Games of the XV Olympiad — roleplaying thread

[Waisnor]

Here goes another bronze

Waisnor is definitely on the roll in last 3 days, getting a medal in every one of them, and for today it's bronze:

Svetlana Kalashnikova, who represented the country in javelin throw, did not start the qualification very confidently, taking 10th place in it. However, it still secured a place in the final and therefore there were chances for Svetlana to rectify the situation. And after the end of the competition, we can say that she definitely succeeded in it.
But the first attempt was supposedly a continuation of failures - when Kalashnikova sent the spear in flight, her attempt was not counted, since Svetlana stepped over the line. The second attempt was already counted, and its results were quite good - 68.62 meters, which was 8 meters better than the result in qualifying. But for the top 3, after 2 attempts, this result was not enough - Kalashnikova was at 4th place.
But on the third attempt, Svetlana was able to show her best result that evening - 70.54 meters. This result helped Kalashnikova to break into first place. Now Svetlana needed to keep this result, maybe even improve it. However, after the best attempt, the worst one immediately followed - 60.34 meters, which clearly did not satisfy Svetlana. But despite this, after the fourth attempt, Kalashnikova remained on first place.
The problems began on the fifth attempt. Despite the fact that the result of Svetlana in comparison with the last attempt has improved - 65.72 meters, Kalashnikova was pushed into second place by Cassiopeia Del Dorran from West Phoenicia, who took the first place with 70.61 throw. Kalashnikova's last attempt turned out a little worse - 64.80 meters, and in the meantime, Svetlana dropped to third place, since her result was beaten by Bianka Kosmatka from Diarcesia, who won gold medal with a 70/65 throw. But the bronze medal for Svetlana Kalashnikova was a result worth being proud of.

If for Kalashnikova the competition ended today, then for the diver Dmitry Duboenko, who represented Waisnor in men's 10m platform they have just begun. Despite the fact that Duboenko is considered a good diver, his chances of reaching the final were low. However, they were still there, and Dmitry was able to take advantage of this.
And his first dive, Inward 3½ Somersaults, had already demonstrated the seriousness of his intentions. The execution finally solidified it, as it was very good. The second jump was again 3½ Somersaults, but now they were back ones, however, Duboenko had problems in this direction, plus his entry into the water was not the best, and as a result, his scores for this dive were significantly lower than for the first one, which seriously damaged plans for high places in qualification.
After such an unsuccessful jump, Dmitry was a little nervous before his first pike dive, Armstand Forward Triple Somersault, however, Duboenko managed to overcome his feelings and perform the jump very well. And in the fourth dive he had the most difficult combination in his program, Forward 4½ Somersaults. Despite the complexity of this dive, Dmitry was able to perform it well and this dive turned out to be the best for Duboenko that day.
The fifth dive in Dmitry's program was Reverse 3½ Somersaults, and despite the fact that everything worked out for him in the air, Duboenko's entrance into the water turned out to be rather mediocre, for which, of course, judges took points from him. The last dive remained, and Duboenko decided to perform Back 2½ Somersaults 2½ Twists, that he did well, but not without mistakes. According to the results, Dmitry took 9th place in the qualification with 509.85 points, securing a place for himself in the finals.

OTHER WAISNORIAN RESULT
Ivan Agafonov finished 83rd in men's 50km walk

And my addition to RP:
Stories of Waisnorian television: How sports commentator was cursing out biathlonists
Biathlon is a pretty popular sport in Waisnor, and therefore their ratings on television were pretty good in the 90s and 2000s. However, Waisnor did not have much success in this sport, climbing the podium in some Biathlon World Cup races. But after unexpected success of Regina Pugach in 2010 Winter Olympics, where she took the bronze in women's individual race, popularity of biathlon increased even more.
Regina Pugach also had success in the World Cup, winning races and earning points. However, this did not save Waisnorians from some failures in biathlon, especially since the men's biathlon was still not the most developed. One of these failures was the women's relay in Biathlon World Championships 2013 in Nové Město na Moravě. Even by Waisnor's standards, they walked the distance and shot very poorly, finishing only 15th.
And the commentator Denis Chudoyakov slowly began to lose his nerves. Throughout the race, he was still in control, but after the last shooting, which he did not manage to get even once, Denis could no longer endure and started almost yelling at the biathletes, basically saying "What the **** are you doing, can you do anything right today, you ******?!"
After the race, Chudoyakov was fined and suspended from commenting for a year. After serving the suspension, he returned to his work and did not get into scandals again. Pugach said that she could understand Chudoyakov's anger, but still believes that the way he reacted was unacceptable. After some time Denis made an official apology to all the biathletes who participated in the relay. Talking about Regina, she stayed main Waisnorian biathlete and managed to win gold in Sochi and silver in Pyeongchang (both medals were in mass-start).

[San Ortelio]

Track Cycling

For a long time, infrastructure was an achilles’ heel in Ortelian sports. As a whole, construction works are an expensive matter in a small state with a limited amount of space, so quite often, erecting new hotspots for niche sports tends to drift to the bottom of the priority list. In order for something to find a spot on the map in such a case, there are only two roads forward. The first one requires an enthused fan with an abundance of wealth. Calling Alberto Di Natale simply a loaded supporter is a bit easy - at the peak of his electronics store emperium, he was estimated to be amongst the twenty richest inhabitants. Apart from sponsoring his own cycling team, he funded the Centro Di Natale, usually monikered ‘Il Grigio’ by the riders over its peculiar concrete lap of 250m. Built in 1975, it saved the existence of the sport as it replaced the decayed - and a few years later, demolished - Centro Ciclismo Burelli.

Merely having a place to train which didn’t have dangerous cracks in the surface boosted the morale, as did the robust changing-rooms-annex-gym-space at the edge of this outdoor location. It gave the sport a second spring, making track training a staple for young riders. With an eye on their leg speed and sprint capacities, many coaches consider a stint at the track a good platform to build on. More recently, the offering got expanded with a second, shorter wooden velodrome. Managed by the cycling federation, it was intended to be the pinnacle of the sport and, as a roofed location, the winter training spot by excellence. However, the management from the location is far from spotless and the prices chase young talents back out to ‘Il Grigio’. Senior riders train less on the track but due to a lack of a large calendar, they rarely maintain a track focus. An important exception to that rule is in the month of November, when the Sei Giorni gets disputed, a six days event which draws a decent crowd to ‘Il Grigio’. Although that might be more due to the drinks on offer rather than the sporting spectacle.

One expert of the Sei Giorni is five-times winner Luca Boggia. Grey and grizzled, Boggia made a decent career on the road as a support rider, often cracking down on the chase in the early hours, but finds a specialism in the tempo changes and tactical cunning required for the madison. He will take on this event with sprinter Salvatore Sollari, a partnership which was only forged nine months ago. In theory, the combination of the strong fox and the fastest pair of young legs looked solid but that has not yet materialized - there are even rumours about a strained relationship between Boggia and Sollari, a slightly boisterous character. Maybe the very invisible appearance from Sollari in the omnium, where he didn’t contest a single major sprint and finished in the bottom five, will get both sharp just in time.

Maybe the best ace on our hand rides for the female participants - but the two outside bets at least did not materialize. The Olympic road from Franca Belvederesi at Gruber Velodrome fell through far earlier than she anticipated: a questionable tactical decision, going from very far out, ended her road in the preliminary heats. Quite a disappointment for Belvederesi, a self-made type who only picked up cycling at 22 and usually races in a black, sponsorless shirt as an independent. With that in mind, the madison from Pescini and Cazzola was more of a success - they did miss the decisive move of four which eventually clinched the medals, but heated the fire before. Critics say that Sabrina Cazzola formed the weak link in the duo, failing to challenge in the sprints. Her partner-in-crime Ilaria Pescini made more of an impact, mixing in the sprints and picking up a point here and there. For Pescini, the high point of her Olympics should still be ahead: this raw talent aims to make an impact at the omnium. As a pacemaker par excellence (she could have been selected for the road TT as well) this brilliant young talent could blossom in the Gruber.

Wrestling

Yesterday morning, Marzio Tomi stepped onto the mat in the Fairleigh Convention Centre. His Olympic dream lasted only a single bout: after an early score from our compatriot, his opponent Broderick Flynn managed a successful takedown, propelling the Tikariotian to victory. The rest of his track record, eventually fighting for the bronze, showed Flynn was a worthy opponent for Tomi to lose from. But in a way, it was already remarkable enough to see an Ortelian compete in wrestling, the seventeenth and last sport for which an Ortelian had qualified. After all, Tomi competed in a sport which had been as good as extinct about thirty years ago.

That is not to say that wrestling does not have a rich, documented, albeit for a while forgotten, tradition in San Ortelio. First written accounts from the sport date back from the 17th century and talk about two variations: ‘lotta con’ and ‘lotta senza’. The ‘with’ or ‘without’ referred to in the name traces to the jacket which was, or wasn’t worn in the style. ‘Lotta con’, which was practised upright and focussed on unbalancing the opposition to force a contact with the floor, has completely disappeared. There are a few enthusiasts who tried to revive it, but the rules have unfortunately not been kept unequivocally intact. The ‘lotta senza’ seemed to be on the same road as half a century ago, it had become a niche passtime from a few northern villages and merely practised during local carnivals.

That there is an athlete at the Olympics is the result of the sport gaining some traction in nationalist right-wing circles. Ortelian nationalism, often centering on the self defense of the small nation amidst larger and stronger neighbours/enemies, is even more a cultural then a political element. Whilst the extreme right-wing Movimiento Nazionale around the ambiguous Enzo Ripale capped at ten percent and remains at the margins of the picture, the supporting Movimiento Orteliano keeps on gaining traction. The MO, a sort of wider consortium of local clubs and units, originally focussed on propagating local history and traditions. The unique ‘lotta senza’ fitted that bill and through that circuit, it became a larger phenomenon. Wrestling remains, in part due to the association with the Movimiento, a marginalized sport but it didn’t halt Marzio Tomi. Bronzed, strong and young, the 23-year old is a posterboy for the Movimiento and pictures of Tomi with a triumphing Ripale raised a debate whether he should represent the nation. However, the federation pushed through to get him in Electrum and succeeded - if only for an early elimination.

[Teremaran Olympics Delegation]

Athletes Village
Banjil, Electrum

He didn’t trust them. Never did. Never would. Call it latent racism, xenophobia, an oddly-place sixth sense, or whatever it was one willed, but he didn’t trust that shifty Gragastavian or his friend either. The way his aviator-shielded stare penetrated his soul when he looked at him was bone-chilling. It was as though he saw right through him, perhaps even so far as to think they were x-ray goggles. For all of his recently-developed social confidence, something about the Gragastavian cast it all aside. Before him, he felt naked.

Andro continued to pace his small room, not too dissimilar from the room he had been allocated last year for the Olympics. The Gragastavian was an enigma. And an enigma Andro could neither understand nor cast aside as foolhardy outright. It was one his brain needed to solve, and would continue to turn over tirelessly until he did solve it. What was the package that had been delivered? Why was it leaking blood?

He had left the confidentiality and safety of his room only momentarily, once the confrontation had subsided, to confirm his suspicions. The dark stains he had seen were, in fact, blood. But, even to his own untrained nose, it did not smell like human blood. Rather, more animalian, but undoubtedly mammal. The cogs in his head whirled. What could have been delivered? A pagan sacrifice, perhaps? Religious observance wasn’t banned in any capacity during the Games, and with the diversity of nations and faiths represented, it was not out of the question that one could have been an active wiccan or pagan observer… were they the ones that sacrificed animals to their gods and goddesses? Perhaps., but for now the generalization was all that Andro required to table it for further contemplation. He knew that Al-Fasi was a Muslim, as were his kin and countrymen, so deductive reasoning suggested that wasn’t it.

Had he ordered dinner? Foolish question, regardless of how rhetoric it was to begin with. No, it wasn’t dinner. What possible reason could he have for ordering meat freshly dead and uncooked? Halal notwithstanding, it was nonsensical. Andro had seen him eating in the cafeteria earlier that day, and they clearly had sufficient offerings to ensure he stayed well-fed. More research was needed.

From outside, he heard a door down the hallway click. Immediately, he bounded to the door and shoved his eye into the peephole. Al-Fasi strolled past, pausing briefly in-front of Andro’s door. He turned, staring straight into the peephole before continuing his walk. Andro’s breath caught in his throat. Al-Fasi knew he was onto him.

RP was contributed by Falkasia,and Gragastavia

.

[The Sarian]

The Parsnip wrote
Shorts: Olympic funny moments this week

Campaign for Olympic Sex Parity hits milestone

Even by Saari Athletics standards, the Campaign for Olympic Sex Parity hasn't had a good Olympics. They've blundered their way through sex-segregated meetings, struggled to gain endorsements and even become an innuendo for Olympic village orgies, turning a bit Maeri Withuis* in their response. But things seem on the up for the naescent organisation as they reached a nice Twit.tur milestone - 69,420 followers. For those who are uninitiated in internet culture, the combination of 69 - a beloved sex position turned humorous number - and 420 - slang for the recreational use of the cannabis plant (we think it has something to do with a date in Quebec?) - is perhaps the funniest thing that could ever happen. Teenagers on Twit.tur noticing the absolutely hilarious joke, conspired to keep the campaign at 69,420 followers for as long as possible. Through a combination of convincing older relatives to unfollow and selectively following/unfollowing themselves, the campaign stayed around the milestone for about two days. Nice.

