[RP thread] Games of the XIV Olympiad

[Trolleborg]

Greetings, dear compatriots!
It’s TTV from Summer Olympics. Second day of the tournament don’t give us many reasons for joy. Both water polo teams lost their second games, ladies from football team not only lost second game (altought again by the razor margin and at last find opponent’s net once), but also chances to move into playoff. Two our boxers, both taking field in the lightweight categories, so uncharacteristic for our nation fighters, fight in preliminary rounds and one of them lost, by points, to the athlete from Græntfjall altough other won against his opponent from West Phoenicia by RSCH.

In the last reportage we talked about the "Antiquity" pavilion of our Villages, and today the next in line is the "Middle Ages" zone, with all the appropriate entertainment. Since this, of course, is not the Military Museum of Trolleborg, and there is simply no way to deploy 3D interactive to the full extent, and here the places are far from sizes available for entertainment in our well-known Ristals and Knights' Land theme parks, so that it would be possible to organize knightly fights in reality. But you can wave a mace, fight on the swords and with shields and it is quite possible to take part in a wall-to-wall fight here. For those who have a desire for another sort of fighting, there is still a struggle with dummies adjusting to your height, weight and medical indicators, and for those who do not crave melee, there is archery, and after shooting you will find out how much weaker you are (or better, may this suddenly happens in the world) of our great archers of the past. To our surprise, our national leader Vladimir Finn has also been added to the list of archers for comparison, his performance is far from the first in the world, but above average, none of our group could surpass him. If the bow is not to your liking, then you can beat the stones thrown at you at different heights, this fun is in use only in the far north of our subcontinent, although, as we learned here, it is quite widespread in the world and is even presented here, at the Olympics unders "baseball" name - probably, derived from the name of the characteristic headgear, named "baseball cap". Of course, authentic cuisine is also presented here: meat on a spit, a side dish of (rather unpleasantly looked) coarsely chopped and fried in fat vegetables, slices of bread that are good for collecting greese - all this is also there, and should be washed down with beer that is as close as possible in composition to a real medieval one, minus dirt ...

[Mattijana]

Olympic Spotlight: Mattijanan Baseball Steps up to the Plate

MFO SPORT

Ask most Mattijanans what bat and ball sport first comes to mind and they would probably say Cricket. The age old battle between leather and willow is a firm favourite across the country and vies for the hotly contested title of Mattijana's second sport with tennis and several winter sports. Cricket certainly has a good case for being included in the Olympics, at least in its shorter T20 format, but two sports that have found themselves in the games thanks to their popularity worldwide are baseball and softball.
The sports have a small following in Mattijana and the nation are yet to enter a team to any international tournament, despite 48 being involved in the most recent edition of the world baseball classic. There are however a few pioneering players in the country ready to take on some of the world's best.

Both teams lost their opening group games, but the women's softball bounced back from defeat to Krytenia by beating Renzynistan 2-0 to go second in their group. Tougher tests are to come, but against the odds, they will really fancy their chances of making the knockout stages, a heroic achievement for a side that is completely amateur.

Down at Petrovijanka's SavaPark, just a hop across the bridge from the old town on the PetroviOtok, a typical training session at the Petrovijanka Base and Softball club is in progress. The club recently gained permission to paint a couple of strips onto the grass in an open area of the park, but until then would mark out their bases with Cricket stumps, jumpers or anything else they could get their hands on.
Softball captain Mari Juvan is watching her team from the space between the two pitches. Her leadership has been a big part of the team's journey to the Olympics and in the absence of an official coaching team, she has much more tactical influence than most of her professional counterparts. A paediatric nurse in her day - and sometimes night - job, Juvan is no stranger to leadership and teamwork, but learning more about the game was a challenge. With limited experience at any competitive level, let alone internationally, it was always going to be a steep learning curve.
Of course learning the tactics of modern softball in sufficient depth was only the start. Implementing them with a team of relative novices, some of whom were only able to train with the rest of the squad for a week before setting off to Banija, was an even greater task.

"Some of the girls came down from Burges for the trials and looked like they had really good potential, so we wanted to include them in the squad for Banija. We've been in contact with them to let them know what we've been trying out and to see if they can try and implement our tactics at their own club, but until we get everyone together, we don't know how that'll work. I'm pretty nervous to see how that first session goes, but it's really exciting too. Luckily compared to other sports, Softball is pretty simple. It's see-ball hit-ball and if you do that well, you'll probably win. It's our fielding and pitching that need the most work."

Clearly that work has been well-executed. The marmots kept a clean sheet in their most recent match and kept a strong Krytenia side down to a couple of runs, a fine achievement given group rivals Npc West Florida shipped 9 against early leaders Tikariot.

Over on the other pitch, the baseball team are in action. Normally both teams are open to all genders, but Olympic regulations mean that the game in progress is men-only.

"It's a weird decision by the IOC to not have men's and women's teams for both sports" said Matej Kampl, the captain of the baseball side at the games. "The Olympics is at the point now where almost all events are open to everyone and people from all genders can play on the same team at most sports events on the calendar. There's plenty of girls who are really disappointed because they're baseball specialists and don't have the opportunity to go to an Olympic games."

Seemingly unnecessary gender differences aside, Kampl has faced similar, if not more diverse challenges than Juvan. As well as co-ordinating an amateur side containing players from over 100 kilometres outside the capital, the pitches in Banija will be a long way from the painted white lines on the Petrovijankan grass.

"We're going to have to get used to much more claustrophobic surroundings than in the beautiful space we have here. The biggest issue for sure will be catching. We're used to standing back in the sort of position a wicket keeper in Cricket would and sometimes even taking the ball on the bounce. With the setup at the stadia, we won't have enough room for that, so we've been practicing with the catcher as close as possible. Sometimes I've had to watch from behind, otherwise there'd be some pretty long chases back. The two catchers we have on the squad are definitely getting better though."

The other technical issue for the team will be sliding, something that isn't possible on the turf of the SavaPark, but will be on the dirt strip of professional arenas. Such subtleties of the game are the fine margins over which tight international games can be decided, as the pitching marmots found out in their tight opening round defeat to West Phoenicia. Agonisingly, the marmots held a 3-1 lead up until a disastrous penultimate innings in which they leaked three crucial runs.

Kampl himself used to play Cricket in his younger days, but found that juggling the time pressures of the game with a job in the Mattijanan civil service was a step too far for his playing ambitions. Baseball rejuvenated his sporting life though, and with the Park just across the river from the MattiStaja, Mattijana's parliament and government building, playing is certainly convenient.

"It's really lovely to be able to finish work, get changed and come straight over here in 10 minutes, especially on a summer evening like this. I love Cricket, but it does take time that a lot of people don't have and baseball is a simpler game. We play a lot of shortened matches at the club here, so if we can gain a bit more of a following from these Olympics, we're hoping to see a few more people come down here to give our sport a go."

Great things are certainly not expected from either side and the fact that they are even being competitive will be a surprise to many. Progress from the group stage would be massive though and who knows, with more funding and exposure, we might just be seeing a marmots team somewhere like the WBC. Either way, it's a wonderful story.

[Krytenia]

All views expressed are IC only and not meant to insinuate any criticism of Liventia or Banija.

TENNIS: Perez slams "heartless" organisers

Stephen Perez laid into the organisers of the Games of the XIV Olympiad following his victory in the men's singles, chastising them for their decision to hold knockout competitions prior to the Opening Ceremony.

Perez himself did win through, recovering from losing the first set to eliminate Eraman's Hemat Darwisa, but his three countrymen - including national number two Andy Baumgartner - all fell by the wayside. In the post-match press conference, the thirty-one year old was clearly angry at the plight of his fellow Krytenians and others in their position.

"There are people here who have fought tooth and nail to get here," Perez said, "to take part in this unique event. Here we are, standing together in the name of sport, and the organisers want to kill those dreams before we even get to march with our team? It's heartless, and it's shameful. This is a once in a lifetime thing for some of these people. Look at Athena yesterday. Look at the boxers and the badminton players who are in a same boat. It's a cruel and unnecessary thing to do to these people and I sincerely hope that there is someone in the organising committee with enough spine to come to these people and apologise."

Perez's comments will likely resonate with those competing in the boxing preliminaries, with a number of weight classes having eliminator bouts just hours before the Opening Ceremony.



BASEBALL: Lucky 13 for Ko-oren

It's a well known fact that Krytenia aren't exactly the biggest name in baseball - quite the opposite, in fact. Defeat against Ko-oren was to be expected, but the embarrassing nature of the loss was particularly painful.

Krytenia couldn't have started any more perfectly, with Stephen McCall sending the first pitch of the game flying over left field to score the opening run. That, though, would be as good as it got. The Krytenian team would only register three further hits in the game, and never got another man past second. Ko-oren, meanwhile, marmalised Stuart Robledo's pitching in the opening inning and never looked back.

The teams from Quebec and Kriegersien will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing Krytenia after this game; the Krytenians, meanwhile, will probably be happy to keep the score against in single figures.



Inspired to try baseball? Find local clubs for this and other Olympic sports and get active at www.kbs.kt/sportforall

[Hannasea]

Posted on the Mechanistic Results Regurgitation section of the SuperSport website.

Softball players out to prove their worth

Softball has long been considered a dying sport in the Guild Federation. Once a flourishing game, the growth of baseball and participation of women in the Hannasean Baseball League, combined with the ascendancy of field hockey specialist clubs at the expense of traditional combined hockey-softball clubs, have seen participation numbers not just dwindling but cratering, not helped by the sport failing to secure a TV rights deal. That’s way the decision to name a national softball team for the Summer Olympics has meant so much to the players involved, and why they’re so determined to prove themselves out on the field. Or diamond. Or whatever it is softball’s played on. Pitch. Playing area. Ground. Whatever.

“We want to prove softball is a still a viable sport in the Federation,” said starting shortstop Natalee Kimberley. Second basewoman Paige Alan said that she wanted to “show a different side” to a Hannasean sporting image traditionally dominated by baseball, field hockey and gymnastics. Cynics, though, have argued the softball team only exists to cover for the absence of a men’s baseball team, after the HBL voted not to release its players following a failure to secure an Olympic break in the season with the players’ union.

