaapöranidh.
Dean Farrell is one of the star-studded athletes to take the track this cycle, with Athletics being projected to be our best event. He will bring the energy of his trials winning performance to the 1500m. Ñanke Oschtrali ran a Kamoran record of 27:51.31 in the 10000m at trials, and will be a medal contender at these games. James Vaughan the trials runner-up champion in BMX competitions will also be due for a medal this year. Kayla Hopkins, who placed 3rd at trials in the 10000m, will be another athlete to watch, as she has won all but 3 of her previous 2 years of competition in the 10000. The Cannalandic Mens U21 National Team will play in the soccer tournament, and is considered a dark-horse pick to win. Jesse Morgan of the men's golf team will make his international debut at just 17 years old. The Women's indoor volleyball team is another dark-horse pick, going undefeated in the Kamoran Indoor Volleyball Championships just last year. Carter Davis (M61kg), and Alyssa Burke (W71kg) are the top ranked weightlifters in the continental competition.
The Kannalanatíoniolympicsporpoti will set up broadcasting headquarters in north-east Schimpol later today.

[Barkhastan]

Scenes from Liventia #1

“Ahhh! We are under attack!! We are being invaded by an army of small, hairy, angry men intent on attacking our genitals!!!”

“No, that’s just the Barkhastani taekwondo team arriving…”

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Barkhastan top 10 in medals table

Kylych Satybaldiev, Barkhastan’s Minister for Culture, Sports, Youth, and Yak Hunting has hailed the achievement of the Barkhastani Olympic delegation in being in the top 10 of the medals table at the Summer Olympics in Hamilton and Schimpol. “Given this is our first ever Olympics as a free and independent nation this is an amazing achievement,” said Satybaldiev. Barkhastan is behind only A Kea, Acastanha, Afanc Strait, Alezian Union, and only narrowly behind Olympic powerhouses Banija; they could even finish ahead of them if the medal table is sorted by trigram! The achievement, Satybaldiev says, is “only very marginally” lessened by the fact that no medals have actually been handed out yet and the table is simply sorted alphabetically and yeah I think you saw where this one was going from the first line, oh well, they’re not all gonna be winners

Barkhastan cyber defence agency beefs up security

The Ministry of Defence’s Research Intelligence Agency says it will be on “high alert” during the forthcoming Summer Olympics to defend against the nefarious hacker army led by the sinister figure known only by his nickname “General Error”. “We were all aware of General Error’s devious attempts at disrupting the recent football World Cup,” says spokesman Kanybek Iskenaliev. “But we are investing heavily in fortifying our countermeasures against any cyberterrorist attempts at disrupting the Games.” Iskenaliev said Barkhastanis could help in the “ongoing cyberwar” by using only approved government ISPs and avoiding use of VPNs “which are known to be infested by hackers, cyberterrorists, and, worst of all, free speech activists”.

Barkhastani Hospitality Yurts to host Independence Day celebrations

Come to the Barkhastani Hospitality Yurts, national houses hosted by the Barkhastani Olympic Committee in Flameworks Cluster, Hamilton, and the University of the Island, Schimpol, and enjoy a free glass of kumys, cup of butter tea or gok çaý, or, if you’re feeling brave, shot of arak, as Barkhastan celebrates its national Indpendence Day that by a completely astonishing coincidence totally unrelated to the lack of any results to RP about yet happens to coincide with the Summer Olympics! The Hospitality Yurts will be putting on displays of traditional dancing, compound bow archery, and folk singing, and, if you have nineteen hours to spare, a staging of the great national opera Altın Qanat that tells the story of Barkhastan’s founding, subjugation under communism, and rebirth under independence, in almost excruciatingly pedantic detail.

[Zenic]

Official Announcement from the Ministry of Sport for Zenic

We are ecstatic to announce the Empire's first foray into the Games of the Olympiad with commencement of the XVIII edition. The Empire felt that this was a prime choice for our first ever participation as it would be taking place here in our home region of Rushmore. Thus, our athletes would have more time to prepare and our fellow citizens could actually afford to visit the Games themselves in person.

As debutants, we decided to not send a full delegate as some of our more experienced contemporaries for a multitude of reasons. Those reasons include but are not limited to: no adequate locations to train and build a strong base of competitors in certain disciplines, financial constraints due to reconstructions and no time to involved sponsors in our decision, easing into the competition instead of rushing in over our heads. Below, we will announce where our delegates will be sent and why their discipline was chosen.

Schimpol, Liventia

Archery - The Empire has a rich history of utilizing archery for sport, hunting, and ancient warfare. Many citizens in the East still utilize bow and arrows for hunting their sustenance over modern day weapons and are known to win most of the national competitions. We hope this immersion into the archery culture will assist our delegates in Liventia in any way possible.

Athletics - A staple of the collegiate athletic world, Zenic would be remiss to not send the best of the Empire to the Games.

Boxing - We didn't just choose the name "Survivors": we earned it. Boxing perfectly represents the meaning behind that nickname and we hope that it shines through in our delegate's performances.

Fencing - As will archery, the Empire may have ceased to utilize swords in combat but their swiftness with the blade has not. A tradition that has remained strong in the urban areas, the Ministry hopes that our delegate put on a strong display in front of our fellow nations attending.