Chasing the youth engagement

This magazine has never struggled to fill it's pages in the week before voter registration ends, and every politician decides to do something cringe to get young people to vote. Well, this time it is (potentially?) the turn of the Olympic Council. Press reports this week suggested that the OC is desperate to improve the games viewership amongst the crucial younger demographics, who have ditched watching the Olympics for keeping silly organisations on having a silly number of followers on social media. Although unconfirmed, one of the rumoured changes is the introduction of new sports at the next Olympiad - including breakdancing(!!!). Breakdancing, famous for being popular amongst urban youths forty years ago and never being spoken about again, would potentially replace Baseball-Softball or Karate - two sports which young people must hate. We hope the Olympic Council continues to have ideas for youth engagement from forty years ago and cannot wait for neon everywhere and mandatory bright-yellow sweatbands at the Olympic ceremony.

Equestrian funding hit?

Okay so this isn't actually funny, unless if you love elite rich people kicking off. After winning just two medals - both in Dressage - at the Olympics, there are suggestions that the Saari National Olympic Committee will stop funnelling the millions upon millions it does into the sport. The reaction to these anonymous rumours in the right-wing press has been, frankly, hilarious - especially when compared to the actual news going on in our actual country about cuts to free school meals. We should probably do a best of the letters page about it, but this column was commissioned to fill an awkward amount of space. So check out our website maybe? And click accept all to cookies so we can track you across the web for banter.

*A Saari famous for her campaigns against falling moral standards in the media. Not at all inspired by Mary Whitehouse.

[West Phoenicia]

 

WP||The West Phoenicia Times

 

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

Lord Randall Van der Dressel,

Reporter

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West Phoenicia enjoy Water Sports

The XV Summer Olympic Games is nearly over, it seemed like just yesterday we were sitting down, watching the opening ceremony with pride,  as our team waltzed in looking stunning in purple and gold. 

The uniform is if I could describe it in three words, creative, original and gaudy. Quintessential of West Phoenician attire at all Olympic Games. The ostentatious ensemble is most certainly a virtue for our delegation.


I do love fashion, but I digress from what this article is about. However, if Vogue West Phoenicia is looking for a new editor-in-chief, I'm open to offers.


While avid sports fans have been indulging in a multi-sport buffet, the Coeus Research Bureau on behalf of the West Phoenician Olympic Committee conducted 5000 random phone interviews discussing all things Olympics. 


Callers were asked to list the top sports that they have either watched or enjoy. 

It has been confirmed,  West Phoenicians enjoy Water Sports; with Rowing and Swimming listed as the top favourites. 


Among adult males shooting, sailing, swimming, boxing, rowing, rugby and women's Beach volleyball were all ranked over 50%.  

Football was mentioned, men's football was knocked out in the preliminaries, but many fans tuned in to cheer for other teams. 


Many men commented they loved the physical nature of certain sports, rough and tumble with the chance of blood that could happen with rugby, boxing, even cycling if the riders stacked. While not wanting to see people permanently hurt, the need for fast-paced action kept their attention glued to the screen. 


Among adult females listed gymnastics, swimming, diving, artistic swimming and Men's volleyball as top favourites.


60% of women wanted to see the creative expression, passion, drama and a good backstory to feel a connection with the athlete. Sports like artistic swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and Kata-Karate held their attention when a good story was told in the performance.


Seeing that both groups preferred viewing the opposite sex perform in Beach Volleyball, which both teams failed to progress past the quarterfinals, I am under the assumption fans was keener on the attire or the lack of it, then tuning in to watch the teams perform aces, blocks, rallies and dinks.

One lady who identified herself as Judith and turned 80 this week, asked if the Olympic Support staff needed a member to apply sunscreen to the male members.


A further 25% of women and 55% of men stated the appearance of the athlete held their attention and attraction during these Games.


Triple jump gold medalist Gaius True-Path, Beach volleyball pair Nathaniel Gables and Michael Prestonia,  as well weightlifter Waithaka Mwangi II were ranked as the hottest male athletes among females and same-sex attraction viewers.


While beach volleyball duo Octavia Valentinus Venus Engelberg,  diver Christmas El Hajj, Archer 

Bambi Caldwell and surfer Bunny St Claire were voted as having the best look and measurements by male and sane-sex attraction viewers.


Lastly, among a younger audience of teenagers, skateboarding, BMX cycling, surfing, sports climbing and diving were hot sports that caught the attention of the youth, having them look away from their game consoles and vanity tables for a moment. 


While teenagers were not as focused on the sex appeal of the athletes 10% did say, Ram Singh of BMX racing, Pollyanna Chen of BMX freestyle, Surfer Kai Logan and skateboarder Iris Benedict were 'fit as' and their performances were 'lit' and they 'slayed' the competition. 

I did have to ask my teen daughter what these words meant, and after a roll of the eyes, she explained and ended her sentence with 'got that boomer.'


Sports that failed to rank high include field hockey, Taekwondo, indoor volleyball, handball and weightlifting. 


Sports that underperformed but still held strong support among fans were basketball, Water Polo, baseball, softball, sailing, rugby and fencing.


Many callers expressed that moving forward West Phoenicia should focus on water sports. The ocean is in our veins and we could make a world-class name for ourselves in these sports. 

With the certain sport's become increasingly competitive we need to focus on where we can excel, instead of spreading ourselves too thin.


The Coeus Research Bureau has submitted a full report to the Olympic Committee who will review it.

The belief is the committee will use this research, a review of the last five cycles that West Phoenicia has been involved in, and a report conducted by an Independent Funding Commission which investigated complaints from several sporting federations that preferential treatment has gone unchecked for years, creating an unequal balance.

This review is expected to be a major shakeup, which will hopefully improve the nature of sports in West Phoenicia and raise up a generation of athletes who can perform to a higher standard at Olympic Games, Championships and tournaments.

Enjoy the rest of the Games, while I sit back and enjoy a Martini and watch the Middleweight boxing match staring Ronnette Davidson, before I return to my regular political column.

[Hopal]

Jonie Garrett stood at the starting line as she prepared to run the Final of the Women's 1500 Metres, she had worked her entire life to get to this point, but she hadn't really expected to get here, not at this point in life at least. She was still young at 19, and she felt that she wasn't quite at that level yet, where she would qualify for an Olympic final. Yet she did, surprising herself and everyone around her, this was a dream come true for her, all of it, just making the Olympics itself was a dream come true never mind making an Olympic final. But now that she was this point she wouldn't just sit content with making an Olympic final, she was going to fight for a medal. As the starter got into position she exhaled excitedly jogging on the spot in preparation for what was to come, she waited to starter to pull the trigger, and when they did she was off, as was the rest of the field of athletes. She tried to get an advantage over the other athletes and put herself in a good position, but 200 metres in she was in the middle of the pack without much wiggle room to move around. She kept with the pace of the rest of the pack for the rest of the first and second laps, trying to steady her pace and move up, though that would prove difficult given her position. She tried to run what her plan would be and save some energy for those final laps. But as the third lap approached and the pain really started to set in for Jonie, the leaders of the pack started to breakaway and the pace of the group started to pick up, she tried to keep up with the group, and try to move up as there was opening that she could take advantage of, but the pain was so much, and she couldn't find it in herself to get the speed to catch up with the leaders. The next lap would be a struggle for her as she tried to keep up and move up. She anticipated the bell lap would be even more of a struggle for her, and it would live up to her expectations, she tried again to pick up the pace and sprint to the finish line in that bell lap as the leaders particularly Belanna Mitchell-Oleksiak began to really pull away and widen the gap between them and the rest of the group. She tried willing herself to sprint, but she could only go so fast for so far, and she would end up crossing that finish line in agony looking up at the screen and seeing that she had finished in sixth place with a time of 4:02.17. She was still young she thought to herself and she would have another chance at it, she thought to herself before collapsing onto the track.

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Team Hopal Events - Day 17

Athletics - Men's 1500 Metre Final
Joe Lighthardt

Golf - Men's
Peter Newstrom
James Frey
Ryan Cander

[Kriegiersien]

An interview with the Kriegiersien Head of Mission, John Atnalta, near the end of the Olympics.


Thank you for being our guest today.

You’re welcome.

We don’t know much about you, can you tell us something about yourself, connection to sport, your life, history, career path?

No.

Your moustache just shifted….

Oh, thank you. Comes from a nervous affection.

So.. How did you experience the day?

With a schnapps to start. Gold in handball was great, important against Quebec. Baseball was nice. Then silver in Wrestling, but I had hoped for more from Mina. And that Suzuki lost her Boxing final, that was the last chance for the Boxer to go with a bang, I am disappointed. Seems that she concentrates too much on playing cribbage and doing crosswords and forgot how to solve “punch someone hard enough so that he becomes unconscious”, two letters across.

There were other sports happening.

Yeah, but without medal, I try to forget them.

You...you took over the job after your predecessor, the legendary Atlanta Johnson resigned after the bad result of the Winter Olympics. Do you think you improved?

We won’t be as good as at the last Summer Olympics, what raised a new bar, but we still hope to get second in the medal table.

Where do you think can you improve, where are you content?

There is really no reason to be satisfied. Some sports did well, like Judo, Taekwondo, Wrestling. Core sports. We had some surprises, but also sports who were normally medal banks. Equestrian did well enough, the Ponies are reliable cute, I mean good. Gymnastics still ok. But we totally failed at the shooting range. Boxing was a disaster, in my opinion. Swimming and weightlifting were disappointing, but we feared that before.
We won’t talk about sailing and rowing and all things done on the water, biking and trend sports, they were a lost cause already, every medal was always a surprise in this sort of competitions.
We lost much foot in athletics, that is a pity.

But in many ball sports we had great results and medals. Table Tennis, Badminton for the first time. Gold in Baseball for the first time and Handball again.

Yes, that is fine. These are nice too have, but I don’t have a focus on these sports. They need much effort for small results. One medal and you need at least 5 players, often more and they want some sort of coaches and fitness and physios and mental coaches. Cooks! Are you kidding me? I never get this sort of staff approved and paid. My own office is a table in my room in the Olympic village and I have no stuff or other help. So I prefer to support other sports, where one athlete can win sometimes multiple medals alone. Sports were endurance, will and strength is important, Kriegiersien values. Brute Force.

That is what your predecessor said.

She was right in that and many other ways.

Who do you think will be flag bearer at the closing ceremony?

A vote over the Interweb will decide that. If I had to decide it would be Tim Timey. Some of the fighters immediately refused and some of the big stars already had their chance once, so it will be propably him.

There is a rivalry between the Kriegiersien fighting sport athletes and the ones from Scornerse, how did you see that?

I never understood how that escalated from one fight. Are we in Kindergarten? There are other nations we have to beat for the medal table. Electrum is as host a bit too far away, but Britonesia and its Allies, Quebec, Mytanija, Krytenia, Kelssek, the Teremaran army, Phoenicia, Græntfjall, Liventia .. Liventia surprisingly not this time. These are the ones to beat for the great goal.

Kriegiersien has now after day 16 16-16-16 medals. Isn’t that a great moment to stop?

Ha, nice snapshot, but the goal is to have the most medals. Be first in the medal table. Funny numbers are ok for a laugh, but we have bigger objectives.

How did you like the organisation here in Electrum?

There were a few hiccups, as far as I have seen, but that happens every time, that is not surprising if you have volunteers or slaves doing the work. We tried an event with dogs as referees once. That works in rugby, because they accept the authorities there, but in soccer the players play dump if the referee dog fetches a red card, shoving the player to the sideline after a foul and the players pretend to not understand, try to run away or fight back.
Anyway. Overall it was a smoothly done event, no scandals. Pretty straight. Happy to be here.

Did you have time to explore the country?

Haha. Hahaha. Really? Haha! No.

Do you believe the winter games will be as successful, too?

That is a long way to go. First we have to reorganize much. We need more ice. I had no chance to do that in the short time, but now I will prepare everything to be more successful there, too.

What do you have in mind exactly?

The project to strengthen the ice skating skills in the nation is going ahead, some restructuring to get new talents. I don’t want to go in the details, you will see.

What was your favoured moment of the games?

Tim Timey winning Gold in Badminton. That was a rousing, sweaty battle.

Even though you don’t primarily support these sports?

He is a talented man.

Thank you for the interview.

Sure.

[A Kea]

KTV

Lila Kofa becomes the 4th Kean medalist in these games. The athlete qualified to the 400m final with the worst time of the 8 finalists, but still managed to get 3rd and secure the first Kean bronze.

That was the race of my life. I just had to fight, qualifying as last was something I wanted to defy in the final, I knew I could do more than barely scratch into the final, and here I am in the end. Having failed to qualify in 100 and 200 meters I knew this was my best and final chance to make my nation proud, keeping up with the pace of the rest wasn't easy given that it was an extremely tight race but in the end... Bronze, my first Olympic medal, I'm really satisfied with it. I have to thank my sponsors for making this possible and all of A Kea for being on my side

Kofa was probably the final Kean medalist in these Olympics, but we still have to wait for Martina Kiri in women's high jump final tomorrow and the three marathon runners (Johnson, Papathanasiou & Ioannou) in the men's marathon on the final day of the games.

[Adab]

THE ADAB TIMES
The Most Trusted Voice in the Nation, Est. 1878

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GAMES OF THE XV OLYMPIAD

A Date with Destiny Awaits as Rederer Reaches Final

Sargon al-Basri
Tuesday, August 15, 2034

ELECTRUM – “Foger, Foger, ain’t it good to be alive?” Foger Rederer crooned into the mic following his 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 victory over San Ortelio’s Fiorenzio Tartoni in the semifinals of the Olympic men’s singles tennis, replacing Mick Jagger’s invocation of “Angie” with his own name. Though his voice rang out across the venue, his head was bowed down and his eyes firmly glued to the mic, paying no attention to the multitude of cheering spectators. His voice betrayed relief, but not excitement. After all this, he was just glad to still be here.