With softball starting early, the team has already played two games ahead of the Opening Ceremony. In their international debut, they were always chasing Kriegiersien after Jamie Stern gave up back-to-back doubles in the first innings; more doubles followed in the third, and in the fifth Captain Graham Jones made it 3 – 0 with a home run and ‘fish-slapping’ celebration as ‘she’ rounded the bases, drawing the ire of the Hannasean players. Haylie Chadwick’s 3-run blast in the 7th briefly restored parity, and hope, but Captain Paulina Posh homered to seal the defeat.

The second saw a brighter result thanks to a fantastic pitching performance from Tarah Salmon, who took advantage of a Terre Septrentionale side trying to adjust from baseball to softball. The batters clearly struggled against Salmon’s rising pitches delivered from a submarine wind-up, and whiffed to the tune of just two hits for no runs. While the Hannasean batters hardly put on an offensive slugfest of their own, Kailee Treloar’s RBI-single to drive in Jorja Boyce was good for the win.

TV ratings, rather than game performances, are likely to play a bigger role in determining the future of the national softball team experiment, however, and there will be concern that as more popular sports start competition, the high numbers tuning in to watch softball over the first two days are going to dwindle as they switch over. But for those who watched Boyce’s diving catch to rob Julia Szkutnik of a hit, perhaps the spectacle of televised softball will be enough to spark a renewed interest in a sport otherwise in danger of going the way of other such antiquated pursuits as football.

[Ioudaia]

Istria City College Aquatics Center
Istria, Banija

Sophia plastered on her best sportscaster smile and looked straight into the camera. "Hello and welcome to Champion Network's coverage of the XIV Olympiad. I'm Sophia Laskaridou, and I'm with the captains of Ioudaia's Olympic water polo teams, Achi ben Harpalion for the men, and Perse bat Shira for the women." She turned to look at her guests, both of them having tossed on something presentable over their swimsuits. "Let's talk about today's action."

As Sophia paused to take a breath, Perse cut her off. "We did better than expected. Tikariot's got a solid team this year. But Tamar and Philomela didn't just block a lot of their shots on goal, they helped us get momentum, with strong throws to our attackers, especially Ianthe. She had a good day: four shots on goal."

Sophia needed a second to get her own momentum back, and went with the newscaster's reflex: "What about you, Achi... the men's team today?"

Achi shifted nervously as the camera swung towards him. "We, uh, got lucky. I'm not gonna hide it... say we were all awesome and on top of our games. They were better than we were."

Ooooh, boy! Better get ready in case this one has a breakdown on the air. Sophia motioned to her cameraman, giving him the signal to turn back to her.

"But we'd reviewed the videos of Krytenia's previous games, and we found something." Achi was still visibly uncomfortable, but his tone was more relaxed. "We kept up a left-right-left offense. Parmenion was key to that. He's ambidextrous. Put him all the way to the right, let him throw left-handed. We kept up the pressure on them, as much as we could.

"In the end, that made the difference for us. I think we wore out their defenders and keepers. Or at least, they were a little more tired than we were." Achi managed a weak smile.

Good catch! Now for an assist. "So Parmenion was today's MVP?"

Achi pursed his lips, thinking for a second. "Yeah, I think so, but only by a little. The left-right-left only worked because we were able to use all the attackers together."

Off-camera, Sophia turned to Perse, nodding to her so the camera could make a fast cut as she asked her a question. "So, you get the last word, Perse. How do you think the team's doing overall?"

"I think we have a shot at the quarter finals. After that, we'll see, but if that's all we get, that's pretty good for a rookie team."

Sophia smiled into camera as it turned to her. "There you have it, folks! Let's hope Ioudaia's water polo teams go even further these Games."

[Vilitan Union]

3WD partner with NSOC to drive Olympic Branding Theme

Lonngeylin, Vilita :: Lonngeylin-based design firm 3WD has once again paired up with the NS Olympic Committee to provide logo consultancy for the Olympic Games after having previously served the role in creating a branding scheme for the 14th Winter Olympic Games. In revealing the branding identity for the Games of the XIV Olympiad, the Summer Olympic Games in Orean and Istria, 3WD is once again working with some familiar sporting delegations. 3WD most recently worked with delegations from Liventia during those 14th Winter Olympic Games, and prior to that, had worked with Delegations from Banija in creating the brand identity for the 81st World Cup Finals which were held in Banija & Free Republics.

3WD has a long history of working with sports teams and entities to create an identity for public consumption. 3WD was formerly one of the most influential companies in all of Vilitan sport including being the official kit supplier for both the Vilita and Turori National Teams as well as providing kits for other National Teams such as Krytenia, Kaze Progressa, Eauz and Lethislavania. Their biggest fame, however, was likely as both official supplier and as kit sponsor of Jungle Strike FC. After excessive growth cut into their profit margins, 3WD left the kit production business and sold their kit templates and production equipment to Tropicorp Sports. Retaining the design and identity shops from the large corporation, a more streamlined 3WD focuses on design consultancy and brand awareness across both the sporting and retail sector.

While the original sketches for the logo (shown below) were largely unchanged for the final branding scheme deployed in Orean and Istria for the Summer Olympic Games, the official logo of the NSOC would be added to the final branding.

The design of the logo is believed to symbolize the core standards of the olympic movement, "Faster, Higher, Stronger" as well as the unity of the athletes of the world coming together in a celebration of both commonality and competition on the sporting stage.

While Orean is a former host city of the Olympic Games, it will be the first ever Olympic Games to be held in Istria or the entire nation of Banija, bringing the Olympic Flame to Atlantian Oceania's Glorious Southwest will be the first time since the Games of the VI Olympiad in Lasft, Cafundeu.

In addition to the official logo of the XIV Olympic Summer Games, 3WD also helped to craft a brand identity which could be seen throughout the host cities at official events, pavilions and merchandise. Among those was an alternate logotype banner adaptation utilizing the scheme of the games.

[Todd McCloud]

Winning Isn't Easy
Reporting for V3 News Services, Rin Slakori

ISTRIA - A pair of wins keep both the men's and women's Water Polo teams rolling as they continue to move through their respective divisions and aim for advanced seeding in the tournament. An easy path is likely what both squads are aiming for, but don't expect either one to relent and miss future triumphs for current goals. One can't ignore that there are still matches to be played, and the games are still young, of course. There is much that could go wrong, and it isn't unheard of for Vekaiyu to actually miss the knockout rounds. But both groups seem poised for a deep run during this Fourteenth Summer Olympiad. Though, for both, the final tallies were a bit close for comfort.

"They're just finding things to complain about," center Rin Kesuru said after the match. It was unclear during the match, but it seemed a fight nearly broke out at the tail-end of the opening with Benjamin Mark. Vekaiyun cameras had difficulty in discerning exactly what transpired, but it appeared that perhaps the ear guard of the center may have come close to injuring the defender from Benjamin Mark? A shove lead to a grab, followed by more entering the fray, but time was stopped before anything serious could transpire. "It's not my fault if our equipment gets in the way. It's not been regulated out, and it would be unfair if it were made so. This isn't our first Olympiad - you either know this or you don't. So, prepare for it. We're probably going to win anyway."

Arrogance is not typically a Vekaiyun trait, and perhaps it's improper for us to refer the good center as such, but one can't help that the choice of uniforms are a bit off-putting for the rest of the crew. A red suit with a large gold Olympic ring and the nation name written in Unonian script would likely either cause jeers or intimidation among the competitors. This is Vekaiyu, however, and the team, known for being short and scrappy, slippery and sleek, is not a stranger to rankling other competitors. Times haven't exactly been easy for the women's side recently. While a gold in Paripana was followed by a silver in Provinsk, their performance in Free Republics left much to be desired. We will see if the women's team will carry the chip on their shoulders for game 2.

The men's uniforms are much more subdued, with black, gold, and red, sans any motifs, sans any sort of expectation. But it was expected that their team would make quick work of Neu Engollon, though it ended up being more of a contest than the vulpine nation would've been comfortable with, and proved to be an especially physical match - something the team isn't exactly expected to excel with, but something that would nevertheless be a required hurdle to pass in these games.

"It's like they kept drawing up the same plays and we kept getting fooled every single time," complained defender Ehjy Kirveli, who managed a goal in the 11-9 eventual win by Vekaiyu. "They have a guy on their team, Otto [Hertelmann], the right winger, who has a pretty good hook to score with, but we shouldn't have let it get close. We shouldn't have let them play so close at all."

The score was tied heading into the closing minutes, but some late-scoring magic by Todd Agivesi and Viktor Suvalri sealed any doubt. Both the men's and women's team will look to continue their winning ways as they work through their respective rounds!

[Banija]

As the late afternoon turned to evening, it was clear that the weather over Istria was going to allow for a beautiful ceremony. Not a cloud in sight- 75 degrees(Farenheit), down from a high of 85 earlier in the day. The Stadium was finishing filling- it was a marvel of a stadium. Even though they had missed their chance to introduce the stadium to the world as an IFCF Final, this was going to be fantastic. 80,000, pouring into Banija's largest city.

Kabaka(King) Mwanga had spent the day mingling with a lot of foreign dignitaries, meeting various heads of state and foreign ministers. "Are you ready, mother?" Said Kabaka Mwanga to his mother, Sarauniya(Queen Mother) Iriama.

"Son," she replied. "Your father would be so proud of you." This brought a tear to the eye of the Kabaka. "You know how he felt about bringing Banija to the world, showing the world what this country has to offer. You've carried on in his footsteps brilliantly. You came into this position in a precarious moment- and you've risen to it. God has chosen well." The Kabaka hugged his mother for a decently long time. He kissed her on the forehead. As she took the elevator up to the suite to join the other dignataries, the Kabaka made his way down to the field.

The Public Address announcer started to boom throughout the Olympic Stadium. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the introduction of the great City of Istria as an Olympic city! Banija's largest city is proud to join the exclusive list of Olympic cities, and sincerely hopes all of you enjoy your stay in South Moravica.