Futbol / Football - As the senior Futbol squad are actively involved in the current World Cup cycle, the Ministry worked with the FZF to determine the best alternative solution for the Games. Thus, Consolación Regina and Vaclovas Paškal will be splitting off and managing the two halves of the U-21 squad that finished 3rd at the 58th Di Bradini Cup. Consolación Regina will be managing the men's squad while Vaclovas Paškal will be managing the women's squad. Federation President Luke Killian assisted in selecting the remaining players needed to fill out the squad as well as providing support with transportation and team support, which the Ministry of Sport would like to thank him and the members of the FZF for.

Beach Volleyball - The North and South shores of the Empire are littered with volleyball nets as beach volleyball is enjoyed by all both professionally and casually. It was one of the few sports that was able to persist throughout the ZSF conflict

Weightlifting - Competitively, a newer addition to the Empire's repertoire of sports. Just as our fellow nations, there are countless members working hard on self-improvement that discovered an innate ability to push their bodies past most people's limits that we feel resonates with the Empire and that we would like to see displayed at the Games.

Wrestling - As part of our heritage, both disciplines of wrestling feature prominently in Zenician culture. Greco-Roman is the most popular in the collegiate sporting world while freestyle is taught in both schools and the military for what it can teach people about in regards to versatility.


Hamilton, Electrum

Aquatics (Diving) - A sport practiced in many locations throughout the Empire but who's origins within the Empire began on the rugged cliffside divers in the Southeastern and Southwestern regions. Whether for thrills or for quicker access to the underwater resources, diving became a popular activity down in the South. It evolved into pool diving in the rest of the region but those who dive from the cliffs were able to maintain a high level of skill during the ZSF conflict so most of our delegates in diving hail from the South for that reason.

Aquatics (Open Water) - Both the North and South shores have talented open water swimmer but for different reasons. The North utilized open water swimming for quick supply refills for their boats on the lake while the South developed it mainly for survival against the rough waves. Thus, we have a nice mix of North and South shore that will hopefully provide a nice balance during competitions.

Cycling (Mountain Bike) - Long before roads were developed and cars that could handle the mountainous terrain existed, early versions of mountain bikes existed that were used to get supplies and extracted materials up and down the mountain. Similar to another sport (sport climbing), it slowly shifted away from labor into sport as new technology replaced the mountain bike and more people realized they enjoyed the riding more than the labor.

Cycling (Road) - Zenic had a rich history of mail couriers being able to travel long distances to deliver packages, both personal and vital. Many did so on bicycles for various reasons: that was the fast method of travel available at the time, bicycles were the only vehicle that could travel in that terrain, disabilities prevented the couriers from using anything else. Regardless, there are still a few post offices that utilize cycling exclusively and continue to entice the youth of our nation to use, and fall in love with, cycling. Eventually, that love takes me on the path of competitively cycling and is the story for most of our delegates in this discipline.

Judo - A martial art introduced from immigrants from far off lands that introduced it to the citizens of the Empire. A martial art that was able to be practiced anywhere as long as there was a mat and jackets, it was able to continue and grow throughout the ZSF conflict and maintain a level of shine on it that several other Olympic disciplines unfortunately could not. Thus, we hope Judo helps show Zenician fortitude that persisted even in the darkest of times.

Rowing - Up North, rowing was a vital means of transportation in the past in order to navigate the lake for both fishing and quicker travel from one area of the northern shore to another. Now, it is a traditional and treasure sport amongst the northern universities and casually used as transportation between different areas of the shore.

Sailing - As the North experienced with Rowing, the South experienced the same with Sailing. A rich tradition born of both commercial transportation and naval warfare, sailing is a vital part of the culture in the southern half of the Empire that they cherish. Considering the similar conditions in Electrum, we hope that the level of expertise in sailing translates over to success.

Sport Climbing - A sport most popular in the mountainous Lovre (Lenz) region, the sport in the Empire originally developed from necessity as a means to climb the mountains and reach the deposits of tin and iron located there. After time, some began to enjoy the process of the climb more than the mining itself and began competing with each other. Once trade with nations more experienced in climbing began to rise, sport climbing grew in popularity with those in Lovre (Lenz) still using actual mountain terrain while those in the four remaining regions utilizing man-made structures for their competitions.

Taekwondo - As with Judo, we were introduced to Taekwondo thanks to citizens who immigrated from other countries where Taekwondo was already a huge part of their culture. We hope that the traditional skillset mixed with Zenician influence will do well on the mat in Electrum.

Triathlon - A staple of the Games and an extension of our Athletics delegate, we are eager to compare our talent with our fellow competitors.

As you can see, we are excited for our fellow citizens to travel abroad and show off the Zenician spirit to the world in a multitude of sports. And we hope that you are too and will provide support however you can. Thank you.

Signed,

Alaia Dimi
Minister of Sport

[Doubeia]

OOC Note: I absolutely do not share the sentiments of whatever has been written below.

www.nikorepinblog.doubblog.com/how-2-survive-your-first-summer-olympics-day-1

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How 2 Survive Your First Summer Olympics: A Handy Guide For All Doubeinese (Featuring My Hot Girlfriend!) — Day 1!!!!

NICO REPIN

Swimming is crazy. The Olympics is crazier. But do you know what might just be the craziest thing of all time?

SWIMMING IN THE OLYMPICS!!!

Well, people kind of call me a loser madman or WORSE a fuckboy (hello? I'm not that weird), but it helps to have a body GOOD at swimming like ME. When I heard they were doing swimming trials for the Olympics I just KNEW I had to get my name on there. You see, I'm kind of a really REALLY good expert at swimming. Specialty freestyle by the way. I'd always top swimming championships AND get ALLLLL the girls. Wanna know my records?