When the current Olympics began, barely a soul outside Adab had ever heard of this 18-year-old tennis talent, who had absolutely no experience playing internationally and was reportedly only included in the country’s Olympic delegation because the Committee had so much faith – too much, many believed – in his innate talent and Adabian tennis had been on such a dry spell that they were willing to take anyone with even a sliver of talent. In two days’ time he will be an Olympic medalist. Gold or silver, it doesn’t matter; he has outperformed everyone’s expectations.

Rederer’s outsized personality and braggadocio were initially seen as masking his inexperience, but perhaps it would be closer to the truth to say that they are born out of – and complimenting – his talent. Like him or not, this young man is good at tennis, as he has shown throughout the Olympics. And again he showed his quality in his encounter with Tartoni.

The Adabian had been through several grueling matches during this competition, particularly against Ostankin’s Mikhail Sonin in the round of 16 and also against Rhys Escott of Tumbra in the quarterfinals, and it was a wonder that his young legs still held up in this late stage. If he was exhausted from his herculean efforts so far, Rederer did not show it at the start of the match, making a quick start in the first set and going up 4-0 as Tartoni struggled to adjust to Rederer’s close-range playing and the precision of his volleys. Rederer’s mobility still had not fully recovered from the Sonin and Escott matches, and indeed at times he appeared to almost stumble as he paced across to return Tartoni’s lobs from baseline, obviously an attempt by the San Ortelio player to force his opponent to play from the baseline as well. Yet Rederer refused to take the bait, and he still had just enough speed to counter Tartoni and build up a sizable lead.

Nevertheless, Tartoni was producing passing shots with increasing success, and Rederer was missing more and more of those shots. This allowed Tartoni to take the fifth and sixth games, reducing Rederer’s lead to 4-2 and producing a glimmer of hope for the San Ortelio player. Wanting to end the first set as soon as possible, Rederer finally decided to play Tartoni’s game and move back to the baseline. He did not play into Tartoni’s hand, not yet; for now, he would unleash all the strength he had to fire powerful groundstrokes at Tartoni, who himself appeared to be caught off-guard from time to time and at one point even fell to one knee as he attempted to return a lob. Rederer won the final two games to take the first set 6-2, but looked dangerously fragile and pushed to his limits as he did so. Tartoni saw this, and he took his opportunity.

Rederer was virtually a man without legs as play commenced in the second set. Tartoni stayed on the baseline, and this time he had the initiative from the start, looking reborn and much fresher as he fired off lobs and even a few smashes which sent Rederer scrambling – and failing miserably – to return them. Rederer stayed on the baseline at first, hoping to beat Tartoni in his own game, but his tiredness was showing through and his technique veered between overly stiff and overly wild. When he did manage to return Tartoni’s shots, it was often a weak return which Tartoni promptly turned back at him or sent blasting down too far away for Rederer to catch. Tartoni quickly went three games up as Rederer struggled to find an answer to his opponent’s offense. Whenever Rederer rushed forward towards the net, Tartoni would simply send the ball past him, leaving the young Adabian looking clueless and even desperate as he failed again and again to stop Tartoni. Rederer own playing did not help his cause either, with Tartoni getting a few free points from the Adabian’s double faults.

But, even as he was falling behind, Rederer was beginning to find his groove. He was markedly more relaxed in the fourth game of the second set, spending most of the time staying about halfway between the baseline and the net, which provided not too great of a distance for him to intercept Tartoni’s shots. Keeping his eye on the ball and anticipating where it would go next, Rederer was again beginning to return the ball with increasing consistency, playing against Tartoni’s backhand and delivering a mixture of volleys and drop shots to score with less effort while also denying Tartoni the chance to lure him into lengthy rallies. Rederer took the game to make the score 3-1. Still largely playing from the baseline, Tartoni won the following game to increase his lead to 4-1, but Rederer was finding the ball and nullifying Tartoni’s groundstrokes with increasing ease, making it 4-2 even as he let out his frustration at his own playing, scowling and shouting “Come on!” as a Tartoni lob slipped past him.

Tartoni himself was starting to falter, and Rederer used this window of opportunity to his advantage, rushing towards the net to score with more volleys and drop shots which Tartoni could not meet from the baseline. Rederer won the next two games to produce a 4-4 tie, although by this point Tartoni himself was already coming to the net, turning the ball away from Rederer with his own volleys and the occasional smash. Rederer and Tartoni proceeded to trade the next four games for a 6-all and a tiebreaker, with both players visibly slowing down as the set dragged on and they fast approached the tiebreaker, although Tartoni looked worse for wear, breathing heavily as he raced across the length of the net to return a Rederer half-volley.

The tiebreaker itself began with Rederer retreating again towards the baseline, hoping to beat Tartoni with his own passing shots. But Tartoni dug in, using every ounce of his speed and energy as he returned Rederer’s shot, then returned the next one, and again as Rederer’s attempt to fire the ball far past Tartoni quickly turned into a 35-stroke rally. Though Tartoni emerged triumphant at the end of that rally to take the first point of the tiebreaker, it had clearly taken its toll on him, further diminishing his speed for the rest of the match. Rederer battled back with an ace and a volley to take a 2-1 lead in the tiebreaker, but a panting, tiring Tartoni turned it into a 2-3 lead in his favor as Rederer himself slowed down, either out of exhaustion or simply wanting to pace himself, appearing hesitant to meet Tartoni’s shots in the process. Rederer took the next point after an 11-stroke rally, but Tartoni, keen to avoid yet another rally, won the following three to pull away from Rederer, who struggled to muster enough speed to catch the shots as Tartoni established a 2-6 lead, leaving him just one point away from taking the set. Rederer won the ninth point with a lob that went just around the net to land too far to Tartoni’s back. Tartoni, although he was clearly losing his power by now, just managed to produce a successful drop shot to seal the set, but he had won it at the cost of losing his steam, whereas Rederer actually looked fresher and primed to go for another set.

In a bid to preserve his energy, Tartoni abandoned the baseline for the third set, adopting a serve-and-volley game in much the same manner Rederer had done earlier in the match. By allowing Tartoni to take the second set, Rederer had put an additional burden on himself, but he also had more energy, and as the third set went on it was clear that he was superior in both speed and power. He had calmed down and appeared confident and laser-focused as he secured the first two games, this time refusing to come close and instead consistently blasting the ball past a sluggish Tartoni. Not even a Tartoni comeback in the third game, firing off an ever-increasing amount of volleys which Rederer struggled to contain, seemed to perturb the young Adabian. Rederer took the fourth game in just nine minutes to put himself up 3-1, but perhaps expended too much of his own energy in doing so, and Tartoni came back strongly in the following two games, finally convincing Rederer to come back to the net in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Tartoni with weak passing shots.

Now at a 3-3 tie, Tartoni seemed to regain the upper hand, beating Rederer to the crucial shots and sending his opponent racing back and forth from sideline to sideline as he finally took the lead at 3-4 with an amazing backhand smash. But that would be one of the last highlights of the match from Tartoni’s side. The San Ortelian seemed poised to increase his lead in the next game, and indeed raced to 0-40 in that game, but then disaster struck; Tartoni squandered away his game point with an off-target lob that ended far outside the court and nearly hit a ball boy. Calm and steady, Rederer held on to counter Tartoni’s shots make it 15-40, then 30-40, then finally deuce, after which he easily won the next two points in a row – the decisive point with a backhand smash – to take the game and tie the score again at 4-4. Though it appeared that the third set might also be heading for a tiebreaker, in reality it was Rederer’s match to lose; in winning his points, Tartoni had increasingly appeared fatigued and on the verge of falling. Rederer was not in peak condition either, but still had enough strength in him for another two games. Perhaps feeling that this was his last chance, Rederer blitzed through the ninth game, not even allowing Tartoni a single point in the process. The tenth and final game was more competitive, with Tartoni offering up unimpressive but on-target lobs to counter Rederer’s groundstrokes. But Tartoni’s lack of mobility left him a sitting duck as Rederer went against his backhand. With the points standing at 40-30, Rederer secured victory with a simple forehand from near the baseline that Tartoni simply could not intercept.

Foger Rederer had secured his status as an Olympic finalist, but did not seem particularly overjoyed. After thanking Tartoni for “an amazing match” in a short speech, he lowered his head, raised the mic closer to his mouth, and, through ragged breaths, began to slowly sing:

Foger, Foger, ain’t it good to be alive?
Foger, Foger, they can’t say I never tried

[Banija]

John Nampoza, Banija's first ever Olympic Gold Medalist: "Banija must go to the XV Winter Olympiad"

SOMER, ELECTRUM- There are two days left of competition at the Winter Olympiad, and there are still plenty of opportunities left for Banijans to win medals. This has turned out as Banija's most prolific appearance at the Games ever. The OCB hasn't set a target medal count, but it was clear that by sending a full delegation for the first time, the country's Olympic Committee wanted Banija to establish itself as a true Olympic nation. Now having hosted the games and broken the 20 medal count twice, some feel as if Banija has accomplished that goal.

Banija will set a few national records during these Bunjil Summer Games. For one, we will break the national record of 20 medals won at a single Olympiad. We're at 20 right now, but with a minimum of a silver medal guaranteed in both women's beach volleyball, and women's softball, we will hit at least 22. We have already broken our record of silver medals at a single Summer Olympiad, with 9 won(8 being our previous). And we are one short of our record of golds, with 5 right now. There is a fighter's chance that we hit six, and a decent chance that we get to 7. With quite a few Athletics Finals remaining, and those team sports, it would be quite possible to reach that accomplishment.

But with the excitement for the last two days of the Olympiad at a fevered pitch, the issue of what comes next has come to the forefront. And with Liventia publicly confirming that they are interested in bidding again for the Winter Olympiad, the issue has come up again- will Banija go to the next Winter Olympiad? Liventia, of course, has stated that they would prefer to have a cost. And with our nation lacking winter, of course, we would not be an option to work again with our partners from the XIV Summer Olympiad.

John Nampoza, as Banija's first ever Olympic gold medalist(at the XI Winter Olympiad in speed skating), has always been a man who has been highly honored by the Olympic Committee. And with the debate taking place in public, John Nampoza cut across a frustrated figure in an interview, public blasting Banija's Olympic Committee. "The fact that the OCB has allowed this debate to go on for so long is absolutely ridiculous." He told reporters. "Banijan athletes are more than capable of performing at the highest level in both Summer and Winter sports. Olympic Committee members are talking about how these games can't be 'monetized'- who cares? This is not 50 years ago. We are no longer a poor nation. It's all about choices. We must value a broad-based curriculum of sports, both in Banija and within the diaspora. The Olympic movement is not about profit- it is about unity, joy, and the pursuit of excellence. Giving up before it has even happened- disgusts me."

His comments went viral on twii.tur, and a number of athletes spoke up. The Olympic Committee of Banija's official spokesman said that he has "no comment" on Nampoza's words, and that Nampoza did not speak for the OCB on these matters. A present OCB Executive Board member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told reporters that he thinks it is unlikely that the OCB goes to the Winter Games. "This is simply not what we do as a country." That board member said. "It's not just about money- it's lack of interest. It's the lack of Winter. We are not capable of domestically producing these athletes in high quantities. Why not just focus on Summer?"

But many prospective Banijan athletes, from the diaspora, were harshly critical of the OCB. And a few Summer athletes stepped in as well. "We should make sure that no matter what sport you play, you should have an opportunity to play for Banija on the world stage." Ezekiel Bullo said. Bullo, of course, is Banija's star basketball player and a three-time IBC champion- as well as a silver medalist from the last Olympiad. "To say money is the concern is terrible. What if we didn't invest way back in the day in youth athletes? Do we tell colleges they need to turn a profit on their non-revenue sports? Of course not. John Nampoza's right- the Olympic Committee needs to change their mind, and support their athletes."

Two hashtags started flying around Banijan twii.tur- "#SupportOurAthletes" and "#BringBanijaToWinter". Will the OCB back down in the face of public pressure? Will the pressure be ramped up and sustained on them, or will they get their way and not send athletes to the Winter Games? This will be a drama whose story, at this point, is far from over.

[Britonisea]

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OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT (SECTIONS OF EPISODE)

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Live At The Games
Games of the XV Olympiad
Day Sixteen

At The Games: Live will be on BVC One for most of the day, where television viewers will be able to watch sports that Britonisea is expected to do well in. During the show, there will be an on-screen indicator of the Britonish medal table and what position we are in. There will also be a notification if we have won a medal and it wasn't shown on BVC One - with it being announced by one of our hosts when we go live into the studio. People will know Jake Bachelor as a Saturday night television presenter. Jake will have an international audience too after his recent hosting of the 60th World Hit Festival in Aronyk, which had 13 million households in Britonisea alone watching the event. Jake will be leading the coverage of the Games, appearing during the evening session of the Games as well as commentating at both the Opening and Closing ceremony of the Games. Jake will also appear during some of the Afternoon sessions too on BVC Two. Rakesh Hayre has had some recent experience as well as he was the online host for the aforementioned 60th World Hit Festival in Aronyk. Rakesh comes from an acting background but is being snapped up by broadcasters to present due to his charming personality and knowledge of sports. Nina Kitowski is one of the leading evening time presenters on BITC. Nina's expertise is presenting in a place with a lot of pressure which she will have to do during the Morning session as we not only catch up with events just gone but also medal events that will be happening live and trust us - there will be loads to catch! Laila Willis and Emmanuel Ruiz Mendoza will be presenting the Afternoon session on BVC Two, with one of them providing assistance during Nina's Morning during the busiest of days. Laila and Emmanuel are relatively new sports journalists who will both have their first experience with presenting to a live audience. As previously mentioned, Jake Bachelor will pop in sometimes during the Afternoon sessions to help them on their way. We expect that the 10-hour coverage will be watched by up to 80% of television viewers in the country across the Games. The hosts will be joined by pundits from each of the sports to join the commentators.