Please turn your attention to the big screens, one located at each end of the stadium." As people in the crowd turned towards the nearest big screen, the screen started to flash through portraits of old Banijan monarchs. Starting with Kabonero III, a painting every Banijan would recognize, the last Banijan head of state whose capitol was at Istria, they flashed ever more quickly through each and every one of his successors. They went through the faces of all those, before stopping at the predecessor of the current monarch, the late Albert III. Most Banijans in the crowd raised their right arm in the air, with their hand in a fist- a solidarity fist with the late monarch.

The cameras then went down to the field. There were just four people on the field, with ngoma drums in front of them, all next to other. Four easily recognizeable figures, for any Banijan anyways. In the middle was Kabaka Mwanga. The other three formed some sort of a triangle around the monarch. On one point was Kuma Bultum- national soccer team center back, and a present Galactico. On another point was Gitonga Kahara, the present national soccer team captain. And on the third point was Assefa Yitebarke- Istria native son, the golden boot winner and MVP of the Banijan Soccer League champions, Istria City FC.

All four men looked at each other. The Kabaka started, and then the three athletes followed. They banged slowly, and it turned into a drumroll. At the end of it, they pointed at the sky, and green, orange, and white fireworks lit up the sky. Act 1 was to begin.

Act 1- The Story of Banija

As the four men hustled off the center of the stadium, the dancers came in. The abridged history of this country was going to be told through distance and presentation.

The sound of rushing water played, and dancers rushed off of the fake ships and did a mini battle simulation. Those ships were unflagged- signifying how the land of origin of those who first tried to conquer Banija were lost to history. The year- 1215- was showing on the stadium big screen, as the mini battle simulation ended and the dancers who were defending their land held off the ship invaders. 8 chiefs, representing the Moravica region's 8 original clans, all bowed to a 9th man, who would be Shujaa(Chief) Kizza I of the newly formed Kasanke- the predecessor to Banija.

They then danced through the founding of Istria. It was not founded long after the establishment of Kasanke. It showed explorers moving south, and destroying those south. The dancers looked over the fake coastline, and declared that this would be their city. All the dancers yelled "ISTRIA" at once, to signify this was the founding of the city of Istria. The year changed on the big screen to 1230.

Fast forwarding nearly 400 years, dancers went off stage and more dancers came onto the field to tell the story of the founding of the church that has shaped the country ever since. One dancer simulated a man going up a hill, as Kirunda Museveni did all those years ago in 1618, and coming out with two, massive, golden plates. Symbols of the prophet Shango and trumpet-blowing Angel Moroni were formed. A group of around dancers in the north end of the stadium formed the word Kasanke, to signify that the nation was still Kasanke.

Then, the public address announcer boomed as all the dancers knelt. "You shall conquer this land and call it Banija!" The dancers who had formed the word Kasanke re-arranged themselves to the word Banija. The dancer playing Kabonero III, the Maharaja(Emperor) at the time, took out a spear, and the dancers enacted the country's various unification battles, where the dancers left the Moravica region and conquered the rest of the country. Eventually 7 fake hills were brought out- to symbolize the 7 hills of Busukuma, the present Banijan capitol city.

Then, the year moved forward to 1815. This time, more fake wooden ships were brought in, but this one had the flag of the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. After the Banijans kneeled to the ship, it skipped to 1835- Banija's first independence. The Quebecois ships went away, and then the violence of Banija's civil war years were performed by the dancers. When the Quebecois returned, the Banijans kneeled again, but when they rose again as the years fast forwarded to 1906, they shoke hands with their former Quebecois conquerors- to symbolize them both as allies and, despite the history, as equals.

And now would be the transition period to the next part of the Act. The big screen started playing through highlights a litany of Banijan accomplishments- Banija's U18 world cup win, Banija's U21 world cup win, Banija's WBC 47 victory, up to the crowning Olympic achievement- John Nampoza, Banija's first ever Olympic gold medalist, crossing the finish line in his Winter Olympic debut. And that prepared everyone for Act 2.

Act 2- Cultural Presentation

And now, of course, time for the cultural presentation. Going through different dances that best represent Banija's unique culture.

FIrst, came for the Mukegara presentation- one of Banija's small minority tribes, from out east, all the way on the other side of the country, about as far as you could possibly get from Istria while still being in Banija. They performed a traditional warrior dance, dressed all in the colors of Banija- one third of them wearing white, one third green, and the other third wearing orange.

Then, came the next dance- the Mbaga dance. Performed traditionally by women- 150 female dancers lined up inside the stadium, and were able to do this dance for 7 minutes. They moved around the stadium, all 150 dancers, with Banijans cheering loudly and male drummers. It was extremely colorful and coreographed- dancers able to stay in movement with each other, all strictly following the beat.

Then, came another dance. The Ekizino dance, usually performed in celebration of the harvest. The Mbaga dancers came off and these dancers came on- right around 100 of them. All dressed in the same brown, and the drums embellished with microphones, they showed off a dance popular in rural, more traditional Banija- commonly performed once a year in the villages, although almost never seen in the city.

After showing off a few more cultural dances, they switched things up, as the Public Address Announcer started to address the stadium. "Banija is a city that values the power of sport, and has always followed the ideals of the Olympic movement. We recognize the gravity of this moment- the first Mormon nation, the first majority-black nation, to host the Olympic Games. We are proud to be this nation."

"The City of Istria proudly embodies Banija's sporting traditions, and reflects our nation. This is a city of champions- our three largest sports teams all hold international championships. Loyola University are the reigning college football champions of the multiverse. Istria City Football Club are the most recent winners of the Atlantian Oceania Champions League. And the Istria Black Mambas have won the Champions Bowl. That winning tradition and history of sporting excellence makes Istria an excellent to join the ranks of those places that can call themselves Olympic cities."

Just then, the three current international trophies held by Istria sides were showcased on the main stage. The first one shown, on the left, was Loyola University's NSCF XXI championship trophy. The second one, on the right, was the Champions Bowl trophy held by the Istria Black Mambas. And the third, in the center, was the most recent trophy won- the Atlantian Oceania Champions League, as held by Istria City FC. As attention was focused on this, the temporary stage was brought out, and everyone got ready for Act 3.

Act III- Concert

Act 4- Parade of Nations

After Dijana Jurina's performance, quick highlight videos of Istria's three most recent international champions were shown, as the stage was hastily cleared in preparation for the night's parade of nations. They showed highlights of Loyola University's NSCF FInal victory, of the Black Mambas run, and highlights both of Istria City FC's recent Banijan Soccer League trophy-winning campaign, as well as highlights from their AOCL final victory in Audioslavia.

Once they were done, the parade of nations was set to begin. Lucius Crawford, leading the Baker Park delegation, waving his country's flag, walked out and began the parade of nations. Each Olympic participating nation was set to march. Particularly loud cheers came for the Baker Park, Quebecois, Siovanija & Teusland, and Farfadillis delegations.

The Liventia delegation marched out second to last. And then, of course, came the Banijan delegation. The flag bearer would be Amadou Secka, the superstar basketball player- club star, international star, who would try to lead Banijan basketball to a gold medal at this Olympiad. A sight to behold, with players dressed in their gorgeous white travel suits.

The parade of nations was over. There was just one thing to do- light the Olympic torch. Kabaka Mwanga made his way down, from the suite, and he was shown on the big screen with the event's' guest of honor, the Quebecois Queen, and Head of the Commonwealth, Christine II. President Magdalena Hoskova of Siovanija & Teusland, alongside President Gregson of Baker Park, had also made their way down, and joined the Banijan monarch sitting with Olympic Council officials.

It would be Malick Jawara, the star Banijan long distance runner, who had run the last mile of the Olympic torch's relay across Banija. The Sarauniya grabbed the torch, and held it out towards her great-grandson, Omugabe(Prince) Ssekamanya. Just 16, he would light the torch himself. He leaned his spear towards the torch, and touched it to the flame. He looked towards the Olympic candle- unlit, sitting in the center of the five Olympic rings.

The public address announcer, of course, introduced the young prince to the non-Banijans in the crowd, and the millions watching at home. Ssekamanya was 2nd in line to the throne as the oldest son of the Isebantu(Crown Prince). Just 16, he looked ahead. He wasn't from a terrible distance- only about 25 yards. But still, he needed to be deadly accurate. He ran up, and launched his spear through the air. It flew through the air, went through the rings, and boom- it landed right where it needed to, and the rings lit on fire. For the last time in the night, the public address announcer's voice boomed throughout the stadium- "LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"

The crowd cheered as the ceremonies came to an end. Istria had officially taken its place in one of the sporting world's most exclusive clubs- it was one of the few that could call themselves an Olympic City.

[Main Nation Ministry]

The Heat: The Grand Start

In Banija, after being aware of a problem on keeping demon athletes at the Olympic Village, seeing how the place seemed to be blessed with the religion of the country and leading to said demon athletes and all of the other athletes being placed in a building a safe distance away from the Village, now it was at least time for the Olympic ceremony where all the sports coverage from the Truth news can really start flying.

And in the middle of the stadium seating, cramping in a bit tight, since it was packed with people were Jessica Madden and her crew. Being the one with the binoculars, Jessica was checking the center of the stadium as the ceremony was under way. "Place is packed! I can't tell if every news station from all over the multiverse is here!" Jessica said to her crew, as Charlie arrived with some snacks. "I still couldn't find anyone who would sell coffee. Sorry.." Charlie said, as even though she didn't say a word to Jessica, she really really really....wanted coffee.

But she can hold it.

"Eh, screw it. We can try to see if the soldier boys at the place we're staying will import some coffee for us." Jessica said, as she was still watching what was happening in the center of the stadium, as it was mainly the culture part of the ceremony. It was then that the ceremony switched towards a concert, where the crew saw that it was being performed by Dijana Jurina from Izmedu. And Jessica knowing about Izmedu knows them from WorldVision of all things. "Wait, I thought that Izemdu weren't in this year's olympics?" Frank asked, where Jessica watched the concert. "They must have hired them to perform for the concert! The crowds here are going to want more after this!" Tony said, as Jessica was getting ideas. "We got to do a gig. Like one from Free Republics!" Jessica said to her crew, as Charlie was actually eager with it. "I'm up for it. I been to your concerts back in the nation, but it would be fun to draw in some crowds from Banija. They heard our music, right?"
"Uhhh.. I doubt it. I mean, one of our hits in Free Republics is the most pirated in their nation, because the Ministry doesn't license it for foreign use to foreign wide webs. But! If this nation has internet, which I taking a guess they do, because that would be a bit awkward if they not, we shall become the top pirated band in Banija if we land a gig!"