2x Doubeia National Swim Meet 100m freestyle champion
2x Doubeia National Swim Meet 100m freestyle runnerup
5x Doubeia National Youth Swim Meet 100m freestyle champion ship (in categories A AND B)

There are actually many more, but you know, gotta keep it humble

Anyways I TOTALLY smashed everyone there because I'm kinda like too good for them you know what I mean LOL. Like seriously, sometimes I finish like 3 seconds before the second place guyy like mannnn you're just too SLOW for me HAHAHA.

Anyways I'm currently on the long and boooooooooooring flight to Liventia with the rest of the swim team. Like I don't really know why the Olympics have to be held at two cities. Kind of dumb, innit? Wouldn't hosting it in one city be much more convenient and easy for everyone? And do you know the worst thing? I'm SEPERATED FROM MY GIRLFRIEND!!!!! SABRINA WHY AREN'T YOU HERE WITH ME???!?!?!!!!??

If any one of you guys don't know, my totally hot and sexy and beautiful and brave and kind girlfriend who is Sabrina Bravikova (if you guys didn't know even though you should *rolls eyes*) is ALSO going to the Olympics, but for some reason she's going to Electrum. Like can you believe it? Why can't swimming and shooting be at the same place ?You could have swimming and shooting be next door. I don't really know what the organisers were trying to do, but let's say that they KNOW about me and Sabrina (not that we've been keeping our relationshipppp lowkey) and they want to separate us. It kind of sounds like a romance movie if you think about it. Two lover athletes, separated because of the Olympics... It breaks my romantic heart.

Anyways, this airplane food is kind of YUCKY. I don't know what airline we're on, but I'm giving them 0 stars for this. Like what do they even call this? Ewwwwww.

Also my laptop's dying, so I'm going to have to update later whoopsies!!

Okay I'm charging my laptop right now. I'm currently in the room that was allocated to us. I'm breathing the Liventia air right now. Kinda nice, but not as good as ETHELFLED HEHEHEHEHE Like the bed is actually kind of comfortable and there were people guiding us around. I wasn't paying attention to much because I was busy texting Sabrina I mean not THAT kind of stuff. I'm not that freaky.

Anyways there are going to be some extra heats in a few day's time. I don't really get why they're starting 12 days from the actual START of the Olympics. Kinda dumb, innit? But I don't care, I'm gonna SMASH it like I'm gonna smash this bed. Because I'm sleepy now, get it? HAHAHA Alright, good night Doubeia, sleep tight!

Attachments

Caption: A selfie in my flight! DK why I had to be sat with some randos...

Credits of Ryanair background: thumbnail of this video

Caption: I'm not lying the shitty food on the plane was THIS BAD like blergh! Didn't get an image of it but it looks like these pictures I got from my computer. Bad, huh?

[Lisander]

Over a desk, and looking at a picture frame, Liz the stoat looks sad. The image in the frame is a photo of Liz itself, wearing a baseball jersey and a silver medal. With the right paw, he strokes the photo and sighs dejectedly, letting out a cute but sad moan. Opening a notebook that is half of his size, that was in the desk, the CG animal grabs a red pen out of nowhere and draws a line over the word "Baseball". His expression is sad, it's like how he didn't wanted to part ways with the sport that left the Olympic games since his last appearance.

"Liz!"

A female young voice calls out to him from off-screen. Soon, the owner of the voice reveals herself to be N1ké, a teenager, and one of the athletes qualified to represent Lisander in the new competition, Breaking.

"Come on, let's dance!" she says, with a smile. The expression of the stoat, in response, changes from sadness to joy instantly. Liz scribbles something on the notebook, then N1ké extends her right hand and Liz jumps over it, trying to a breakdance movement. However, it loses its balance and falls. Standing up, both chuckle. The stoat jumps again to the girl arms and they leave the room. The camera turns to the notebook that was left in the desk, and we see that he drew a circle around the word "Breaking", and a smiley. The image fades to white and the RTL logo appears, revealing these were the opening credits for the RTL olympic broadcasting show.

It's great to be with you for this Olympic broadcast! I'm Theodore Valmont, and I'll be with you throughout this month of super special broadcasts. We at RTL are very happy to be following Lisander's return to the Olympics. And how good it is to see Liz again, right? Isn't it so cute? Thank you, once again, to A.mi, who lent her voice to the most beloved stoat of the Olympics once again.

As you all know, unfortunately, for internal security reasons, Lisander was unable to participate in the last edition of the Games, but that's no longer the case! There's no point dwelling on it anymore, as our nation is back to the track. Instead, let's enjoy every moment of these Games. We have more than 250 athletes eager to taste the sweet flavour of victory, and who knows, bring an Olympic medal home to the Principality!

Now, you might be wondering: But the Games haven't officially started yet, why have we already started broadcasting? Well... as you know, the universe is very large, and we have dozens of teams. To reduce the number of participants, especially in team sports, and to arrive at a more accurate number of participants, we have the preliminary rounds. No medals will be awarded yet, but that doesn't mean the athletes won't have to work hard. On the contrary, they really need to work hard now to get closer to their golden dream.

On the very first day, there's already plenty of action for Lisander's athletes. For example, volleyball! The silver medalists of the 15th edition of the games need to beat Mytanija, or their path to a second Olympic medal will end before the event even starts! Check out some of the preliminary events we'll have these next days!