The studios of At The Games: Today will be in Agri which will be home to 92 medal events at the Olympic Games.

After ABEN's most successful day at the Olympic Games yesterday (which saw seven medals - including two gold), a lot of people were tuning in to find out whether the Union could match yesterday's total. They sure had the chance to with many Abenites pumped up and rearing to go after the Union rose to second in the medal tally - putting it within touching distance of the hosts. While there was no suggestion the Union would (or could, to be honest with you) catch Electrum, the thought of it was enough to spur the team on. There was a lot of events happening and to cope with the pressure, all members of the presenting team were required to be present. Starting off the day was Nina Kitowski, who was joined by Chrissy Metoyer, bronze medalist at the XI Olympic Games and Jayden Obadiah, medalist at the X Games...

09:15 Live At The Games

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Veronique Trott
GOLD
Boxing - Women's Flyweight

Soon after the show started, the Union won its first medal of the day. Veronique Trott won Estogium's fourth medal at these Games, bettering Britonisea's performance at the XIV Games despite Britonisea sending a delegation twice the size of Estogium's. Veronique's medal was soon followed by Britonisea's first medal of the day from Al Opsiov.

10:00 Live At The Games

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Al Opsiov
SILVER
Wrestling - Men's 65kg

A silver medal for Al Opsiov meant the world to him. The man was interviewed fifteen days ago about his difficult upbringing and how he got into the sport. You could tell that even though he was so close to the gold medal (which eventually was taken by Brendan Hunter from Liventia in an intense gold medal bout), the silver still showed how far he had come. Al was sure that he would be back at the Games - and this time to hunt Hunter down for the Gold! As we moved from the Morning programme, viewers switched over to the secondary channel with Emmanuel and Laila taking over the coverage for the next two hours. It was time for the Women's Singles which a lot of Britons were looking forward to. Elizabeth Quehall. Elizabeth, who alongside Dwain Peplinski brought the ABEN flag into the stadium at the opening ceremony, was going through a lot. A year ago, Elizabeth was rushed to hospital in Hamilton which some people thought jeopardised her Olympic quest for gold. She participated in a few NSTT events but has mostly remained out of the public eye until now. It is expected that up to seven million will be watching the match despite it being lunchtime during work hours. Some businesses have said that they will allow for the tennis to be played in the workroom, with screens across billboards in Britonisea's major cities showing the match too. For those lucky enough to have a half-day or a day off, this might be the perfect time for a barbecue or a trip down to the local pub. With temperatures at a pleasant 25C - it was a nice day for it...

12:25 Live At The Games

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Emmanuel Ruiz Mendoza: Now here on the Lunchtime Session of Live At The Games, we have a real treat for you. It's time for the Women's Tennis Singles with flagbearer Elizabeth Quehall in the Gold Medal match.

Laila Willis: While it is confirmed that she has a medal, the only Olympic colour that she doesn't have is gold, having won a silver at the XI Games and a bronze at the XIV Games. She has played some impeccable tennis over the past week or so in Electrum but now is where it really matters. Will she become Britonisea's first Olympic tennis champion for the first time in five Olympic Games?

Emmanuel Ruiz Mendoza: Well, I don't know Laila, but I think Lance Mance might be able to help us out. Hello Lance - what do you think Ms Quehall's chances are?

Lance Mance: Hey there! Well, firstly I just wanted to say that I am buzzing with excitement. Britonisea has had five medals in tennis before, which to put this into perspective with other sports that have more than triple the number of events; Britonisea, before these Games, had only won three medals in swimming, three medals in cycling too. At the end of these Games, we will walk away with seven tennis Olympic medals and I'm hoping those two medals we will get in Electrum'll be gold.

Emmanuel Ruiz Mendoza: Rate Elizabeth Quehall's performance so far. Semi-Finals, she beat Selene Risyana Dadon of the Alezian Union in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 in just under an hour. Danjiella Zovic of Neu Engollon gave us a bit of a fright when she took the lead in the first set of the quarter-finals but Elizabeth quickly recovered - do you think she will struggle here?

Lance Mance: Honestly, I don't think she will feel too much pressure here. I think that Elizabeth is a cool and calm gal and she will have experience on her side. Stephanie Lawrence from Benjamin Mark - I'm not trying to say that she's a nobody but she isn't someone who...has had the same experience especially at a major like this. Elizabeth has been there during the NSTT and she's been to an Olympic final before - she'll be ready and willing to wipe the floor with Stephanie. (looks at screens behind him) She's on the court.

Laila Willis: Indeed she is, I think she's going for a quick warm-up. We will join the action in just a bit. Lance, we can't discredit Stephanie, right? She beat the only Electrumite in the draw left, Pelissa Giannapolous - in straight sets - in what people were expecting was going to be the age-old showdown between Electrum and Britonisea. We didn't get that. Perhaps it is time for a major upset?

Lance Mance: I just don't see it happening. Elizabeth has always wanted an Olympic Gold and last year was very difficult for her - she lost out with Leo in the Mixed Doubles. They were hoping for more here, they didn't get it. Leo made a scene. A lot has been happening with Elizabeth over the past couple of years and so I think...if anything...she deserves the gold.

Laila Willis: Well. Britonisea will fight for its eleventh gold medal - or ABEN's seventeenth of these Games, Britonisea's 30th gold ever. When I say it like that, it really shows you how successful these Games have been. Right - time to head down to the stadium. Your commentators for the match are Arthur Ledesma and George Samuels....

Elizabeth Quehall
GOLD
Tennis - Women's Singles

Some time later...Elizabeth had done it - she was the champion of the world, the Olympic Champion. She dropped to the floor as she won the final point. She covered her eyes unsure as to whether to cry, laugh or scream. She was overwhelmed with emotions as she realised that finally after seven Olympic Games, the number (which is seen as a very lucky number in Britonisea) was on her side. After a while, she managed to get herself together as her opponent waited for her at the net. Elizabeth was never a show-off and so thanked Stephanie for her amazing performance, congratulating her for her silver medal and telling her that she hopes to her on the tour. It was a dream for Elizabeth to step onto the highest platform on the medal podium. She kissed her medal as she received it. She was definitely going to have a full-page spread on all the newspapers back at home.

16:05 Live At The Games

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Gilbert Castro
BRONZE
Karate - Men's 75kg

Gilbert Castro wasn't somebody that people had their eyes on but he certainly gave Abenites a reason to watch him as he made it through the bronze medal bouts via the repechage. Gilbert was shocked himself that he had another opportunity to medal and boy, did he take it!

16:30 Live At The Games

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Edgard Poirer
BRONZE
Gymnastics - Rhythmic Men's All-Around

Estogium's third medal of the day came from the gymnastics with all eyes on Edgard Poirer who qualified in fourth position in the qualification round. There was a lot of disappointment for Pascal Daniau - who was a major favourite to even take the gold medal. However, he wasn't able to make it through, finishing 11th place out of 68. It was fine, however, as Edgard made sure Estogium took home a rhythmic medal in the men's competition as they did in the women's. Estogium's 14th medal achieved - ABEN's 41st.

While the day may not have been as successful as the day before, the Union could not complain about the fantastic performances from the past day. Day 17 will be interesting for the Union as excitement builds around the Women's Doubles against the Pemecutanians in the final. Britonisea's women's artistic swimming team will be wishing upon a star tonight in the hope they can (somehow) claw their way back for a third Olympic medal. Estogium could do well in the Athletics Women's 4 × 400 m relay with Abi Nice on the final leg hoping to bring a medal home. Laila Vatenfall will be looking for an Olympic medal too after the disappointing Games so far for the Vatenfall family.

[Diarcesia]

XV Olympics: Day 16

Flawless Victory for the Soldier-Karateka

Diarcesian karateka Jennifer Exley joined judoka Margaret Churchill in concluding a sensational Olympic championship defense. In the buildup to beating Tina Stanley of Amuaplye in a 5-0 bout, Exley had been in control of her matches starting from the Round of 32, emerging through it all without allowing any points to her opponents.

As a member of the Diarcesian Mundana Forces with the rank of loche (usually equivalent to a sergeant), she invoked the full Diarcesian salute as the anthem played, taking care not to hit the other medalists beside her.

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That night, after the meeting, the Heptarch Diarcesian, King Adrast, personally congratulated us for the strong performance of Bianka Kosmatka. The king also did the same with Bianka herself, summarizing a list of perks and incentives that came with being a Diarcesian gold medalist.

At the Olympic village, the reception was also welcoming. Our compatriots and relatives from all over came to celebrate our successful day. Miss Montalvo (Miss is her first name), one of our health officials, checked on Bianka to make sure her fitness remains and that in general, she is healthy.

The Sweetness of the Surprise

Riley Marshall, of our fellow support staff, arrived with a package. Inside was a handbook with the trick to unlocking the Siren's Riddle. The woman opened it and showed us how to solve it.

"Hey! This is for you, loyal Danilo. Listen to the Siren's song without worrying about being disturbed. Solve it, and all shall be revealed."

"Sure, whatever. I already know how to do that."

"Good. Here, take this." It was a piece of string.

"Of course. But why would we refer to this handbook? It's easy to figure it out."

"You should have known it's more complicated than at first appearance."

"No, no, it's just that... Maybe if you could pass the cones. It's best to go with what we already know."

"I see..." Riley was noncomittal. "I'll just check on this to be sure we ain't off track. You seem to be right about the cones. Here you go. One for you, one for me."

"Good luck with that."

"Now, we have a way to relay the riddle itself, and an opportunity to get the answer at the first try." The woman gave us a smile. Riley and Danilo were driving the conversation as the rest of us just listened at the amusement before us. "But trust me, it's worth the risk of being wrong."

"I'm ready."

"I am as well. Now listen, loyal one."

Riley, happily immersing herself with the riddle game, vocalized within the cone. Only Danilo can understand it.

"You gots to be kidding me. This is not part of the riddle, how can I respond to that?"

"Catch."

"The bloody handbook? Okay, then. This must be a new version with additional stuff in the call-response table."

"Told ya."

The rest of us just laughed. Riley has a knack of tripping us up with something we least expected.

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In the virtual realm, Banija's first ever gold medalist was making waves when he issued a challenge to his country's Olympic Committee. John Nampoza criticized them for not prioritizing the Olympics enough and in particular calling out their emphasis on revenue-making. The online furore even spread to some of the Diarcesian athletes, who were also aware of their own institutional stumbling blocks over the past few Olympiads.

Foil fencer Alanis Antonis, a vocal supporter of athletes in international competitions, especially the Olympics, chimed in:

@JohnNampoza, preach! We #SupportOurAthletes Love from Diarcesia <3 Spread the word around! #BringBanijaToWinter

So does Ligea Giannopulus, Diarcesia's sole gold medalist from the most recent Winter Olympics:

So true, what @JohnNampoza says. It's sad to see athletes fend for themselves to reach their dreams. #SupportOurAthletes DCS, pay attention!

Even Monocles Stephanid, the richest Diarcesian, made a statement that he's willing to sponsor some of the Banijan athletes in need of funding. He has been known to give some of his fortune to such pursuits, including incentives for the medalists on top of what the Diarcesian government already provides.

To the Diarcesians' credit, they appear to be learning from their mistakes. The Olympic Committee's once-directionless leadership is no longer such and it coincides with the Monarchy's medal count breaking its best from the XIV Olympics. Several voices continued to say however that it needs some tweaking. Some of the criticisms includes the generous amounts allocated not being utilized equally, leaving the 'revamped' basketball program for instance in shambles and its signature tennis contingent returning empty-handed.

ACTO reached out to the Diarcesian Olympic Committee for comment, who said, "We are listening intently to the concerns of all stakeholders. The Winter Olympics is in the horizon, and with the help of what we learned with our partnership with Mytanija, we will assist our Olympians on everything they need to succeed."

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Article by: Jake Hassani
(Visited 82,639 times, 1,337 visits today)

[Eura]

emplor.eur/main/worldnews
AS E.O.T AND OLYMPICS DISTRACT, EURA’S DUAL-REFERENDUM SIMMERS
Referenda on Sameban devolution and electoral reform threatens to overwhelm government

Much of the national and even international press has provided intense coverage of the captivating referendum on the Euran Oceania Territories future (when they haven’t been salivating over the thrills of the Olympics), but a potentially much more consequential double vote in the Euran motherland is sowing chaos as we speak.

Calling these referenda was supposed to be Prime Minister Ian Smith’s magic bullet to three constitutional crises on one – but instead they have opened a can of worms over which his Liberal government have no control. In Viewpoint polling released yesterday, his party has slipped below 30% voting intention for the first time since the last general election campaign, while the opposition Social Party are riding high on 35% of the vote, a result that would almost certainly put them in power if an election were held tomorrow.

In the 250 parliamentary constituencies that represent what used to be Sameba, pace is gathering for the campaign to abolish the devolved Provisional Government after a decade of mixed results in managing Sameban integration into Eura. For the government in Bastion, this would be a disastrous outcome; they set up the Provisional Government and have poured a great deal of political capital into the idea that it would continue to manage the process for years to come at an arm’s length from Blackhall. Initially professing to be a neutral arbitrator in the campaign, Smith’s administration has recently come out overtly in favour of continuing the Provisional Government indefinitely, inviting accusations of a panic within the corridors of power.