After the concert, the parade of nations occurred, where Jones had to fly to Istria quick to be a part of the parade in Banija. For the Main Nation Ministry's delegation, all the athletes wear white and black travel suits, where several athletes carried flags of the glorious nation, showing the red V for victory in the pride of the Ministry. Emmanuel Jones was walking next to Keller Harrington, as they observed the crowds watching them, as they were in front of Mattijana. "Is this the part where I just smile and wave?" Keller asked Jones, as he was doing just that. "I don't know where the Leader is, but he's really missing out on this." Jones remarked, as he was unaware of the Leader's current condition. "He is the glory hound. It's weird. Where would he be during all of this?"
"We can check in with Truman after this to see the status of the investigation. For now, just take the moment."

Keller looked at the crowds again, as she could tell that her face might be on screen right now. However, this wasn't a tradition of the Ministry, but of the Olympics. If you're taking minutes of fame, you would take it now or you will miss out. Keller started to smile, as she waved to the crowds.

[Liventia]

It had been decided. The Orean Opening Ceremony would be decidedly different and hark to a time where things were simpler. Much more ceremonial, much less flashy. The world had already been wowed by Orean at the Eighth Summer Olympics; a reprise of that Opening Ceremony would almost be disappointing. There would be at least one other difference to the ceremony for the Eighth Summer Olympics: in the intervening years, a running track had been added to the Olympic Stadium at Grovers Park. During those Games, a specialist athletics stadium had to be constructed for the sport.

Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games in Orean (OCOGO), the Olympic speed skating champion Javier Rosario, had proposed the idea for a scaled-back ceremony: there would be some musical performances to warm the crowd up, and the delegations competing in Orean – led by co-hosts Banija – would enter next so that they could watch and enjoy the remainder of the formalities. Liventia Olympic Association chair Pearline Jones, Olympic shooting champion and NSOC Acting President, had given her seal of approval.

The crowd went wild for each of the competing delegations' entries, with the loudest cheers, unsurprisingly, for the two host nations. After the Liventians had entered and taken their places in the stadium, the formalities could begin. As is customary in Liventia with its two official languages, announcements were made first in French, then in English. "Mesdames et messieurs, veuillez-vous lever pour la arrivée de madame la présidente du comité olympique liventien, Pearline Jones, championne olympique, et du monsieur le président du parlement, Jonny Ryder. Ils sont accompagnés par le prince héritier banijien, son altesse royale Isebantu Mutungi. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the arrival of the Chair of the Liventia Olympic Association, Pearline Jones, Olympic champion, and the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Jonny Ryder. They are accompanied by the Banijan Crown Prince, his royal highness Isebantu Mutungi."

Another roar from the crowd as the guests-of-honour entered the VIP box, where certain members of Parliament and the prime minister, James Morgan, were already waiting. Morgan himself had had the honour of opening the Eighth Summer Olympics as the Speaker of Parliament, Liventia's head of state. The public address system fired back up into life. "Mesdames et messieurs, le drapeau de la république liventienne est portée par six membres de l'armée liventienne. L'hymne nationale sera interprété par la chorale d'enfants orphelins d'Oréan, accompanié par le Orean Symphony Orchestra. Veuillez-vous restez debout par son arrivée et pour l'hymne. Ladies and gentlemen, the flag of the Liventian Republic is entering the stadium, carried by six members of the Liventian Army. Please remain standing for the flag's arrival and the national anthem, which will be performed by the Orean Orphaned Children's Choir accompanied by the Orean Symphony Orchestra." The national flag was slowly, methodically marched in with precision by the six military members, three men, three women. As they got to the flag pole and tied the flag to the rope, the orchestra struck up the fanfare for the anthem, Liventia, Land of Hope.

The anthem came to an end and the public were asked to take their seats after what seemed like 10 straight minutes on their feet. Here came the short performance part of the ceremony. To open, the big screens in the stadium showed old archive footage of the Eighth Summer Olympics. In the middle of the stadium, performers re-enacted those scenes of athletic triumph in mock slow-motion mime fashion, set to dramatic rising music. The scene was replaced by one of development, showing how Liventia and Orean have changed since the Eighth Summer Games. Included in this segment was an acknowledgement of the 14th Winter Olympics, held only a few months prior.

After the performances lasting around 30 minutes instead of the usual two hours, the tannoy sounded out across the stadium again. "Mesdames et messieurs, prêter le serment olympique, veuillez accueillir le judoka liventien, Joshua Halliday; l'entraîneuse de karate Marie-Rose Dupuis; et le juge de skateboard Paul Michaels. Ladies and gentlement, to take the Olympic Oath, please welcome Liventian judoka Joshua Halliday, representing all athletes; karate coach Marie-Rose Dupuis, representing all coaches and team officials; and skateboard judge Paul Michaels, representing all referees and judges."

Each took their turn holding the Olympic flag and reading from Olympic Oath, as Rosario got up and made his way down to the centre of the stadium where a podium had been set up.

When he got there and the oath-takers had left, he read from a short prepared speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, bienvenue à Oréan. Bienvenue à la république liventienne. Bienvenue aux Jeux Olympiques quatorzième," he said to wild cheers from the crowd. "I had the privilege to compete as an Olympic athlete myself and I know what it means to participate in a Games. Whether that be as an athlete, coach, judge, or even spectator, we hope you enjoy your time here in Orean and perform with excellence, friendship, and respect, in a spirit of fair play. It has been hard work to return the Summer Olympic Games to Liventia and to Orean. Together with our Banijan partners and friends in Istria, we promise to deliver an incredible Games full of memorable moments, new records, and new feats of achievement. I hope you will join me in welcoming the Liventian head of state, Jonny Ryder, and his royal highness the Banijan crown prince, to declare these Games open."

Ryder stood up at the podium in the VIP area, as did the Isebantu, who began the declaration by saying: "On behalf of the peoples of Istria and Banija," before Ryder took over. "And on behalf of the Republic of Liventia, I declare open the Games of Orean and Istria, celebrating the Games the Fourteenth Olympiad." The lights in the stadium dimmed. A chopper hovered overheard. Someone skydived from it, holding the Olympic Flame protected in a transparent case.

As the elite Air Force skydiver landed in the stadium to raucous cheers, he unscrewed the top of the casing and handed it over to the final torchbearer, Jérôme Taric, an Ad’ihani-Liventian Olympic champion who won medals at both the summer and winter Games for both Ad’ihan and the Ad’ihani-Liventian Combined Delegation. "Mesdames et messieurs, le champion olympique, Jérôme Taric, allumera le chaudron olympique pour signifier le début des Jeux. Ladies and gentlemen, Olympic champion Jérôme Taric will light the cauldron, signifying the start of the Games."

As he did so, fireworks shot into the night sky. The Games were open.

[The Sarian]

Content Warning for this entire planned series that there will be transphobia and transphobic tropes littered throughout.

This includes such tropes being presented as neutral and unchallenged statements of fact.

They are not my personal views; transmen are men, transwomen are women and non-binary people are non-binary. All gender expressions are valid.

This RP is set before the opening ceremonies.

FeiktOnderzoek.bs

Fact Check: Could The Sarian be banned from the Olympics?

OREAN - Saari athletes have faced a stark warning from the Executive Member for Culture, Tourism and Sport, Byrun Koal that their planned boycott of the Olympic opening ceremonies - to be held in both Orean, Liventia, and Istria, Banija - could jeopardise their participation in the games. The comments come as part of the continued row over Elisabeth Hertogin's disclosure that she is Trans, a scandal which has dominated TiemOlympik BondSaari's preparations for the games. But is it true? Fact check investigates.

The Background

On the day of The Sarian's arrival at the Olympic Games, Elisabeth Hertogin - a star of the Saari Equestrian Team - revealed in the Den Daags tabloid that she had undergone gender-reassignment surgery as a teenager, having been assigned male-at-birth. The admission created debate about the fairness of Hertogin's appearance in the games - although Equestrian is a mixed-sex sport, some have argued that the medical nature of her transition has given her an unfair advantage over her competitors. There have also been questions raised about the safety of allowing Hertogin within single-sex female changing rooms as part of the games - which has prompted a wider discussion within The Sarian about the rights of Trans people to access facilities in line with their gender identity.

TiemOlympik BondSaari initially supported Hertogin, however she was suspended from the team last night 'pending investigations'. Although the statement was explicit that it should not be taken as a 'proof or accusation of any wrongdoing', the statement has prompted rumours about what has changed. It had previously been reported that Hertogin had been open about her Trans identity to governing officials: an account which has had doubts thrown on it. There have also been accusations of political meddling by the governing Florican-Unijt!-Alliantie voor Groen-Socialisme coalition - although TiemOlympik BondSaari are nominally independent of the government.

The extent of the suspension is still not known - Olympic officials were quick to confirm that Hertogin is still set to represent The Sarian in the Games, and there is no chance of a replacement. The nature of Equestrian events would mean that her withdrawal would mean that The Sarian would cease to compete for three Team medals. However, it was confirmed that she would not be taking part as part of the Saari delegation in the Orean leg of the opening ceremony and that she had been 'temporarily' removed from the Olympic village.

In response, a number of Saari athletes announced that they would not be marching in the opening ceremony - including every member of the Equestrian squad and Wilaam Omdraaien (the flag carrier for the Istria ceremony) and Mathieu Bondstad (the flag carrier for the Orean ceremony). All-in, nearly three in four Saari athletes had confirmed that they would not be taking part in the ceremony before the delegation announced that it would be withdrawing from the ceremony.

Byrun Koal, the Executive Member for Culture, Tourism and Sport, - who had been rumoured to have been placing pressure on TiemOlympik BondSaari to suspend Hertogin - released a statement condemning the decision. Koal argued that athletes had been 'bullied' by a 'social justice mob'. This sentiment was echoed by Florican Party leader, Leonaad Bruin, at a campaign stop in Pymtuon. Koal also warned that the action could see the delegation removed from the Olympic Games for violating the apolitical principles of the Olympics.