In Hamilton:
Athletics - men's pole vault - preliminary round: Joaquim Vieira - João Baldaschini
Athletics - women's 400 m - preliminary round: Larissa Rosado
Athletics - women's 5,000 m - preliminary round: Joyce Casella
Athletics - women's 100 m hurdles - preliminary round: Karina Althea
Athletics - women's pole vault - preliminary round: Jeanette Nocerino
Football - men's - preliminary : Lisander v Cannaland and Kelssek
Football - women's - preliminary:  Lisander v Nova Calania and Zenic
Golf - men's individual - preliminary round 1: Camilo Monteiro - Afonso Grund
Golf - women's individual - preliminary round 1: Beatriz Serin - Marina Vestri
Gymnastics, artistic - men's individual - preliminary round: Cássio Santa Monica - João Lucas Mollers
Gymnastics, rhythmic - men's individual all-around - preliminary round: Cássio Santa Monica - João Lucas Mollers
Tennis - men's singles - preliminary round 1: Lisander in action
Tennis - women's singles - preliminary round 1: Lisander in action
Volleyball, beach - women's - playoff: Josie Costa/Fernanda Boleyn - Beatrix Vieira/Amelie Saari
Volleyball, indoor - men's - preliminary matchday: Lisander v Mytanija
Volleyball, indoor - women's - preliminar: Lisander v United Mandaran States

In Schimpol:
Artistic swimming – Men's duet – Extra technical routine: Kevin Ross - Karion Ross
Diving – Women's 3m synchronised springboard – Preliminary round: Larissa Lozano - Sofia Madeira
Swimming – Men's 400m freestyle – Extra heats: Rory Lopes - Antonio Meira
Swimming – Men's 100m breaststroke – Extra heats: Franklin Montaner
Swimming – Men's 4x100m freestyle relay – Extra heats: Lisander
Swimming – Women's 4x100m freestyle relay – Extra heats: Lisander relay team
Swimming – Men's 100m backstroke – Extra heats: Julian Draxler
Swimming – Women's 100m breaststroke – Extra heats: Maria de Moraes
Water polo – Men's qualifiers: Lisander v Liventia, Da Cunha and Hopal
Water polo – Women's qualifiers: Lisander v Kriegiersen, Polkopia and Tero al Disco
Basketball – Men's qualifiers: Lisander v Panay Islands and Guimaras, Acastanha and Krytenia
Rowing – Men's single sculls – Time trial: Deodato Gaich
Rowing – Women's single sculls – Time trial: Mariana Monteverdi
Rowing – Men's double sculls – Time trial: Cassio Giudici - Mariano Zemets
Rowing – Women's double sculls – Time trial: Erica Giudici - Laura Crevass
Rowing – Men's quadruple sculls – Time trial:  Carli/Monteverdi/Hervé/Medina
Sailing – Men's skiff (49er) – Preliminary series: Lauder/Lauder
Sailing – Women's skiff (49er FX) – Preliminary series: Graffenstein/Graffenstein

[Chromatika]

18th OLYMPICS PREVIEW - CHROMATIKA

Chromatika returns to the Summer Olympics after missing the seventeenth edition, failing to miss out on the momentum after the sixteenth. The last time they were in the Summer Olympics, they had their best Olympics - twelve gold medals, twenty silver medals, and twenty-two bronze medals. With the Chromatik Sporting Council trying to keep their hold on Chromatik athletics despite the shortcomings brought on by the invasion and occupation of the eastern half of Myana Island, it's important to have realistic expectations. The CSC has already stated that the goal for these games is ten gold medals, fifteen silver medals, and twenty bronze medals - but where should we expect the medals? Where has Chromatika been strong at in the past? Where should we expect better results, and where should we expect a drop off? Let us take a look at the disciplines and athletes to keep an eye on.

POWERHOUSES
These are the sports that Chromatika always excels at - and this time should be no different. Sure, competition may or may not be stronger than they have been, but there is a lot of money being poured into these sports and the athletes, and the competition to represent Chromatika in these sports is insanely high.

ARCHERY
History - Gold: 4, Silver: 3, Bronze: 0

A traditional favorite of Chromatika's, they truly flexed on archery in the Sixteenth Olympics, getting three gold medals and two silver ones. The Chromatik Sporting Council reports that the archery pool in Chromatika now numbers over a thousand individual athletes - and that they are all pushing to be the Chromatik representatives. The entire men's team is different - Ji Hyun-Gyeol, David Earling, and Francis Franz step up now, replacing legends like Frederick von Marshall and Isaak Kristoffer. Ji, the twenty-four year old from Myana, has won four domestic competitions in the last season, with Francis being his main rival; David, the veteran of the bunch, has been waiting on the sidelines for many a year. On the women's side, Nedira Andersef, Lee Ga-Yeong, and Hélène Élon step into the picture - Andersef being the only one to return from two Olympics ago. The thirty-three year old will try to lead the Chromatik women to glory. It would be an abject disaster if Chromatika doesn't win a single gold medal in the event, and at least three medals total - but there's only five events in Archery, and with competition like Quebec and Shingoryeo, Valanora, and Krytenia ahead, it will be very, very difficult.

FENCING
History - Gold: 6, Silver: 7, Bronze: 4

When Chromatika first escaped the clutches of the Chromatik Party, Mattias Shucker established the Fencing Board - and millions of NMS have been poured in. The shining moment for Chromatik fencing was the Sixteenth Olympics, where they won four gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals. Plenty of both returning faces and new ones - Jason Teodore, the younger brother of Carson Teodore, joins his older brother on the Men's Épée team, Sandoval Llere continues to lead the Men's Foil Team, and Xzai Ifghan/Lance Boivin remains on the Men's Sabre team. On the women's side, the entire Women's Épée and Sabre teams return - including names like Cara-Anne Steward, Ami Wallace, Gina Carth, and Sara Hoyashimi. That makes the Women's Foil team even more fascinating - Kim Bo-Ra, Jasmine Waters, and Francine Ginot stepping up. The Teodore brothers, Ifghan, and the return of the four women highlight Chromatik fencing's return. It's due to the return of so much talent that the Chromatik Sporting Council has set a goal of two golds, two silvers, and two bronze medals - which will be very, very difficult given that there are only six events available. This will be must-watch TV.