Liberal insiders give weight to this idea when they say the decision to put its future to a referendum has been a catastrophe for confidence in the government, prompting the sudden about-turn. ‘For most of the time since the annexation began, we’ve been able to bank at least on most ordinary, politically ambivalent Samebans to support us. That’s why we did well in the first elections there. Now we’ve basically given them an excuse to give us a kicking for all their grievances and unhappiness, and implied we don’t even believe in our own solution all that much. Even the more Euran south Samebans are turning.’ This is reflected in the latest polling, which shows a 54-46 lead for the pro-abolition campaign, despite a loosely coordinated cross-party coalition of national Euran parties supporting retaining the Provisional Government.

Another source who wishes not to be named told us an even bigger emerging fear is the boost the campaign has given to the Sameban nationalist movement, who have become central to the pro-abolition campaign. While militant nationalist groups such as the ex-regime remnants group Forza Verde continue to refuse to recognise or participate in the electoral process, more moderate groups including the North Star Campaign (a reference to the purple star on the old Sameban flag) have successfully used the campaign to leverage themselves into political relevance for the first time since the war’s end, despite the current prohibition of Sameban nationalist politics and parties. A shocking EurGov poll last week suggested that, if the Provisional Government is abolished and a Sameban nationalist party were to run candidates in an election, they would win at least 100 of the 250 former Sameban seats. Rumours of an amnesty for such groups from Bastion has only fuelled speculation of an administration in deep trouble.

The Sameban issue has underscored criticisms of Smith’s government that have been building up ever since he took office. The referendum on electoral reform – whether or not Eura should retain the first-past-the-post electoral system or adopt a system of proportional representation – has proven to be a similarly toxic battlefield, one where the Liberal government has stuck to its initial hands-off neutrality and paid the price. Initially thought to be a win-win for the Liberals due to the historic precedent of the Social Party benefitting from the current system, the vote has instead become a proxy for criticism of the government’s lack of leadership. Social leader Harry Barnham has made plenty of capital over it, claiming that if Ian Smith can’t offer a strong view on how Eurans should elect their representatives, ‘how can he hope to solve anything else?’

The proposal of reform itself has proven surprisingly divisive and commanding of public attention given that the referendum is not legally binding and is unlikely to produce a substantial change in the type of government’s Eura elects, other than making them potentially more collaborative due to the necessity of coalition building in a proportional representation system. Debate has not just become fixated on the government’s competence, but whether or not the two options presented are even desirable; public discontent with first past the post is long standing, but support for introducing of proportional representation stands at just 31% when “Don’t Know” is treated as a separate option, at which point this non-option becomes theoretically more popular than either option actually on the ballot.

Professor Duncan James of the Royal University of Directus, who specialises in constitutional law, thinks the referendum has done nothing to advance Euran democracy. ‘If anything, what this vote has exposed is that there is a huge amount of ambiguity about what the public actually want, and the turnout for this particular vote could be so poor that its legitimacy will be severely diminished.’ However, in the medium to long term, there may be a silver lining in that backbench MPs from several parties have now formed an Electoral Reform All-Party Group in order to explore other options for future reform. This would surely not have come to pass without the government’s decision to put it to a vote.

As the referenda seem to slip from the government’s control and its ratings suffer, the Social Party looks best placed to capitalise with Harry Barnham surely considering pushing for an early election. However, there are other forces benefitting from this instability. The Unionist Party, formed by Euran nationalists in Electrum only recently in relative terms, has seen a slow but continuous march in popularity since the campaign started. They have formed the vanguard of Euran opposition to the idea of abolishing the Provisional Government in former Sameba, casting dire warnings of endless insurrection and separatism if it is allowed to happen. Increasingly they seem to be eating into a combination of the weakened Capital Party’s nationalist wing, the Liberals hawkish right and even some Social Party voters. With centre-right Capital and the left wing Civil Federalists in disarray, the result of these referenda – especially a pro-abolition victory in former Sameba – could provide this upstart party with their moment to rise to prominence.

EURAN POLITICS - HEADLINE VOTING INTENTION
Data was last collected at the start of the week, and is published fortnightly, courtesy of Viewpoint Ltd. Bracketed are changes since the last poll from the same company. Incomplete data in former Sameba (c. 250 seats of 3,000 available) may skew results.

Federal parliamentary voting intention
SCL – 35.1% (+2.0)
LIB – 29.7% (-1.3)
CAP – 12.5% (-1.5)
UNI – 8.0% (+0.9)
CIF – 4.0% (No change)

Referendum on Provisional Government of Former Sameba (250 seats only)
RETAIN – 46%
ABOLISH – 54%

Referendum on electoral reform
Don’t know not included
FPTP – 45%
PR – 55%

Don’t know included
FPTP – 26%
PR – 31%
Don’t know/undecided – 33%

Best PM
Barnham (SCL) – 37.2% (+3.0)
Smith (LIB) – 24.5% (-2.7)
Bannister (UNI) – 8.5% (No change)
Paldrey (CAP) – 7.3% (-0.5)
Adamson (CIF) – 3.7% (No change)

Approval (Approve %/Disapprove %)
Barnham (SCL) - 37/31 (+6)
Smith (LIB) - 20/43 (-23)
Bannister (UNI) - 21/21 (0)
Paldrey (CAP) - 17/34 (-17)
Adamson (CIF) - 13/27 (-14)

[Polkopia]

The Polkopian field hockey team recalls their thoughts going into the game against The Licentian Isles and, after a stunning performance by the team, they find themselves in the Olympic finals, competing for the gold. This, of course, is an English translation as most conversations among Polkopians are in Polkopian.

---

There was a lot riding on this game in particular and everybody knew it. The Polkopian Olympic Field Hockey team had managed to defeated Ostankin to advance to the semi-finals, but still had many more obstacles to face and everybody knew that the next game would be their most difficult yet. The Licentian Isles had performed very well in this tournament so far, having defeated Quebec and Shingoryeo in the quarterfinals, most people considered this team to be a hot contender for the a gold medal here in this event. In the locker room, the usual high-energy banter between teammates was few and far in-between as most of the athletes knew what winning (or losing) this game meant for them. In times like these, many looked to Anton Pudovkin to invoke the proper emotions to get them through this, but even he was relatively quiet. While most of the team was finishing changing, or using the toilet before heading out to the field, Pudovkin was still stripped down, eyeing his hockey stick.

"Think it's about time to go yeah?" Velyo Asmik's voice startled most of the players as his voice broke the eerie silence of the room, "I mean, should be any moment, right?"

There was a quick murmur of agreement among the men in the room and a few people looked at Pudovkin, who seemed unaware of Asmik's earlier question.

"Yeah, where's the pre-game speech, Antoška?" Dmitriy Smagin said, elbowing Gerasim Krutoy to his right. "We need a little energy in here, don't you think?"

Pudovkin made eye contact with Smagin and nodded, laying his hockey stick carefully on the bench and stood up. He was still undressed, save for briefs around his waist, but he moved with a certain degree of lethargy that roused a bit of concern from some of the other players, whose eyes darted around the room at some of their fellow teammates as if to confirm their apprehension of what was to come.

"Right," Pudovkin started, "I'm not about to tell everyone that we're going to win this if we just believe and get in the right mentality, yeah? I mean, a good mentality is good to have, but it doesn't mean we'll win this game." Pudovkin paused and looked at the ground. After a few seconds, many of the Polkopians' heads turned back and forth between one another as they thought Pudovkin had finished his speech. After the awkward pause, he continued, "This is a tough team, I won't lie to you because I know all of you know this too. And I know it's going to take a lot more than just a good mentality to win this. But we're a good team too. Better than good, I think, I mean, we've fucking made it to the goddamn semi-finals in the Olympics! These Licentian boys are good, and they've proven that they deserve a spot in this tournament, but we have too."

As Pudovkin continued to speak, his voice seemed to grow more and more confident with each word that he spoke. His demeanor changed too, from being otherwise cold and reserved to now walking around the room and maintaining eye-contact with his teammates.

"Right, I mean, who gives a fuck if some Britonish prick from a random-ass betting site picks us to lose? Hell, there was probably a point in the group stages that I'd pick us to lose against some of the teams we've beaten too, but look where we are now. We've got our entire country watching us and hoping that we'll do them proud. I'll be fucking damned if I let them down, and if I catch any of you fuckers not giving it your all, I won't hesitate to shove this stick so far up your ass that you'll be tasting grip tape until you're knocking on death's door."

Several of the Polkopians in the room started to relax a little and even managed laugh after hearing that last bit. Some pointed across the room and made obscene gestures to each other as the captain continued to talk.

"Now, I don't have much else to say that I haven't said already, but I think it's time we show the multiverse what happens when we're the underdog, yeah? We're on a damn rampage now, and I don't see any of the prissy Licentian barbies stopping us anytime soon. I want you to go through those doors and show everyone how the fuck we do it."

Toward the end of his speech, nearly everyone was up on their feet, jumping, or running in place as Pudovkin's voice boomed through the room. They all wanted this just as bad as their opponent, but they were going to show up and prove to everyone watching that Polkopia will be a field hockey powerhouse, and nobody was going to stand in their way. Once Pudovkin had finished, everyone shouted, "Yeah!" as loud as they could and continued with a series of hoots and hollers around the room as they grabbed their gear and ran outside.

When the last Polkopian ran through the door, nobody seemed to notice that Pudovkin hadn't followed them. The goaltender was still in the room, lagging behind as he grabbed his jersey, helmet, and pants and took his time putting them on. Finally, Pudovkin grabbed his stick and turned it around so that the photo of his deceased son was staring back at him, a face that radiated the same joy of any 5-year-old child, but for Pudovkin, this meant feeling the same sting of losing a child that he felt months ago, He kissed the photo and grasped his stick with both of his hands, letting the end of the stick rest against his helmet. He said a quick prayer and burst through those doors to join his teammates, determined to win this game, not only for his fans and supporters back home, but for his son, Ivan.

[Ioudaia]

Day 16
Runcast

This is Runcast, and I'm your host, Gabi Charis. This is Edition 16.31 of my video podcast, for Day 16 of the XV Olympiad. We're reaching the end of another disappointing Olympic Games here in Agri, Electrum, and I wanted to look back over this year's running and look forward to the next Olympics.

The good news about this year's Olympic running is that we're doing better than last Games' running. That's right! In the XIV Olympiad, Chita bat Cythereia took bronze in the 10k. This time, Thessalonika bat Omer ran for gold in the 100m hurdles. I'd rather one Ioudaian runner have a gold medal than two have bronze, and we only got one last time. But that's just me.

And we're not out yet: we still have the women's 10k and the marathons coming up, and long distance running is one of the things Ioudaia does well at. The entire women's 10k squad is strong; it's not just Chita who has a shot at a medal. And Periandros ben Tzadik looks especially good in the marathon; his national qualifying time was the best Ioudaia has ever seen.

But so far, Ioudaia's runners have not been reaching their potential. They've been choking in the finals. I don't mean not winning. It would be great if all of our finalist runners got medals, but that just doesn't happen. I mean that they didn't run as well in their medal race as they did in the semis.

I know people have bad days, and sometimes people have only one race of their life to run, and they run it in the semis. I'm not forgetting the mental part of the game either: the pressure does get to runners, and the strategies in the long races don't always work out. Some of that is expected in any sport. But it happens to Ioudaia's runners a lot, and I wonder what's going on and what Ioudaia's runners and trainers should do about it.

I've heard a rumor that the Ministry of Sport is thinking about raising the budget for the Olympic teams, and that's where I think we need to look for the future. I think with just a little more money, Ioudaia's runners can become a lot better. Running is a cheap sport compared to swimming and gymnastics – no offense to them, they're winning medals – so I think just a few simple investments might pay off.

If the problem is physical – consistency getting off the blocks or over the hurdles – a super slo-mo camera will help diagnose it. If the problem is in the head game, there's all sorts of things runners can try if they're not trying them already: meditation, relaxation training, focused visualization, and they're all pretty inexpensive. I know the teams' doing some of that already, but more cash will help.

That all should help with next time. And like I said, right now, we have a 10k and the marathons coming up over the next two days. Until then,

Keep on runnin'!

[Hannasea]

SportsThonk.han

Welcome to another special Olympics edition of SportsThonk, looking at what lessons can be learned from the performance of #TeamHF at the 15th Summer Olympics in the Terranean Coast and Bunjil, Electrum.

Thonking about… where does the gymnastics program go from here?

In hindsight, the disappointments of four years ago can be contextualized as the beginnings of a four year project, with a young squad gaining experience that would serve them well in the future. At these Games, they’ve won 5 medals including a much sought after team medal. Captain Lily Brooks became the most decorated Hannasean Olympian of all time and won a medal in the individual all-around; Lily York won the country’s 10th overall gymnastics medal – but the first to come in gold.

But Brooks and York will not feature in four years, and it’s likely neither of their teammates will either. If Hannasea’s most successful Olympic sport is to maintain its status, another four year project will need to begin, this time with a new team. Promising young gymnasts such as Summer Stone, Aria Mills and Katelynn Ridley could form the core of a new team, who won’t get the benefit of a dry run before being thrust into the heat of Olympic competition.

Something else to consider will be pushing for reforms in Olympic judging. Olympic judges currently use a grading system that sees incredibly high marks across the board in qualifying, pressuring gymnasts to opt for very high difficulty routines and potentially taking significant risks. Having now well established their Olympic credentials in gymnastics, Hannasean delegates to discussions on judging reform should definitely make the case for reforms to judging to bring the spiralling race-to-16 under control.

Can Hannasea sustain a successful gymnastics program? We thonk: Yes. Better find ourselves a Lily or two to be sure, though!