The Factcheck

Whilst it is true that the Olympics are an apolitical event - there have be much larger examples of political acts in the history of the games. It is also not clear how Koal is making the distinction between the choice to suspend Elisabeth Hertogin as apolitical but the decision of her teammates to support her as political. When asked, Olympic Council officials were quick to dismiss the row as a 'domestic event' and confirmed that, whilst they hoped all Saari athletes would take part, no athlete is required to take part in the opening ceremony.

We rate this: false.

[Tikariot]

I look around and it a surreal feeling, seeing all these people around, not just my team mates. When we arrived in Banija two days ago, it was like stepping into a different world. Yes, I know, it IS a different world, but it's this sense of purpose to be here. The Banijans were so welcoming, except for those that seemed a little overexcited about seeing coffee in some of our luggages, but they were friendly, helpful and just wanted to make sure that we felt welcome. And there is absolutely no avoiding to see Olympics related things literally everywhere, be it flags, banners, posters, officials, billboards, newspapers, everywhere.

Once we got through customs, they ushered us to a fleet of buses that would bring us to the campus of the Loyola University and made sure we felt comfortable right from the get to. It looks like they cleaned out all the students' dorms to accommodate all of us, which makes you feel kind of special. And a little sorry for all the students they had to kick out, haha. But I guess that's the price you pay when you host a huge event like this.

But yeah, here we are, just outside The Stadium as they call it. Kind of an odd nickname, because it makes it sound as if there is only one stadium in the whole country or city, but I know that it's the Olympic Stadium. It looks grand even from out here, all decorated in orange, white and green. I'm nervous, I know I shouldn't be, but there are 80,000 people in the stadium and I don't know how many millions watching on TV! And I will be carrying the flag, so all eyes are going to be on me. What if I stumble or something else happens? Come on, Roibéard, you can do this, they chose you for a reason! Distraction. Yes, distraction, that's what I need.

Looking at the other delegations, it's all so colourful, everybody in their shiny tracksuits or even tuxedos. Interesting how the styles can be so different. Granted, we definitely fall under the banner of different ourselves in our black robes, you could almost think they had left the door open in one of the monasteries. And over there the pile of torches. Bart told us how funny the officials looked when we asked them for a few hundred torches. He said that it almost felt like we wanted to set the whole place on fire, so it took him a lot of explaining to make sure they didn't think we were up to something funny here.

Oh, the drums! It is beginning! They told us that this would kick things off and that something special was going to happen. Whoa! Nice! Fireworks! green, orange and white, guess that's what they were talking about. I wish we could actually see what's happening in there, but with so many people out here there's only so many TVs and we're definitely not close to any of them since they have us lining up by alphabet and they ran out of TVs somewhere around C, but I hear water and music. Sounds like something grand happening in there, from what we've been told they're showing something about the history. Ah, and the drums again. This must be the part where they show off their different dances and all. They better re-run this later, because I really want to see this!

Hold on, what's that? Oh yes, there was a concert of some sorts, too. Ugh. More of that radio-friendly pop stuff. Can't stand that crap, it all sounds so synthetic and fake. And all that auto-tune... Why would they need that, if people could actually properly sing? I get that with an audience this big they want to make sure it sounds perfect, but damn, this has no feeling, no character. Oh well. Another one? Oof. What the...? Oh this is funny! A few of the guys are starting to sing "We're not Gonna Take It" from Twisted Sister. Ah, what the heck, let's just join in!

We're not gonna take it!
No, we ain't gonna take it!
We're not gonna take it - anymoooooore!

Hahaaa, this is fun! And look at that, a few people from other delegations are joining in! I know, I know, it's a bit disrespectful, but hey, we're allowed to have some fun and a few dozen people singing just this are always better than that dance pop stuff. Ah, good, they're done. So I guess we'll be moving soon! And there's the command! Alright, who's handing out the torches? Don't look at me, I have the flag here. There we go. I wonder what people are going to think, there are people in all nice and white suits and all and then us here, black, hooded robes, torches, this is more fun than I thought it would be. The looks people are already giving us, hilarious!

Say what? No, we're not a cult. Why are you asking, if we're naked under this? Oh, because it's so warm. Well, I am sweating like a pig, but no, we're not naked. At least I don't think so. No, I'm not going to ask the girls, what do you think I am? No, I really won't! Now stop it! Shoo! Alright, we're moving, let me hoist this thing up into the holder thing there. Oh boy, this is heavier than I thought, what did they use for this? Reinforced concrete? Ah, there we go, it's all about the balancing! Let's go, people, let's make an impression!

How much further is this? I'm a sprinter for owl's sakes! There we go, through the gate and- nice! They really did a great job decorating this! Oops, guess people noticed we look a tad bit different than the rest, hah. OK, 3-2-1 - hoods off! There we go! Now they're more into us. But - they took notice, so we're not a nobody anymore, guess some TV commentators are having a field day with us right now. Well, world, here we are, this is Tikariot! Aaaand we're out.

I can't wait to get out of this robe, it IS freaking hot in this. But yo, hey, you over there, who do I give this flag to? Yes, I know you only want the post, I'm asking, if I give it to you. Yes? Good, here you are, the lady over there is going to take the flag, alright? Thanks!

Ah there it is, the Olympic flame! Oh wow, it's the whole rings that are burning! That's kinda cool! OK, that's it, we're outta here. Come on guys, we have some food to get!

--recorded by Roibéard Dhomhnaigh, Tikariotian flag bearer at the XIV Summer Olympic games --

[South Newlandia]

Even more excerpts from the Olympic Coverage on South Newlandia One

LM: For those that have just tuned in, we are watching the second game of the South Newlandian Softball team. They are playing Diarcesia, and they lead 5-2 with just one inning to go. Diarcesia would need a miracle at this point; South Newlandia had lead after the first inning, and never gave it back. Right now, Eshal Strong is pitching for South Newlandia, and the team needs only three more outs to record win number two. Here’s is the first opposing batter from Diarcesia, and the first pitch is a strike, very good. Strong came in to close after five innings, and she has been, well, very strong, that’s a foul ball. Strong hasn’t allowed a run yet, while Ellen McLellan, the starting pitcher, had allowed two relatively early in the game. And that is strike three, and the batter is out. Just like last game, the batters delivered well with a quite constant stream of runs. And here is a new batter, and a new first pitch. This one is a ball. We talked to Fraser yesterday, and he wants to take a 4-1 record across the group stage, to – and that is a hit, flying into Right Field, but there is Emma Miles. She caught the ball with her left hand, very nice. Only one more out to go to get this game over with. Where was I? Ah yeah, a 4-1 record should get the team into the Round of 16 almost certainly. And making the knockouts is the goal for the team, that’s what they want to be. That’s a hit! Right on the first pitch, it is a short hit right behind 3rd base. Izabel Weeks scoops it up, but it’s a base hit. Still, not much to worry about, they are three runs up after all. To be honest, I don’t think they can possibly still lose this. Here comes a pitch, just on the edge of the strike zone. It’s called a strike. I’ve been really impressed by the team, that will be two wins without big problems, and that is a ball. Eshal Strong is looking very good, she is really good at Softball, it turns out. She’s 27, and now, with Softball suddenly being relevant, we all get to see the team – that’s another ball – playing really well. This could well be the last batter of the game, we wouldn’t need a bottom of the 7th if nothing really strange happens really soon. That is yet another strike, and the count is now 2-2. Right after the end of the game, we will end our coverage for now, but there will be more to see later this evening, so stay tuned for that. And Strong gets her swinging, and this game is over! South Newlandia wins, 5-2, and will remain on top of the standings, and on top of things. They get to control their own destiny, and this concludes our coverage for now. I’m Lucia Millher, and you are watching South Newlandia One. See you soon!

[Kriegiersien]

The softball team was sitting in their posh military uniforms in their own arranged part in the Olympic village. Tasteful furniture, elegant curtains, tea on the table. 11 humans comfortable sprawling out on seats and couches at tables and Mordbruck, the only orc in the team and theoretical full member and best batter, serving the drinks and cookies.

“The best part, when the match is over, is that we can change out of these.. uniforms.. we have to wear during the game. I would rather be naked then to wear these rags”, grumbled Captain Shortshanks.
“Be careful, your wish could come true at home. I prefer to be dressed. But yes, these uniforms are much preferable.”
Major Pennywise played with some badges and medals at her now perfect tailored uniform.
“But we have to talk about our games. We can definitely improve. Lieutnant Longbottom?”

The addressed woman stood up and slammed a pointer at a chart on a board.
“My analysis is pretty simple. Tagging and flyouts work good, but Mordbruck is the only one hitting the home runs or a really good ball.”
“Hey! I won us the first game”, Paula Posh complained.
“Lucky strike doesn’t count”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Major Pennywise interrupted the starring contest between the two women.
“So, what is your solution?”
“Of course I have analysed our opponents players and planed our teams nominations accordingly. But that doesn’t change the skill gap against Top teams like West Phoenicia. We either get better in hitting the ball or...much faster in running. Estimated .. 87%.”
“That is a lot.”
“Yes.”
“Hm...so...how do we do that?”
“I have no idea.”

Silence.

“Can’t we use all this pills that our team ‘doctors’ provide for the athletes of other sports?”
“But wouldn’t that be cheating?”
“They wouldn’t do that? Would we?”

The Colonel cleared her throat.
“It is not that I am too concerned about our or the Kriegiersien way to ...err.. better our chances or bending the rules…”
Some of the women sniggered.
“...but I don’t think that that will help us this much. And I AM more concerned about our health if we use some of these wonderdrugs. No, I think we just have to train harder. There won’t be some magic to help us. But, we only have some hours left, we should prepare for the opening ceremony!”

While the others stood up with excited chatter and anticipation, Rachel brooded about a name. Magic. There had been someone...someone who she had seen here in the team. Something with I...Imoen. Yes. Maybe she should look after an old .. acquaintance.