FALLERS
These are the sports that, for whatever reason, should be expected to have a drop-off in medal production in these Olympics. Usually, it's due to a lack of funding, the retiring of prominent athletes, or both; if these events generate more than the random medal here and there, it will b e considered a massive success.

CANOEING
History: 3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze

There is a trend among the events where Chromatika is expected to underperform - that there hasn't been a lot of money being spent in the events. Instead, they've had to rely on individual talent to overcome the obstacles. They still have Baha Kimani and Francois Delechamps, but the rest of the talent has been replaced, and Kimani, perhaps the best canoeing athlete Chromatika has ever had, is getting older in her years. YHes, there has been the construction of some training facilities to accommodate canoeing during the months where everything is frozen, and some of these athletes have made the decision to train overseas, but to expect Chromatika to win any gold medals in Canoeing will be overkill. In fact, it'll be a surprise if they win a medal at all - though the best hopefuls remain a miraculous run from Kimani or someone completely uexpected stepping up.

WRESTLING
History: 1 gold, 4 bronze

It has always been a pleasant surprise when Chromatika medals in wrestling, as it's probably the most ignored combat discipline in the country. Everyone naturally gravitates toward boxing, taekwondo, judo, and even karate when it was an official discipline. The fact that Chromatika has obtained five medals in the sport at all is them overperforming. The problem? Only three wrestlers return for Chromatika from the previous iteration - the Mist sisters and Luke Kristian. Chromatik wrestling hasn't had many good results in international competitions in the recent years, and there isn't a name that stands out as the most likely to turn in a medal-deserving performance these Olympics. No, chances are they'll return to the form shown in the Fourteenth Olympics, where they didn't win a single medal.

RISERS
These are the events that the Chromatik Sporting Council has highlighted as having the most potential to produce more medals than before - due to the establishment of funding, the discovery of new talent, and the recognition of the sport as being something that Chromatika could be good in. This also means that the athletes are in the most pressure to perform, as their performance will determine whether or not that outlook will continue in the future.

BREAKING
History: Brand New

Breaking is a new sport in these Olympics - and the B-boys and B-girls of Chromatika are ready to take full advantage. All four Chromatik representatives are young (none are older than twenty-two), skilled, and rearing to go. Since there are only two events, the hope is that they'll win at least one silver or gold medal; anything better than that would truly show that Chromatik Breaking is on the scene, for as long as the discipline survives in the Olympics.

SHOOTING
History: 2 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze

Chromatika hasn't bene god-awful at shooting, but only seven medals won show that there was room for improvement. Enter in a pouring of funds since the last Olympics where they won only one gold and one bronze medal, and you can say that the Chromatik shooters that are heading to these Olympics have had the most help compared to historical numbers. There aren't many returnees - the previous generation having been beaten out or moving on - but the four Korean-Chromatiks that make up the Women's Pistol Teams, teenage sensation Tim Samuelsson for Men's Skeet, and the ever-reliable Matthias Pyung make this a discipline to watch. There are fifteen events in total - can the Chromatiks win more than two gold medals and six medals in total?

TABLE TENNIS
History: Never Medaled

Table Tennis? Chromatika? Yes. Having received the most funding in comparison between the sixteenth and the eighteenth Olympics, the Chromatik Table Tennis team truly thinks they've found the right athletes to take them to the next level - and they're all under twenty-one. Though a bit underexperienced, there is no denying the pure talent of the six Korean-Chromatiks that make up this roster. Winning even one medal in these Olympics will be considered a massive result for Chromatika in the sport, and with the rise in popularity of those like Hye Jin-Gyeol and Yim Ma-Seok, a result is sorely needed for the sport to stick in the minds of the Chromatik populace.

[Mytanija]

KOSARA RAONIC: THE PURSUIT OF A FOURTH GOLD
THE MYTANAR SURFING LEGEND AIMS TO MAKE HISTORY WITH FOURTH STRAIGHT GOLD IN SCHIMPOL

by Alen Kujovic

When discussing Kosara Raonic in the run-up to the Hamilton / Schimpol Olympics, the number four comes up as a matter of course. Naturally, when a legendary athlete is coming into the Games looking for their fourth straight gold, the number will be mentioned fairly regularly. However, this writer has also identified another neat fact about the number four related to Kosara Raonic. It’s also, handily enough, also related to Olympic gold medals. The greatest surfer of all time has accounted for 4% of Mytanija’s total Olympic gold medals during her career, a remarkable statistic which should probably receive just as much attention as her going for her fourth gold in a row – her sporting prowess has already been proven, whatever happens in Liventia during this Olympics surfing competition.

But, at 32 years old, Raonic is back once again. Already a three-time Olympic gold medallist she aims to do something which is very, very rare if not entirely unprecedented: return to the Olympics for a chance at a record-extending fourth gold. This time, her path leads her to the Strait of Umber in Schimpol, Liventia – as near to home waves as she could hope to get, just a hop across Rushmore. There she aims to add another piece of history to an already glittering surfing career. Despite this, the pressure she faces today might be more intense than ever before, the hopes of Mytanija are laden upon her shoulders primarily because of her past achivements and the expectation that she will add another piece of gold to the collection.