Thonking about… are water sports the key?

Hannasea broke new ground at their most successful ever Olympics. Medals were won in six sports for the first time – four of them involving water. Three medals in swimming were added to the three from the 14th Summer Olympics, too. As a coastal nation with a long history of maritime trade, and as a country filled with alpine lakes and rivers, a certain aquatic affinity perhaps should have been expected.

In the past, the Coffee Ministry has not prioritized water sports as they are considered quite expensive, but a good return of value in medals and performances makes a persuasive case. Canoeing can be relatively affordable, especially compared to sailing. Investment now in swimming clubs and outdoor water sports facilities could not only reap benefits in future athletic performances, it could also help green up the Hannasean transport infrastructure.

There are also valuable regional ties that could be forged through a commitment to water sports. While kidnapping Licentians, also notably medal-tastic in pool, lake, and open water, to breed future super-Olympians would probably be a drastic step too far, there’s no harm in trying to engage the region and wider world in some water-based sports over the next four years. Perhaps the WWC could even be resurrected?

Are water sports the way forward? We thonk: Hannasea should lean into its Olympic strengths. Water based sports produced medals despite relatively small delegations in each. With more investment and commitment, we can paddle, swim and surf our way to heights our runners, jumpers and throwers could never achieve.

Thonking about… win or lose, what’s next for hockey?

Three medals in three Games, two finals in three appearances: Hannasea’s hockey program is very much on track. But it’s a track that so far has only one stop, the Olympics, and it takes four years to complete its circuit. A more interesting course could lie ahead if Hannasea embraces growing interest in world hockey.

There are certainly challenges. Hannasea was considered for membership of the International Hockey Council or invited to take part in the discussions about the proposed Hockey Nations League. Its attempts to join the World Cup are at this stage rather tentative. Some Hannasean fans will be disappointed to see co-ed play, given Hannasea retains a gender division in its leagues.

And some members of the team are retiring after these Olympics, notably captain Jasmine Dawson. Dawson’s role in the side as a central defender-turned-midfielder has been key to unlocking attacking possibilities. Hannasea boasts possibly the best midfield in the world and by pushing higher than she does at club level, Dawson’s attacking passes have cut holes in the heart of opposition defenses. The team will need to find a way to rebuild without her.

Is there a relevance for Hockeyball Hannasea outside the Olympic? We thonk: At present, Hannasea has a mysterious reputation as a kind of avenging angel, appearing once every four years to unleash a barrage of drag-flicks, and then largely disappearing from the international sports scene. Recent efforts to get more involved in basketball, baseball, and hateball have paid off, though: why can’t they work for hockey?

Thonking about… what has happened to Hannasean combat athletes?

Hannasea won multiple medals at the 14th Summer Olympics in martial arts: boxing, wrestling, and judo. This time only Hannah Roberts defended her gold, while there were disappointments in boxing and wrestling, as well as in taekwondo, which Hannasea is still yet to win a medal in despite its popularity.

Jealous glances at some other teams’ medal hauls suggest training a team of supersoldier multisport athletes capable of winning medals across multiple completely different events and even weight classes is the way forward. Except then everyone will think we’re being kind of dickish. Another option is to recruit the services of a zombiebot that would then allow us to recruit better rated athletes in combat events. Again, with the dickishness.

Perhaps the truth is: combat sports don’t come naturally to the largely peaceful Hannasean psyche. Hannasea’s only native martial art concerns artfully waving a wad of cash at a band of mercenaries. None of the Olympic martial arts hail from Hannasea. Gun (and sabre) control mean armed sports aren’t regularly practised at youth sports clubs or the kind of thing the average child grows up learning. Maybe that halcyon moment of success should remain forever a one-off.

Can Hannasean fighters improve next time? We thonk: Possibly. We should definitely be looking to men to pick up some of the slack: all four Hannasean medals in combat sports have been won by women.

Thonking about… what about the Winter Olympics?

The Winter Olympics in Clayquot proved an enormous disappointment to the home of the Esportivan Alps, with just 1 medal and an abject display across the home favorite skiing disciplines. The Hannasean minimally maximum ethos, so successful at the Summer Games, does not seem such a good fit for the Winter ones.

Should we even bother entering the next Winter Olympics? We thonk: Yes. We should attack with flamethrowers. Now, now, hear me out. While the flames are melting the snow and ice, we can use our newfound watersports acumen to paddle and surf to victory while the skiers and skaters of unprepared nations flounder. Melting the ice rink will also tip the scales in our favor in hockey.

[Srednjaci]

TWELVE MEDALS ON THIS OLYMPICS

THEME OLYMPIC SONG : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=100LtGMmd7U

By
JASMINKA FRKETIĆ

Dear viewers, good day to you and welcome to our pre-show about the Olympics.
We are entering in the pre last day of competition on this Olympic Games.
Our Olympic sports team won twelve medals, which is more than at the Winter Games.
But that is less than the estimated 25 medals.
Although we have won more medals than at the Winter Games we cannot say that these games are more successful. When you divide the number of medals by the number of athletes then the calculation is clear, the Winter Games were more successful.

Swimming is a sport in which we have definitely failed. Poor results led to the dismissal of the leading people in the swimming federation.
Gymnastics is a sport in which we expected at least one medal, but unfortunately we were left without one.
Defeats in handball are the hardest for us. Not a single medal in handball, our national sport.
Of the women's teams, only the volleyball players managed to get a medal.

Athletics improved the score a bit. Especially gold and the Olympic record in pole vault.
Complete immersion of women's relays 4x100 and 4x400. We did not fare any better in technical throwing disciplines either.
But there were also surprises. The water polo players played the Olympic finals which no one expected. The women water polo players were in the quarterfinals which was also a great result.

WHAT TO WATCH

Today is the penultimate day of the Olympics. We have a chance to win another medal. We don’t have a lot of athletes and teams left who could do that.
Gymnasts in team competition have a chance in the finals.
Our men’s relay could also get a great result in the 4x400.
The guys are playing a bronze match in beach volleyball, that match could be very interesting.
Men's diving from a 10-meter platform always captures the viewer’s attention.
We don’t have a lot of athletes left who could make a step towards a medal. Maybe someone surprises in karate.

Can we improve the impression of these games a bit today? Can we at least get to 15 medals? We will get the answers to those questions today, but also in two days when it is the last day of the Olympic Games.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

This clip is being used to describe a certain scene Chang-Wook's describing from below.

Jin Chang-Wook's Adventure of A Lifetime

Part 18 - Side-Episode (In Future)

30 years later...

For the first time in thirty years and five olympic games, the Quebecois men's national team reached the gold medal match of the 20th Summer Olympics [also known in Quebecois time as 2080 Summer Olympics) with a very strong but oddly built Under-23 squad. In the weeks leading up to the Olympics, the Grim Reapers' head coach Gustave-Paul Filatriault, Chang-Wook's backup back in the Bunjil Games, picked five outside hitters and an opposite. While three- Park Seung-Joon, Daniele Bosetti, and Jean-Francois Sidibé- exchanged minutes on the left side, and it was 2.07m Samuel Whakan who started on the opposite, the other two were given clear specialist roles instead.

Noh Chan-Hyeong, a solid outside hitter with high potentials, was selected on the merits of being the best server in the QOVO men's division, while Milson A. Tulloch, who was viewed by many as being too slow to play wing in Quebec at 1.87m of height, was selected as an outside hitter, even though everybody knew he was effectively there to play a second libero role, aka. the most convenient position in this group of guys. The team's number one libero, of course, was Chang-Wook's twenty-four year old son, Jin Hyeong-Woo, who has held the starter position since age 18.

And it is here where we start.

In thirty years from now, a decade after Jin Chang-Wook has announced his retirement from the Quebecois national team, he’s going to be ready on the QBC commentators' booth and bring his grandchildren and nephews about the men’s volleyball semifinals, when he had the greatest game of his professional career against Bollonich. Having played as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, setter in men’s volleyball on a twenty-year professional career with Vreton Bulls and later CSKA Quebec, Chang-Wook had his own list of runs he preferred to tell youth or children. Those would usually be any of: 1) two impeccable QIS Championships he had in two years at Queen’s College, 2) three VWE titles or four WorldLeague titles won while with the Quebecois national team, or (3) six Bollonischian championship titles with Vreton Bulls, two of them having come against their rivals, the Karvian Tigers.

Still, everybody knew what he considered to be the crowning achievement. So it was naturally their turn to ask how the semifinals match went, and there was no other way to put it.

‘It was a bit of an odd feeling entering this match,’ Chang-Wook started, as he commented on the moments leading up to the final. The arena was slowly being filled with the Quebecois and local fans, but with his play-by-play guy, Roderick Bryson, having a late lunch, there was going to be ample time for them to play. ‘Everybody knew I signed the contract with Vreton just three days before that, after making the quarterfinals. Of course, I took leave of absence from Queen’s College, as you’d expect from someone who’s heading for a pro career.’

‘So in some ways, you felt that this was a preview of what was to come, especially entering the BVL, as you said it over interview.’ said the young, fifteen-year old nephew, Baek Sam-Ryong. Of course, this famous remark, which came right after the match, did end up bringing extra buzz in the two days that stood between the semifinals and the final.

‘Correct, and you know, this was not a normal Team Quebec either,’ Chang-Wook nodded. ‘Nowadays, it’s normal to expect an Under-23 team with the same old wildcards being run, but it was controversial when the rules were introduced when I was in college. Of course, I injured my ankles just before the group stage began, and it took a full week for it to recover. As you guys all know by now, it was foolish of me to risk reinjuring it when I played again..’

‘Must have been scary,’ said the 191cm Sam-Ryong, who was already taller than his maternal uncle by a fair bit. ‘Seems like there was no other choice though. That’s a good choice.’

‘It was a hard time for everybody, battling injuries and whatnot,’ sighed Tatiana Llnagaay-Kondratyuk, her blue eyes turning dark for a second as she reflected on that summer. The legendary gymnast, still the only Quebecois female gymnast to have won an individual medal, barely said words about what happened during the Summer Olympics. Given the four-time olympian's struggles with injury during that six-year period up to it, and how astonishingly close she was to making the final, it made sense. ‘But you don’t give up. You gotta work through whatever that comes next, and always remember that you will make it.’

‘And as always, you are right,’ Chang-Wook smiled, as he looked at his wife whose career, no matter how much he achieved, felt greater, while holding his 3-year old grandson, Dong-Hyeon on his right arm. ‘You know, I played through injuries my whole career, and definitely did during that whole run, but no matter how much I had achieved, there’s nothing that I could beat. Your aunt Tatti was definitely better at it than me.’

‘Now tell us your favourite moment from that match, grandpa,’ said 7-year old Paul McKendry, the only child of his daughter, handball centre back Tae-Gyeong. He had just started playing volleyball.

‘Ah, that’s easy.’ he answered. ‘First set, it was 18-17. It was a tight match, pitting what’s very experienced Bollonischian sides against us, so you know, it went as expected. Very few mistakes, routine plays and whatnot. In those kinds of matches, you would have to wait until the after the sixteen-point marker for something, a difference-maker, to happen.’ Chang-Wook shook his left ankle, the sore spot over his career, as he continued explaining. ‘So the first time, it was our turn to attack, but the C-quick I had set it up for Ivan (Stankic) didn’t go through and it was a chance ball for them...a couple of overhand sets later, it was Nettie Osborne who took a quick, overhand swing.’

‘And then it hit your foot right?’ interrupted Sam-Ryong. ‘I remember seeing the clip a while back, and it seemed impossible.’

‘That’s one way to put it,’ shrugged Chang-Wook as he slowly passed the baby to Paul who predictably had a harder time with Dong-Hyeon. ‘So it first hit my right foot, but didn’t go far and high either, because it hit Andreas (Kostopoulos) on his back! He was slightly off where he’s supposed to be on the dig, and we nearly collided...so I had to quickly go up, volley it with both my arms...and they somehow went up!’ he continued explaining, gesturing with his hands and fingers to show how it exactly happened. ‘So the ball went over the net and dropped inside...everybody thought this counted as a four-touch, but no, it wasn’t. The referee called it and then, that’s when the difference was made. We never looked back after that.’

‘Apparently mummy said that’s when you made the name for yourself at the olympics,’ said Paul.

‘Me? Certainly not the biggest headliner, no,’ Chang-Wook shook his head, quickly fixing his glasses. ‘There were certainly bigger names at the olympics. The women’s basketball team probably carried more drama and hype entering. Great-aunt Chang-Sook, now she was practically unstoppable all olympics, averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds a game...who gets to say they were as good as Xenia Dall’Antonia? Taylor Anne Rowsell wasn’t that good back then- it was all her, Abigail Corelli and Helene Dion-Kweon.’ He then coughed, before looking back at them. ‘I have to say the coolest experience was to play against Tim Mills though...both setters, Mills and Atkinson, were nearing retirement at the time, but you know, it’s really a veteran’s position so that’s what I remember it for more.’

‘I remember watching the entire match there, and really, there was that warming feeling,’ nodded Tatiana, with a certain moment of pride. Tatiana remembered how, for hours, she deliberated on coming to the match or not, but eventually agreed to watch it on the front row on the front of her good friend Soo-Gyeong. ‘You know, the incumbent versus his successor as the starting setter...to the team that placed second in the Volleyball Champions League (VCL). The old versus new, no wonder we remember the match even more because of it.’

‘Honestly, if I could go back to the day of the match, I will,’ Chang-Wook said, writing down a couple of bullet points on the notes sheet right on the table. ‘It wasn’t as clear of victory as the scoreboard seems to indicate. It could have easily gone the other way, that’s for sure. At least a full set.’