++Olympic telegram++

The invasion .. entrants of the Kriegiersien delegation at the opening ceremonies was more colorful than what you would see from then on the field, track, mats and water, were they are in black ‘rags’.
The softball team in their posh uniforms, other military sportsmen and women like the Rugby players in Kriegiersien camouflage Standarduniform, the wrestlers with costumes, the karate and judokas in their Dōjōs Gis.
The Ponies had their own colourful wardrobe and of course coats.
Many athletes had used the chance to be able to use clothes (what isn’t allowed outdoors in Kriegiersien normally) to try something shimmering and unique.

For most the show wasn’t the first, but big eyes were made by most, beside the Zombiebots who gazed emotionless into the round.

Alf Swimtob was overwhelmed of the ceremonie in Istria, even though it was his second, but first as flag bearer. He explained he still did not understand the dancing and music but was very fascinated from Dijana and her song.

Jacqueline Schuckster (Skateboarding, Flagbearer Orean) said that she really felt the weight of the flag and was afraid she would drop it. Only after the march was done, she was able to enjoy the show she called a “unique experience” and personally at the start more stressful then a skateboarding contest.

The olympics have officially started.

[Liventia]

This is the cutoff for Day 0 (both Orean and Istria - Banija will use the same RP bonus as of this cut-off).

Orean results here.

[West Phoenicia]

WP||The West Phoenicia Times

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

Comedic Backlash

Julie Burnside, Independent Blogger

Television panellist and comedian Dr Peppermint faces harsh backlash from viewers.

Dr Peppermint is a popular West Phoenician comedian, known for his edgy and shock value content across the comedy clubs of West Phoenicia.

He was rehired as comic relief for the Olympic program Wrap up; a 30-minute entertainment program featuring a panel who dish out the good, the bad and the ugly of the Games. After appearing on the show for the previous Olympics in Republica, The Free Republics.

Viewers took to social media to complain about the comedian after comments he made in regards to West Phoenician Welterweight boxer Mohammad An Tair.
Mohammad was defeated in the Preliminary Round by Bran Aarts of Trolleborg finishing in a technical knockout victory.

Not only was Mohammad defeated, but it was also declared RSCH; meaning the referee stops the contest because of head blows.
A safety system put in place used to save a boxer from a knockout after he has received hard blows to the head which have left him incapable of defending himself.

After reviewing footage of the pivotal moment and those moments leading up to the call by the referee where Bran Warts launched a number of successful Hook punches, his torso and hips rotating in a hypnotising rhythm as his fist propelled like a heat-seeking missile into Mohammad's facial direction a half a dozen times; the segment cut back to the studio.

Fellow panellist Susanna Hezzlebeck, a much loved and adored host of Good Morning West Phoenicia. Was seen looking away from the footage. Susanna was quick to label boxing brutal and barbaric. A sport which has no place in West Phoenicia in this day and age, as it fulfils no real purpose, but to hurt your opponent.

While this article is not about Susanna Hezzlebeck, I do wish to point out her hypocrisy. She is quick to label boxing as 'brutal and 'barbaric. However, she was quick to support the current Conservative government when they decriminalized duelling. A bill that was initiated to appease The Aristocracy Party of West Phoenicia, an ardent ally and important party of the Conservative Coalition.
Two consenting adults engaging in a physical sport is less 'brutal' and 'barbaric 'than back to back, 10 steps and shooting someone who one perceived as dishonouring them.

Fellow panellist Roccio Salvador, a former Olympic gold medalist in Women's Sailboard applauded the actions of the referee for stepping in and calling the match.
Rocco went on to further add that an acquaintance was at the match, and after the first few blows, Mohammad became disoriented and was almost on the verge of collapse.
He had to be supported leaving the ring where he was stunned and staggered towards the change room.
His coach ended up escorting him to the nearest hospital leaving the Cobo Convention Center he was overheard muttering about a talking white rabbit hurrying down a drain pipe.

Both female panellists' comments were largely ignored by viewers. Instead, viewers went wild over Dr Peppermint, calling his jokes crude and inappropriate and unprofessional for a television host.

Dr Peppermint started his spill with a typical dad joke. Starting from today, he could bet Mohammad An Tair would no longer be a fan of breakfast cereal All-Bran.
The joke landed with a number of eye rolls placing it in the same dad joke category as pull my finger.
Dr Peppermint followed up with; "Mohammad hasn't seen a blow that bad since that hooker last year in the alley behind his gym." And "quite ironic that it was a hook that took him out. Cause back in West Phoenicia it's usually him taking out the hook-ers." And last but not least "he is going to be black and blue in the morning. Much like how an alleged victim looked on their hospital evidence photos, the police took after the victim short-changed Mohammad." At least now we know what has more brain cells? The boxing ring corner."

A number of the panel called out the jokes as disgraceful. Dr Peppermint refused to apologise citing they were simply jokes. And much like Mohammad An Tair boxing career, it's over and done now.

Fans of Mohammad An Tair took to social media app Vibr, some calling on Dr Peppermint to apologise. While others said they were sick and tired of his crude edgy jokes that were not funny, just hurtful and he needed to be fired.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time, Dr Peppermint has been called out for his crude jokes. And it's not the first time at an Olympic event either.
Back at the Games of the XII Olympiad in Novonaya, Kelssek and Provinsk, Vekaiyu.
After butterfly swimmer, Margie Brixton was assaulted with flying water-filled condoms.
Dr Peppermint criticised her for complaining stating...."this ain't the first time she's had her face in the vicinity of a condom, and won't be her last. He also announced he flabbergasted when he heard her gynecologist had to use a paint roller to give her a pap smear."

Whilst at the Games of the XIII Olympiad held in Republica, Free Republics. West Phoenicia had taken out the gold in men's artistic swimming and a bronze in the men's duet. Dr Peppermint couldn't help but comment "And they wonder why they are alone on a Saturday night. Nothing can transform a sizzle into a fizzle like boasting to a girl you won gold in water dancing. Personally, I think men's duet member Cam Dale wanted to take on a new hobby and searched the wrong definition for water sports.

Kyle Durban of the men's Coxed eights also received a serve. Kyle who has come out as gay was mocked by Dr Peppermint.
"I'm bewildered that the men's Coxed eights won a gold medal especially with Kyle Durban on the squad. He's so gay, he can't even row straight."

Fans of Dr Peppermint rally to defend his crude behaviour and mockery, saying they are only jokes and people need to stop taking life so seriously.

Dr Peppermint has never apologised, saying the world is too serious and they need to stop thinking everything is offensive.
"My goal is not to hurt anyone. I take their mess-ups and I make jokes about them. A little laughter never hurt anyone."

Others chose to disagree and feel Dr Peppermint needs to curb some of his material. It's one thing to be funny, but one does not have to be crude and mean to get laughs.

Log on to Vibr and find my article! Leave a comment and tell me what do you think? Should Dr Peppermint curb his jokes or do people just need to chill?

[Taeshan]

Narrator: I mean I guess it only makes sense to start at the beginning. Columbia, Unified Capitalist SLANI. It is the 3rd Summer Olympiad. The first Taeshan. It was a hodgepodge team put together for the debutant country. Nothing much was expected. Sure, the nation had had some success in the years since its founding, mostly in baseball and American Football but now everything was happening at once.

Brandon Wissinger “I remember going into the Gymnastic Competition. All my countrymen failing left and right, and I was one of the rare qualifiers that advanced in any event. The Men’s Balance Beam”.

Narrator: Artistic Gymnastics has always been a Taeshani strong suit, especially in the Summer Games. The main sports Taeshan has found success in at the Summer Olympics are Artistic Gymnastics, Archery, Field Events in Athletics, Aquatics with notable success in the Synchronized and Polo Pools, the Boxing Gym, the Volleyball Court, the martial arts mats, and Table Tennis. But this was long before this.

Martin Vanderbilt Gymnastics Coach, “I remember thinking if we can just qualify one or two people to finals that would be great. We didn’t expect any medals, we were just looking for a start. A spark to light the flame to get the Olympic committee some money. We didn’t care where it was at.”

Narrator: They would find that spark. Brandon Wissinger qualified for the Men’s Balance Beam Final. Far from his strong suit, in fact in Taeshan the Balance Beam isn’t a men’s event, but the team had to present its best foot forward, and so Wissinger went into the final ready to try his hardest.

Archived Footage with Commentary: “It’s Wissinger on the Beam now. The nation has turned its lonely eyes on perhaps the best medal hope here. Wissinger has such good Balance, but this is a rare appearance for a Men’s gymnast on this apparatus. Such form, he’s doing so well. That will perform highly. It all remains on the dismount.”
“A performance like that could surely earn at least a bronze if this dismount goes well”.

“A Breath and here is his run up, a triple kai-ching, and he lands and it’s a small step but that is only a tenth of a point.”

Brandon Wissinger “It was such a rare feeling for me. I wasn’t that good on the Beam, but apparently not a lot of people in the World were. So, I was given the chance, and I won this here Silver (shows the lightly faded medal), it was such an honor to be the first Tae to ever medal in the Olympics. So many have followed in my footsteps.”

Narrator: In fact, 20 individual medals in Artistic Gymnastics have followed. The Men’s team has twice gotten close with Silver team medals, and the women’s one time, But not only that. A flame was really lit that day. The Taeshan Sports Federation officially gave the funds to send the best of the best from that day. To fund even some of the strange off the wall’s sports. Taeshan may never do well in Judo, but they have the funding. 367 teams and individuals have won Olympic medals, and hopefully that fire will continue to burn as history marches on.

[Teremaran Olympics Delegation]

Al-Nibaj, Gragastavia

It had been three weeks since his budget presentation and the office was getting stranger. His secretary had stopped showing up to work, but he could not be bothered to investigate the matter further. His days were spent reviewing the same budget report, making minor adjustments to the document as he counted the minutes until 5 PM. In truth, no new work had come from his superiors in the intervening period: everything seemed to have stopped the minute he stepped out of the budget presentation. Yet, as far as he was concerned, his paycheck was still reaching his bank account and that meant he would still go to work.

Then, his phone rang.