It’s been four years since Raonic triumphed for the third time in a row, dominating her competitors in Jolbonopolis with her signature panache and competitive intensity to secure a win which secured her place amongst the all-time greats – not just of surfing, but of all sports. She’s chosen to come back again, defying those who told her to go out at the top, to show everybody that she isn’t done yet and attempt to go from possibly the greatest Mytanar sportsperson ever to potentially the world’s greatest. The story of Kosara Raonic, from her beginnings on the beaches of southern Mytanija to her relentless pursuit of greatness – of being on that pantheon of stars which will be talked about forever – is as compelling as it gets and she has burst out of the sports world to be someone discussed by everybody. That tells you everything you need to know about Kosara Raonic.

Understanding the significance of Raonic’s return for a shot at a fourth gold becomes easier when you look at what is so extraordinary about her. Raonic is not just another surfer who rose through the ranks quietly and diligently and won a few competitions, instead she singlehandedly redefined the sport of surfing in Mytanija, professionalising it and raising the stakes for Mytanars who loved surfing – essentially putting the sport on the map for them and giving them an opportunity to make a living from it. Her first Olympic gold almost came as an act of defiance, won on Rushmore’s Terranean Coast amidst criticism from sports journalists who said her modelling career was a distraction from the sport itself. Those same journalists doubted Raonic’s dedication, downplaying her chances on the grandest stage and she responded in customary fashion: by winning.

Her second gold, four years later at the Prescott / Twin Cities Olympics, was a statement of undeniable superiority. It was Raonic coming back and saying: ‘last time was no fluke’ and ‘I am here to stay’. The doubters had been silenced once and for all, she had not only defended her title but had done so with such authority that she was beginning to seem untouchable on the waves. In an event where even the slightest error can mean that a run is doomed, Raonic displayed extraordinary consistency, and that victory solidified her amongst Mytanija’s greatest Olympians. Her popularity was skyrocketing back home and the sports journalists who criticised her were walking their old columns back, some even going as far as to pen apologies which Raonic poked fun at by turning up to competitions with a ‘not a bad surfer for a swimsuit model’ t-shirt on display.

Her third gold made her almost mythical back home, winning three consecutive gold medals in Olympic surfing is unheard of and is a rarity across sports. The stakes are impossibly high, athletes walk the fine line of competition, fitness and injuries and the fact that no person can defeat time. To even get to three Olympic Games makes you superhuman, but to win three Golds puts you into another category altogether. Kosara Raonic made it look almost easy, defeating her opponents with trademark poise and precision and her trademark competitive fire. The final against Sargossan rival Raquel Alcocer – a match-up which has all sorts of implications given the history of the two nations – had all the ingredients of a classic: two elite athletes, each carrying the hopes of their sports-mad nations against one another, rivals not only in sport but in history and war.

Raonic, as always it seems, delivered under pressure, winning gold with a performance which left no room for doubt. She became a triple Olympic champion, three-in-a-row, more than just an athlete – a true icon.

***

Some sporting stars can not only win competitions, but they can change their sports forever, particularly in their homelands. Yolanda Savic, Mytanija’s great pole vault champion, is one such sporting star. The legendary athlete won gold in pole vault in Mytanija’s first Olympic Games in Lasft, Cafundeu. That victory, one which she still holds the Olympic record with, made pole vault Mytanija’s most popular track-and-field discipline. Kids compete in the sport as a matter of course, in the same way they do football and boxing, sports which capture the imagination because of how ubiquitous they are. The pole vault occupies a similar position in the Mytanar psyche because of Yolanda Savic. She even has a stadium in her native Težia named after her. Surfing is not necessarily a sport which lends itself to stadiums, so Kosara may not get a stadium named after her, but she – through her incredible achievements – has done something similar for surfing to what Yolanda Savic did for pole vault all those decades ago.

Win or lose in Schimpol, Kosara’s legacy is already secure. She has transformed surfing in Mytanija, bringing it into the mainstream and increasing its popularity entirely by herself. Her influence extends beyond the water, Raonic is a role model for countless young athletes – particularly girls – whose achievements have inspired them to pursue their dreams, no matter how unconventional they may seem. She wanted to be a surfing star, completely out of the ordinary at the time, but it is now something which makes perfect sense. She has laid the track for others to come through.

“She was the inspiration for me throughout my teenage years,” said Jadranka Vitez, her teammate at the previous Olympic Games, who will now be part of MKV’s Olympics coverage of surfing after failing to qualify for Hamilton / Schimpol. “I idolised her growing up, watching her win golds and dominate the sport showed me anything was possible. Then I got the opportunity to compete alongside her, which was an absolute dream! She was so encouraging, but also so competitive, it allowed me to reach levels I didn’t think were possible. It’s also made the sport so much stronger in Mytanija, which might have been a bad thing for me, but it means we have talented surfers like Danijela Nešić coming through here and they are going to be capable of achieving such great things. Kosara raised the level for all of us and for her to still be at the level she is at 32 demonstrates just how good she is.”

Vitez’s own career may have been inspired by Raonic and inadvertently stalled by her presence. Raonic’s selection as one of the Mytanar surfers was a given, but her achievements inspired not only Vitez’s generation but also the generation after her, with young Danijela Nešić and company coming through at a standard which would have been unthinkable until Raonic transformed the sport. In a country known for its success in team sports and the more traditional water-based Olympic sports like swimming and rowing, Raonic has carved out a new space for surfing. Her success opened doors for other athletes to receive more central funding from the OKM, along with the recognition from the media and sponsors which allows these athletes to truly thrive. Mytanija is a legitimate force in international surfing entirely due to Kosara Raonic.