Then he slowed down as he said the words to the nephew and grandchildren, remembering that not everything had to be told. ‘And when it was all over, we all shook hands, I went into the locker room, hugged grandpa and grandma, and then messaged Tatti before showering. She was the first person I wanted to see. Ten minutes later, we headed our ways.’

It was then that the conversation was going to be disrupted. ‘Mr. Jin, thirty minutes ‘til the broadcast,’ said the QBC production staff member, who was courteous enough to give them ten more minutes than what would have been allowed under the national broadcaster’s rules with commentators’ time on their booths. ‘Alright,’ he nodded as the grandchildren and Tatiana left, and he was left alone for a few more minutes. He was back to thinking a bit about the Olympics and those years- the unexpected rendez-vous with Tatiana that began it all, the intimate moments shared between them on the short time blocks, the introduction to the Isebantu Ssekamanya via his friend, Omugabe Lallo, and the goodbye kiss in middle of the Centralis International Airport as before his flight to Vreton- and then fixed his glasses.

[Scornerse]

Scornerse at the XV Olympiad

---

Scornerse's Martial Women: Episode 17

As the closing ceremony and the climactic finals matches in middleweight and light heavyweight boxing approaches, Scornerse's Martial women experience their closing events.

In 57 kg Greco-Roman wrestling, after a scary defeat to Hippolyta York of West Phoenicia, who would go on to win gold, Ana Gentry was still able to wrestle her way to a bronze.

"I was proud of my pinfall win in the round before facing Hippolyta, perhaps a bit to proud. I got myself in a position to where I thought I'd be able to win Hippolyta, only for her to pull a manuever that nearly broke my arm and forced me to give up the match. Luckily I was able to pull through and win a bronze, but I'll be honest in saying that I hope Carissa Aguilar will end up giving Hippolyta's fellow countrywoman a similar if not worse scare."

Sartana Ninakatari


Age: 23
Weight: 178 (81 kg)
Height: 6'3 (1.905 m)
Stance: Switch-hitter
Style: Boxer-Puncher
Nickname: Body-breaker
Favoured Punch: Left-Handed Overhead

Watching Chieftess Sartana Ninaktari practice ahead of her gold medal match, against Feryesie Nothdynof Diarcesia one can't help but me caught up in both the ferocity and speed of her punches. Given her power and size, it's completely unsurprinshg that she competes in both the heavyweight and super heavyweight classes.

"I'd say I shaved off a good 20 pounds of what I consider my ideal fighting weight for this Olympics. I did it for Taekwondo, because I wanted to be able to compete in it alongside both Judo and Boxing. While there wasn't any weight limit in the +67 kg weight class, in practical terms being bigger, means being a bit slower. That isn't an issue when I can grapple with and/or punch my opponents in the head, but that obviously isn't something one can do in Taekwondo. I still had a significant disadvantage in speed to Seo-Yeon, so when I tried to get in close to punch her, she was able to land a turning kick to my head that ended up costing my second gold. I do wonder, though, If I kept my usual compete weight if the kicks I did land against her would have staggered her enough to land a few of the kidney punches I did in earlier rounds. I guess I'll never know, but at least trimming the weight allowed me to avoid even heavier opponents in judo and allowed me to be clearly stronger than those I faced. You have to put power on those judo throws, just in case your technique is off and you only get a Waza-ari. That might have saved me the round of 16 against that Darmen woman, she happened to land a bit on her elbow, so I attacked it the rest of the round and got the win without an ippon. Which of course brings me back to boxing, though it's a useful for all full-contact martial arts. Injuries are to be targeted. It sounds cruel, but it isn't, a bout or match not ending in a technical knockout or a withdrawal after an injury means it's a fair target. If a cut gets opened, a rib gets displaced, or an eye swollen, I'm going to attack it, if only to force my opponent to leave other parts of themselves open in an attempt to protect themselves. Never mind the fear it causes.m, people get timid when they're concerned about long term damage.

As for addressing my opponent, Feryesie Nothdyn and what she said recently, I have this to say. She does get a lot correct about me and it's some what comforting knowing ahead of time that I'm facing someone who's just as interested in hitting hard as I am, but she's incorrect about a few things. She's correct that I am not trying to injure anyone, but that's purely because I prefer my opponents lose or forfeit before I do. As my fellow scornersean Olympian Bethel Warren put it, when you're going for a knockout, particularly aimed at the head, you are trying to do enough damage to temporarily shut off someone's brain functions. Your aim is to injure, there's no way around that, even in the 'less brutal' Taekwondo.

If your not up to that, there's Kumite and Kata, but in wrestling, judo, boxing and taekwondo, injuring your opponent to incapacitation through legal technique is rewarded, not punished. If you try to knock your opponent out, you're trying to give them a severe concussion, you are trying to injure them. I am not afraid to be honest about that. The other place she was wrong, was about winning. I respect her confidence and skill to get this point, so I'll be straight forward. She may not be afraid of me now, but she will when be when she gets to feel what punches powered by my 'fitness, swiftness, and lethal instinct' feel like. She won't just have to settle for silver, she will be pummeled into it."

Carissa Aguilar


Age: 22
Weight: 165 (75 kg)
Height: 5'11 (1.803 m)
Stance: Southpaw
Style: Boxer-Puncher
Nickname: Liverburster
Favoured Punch: Left-handed Shovel

On the other hand there was Carissa Aguilar, sister to the 3 time Gold Medalist and flag bearer, Estella Aguilar, chasing after her first gold medal. Her obstacle is last year's silver medalist for middleweight boxing, Ronnette Davidson of West Phoenicia, who have yet to have one judge rule against her this tournament. Carissa's record, however, is not much worse, with only one ruling against and two ties. Carissa, having heard about Ronnette's statement, felt like giving her own response.

"She can claim the hook, I'll claim a shovel and if she's unlucky, I'll use it to bury her career. I'm not nicknamed 'liverburster' for nothing. I'm a south paw, which puts me in any excellent position to drive vicious shovel punches at my opponents' livers. Adede Resa took one while backed into a corner, it wasn't pretty for her, but it certainly satisfying for me and it'd be more than satisfying to drop Ronnette with with an even more powerful punch. My friend Ana gentry wants me to hurt Ronnette, for what Hippolyta York did to her to win her way to win a gold medal. I'll fight cleanly, but within that, I'll certainly aim for some payback!

As one can tell by how I aim to end this match, We're going to have a mercilessly brawl, up close and personal, not much space to breathe, just enough to fight. A shovel punch to the liver won't be the only thing that Ronnette will feel, Infact she could fall before even. Every punch I throw, will either be with match ending intent, or with the intent to position her for one that is. She can call me a 'ring card girl, but it is her that will fold like paper. I'm looking forward to my match Ronnette and I hope to make it the most painful loss she's ever experienced."

[The Jovannic]

Operation Pufferfish: Expeditions Part II

While the desert expedition contingent ventured into the Great Calama Desert, two other expeditions were also launched, both in much larger scales. One expedition departed from the Chan City port on various landing vessels, escorted by the frigate RJS Relevion. They landed in a coast just north of the Jovannic, A protrusion in landmass temporarily named Wega Peninsula 2. Another group of about 140 men landed on a currently unnamed island North of The Jovannic, accompanied by Corvette RJS Stingray and Frigate RJS Mastar.

Unnamed Island north of The Jovannic, Approximately 8am

Jeremiah Perif was a young scuba diver who was called to join the ranks. He wasn't sure what use he would be, but he was about to find out. He was ordered to come to the deck of the 4th landing ship, nicknamed the Crabius due two it's two long protrusions coming from the side to the front, used to dismount divers to both sides easier. His mentor, Ganius Mertohal, waited near the end of the right protrusion.

"Good Morning Perif."
"Good Day Sir. What have you called me here for?"
"You see those ships in front of us? They're landing already. Our job is to survey the seas around this place, whether it's suitable to be a deep water port to accommodate big vessels."
"Ah. Can't we just scan the ocean ground using the big Government's high tech radar beams or something like that?"
"They've already done that, we just need to double check before we can be certain."
Serif nodded. They changed into the scuba gear as they prepared to dive.
"According to the information the Jovannic Marine Institute of Scientific Advancement gave us, they'll be corals about 600m to the east, but they're a relatively small patch and then it would be deep water for most of the coastline. They want us to check if it's all flat down there."
Serif strapped on his Vipro camera in response. He got permission to take a few shots of the area, the bulk of which he would send to the JMISA

Both jumped in at the same time. The water wasn't the best shade he had ever seen, but it was still pretty clear. A few small fishes swam here and there, but it was largely empty as the slowly flippered to the bottom.

"It is pretty flat, isn't it? Not a lot of live creatures around." Mertohal quipped.
"There are a few." A small sea snail caught his attention as it slowly scuttled past. A Stingray hiding in the sand fluttered its fins, gliding into the another warm spot in the sand as the two divers' rubber suits landed softly onto the sea floor.

They swam slowly through the quiet sea, it was a sort of tranquility Serif had rarely felt, the Jovannic sea floor usually had many more sea anomalies to be found and it was much more hectic. He liked it very much. Suddenly, he spotted a odd shape in the sand. Was it a coral? It once was, the white tinge suggested death, the phylum was still and unmoving. He felt a sense, a tinge of pain, but was interrupted by Mertohal.
"Let's go. Our air tanks are running out soon enough."
He followed. It was quite an interesting and fulfilling experience for his first day in unknown waters.

All Hail The Jovannic!

[Brookstation]

LET'S TALK OLYMPICS EP10

Johnathan : Good evening everyone and welcome to our show - Let's Talk Olympics! I am your host, Johnathan Fugo and on this show we talk to some of the Brook stars who have gone all the way to Electrum to represent our nation. And today we have the heroes of Brookstation - those heroes who have made our nation proud on the biggest stage! Please welcome to the show one of Brookstation's finest athlete who has reached the finals - Ricky Heal !!

[Ricky come on screen]

Johnathan: Hello hello! Good evening . How are you ?

Ricky: I am fine mate. I am looking forward to win a medal

Johnathan: Good good !! So tell us more about yourself ?

Ricky : I started running in high school just as a pastime and my father told me that practising sports is good. Then slowly I started liking it and my coach has also helped me a lot. He was the one who saw the potential in me and made me run mid distance races. I started as a 800m runner and slowly started running 1500m and I realised I was better in 1500m and so I practiced a lot . And I believe that it was the result of this hardwork which made me succeed.

Johnathan: Hmmm. So how does it feel to reach the final of such a prestigious tournament ?

Ricky : Well it feels really good . I am very happy and I believe that I have won because I believe that improving oneself is what is most important. I believe we should always aim at defeating ourself rather than focusing on defeating other people . So it feels nice and I will give my best in the finals. supported me.

Johnathan: Do you feel a bit nervous ? So many people have hopes on you ?

Ricky: No not at all. As I said that for me improvement is important than winning and I know that I have improved myself so I have won. Even if I disappoint my fans, I need to take a loss seriously and train harder next time. At the end of the day only 3 people will win. The rest 9 good athletes are going to disappoint their fans and I should consider myself as one of them. Reaching this far was not easy at all.

Johnathan: Do you have any inspiration ?

Ricky: Oh of course . Of course. I forgot to tell . I have always been inspired by Reece James and Jacob Scottson and you can say that I enjoyed athletics just because of them. I used to cut their pictures in the newspaper and stick them on the walls and I always looked upto them. Apart from that my parents always supported me. My father always encouraged me to play sports and keep running and practicing and without all of their help I wouldn't be able to reach this far. So thank you.

Johnathan: What is one thing you want to tell the audience ?

Ricky: I would just like to say that we should always maintain a healthy competition. We should aim on defeating ourselves and not defeating other people. Then if we are satisfied with our performance we should aim further and also I would suggest everyone to practice sports and become a sportsman. It will teach you a lot of things like leadership, sportsmanship. It will keep you fit. If you want to succeed, you need to be disciplined and you have to work hard and listen to everything your trainer says. With this hardwork and determination, you will definitely be able to succeed .

Johnathan: You know that's true. Even I follow this policy. I don't aim to become the best journalist. I always try to improve myself because at the end of the day everyone wants to be the best but all of us can't become so we need to try and improve ourselves. I believe if all of us had this mentality, we would be living in a better society and a better world as a whole.

Ricky: Lastly I would like to say that I am thankful to everyone who have helped me reach this far- my friends, family,coaches and every Brook. It is because if athletics that there will be development in our village and all my parents will be proud of me and I will give my best to win a medal.

Johnathan: Yes we all are very proud of you and fingers crossed let's see what happens. I won't take up anymore of your time. Look forward to the final. To our audience, be sure to keep your eyes on the television and see our stars win more medals for us.

[Ricky smiles and disconnects]

Johnathan: Well, we come to the end of the tenth episode of ' Let's talk Olympics'. Be sure to cheer our athletes and hope for the best . I'm your host Johnathan Fugo and I'll see you again on the next installment of our show. Till then, goodbye and goodnight!



VIVE BROOKSTATION !!

[Kalosia]

(Previously in this series)

26 August, 2021

A lot had happened in the past couple of weeks. As you can read above, he came out to his mother (and effectively his entire immediate family). As LGBT+ rights had been a hot topic all summer long, he heard about it everywhere he went, including at his training centre. His coach made a few comments regarding the situation and, deciding that they've worked with each other long enough that he wouldn't react with hostility, he came out to him too. Although Coach was a little cold about it at first, not knowing what to do, it wasn't an issue moving forward, as long as he could focus on his race and not "get distracted with fit men from all corners of the world in Electrum". He pondered upon whether it was a mistake to come out to him... although he doesn't seem to have changed, it does feel like Coach would rather distance himself from 'all that gay talk'. His colleagues training for the same event — Marťinu and Fabiánu, found out too, and they were fine with it. The former even told him that he had a feeling.