Al-Duhabi reached his hand across the desk, grabbed the handset, and brought it up to his ear. “Mehmed Al-Duhabi.”

“Al-Duhabi,” the voice answered. “This is the commissioner.”

Al-Duhabi’s stomach did a flip. The commissioner did not sound happy. Al-Duhabi swallowed and answered, “Good afternoon, sir. What can I do for you?”

“Yeah… I’m looking at a report from the training management department here that says we’re not going to have money for the 2022 swimmers’ training camp. Why wasn’t I notified about this shortfall?”

“There was a meeting about it three weeks ago, sir.”

“Why wasn’t I at the meeting?”

“I don’t know why you weren’t at the meeting, sir.”

“That doesn’t answer my question. Why wasn’t I at the meeting?”

“Your secretary RSVP’d for it.”

“If my secretary RSVP’d for the meeting, then I was at the meeting. Why wasn’t this brought up at the meeting?”

“It was brought up, sir. You weren’t at the meeting.”

“Yes, I was. It was on my calendar. I was at the meeting.”

“Do you remember the meeting?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then if you don’t remember the meeting, how could you be sure that you attended it?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a minute. Al-Duhabi’s heart was pounding out of his chest. Then, the commissioner said, “Dammit, Al-Duhabi! That’s the best answer I’ve heard all day. Tell your boss that he’s fired because you have his job.”

“Shouldn’t you do that, sir?”

“No, I can’t. I’m his boss. I already have a job.”

“That’s a good point,” Al-Duhabi said, “I’ll go tell my boss that I have his job now.”

Al-Duhabi hung up the phone, stood up, straightened his tie, and began the march over to his boss’s office. He was feeling confident and his gait reflected it, as his chest was out and his feet stepped with measured determination through the carpeted halls of the Olympic Administration Building of downtown Al-Nibaj. This was the break that his career needed; finally someone had recognized his administrative talents and he was sure that he was on the fast track to becoming an associate commissioner or even the next commissioner! There was no way he could fail, for he had the blessing of the current commissioner on his side, a man who could always be held to his word and his memory, provided it did not involve his attendance at meetings.

He knocked on the door, was greeted by his boss’s secretary, who actually did show up to work that day, and entered into his boss’s office without a word.

“Al-Duhabi,” his boss said, “I was just about to see you.”

“So was I,” Al-Duhabi said, “I know what you’re thinking: you’re fired.”

“I’m sorry it has to end like this, Al-Duhabi.”

“No, you’re fired.”

“I don’t think you understand, Al-Duhabi. You’re fired.”

“That’s what I said. You’re fired.”

“I’m glad we understand each other,” his boss said.

“Now get out of my chair.”

“What?”

“Get out of my chair.”

“What?”

“That’s my chair,” Al-Duhabi said. “I was the one who gave it to you when I got my new chair.”

Al-Duhabi’s boss obliged and rose from the chair, stepping away so that Al-Duhabi could grab it. Seizing his moment, he instead sat down in the chair, reached forward to his boss’s phone, and dialed for security.

“I have an intruder in my office,” Al-Duhabi said. “Please send some officers to escort him from the building.”

RP Credit goes to Gragastavia for this one.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Leslie Van Horn: "Welcome to the first full night of coverage of the fourteenth Summer Olympic Games from Istria & Orean. I'm Leslie Van Horn, and there's a lot to cover this evening, including a look back at the Opening Ceremonies from Orean, for those of you who missed it last night, and boxing continues for a second day with preliminary round bouts in the heavyweight & light heavyweight classes. Morris Aldridge & Carlos Frey will call the action from the Cobo Convention Center in about 35 minutes, but first we're going to bring you the individual classification round in Archery, and for that, we've sent our own Robin Hood, Gary Sexton, to Rukunbi Shooting Range. Hello Gary!"

Gary Sexton: "Good afternoon Les, I brought the picnic lunch with me as 141 men & 140 ladies will compete to see who will move on to the last 64, which will be a single elimination bracket event. The current national champions from the Commonwealth--Byron Garfield, 45 years old from Georgetown, who has been 5 times winner and 2 times runner up in the nationals over his 20 year career, and Patrice Schuman, 36 and hailing from Riverside Heights, who won her second gold medal at the last CBPAF tourney, to go along with a silver and two bronzes claimed previously--will compete in six heats, where they will fire 12 arrows in each heat. The total score of all 72 arrows will determine the finalists. The CBPAF didn't qualify to have an entry for the team competition, so for Byron & Patrice, this is their only shot--qualify or go home.

Let's take you back to earlier today, when the competitors of both genders opened up their accounts in the first flights of 12 arrows."

[cut to previously recorded coverage--approx 12 mins.]
(commercial break-2:30)
[return to recorded coverage--approx 11 mins.]

GS: "That's where things stood after the first two flights, Les. We'll be seeing one another again in awhile, Ta for now!"

LVH: (laughs)"Indeed we will, thanks Gary. When we come back we'll get you ready for the first bout for heavyweight fighter David Porter, as he returns for his second Olympic appearance. See you in a bit."

(commercial break--3:00)

[Kalosia]

Kalosia u l'Olimpade
Welcome to Kalosia u l'Olimpiade, your prime source of Olympics-related information for the Olympic Games. This service has been renewed as we enjoy the Games of the XIV Olympiad, hosted in Istria, Banija, and Orean, Liventia. The name of this service is Kalosian for "Kalosia in the Olympics", quite aptly. For this season, Kalosia u l'Olimpiade will provide general information about Kalosia as well as commentary on topics surrounding Kalosia and the Games, in addition to news surrounding the Games and the latest results.



About the Kalosian National Anthem
Kalos, voš salotamu is the name of the Kalosian national anthem. Its title translates to "Kalos, we salute you". Kalos here means twofold; the island on which the Republic of Kalosia sits on is named Kalos (a similar distinction could be, for example, the United Kingdom and the island of Britain), while Kalos is also the name of the mythical guardian character that plays a central role in Kalosian folklore. In the second sense, Kalos is the protector of the island and thus the protector of Kalosia.

The anthem was written in the late 19th century as an ode to the Kalosian homeland. While it was a popular patriotic song from the beginning, it wasn't until the Kalosian Revolution in 1925 that the song was adopted as the national anthem of the newly founded Republic of Kalosia. Since then, it has remained the state anthem, and a symbol of Kalosian civic identity.

Should a Kalosian athlete win a gold medal in this Games, this anthem will be the song proudly played as the flag is flown, as has happened before.

Click here to listen to a snippet of Kalos, voš salotamu.

[Kelssek]

WATER POLO (W)
Kelssek beats Electrum in opening match

KELSSEK – 10
O’Shea (2), Hatter (2), McTavish (2),
Beaudoin, Huey, Raida, Mueller
ELECTRUM – 4
{missingName!;@#$!!}
(2-1, 1-1, 3-2, 4-0)

Kelssek led through three quarters and then overwhelmed their opponents in the fourth quarter to get their Olympic campaign off to a winning start at the Albert III Aquatics Centre in Istria. Avril O’Shea scored two goals in the Redswyth Marlins player’s first appearance for the national team, while Kayley Hatter and Rachel McTavish joined her at the top of the scoring chart.

Electrum scored the first goal of the game with 6:43 remaining in the first, as a rebound off the crossbar fell conveniently for a counter-attack. But it was the only lead they had all game as Annisa Huey equalized from the left wing shortly after and Rachel McTavish put Kelssek ahead at the first intermission with a shot from the point on the man advantage.

While they’d just about managed to keep the pace through three quarters, Electrum faded away in the fourth and gave up six exclusions as Kayley Hatter asserted her dominance in the hole. Hatter herself got her second goal of the match on one of the powerplay opportunities as a defensive mixup left her free at the right post. Kelssek held their opponents off the board for the full quarter to ensure a convincing win to start their quest for the gold on the right foot.

“We did well to make sure it was never in doubt the outcome of such matches. You always have to be on top of things and it was great to be able to get some rotation and make sure everyone stays fresh. It’s a long tournament and making sure we’re playing the right way, I was really happy with the performance today,” said head coach Jean-François Treppanier.

Astograth are the early leaders in Kelssek’s group with two wins, as Kelssek had the bye in the first round of matches in a odd-numbered group.

---

FOOTBALL (W)
Sargossa scare ends scoreless after win against {{UNICODE ERROR}}
Amber Docherty nabbed a brace as Kelssek swept aside Græntfjall 4-1 in their first match of the group stage of the women’s football competition, but the second match against Sargossa was much harder going and saw Kelssek scrape through a 0-0 draw.

Eva Karven scored from the penalty spot in the 59th minute after Arinbjörg Björnsdóttir opted to stop Karven getting to a low cross by bodychecking the Kirkenes FC prospect to the ground. A moment of brilliance in the 64th minute from Sara Kristoffersdóttir saw a rocket of a shot find the top corner of the net from a sharp angle 35 yards out on the left wing. Docherty nabbed her second goal 11 minutes from time, taking advantage of an errant clearing header in one of the few lapses from Græntfjall in the aerial battle. This snuffed out hopes of a comeback and it was a cruise control exercise from there.

Kelssek then played Sargossa to a goalless draw despite no shortage of chances at both ends. Hildur Eiríksdóttir was the standout player as the Kelssek goalkeeper was credited with 6 saves to keep out an onslaught. Lana Pavelic had the best chance for Kelssek in the 56th minute as she ghosted through the defence and beat the goalkeeper only to see her shot bounce off the far post.

Captain Joseline Fourtin had a torrid time in central defence and was sent off for a second yellow card in the 79th minute, forcing the team to scramble to hold out for the final minutes.

"It was a tough match, we know that we are lucky to get away with a draw, we have to work as a team and not expose our defence so much," said midfielder Danielle Cordelier after the match. Despite the hard going, Kelssek lead their group and stand a good chance of advancing to the next round with this difficult test behind them.

[The Jovannic]

Olympics Live! Matchday 0

Good day to all viewers as we bring to you the full coverage of today's events. Archery and Rowing are the two sports that the Jovannic will be participating in today.

Yes. Lets head over to our correspondent Bill Gats, who is at the Widmore Artificial Lake and waiting for the events there to start.