But will she be able to come again for a record-extending fourth Olympic gold?

After her third victory, Raonic stepped away from competition, leaving fans and journalists alike to wonder if she would call time on her exceptional career. At 28, she had achieved everything an athlete could dream of, what more was there to prove? She herself mooted the idea of retirement, speaking openly about needing a break from the sport to reflect on what was next. She spoke about feeling physically and mentally exhausted, drained from focusing – something the media had said she didn’t do enough of! Her domination was testament to her focus and ability to stay sharp, but it also took a toll.

“I’d worked so hard for the best part of a decade to enjoy all the incredible success, but I need to step away for a while.” Raonic said after her third gold in Jolbonpolis, hinting that she might not return only a month after that triumph: “I’ll need to make a decision with a clearer head, with some time between the Olympics and making my mind up.”

Raonic focused on other interests for a while, her modelling career continuing to flourish, and she even designed her own line of clothing for Mytanar sportswear giants Odeća. She dipped into broadcasting, co-presenting MKV sporting coverage from championships and competitions. It was a personal reset, a chance for her to enjoy other pursuits, but the allure of competition was never far away and by the time the Olympic cycle loomed large on the horizon she had made up her mind.

She wasn’t done yet. The tantalising thought of securing a fourth straight Olympic gold was too alluring, too historic to pass up. Raonic had unfinished business and her body, despite the wear and tear of a decade-long career in an immensely demanding sport, was still up to the challenge.

“You take some sore ones in surfing,” Raonic laughs, “You can never come out on top against the sea. I’m sure that is the first thing that they teach sailors, you know?”

So why go back again when there’s nothing left to prove?

“I’m a competitor. I always have been, despite what some in the media thought of me when I first arrived on the scene. Perhaps there’s still a nagging feeling of having to show those people who thought I couldn’t surf and model and live my life... I don’t know. I think I also just love this sport, there’s something particularly exciting about getting to compete on the Strait of Umber... So close to home and yet somewhere I’ve never had the opportunity to compete at this sort of level. It’s a thrill, and I’m not sure that ever goes away for those of us who love surfing.”

It’s a different test that what Raonic has faced before, but she has never shied away from a challenge. If there’s one thing that we know about Kosara Raonic it is that she does not let pressure define her, even under the weight of expectation from back home. In fact, she seems to relish it.

“There’s always pressure, Alen.” Raonic says matter-of-factly to Gazeta Sporta. “It’s a driving force for athletes, something they put on themselves. I’ve always performed at my best when the stakes are highest, when fighting for medals. It’s not really even about proving people wrong, even if that can be used as motivation, I think I always want to prove to myself that I can do it. That I can win against such great competition.”

As she embarks on her fourth Olympic campaign, the striking thing about Raonic is that she remains grounded, focused on the task ahead.

“I’m not thinking about the past or what I have done before. This is a new challenge. I’ve got to enjoy it, give everything and see what happens. I need to remember that this is probably the last time for me. I’ve been there and done it, so everything since is just extra opportunities and fun that I get to have.”

The awareness that time is not necessarily on her side is striking. This Olympics is almost definitely her last, yet that fact doesn’t appear to bother Raonic. If anything, it seems to have given her another, renewed sense of freedom.

“Surfing has always been about finding the right wave and then getting it right when you’re riding it.” Raonic says. “And I have found a lot of them and got it right so often. But there’s always one more out there. I don’t think I’m done just yet.”

[Kanmer]

Official Kanmerin Poster for the XVIII Summer Olympics. Like precious jewels, flags of all 67 participating nations were sorted in the alphabet order of their trigrams and put under a glass. Made by Jazep Swiran.

For a second year in a row, Summer Olympic Games will occur not in the summer, as their name says, but in autumn. Although, unlike last year, this time major part of the Summer Games will be still run during the astronomical summer (which lasts untill 23 September), and even in Kanmer the weather would still be somewhat warm and felt like the last summer days.

All-Imperial weather forecast for the next few days.

Last Summer Games, that were held in Afanc Strait and Jolbonopolis, brought a plenty of great moments to the Pure Empire, as more then 20 medals were won, including 2 golden medals:

KANMERIN MEDALS AT THE XVII SUMMER OLYMPICS:

NUMBER OF MEDALS BY SPORTS:
Wrestling — 4 (0/3/1)
Fencing — 4 (0/1/3)
Judo — 3 (0/1/2)
Shooting — 2 (1/1/0)
Athletics-Field — 2 (0/1/1)
Athletics-Running — 2 (0/1/1)
Archery — 1 (0/1/0)
Hockey — 1 (1/0/0)
Cycling-Track — 1 (0/0/1)
Diving — 1 (0/0/1)
Swimming — 1 (0/0/1)
Taekwondo — 1 (0/0/1)

As it could be seen, Imperial athletes won the most medals in athletics, judo, wrestling, fencing and shooting, with some unexpected medals in archery, diving and track cycling. And again, many of the athletes, who have the chance to win a medal, are competing in those sports.
This includes athletes, who had already won the medal at the last games and now seeking chances to win another ones. As the example, Ritsport could name 44-year old veteran wrestler Bogdan Denkar Sr., who won a silver medal al the last Olympics and now is aiming for the gold. Men's hockey team is another great example of this, as they won one of two Kanmerin golden medals and now will have a possible but very hard task of defending the title. As it could be seen, not everyone who won a medal last year made it to the Hamilton or Schimpol. Some of the past prizers failed to qualify for Games, some of them, unluckily, got injured, some just decided to finish their carreers, thinking that they reached the maximum.