The screen cuts to Widmore Artificial Lake

Thank You Bob and Bobb. It is a sunny day over here in Orean, and the rowers are just now lining up for heat 4 of Men’s Double Sculls heats, where Jovannic duo Napoleo Galade and Josh Tan will be competing. Let's see how they do.

READY.....SET.....GO!

The Jovannic Duo is quickest off the mark, but its not long before The Main Nation Ministry and Liventian Duos bypass them! The Grearish Union also bypasses them, but they are putting in a burst! They are back in it! they've caught up with Liventia but Liventia looks like they have the upper hand. We approaching the final stretch and it looks like The Jovannic is making a final attempt to catch up with Chromatika hot on their tails......They've held on! They have qualified for the repechange!

Great work by the Jovannic Duo today. Next we have the women's duo of Elana Casicula and Ren Chee Ming.

Commetary

Ooh... Very close there.... now for a short commercial break!

[Graintfjall]

Article posted on the GTV.græ/olympics website.

New high performance sports center to be built

Græntfjall’s burgeoning international sports presence received an important boost last night as funding was announced for a major high performance center, to be built in Græntfjaller Multinesia. The warm weather location is understood to be have been chosen to allow year-round water sports training and to avoid redundancies, given the existing National Academy, built in the Græntfjaller Alps, which prioritizes winter sports but is unsuitable for many outdoor sports now pursued by Græntfjaller athletes and teams. The construction of the center was announced in a joint press conference by Health Minister Katharina Oddmarsdóttir, and Education Minister Kaija Michaelsdóttir, the latter attending via video-conference from Istria, where she had attended the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games.

The struggle to secure warm-weather training locations for sports such as sailing, surfing, and triathlon, as well as the inability of track-and-field athletes, ball sports players, and road cyclists to practise and compete outdoors, given the frigid Græntfjaller climate and high alpine terrain, has “held back development of high performance training centers in the country until now”, according to Kaija, believed to be one of the main supporters of the new facility, and who brokered an initial funding deal as part of the coalition agreement which saw her Progressive Liberal party support the Left-slate government. “With state-of-the-art indoor facilities, highly training medical personnel, and a full-sized outdoor football stadium to be used in future World Cup campaigns, this will truly put Græntfjall on the world sporting map,” she said, even while everyone still struggles to find Græntfjall on any map.

In a show of cross-party solidarity, the Blue-Green Party, Liberal-Conservative Alliance, National Democratic Front, New Energy Græntfjall!, and Catholic Democrats all indicated support for the sports complex, while some complained at the initial cost (over 300m. krónor and likely to rise) or haggled over details of the off-setting spending plan accompanying it. Only the Socialist Realm, Workers Free Party, and Independent Democrat parties, together holding fewer than 50 seats in the Thing, voiced their opposition. “The plan seems well-conceived, to have broad political support, and no real downside,” Stian Eelisson, long-time Thing lobby correspondent. “Really, it’s difficult to think who could possibly be opposed to this fantastic opportunity.”

At time of press the Multineasian tribes whose villages will be bulldozed to make way for the center were unavailable for comment.

[Kriegiersien]

++Olympic telegram++

Kriegiersien fleet drowning on day one, only Mazoga Ork with a convincing qualification in rowing.
++
All expected participants in archery made it to the next round, but Bernard Bowstring and Nordom Modron didn‘t make it.
Mantis Elfelchen even surprised with a first place in the ranking round.
„That is nice, I want to preserve my form, but you can't buy yourself nothing from that“, she said.

In the shortly fixed mixed team contest weather, referees and by some used blunt arrowheads made for a confusing first day, where joint favourites Leglaf Loverboy and Brie from Kriegiersien ended only on place 10, but still qualified.



Old friendship is magic

“Hello. Is this working?”

The face of the ..person with the green hair that looked into the camera made the impression of a backwoods native from a rural tribe who never had seen technological wonders like a smartphone. And she looked different. And had a moustache. But her eyes and her smile, Rachel remembered that. And the voice.

“Hello Imoen, can you see me?” Rachel Shortshanks asked.
“Yes. Great. Rachel, how long haven’t we seen since Scorpion City?”
“Years. So you are an Olympic .. Karateka know?”
“Yes. And you are a Softball player. If I had known you are here… well not here, but at the Olympics, I would have visited you.”
“That is a way to go from Orean to Istria…”
“Ah, for me that is no effort.”
“Really?”
“I just have to find a fireplace.”
Rachel didn’t really understand, but didn’t doubt the possibilities of her friend.
“Could you come over then, for a private conversation?”
“Oho, private. Is it something dangerous or kinky?”
“Neither, it is just, I know you don’t like to talk openly about your … competencies?”
“Nice definition”, Imoen laughed, but her eyes had some twinkle in it.
“I’m coming over, give me some minutes. Could you show me your room with your camerathingy?”

Rachel waited. She was just nipping at some tea, when suddenly with a crackling sound someone appeared right in the chair alongside her. She nearly spluttered her tea out.
“Yay, it worked. Sorry I let you wait, had to prepare and finding an unobserved fireplace wasn’t as easy I thought…. everything ok with you?”
Rachel put down her cup of tea.
“I am just not used to that.”
They both stood up and hugged.
“You are looking good”, said Imoen “Nice uniform. You're in the army now?”
“Yoho, in the army now. Long story. And you … have a moustache.”
“Aha, I am a member of the men’s Karate team. So, I thought I have to blend in.”
“From personal experience I can tell you that that doesn’t always work. And aren’t women allowed in the men’s contest, just not the other way?”
“Just wanted to be sure.”
“So you are using your magic to blend in as man and win the competition?”
“No. No. No. No. ..Maybe a bit. I make sure everyone takes me for a feminine man and well… surely I have some advantages through my magic, but I wouldn’t use it in the fight. No hypnotizing my opponent or letting him fly through the air through magic. I mean, I had to use it in the Kriegiersien qualification just to survive some times, geez, these were some terrible fights...but...you know that they don’t like it if you openly show magic. And if that happens in another nation...you can be happy if they kill you. With bad luck they imprison you for eternity in the ground or petrify you.”
“Hm… so If I asked you to help our softball team…”
“Oh, sweetie, don’t do that. I would hate to transform you into a rat… or cute cat or something.”
When she saw Rachels face she laughed.
“Ah, don’t be afraid I am just kidding. But seriously, I can’t let the Ball fly into the goal suddenly or let your players speed up…”
“That is not how Softball is played.”
“Yadada. You know what I mean, I can’t help you with hand waving.”
“Pity. Oh, I am a terrible host, can I get you some tea or cookies?”
Rachel rang a bell.
“Sounds good. So what have you been done since we saw last time?”
“Well, what can I tell you. After I left these shed were we met, after the incident.. I went to the army…”

Both told the stories what had happened to them since they parted, in the meantime Mordbruck came in serving them tea and cookies, gazing frowning at Imoen who called her a funny looking house-elf.
It was already getting late when Imoen looked at her pocketwatch.
“Oh, I have to go to the Orean Great Hall, training a bit. Well, it was nice to meet you, maybe I come over again, or take you with me next time?”
“Maybe.”
Imoen went to the fake chimney in the room and took out some powder.
“And maybe I can find some time and watch some of your Softball matches. To bring you luck.”
She smiled, threw the powder at the chimney, that started to burn, jumped into the fire and vanished together with it.

[Waisnor]

Olympic Diary

OK: Oleg Kalugin is back in touch with the latest results from the Olympic Games. Yesterday, in addition to qualifications in three sports, two opening ceremonies were held in Istria and Orean. Ilya Arshenevsky will tell us about them.
IA: Thank you, Oleg. Both ceremonies were incredibly good, and they did an excellent job of showing the history and culture of their country. Of course, I liked the opening ceremony in Banija more. I think she is more artistic and just beautiful. I especially remember the moment of lighting the Olympic torch - I was ready to swear that Banijans saw the opening of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and decided to repeat that famous arrow trick, but with a local flavor. And athletes from Waisnor took part in both ceremonies in the country parade. In Orean, our flag was carried by Lyudmila Tatarevich, and in Istria - by Andrey Bagaev.
OK: Thank you, Ilya. The games officially opened yesterday, and one of the standard-bearers, namely Andrei Bagaev, joined the fight for medals in the men's archery. Elizaveta Vodynskaya will tell you what happened at the shooting range.
EV: Hello, Oleg. Games for Andrey Bagaev opened well - in the qualification among men, in which 141 people participated, he took 17th place, earning 673 points. But for the second Waisnorian in this discipline, Ilya Bibik, things did not work out so well, he took 136th place, earning only 626 points. Waisnor among women was represented by Angelina Kozyreva, her result was slightly better than Bibik's - 134th place out of 140 with 611 points.
OK: Thank you so much, Lisa. Also, the competition was opened for rowers, including Waisnorians. Ivan Gavrilov will tell about their successes.
IG: Thank you, Oleg. Yesterday in rowing turned out to be excellent for us - out of four disciplines we continue to compete in three, only Kirill Nikitin dropped out of the competition in men's singles, who took the penultimate place in his race. Our main hope for medals in this sport, a pair of Dmitry Aleshenko and Grigory Andreev, advanced to the next round from third place. Most of all we were surprised by Margarita Savina in women's singles. Honestly, I didn’t even think that she would advance to the next stage, and the fact that she won with a lead of 6.5 seconds from second place, which Karí Jarfisdóttir from Græntfjall took, incredibly surprised and pleased me. Our pair among women, Viktoria Tolstik and Alina Martinovich, also advanced to the next round from second place, losing to the pair of Charlotte Hope and Daniella Duprestak from Greater Vakolicci Heaven.
OK: Thank you, Ivan. Now is the time to talk about what awaits us today. Today the first medals at the Olympics will be awarded, among the competitions at which they will be awarded is worth highlighting the archery competition among men, where Andrei Bagaev will try to take a medal, women's road race, where Waisnor will be represented by Maria Grigorova and competition in shooting from a air pistol from 10 meters among men, in which we will be represented by Alexander Medvedev. Also, our athletes will take part in qualifications in swimming, boxing, tennis and artistic gymnastics. On this I say goodbye to you until tomorrow.