Some potential candidates to possibly win a medal could be also seen among the people who failed to win a medal at the previous Games. The main hopes here are fencers and shooters. The past Harugwahandir Baris Korin failed to show anything in the epee, but now is hoping to finally fight for the medal. The same things are with many pespective shooters who failed to bring back a medal last year but hopes to do it now: Rikasen, Renkodara, Gunrodka.

And finally, the new names in Kanmerin delegation already could be named as one of the hopes. Unexpectedly, decent performance could be awaited from rowers and canoeists, as they suddenly reached several successes on the international stage. It was all started with Alexander Renlodka, who showed the best time among all rowers in the qualification round on the past Olympics. Almost a year later, performance of almost all Kanmerin rowing and canoeing team showed an improvement. Not so long ago, Kanmerin athletes traveled to Britonisea and participated in the Saintlake Regatta and Water Polo Grand Prix. Returning from Britonisea, they brought back happiness and hope with them. At the end, Pure Empire of Kanmer finished the Saintlake Regatta as a leader of medal table, winning a stunning 5 golden medals. Even if to include the results of water polo grand prix, Kanmer still became a joint leader of medal table, together with the hosts, Britonisea. A truly impressive result from the athletes that weren't expected to win. After that, some people started to believe in the rowing and canoeing athletes, although there are concerns that at the Saintlake Regatta the nation saw the peak of the form of those athletes, and at the Olympics it is possible that they will perform worse.

The Saintlake Regatta medal winners:

Gold

Alexander Renlodka — ROWING — Men's Single Sculls
Men's Eight — ROWING
Olga Ransen — ROWING — Women's Single Sculls
Stanislawa Pasurbin/Euhenia Lodhain — ROWING — Women's Pair
Kasyan Kirisendara — CANOEING (SPRINT) — Men's C1 1000m

Silver

Zahar Winarattin — CANOEING (SPRINT) — Men's C1 1000m
Palina Tirden — CANOEING (SPRINT) — Women's C1 200m

Bronze

Zahar Winarattin/Kasyan Kirisendara — CANOEING (SPRINT) — Men's C2 500m

Another hard task was presented to the Imperial Olympic Committee, as, after forming an Olympic delegation, it needed to choose two Harugwahandirs - people who will hold the Gainkar (Kanmerin flag) at two opening ceremonies, one male and one female athlete. Two lists of candidates were formed, but at the end, it was discovered that the mission of choosing Harugwahandirs wasn't hard at all. Remembering last edition of the Summer Games, two athletes had so memorable performances, that the election of Harugwahandirs was just a formality. The choices were proven right again as both athletes will fly to different host nations (Hockey in Liventia and shooting in Electrum), meaning that they won't need to fly back to their competition site.

CANDIDATES FOR BEING A HARUGWAHANDIR


MEN'S
Ranmir Dantagain (hockey) — captain of the men's hockey team, that won the Olympic tournament in Afanc Strait. Scored 5 goals in the victorious campaign. 
Bogdan Denkar Sr. (greco-roman wrestling) — 44-year old veteran and silver medal winner. 
Wasil Wirpalin (gymnastics) — participated in 5 finals, but, sadly, hadn't won any medals. 
Mihal Kanmada (judo) — silver medalist that won first ever Kanmerin medal (without being stripped of it). 
Prakop Kirloka (hockey) — the midfielder who suddenly became best scorer of the victorious hockey team, with 7 goals. 
Uladzimir Rikasen (shooting) — the main hope in men's shooting.

WOMEN'S
Ulyana Reisen (shooting) — the most prominent Kanmerin athlete at the last Olympics. 
Won the actual first ever Olympic medal for Kanmer, but then lost it, as the competition was replayed. 
Then she won the replay and finally secured the first ever Kanmerin gold, actually winning the final two times.
Tatsiana Tenkar (wrestling) — silver medalist in the 68kg freestyle.
Karina Keinerin (shooting) — Silver medal winner in 10 m air rifle.
Paulina Korinka (fencing) — one of the main fencing stars, that managed to win silver in team's epee.
Tatsiana Renkodara (shooting) — one of main hopes in shooting. At last games, managed to qualify into final, but failed to get the medal.
Juzefa-Gardalina Gaishin (football) — captain of women's football team.

Soon after Imperial Olympic Committee named Dantagain and Reisen as the Harugwahandirs, Makar Dhein of First Imperial Sports Channel took an intervew with the hockey star. Dantagain said that he is not afraid of completing the important mission of holding the Gainkar at the opening ceremony, and, moreover, he is honored by it. The main case of worry for the captain was the competition itself. This year, the format was changed for team sports and now, all countries need to pass the qualification before participating in the Olympics. In the hockey qualification, 10 groups of 3 and 2 groups of 4 were formed, and only the group winners would advance to the actual Olympics. Dantagain said, that the Imperial team must win their group and get to the final stage. He cannot allow it to lose, cause in that case, the Harugwahandir, together with other players, will end his Olympic campaign long before he would carry the flag at the Opening Ceremony. That means, that after the Ceremony would be finished, they would have nothing to do in Liventia. At the end of the interview, Ranmir said that he will motivate his teammates to be maximally concentrated at every minute, so the title-holders could secure themselves a spot in the current Olympic tournament.

The group draw.