The Opening Ceremony was a blast. Even though Montereu's music wasn't of his taste, he at least enjoyed their first song, Rushmori Love. The second one, Capture the Flag, he would've enjoyed if only he hadn't been hearing it literally everywhere, left and right, as it was the Kalosian theme song for the XV Olympics. The next day, they left on their bus to Agri, where they would be based for the remainder of the Games (although they were free to travel when not training, which admittedly they really didn't have enough time for a daytrip!

At the same time, he had been following news and discourse back home. A number of Kalosian LGBT+ celebrities and other public figures had become more vocal about the issue, and he felt that he could use his platform to make a statement, particularly as he was in the spotlight as a competitor in the currently ongoing Olympic Games.

Today, a day before Kalosian Flag Day, was the day of his first event. He had drafted a post on his social media account the past few days, and he had been thinking about it all morning long. Deciding that he needed to get it off his chest, he waited until the latest possible moment before his event, uploaded the post, and then put his phone away out of reach, so he wouldn't get distracted as he prepared to run.

Feeling relieved, he ran well, being able to qualify past the preliminary round. By the time he came back to his phone, he had received a large, large amount of notifications across several apps, and was flooded with support from Kalosian spectators as well as other fans and athletes.

"Thank God" he told himself. While there was an occasional comment that was negative or otherwise made in bad faith, he was surrounded with enough support to not think much of it. In the evening, he was able to catch up on the news coverage surrounding himself:

Provided for the International Broadcasting Alliance by Radiu-Televižio Kalosia

Ǧovediés, 26 Aúgustu 2021

---

Kalosian Olympic athlete Ǧulio Ražanu comes out as gay

AGRI, ELECTRUM—Ahead of the Men's 200m race at the XV Olympics today, a Kalosian athlete competing in that event has become the latest person to join a list of public figures who have made statements in support of the Kalosian LGBT+ community.

25-year old Ǧulio Ražanu, a runner from Monterra, uploaded a post to his social media page in which he declared his support for the Marriage Equality Act, adding that it would benefit 'people like him'.

Ražanu competed in the preliminary round of the Men's 200m roughly an hour after the post was made, and came 7th, allowing him to qualify to the next round. As a result of the attention gained due to his post, his good race result gained more publicity in the Kalosian media than it otherwise would have.

At the time of writing, Ražanu has not been known to have made any further public comments after coming out. His next race takes place on Saturday, August 28th.

The Kalosian Congress, the lower house of parliament, is due to vote on the proposed Marriage Equality Act, regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage, on Friday, September 3rd.

[Todlichebujoku]

A beautiful, luxurious hotel in Electrum

---

Velvety morning light caressed Tsiatsan Kivistö as she breathed in the aroma of her morning tea, nestled in her divinely fluffy bathrobe and gazing peacefully out the French doors to the balcony of her spacious suite. Ah, all mornings should start like this. It was just so nice to relax, and be treated the way she was always meant to be treated - the respect she deserved for making it so far in life, and bringing her family up along with her. The sunshine here was strong, much stronger than back home, thank the powers for this air-conditioning keeping everything so pleasant, she ruminated as she took another sip and bit into a wonderfully flaky pastry. Mmm, the flavors and texture - buttery smooth and such a stunningly concentrated flavor, she hadn't had anything really quite like it, and reached for another bite, pausing for a deep inhale. Ah. Wow, that aroma of the golden crust. It really was unlike any-

Her door flew open with an ear-splitting bang, rattling the artwork on the walls and startling Tsiatsan so much she nearly dropped her tea onto the polished kauri wood floor.

"YOU TWO TIMING PIECE OF SHIT EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING. SUCKING THE DAMN TOES OF THE SEVEN LOWEST DEVILS IN THE DEPTHS OF THE UNDERWORLD. I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE I HAVE TO SHARE THE SAME EXISTENCE AS YOU AND I AM EMBARRASSED TO SHARE THIS WHOLE PLANET WITH YOU." A furious mass of muscle stood heaving at the doorway, the door itself soon wobbling and falling to the floor, leaving a rectangular imprint on the wall it had gotten embedded into. "YOU ARE A FUCKING DEGENERATE AND I DO NOT CARE WHO ELSE HEARS IT AS LONG AS I GET TO WATCH YOUR RATTY FACE COWER BEHIND THAT FANCY TEACUP." The intruder took a breath. "I bet you paid some grave robbers for it, wouldn't be surprised the way you lack any kind of moral compass." The stranger pulled back her hood, daring the TOC director to speak.

Tsiatsan stared, frozen. She lowered her teacup to the table shakily, some tea sloshing out of the cup as she fumbled the descent. In her state of shock, she really didn't notice the spill, and rather gawped at the scene before her. She tried to take a step back, put more distance between the two of them, but instead bumped her head against a shelf. Upon realizing that her unwelcome guest was waiting for her to say something, she attempted to speak, but no words would form in her mouth. "I... I, uh..."

"Got nothing to say? Excellent. We might as well stay on course for this whole Olympics thing. No communication, no shits given. I can't imagine you ever really gave a shit yourself, the way you and your friends have been sitting pretty and raking in the cash this whole time, doing the bare minimum to avoid an audit or some kind of action. It's all right, the way you're retreating from me, the way you're quivering and silent. Looks like that's what you wanted us to do, and its truly such a misfortune that it's turned around on you."

Indignant, Tsiatsan finally found her composure and fired back. "Lumi, dear-"

A wine bottle slammed into the French door nearest Tsiatsan, spraying shards of glass across the floor, and leaving the windowpanes streaked with blood red cracks. Varjovia glowered, wielding a glass lamp. "You BITCH, do you even know who I am??? And don't call me dear, unless you want to stay the night in the emergency room because the gods know I can and will send you ever so closer to the cold dark grave."

Cowed, Tsiatsan complied. "I, uh, I um, Miss Niemi? ..."

Varjovia breathed a dramatic sigh of relief that dripped with sarcasm, like wine dripping from splintered French door panels.

"Miss Niemi, I must say that your entrance here was very unexpected and quite out of line-"

A light bulb exploded against the wall above Tsiatsan's head. Varjovia cocked her head, an eyebrow raised, cradling the lamp. "Please, tell me something I don't know."

Tsiatsan, now surprisingly pale, spluttered as she tried to figure her way around this rather unpleasant situation. "Miss Niemi, I am very sorry that you feel this way, but we have been doing our utmost best to uphold our values of honesty and accountability, and it would all be for the best if everyone simply cooperated until the Games have run their course." She paused, in case she was about to be interrupted again.

Varjovia held her silence, not so much out of respect for the person speaking, but rather agape in shock at the words coming out of Tsiatsan's eel-like lips.

"Thank you. Now, I truly hope that we can come to an agreement, you and I, miss Niemi, to bridge this gap. If it's a cut of the funds you're looking for, we could try that. If it's a loftier position in the group, we can try that too. I just want us to coexist with law and order, you and me, to work together and solve our differences. I'm not the evil person you make me out to be, I know I may have plenty of enemies out there but I urge you not to succumb to their delusions, and listen to me from the source. Plenty of the other athletes have never had any issues with me, and I think that's telling as for what I've built here. So let's calm ourselves down and have a nice civilized discussion." She nodded, confident in her ability to reach out to those quite different from her. An empath, she often thought herself.

Varjovia, for her part, stared in utter awe. This bitch was really trying to bait her into taking some money and a fancy title, and doing nothing??!?

"Tsiatsan Kivistö, just because people are quiet doesn't mean they approve of you. I'll bet the "athletes" that are all OK with you, some who can barely be called athletes, are the ones with their besties and aunties on the board with you. And... well. Do you even know what I am angry about? I am angry about the abysmal communication. The misleading, practically fraudulent system you have erected that's led so many of us here to embarrassment and failure, while you and the rest of your management sit back in your luxury suites and sip wine. Nothing you have said so far addresses that problem, and I am wondering if you will say anything else of value before this lamp leaves my hand, I swear to the powers."

For the first time in her long life, Tsiatsan felt naked and afraid. She wasn't going to stand for this. She needed to fight for herself. "Well, I... We have done the absolute best we could at bringing Tödlichebujoku, our great nation, to the Olympic Games, bringing our athletes to the international spotlight, and I will not have our hard work be slandered and put into question in this manner. You need to respect what we have built, respect the legal and personal boundaries of all of us involved, and learn how to weather adversity and sit it out like any other grown adult. I will not be assaulted in my own room..."

At this point, Varjovia lost interest in the conversation. She didn't even bother to interrupt the indignant matriarch as she made the decision to leave, a shock to anyone listening in to the juicy altercation, of which there were a fair number. She was just done with it, and she was going to end it.

In what seemed like a single motion, the lamp sailed through the air as Varjovia turned and stormed out of the room. The piercing shriek was rather cathartic (and notably artistic with that vibrato), as was the crash and thud echoing through the walls and down the hallway as she strode away. She was always a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and bit hot-headed, so she probably went a bit overboard with the whole thing. But still. It was just so satisfying. She should do this more often, she considered.

Kielo would be a bit disappointed, but oh well.

[Bollonich]

Burns and Dyes secure gold, Duo reaches mixed doubles semifinals



Mens Doubles - Final

Leonid Farkaš/Goran Ibrahimović (SRE)                6   4   7
Prince Burns/Xander Dyes (BOL)                       4   6  10

This was it for Burns and Dyes. This is what all of their hard work had led. They had earned themselves an Olympics final where they would face Srednjacian duo of Leonid and Goran.
The match begun with Srednjaci’s players getting the first serve as the match was very pedestrian for the first eight games of the first set with neither duo managing to break serve off the opposing side. As the match went on incredibly tight it was Leonid and Goran who won the next two games taking set as they at last managed to break serve winning them the first set 6-4. Burns and Dyes needed to step up if they were to stay in the contest and step up they did. Beginning the second set with two solid games and breaking serve right in the beginning. They backed that up with another fabulous set victory putting them 3-0. Things were looking rather sour for Leonid and Goran as they were very much on the back foot now. As Leonid and Goran attempted to try to get back into the set, Burns and Dyes took it further away from them. And in the end the set was comfortably won by Burns and Dyes by a 6-4 margin. This was setting up a fabulous last tiebreaker set with neither team willing to back down. We won the initial few points with the Srednjacian pair dropping in intensity a little and that was enough. That was enough for us to not only take the upper hand, but also win the tiebreakers giving us gold in Mens Doubles Tennis.
This would be our seventh gold in these Olympics following an earlier gold in Karate this evening. Before contesting in this final, Burns also made sure the pair of Josia Hancock and himself made the semifinals of the Mixed Doubles as he shall a go at possibly securing another medal in the same Olympics.

[Vilitan Union]

On Target: A Reflection on Zelda Moraia's Breakthrough Archery Gold
Vilitan Union Struggle on Day 16, Lose 4-6 in Baseball Gold Medal Game

Mallow Park, Agri, Electrum :: After experiencing one of their best days in modern Olympic History on Day 15 in competition at the XV Summer Olympic Games in Electrum, the Vilitan Union regressed to a much lower standard on Day 16 which did not produce a single Gold Medal and even the lone Silver that the Vilitan Union was able to earn on the day had come directly in defeat as the Vilitan Union lost in the Baseball Gold Medal game to Kriegiersien by a 6-4 scoreline, ending what had been a fairy tale run for the Vilitan side.

To make matters worse, the Vilitan Union Women's Basketball team faltered late in a low scoring game against San Ortelio ending their hopes of repeating their Gold Medal Performance from Orean and Istria. The Vilitan Union Women's Basketball Team will now face Ioudaia for the Bronze Medal as they look to recover from the disappointment of such a close defeat in the Semi-Finals.

With little else positive to reflect on from Day 16, it is a good opportunity to turn the clock back slightly to Day 8 which - Prior to Day 15, was the Vilitan Union's best Day of the games and still perhaps one of its most memorable as two of the Vilitan Union's most popular Olympians secured Gold Medals.

Summer Conlin was already one of the most well known Vilitan Olympic Athletes - even before they became an Olympic Athlete when Surfing was added to the program during the XIII Republica Games. Now, as a two-time Gold Medalist Conlin has become one of the most recognizable athletes in the Vilitan Cove and is reportedly looking to leverage that star power to re-invigorate Surfing outside of Vilita and the Olympic Games with the return of the Surf NS Tour. While the details are still being worked out, Conlin is reportedly working with organizers to put together sponsorship and venues for the multi-location competition and companies or nations looking to partner or propose a location to be used for competition can contact the Vilita and Turori Surf Shop for more information.

Mixed Team Gold medal match
3 - Tuiali Rijamora/Zelda Moraia (VLT)
5 - Marcelino Brown/Estella Aguilar (SCR)

Women's Gold medal match
7 - Zelda Moraia (VLT)
3 - Estella Aguilar (SCR)

The other big gold medal on Day 8 of competition was won by fan favorite Zelda Moraia. The Moraia sisters; Zelda, Lara and Triniti had been an ever-present at the Olympic Games for the Vilitan Union but entering the XV Summer Olympiad in Electrum no Vilitan Union athlete had ever earned a medal of any kind in Archery. The level of competition at the Olympic Games was just too great for any one Archer to break through on a predictable basis yet with the skill of the Moraia sisters there was always high optimism going into the games that one or all of them could find their way to the medal podium - but never did.

While technically the closest the sisters ever came to a medal was in their debut games when Lara, just 16 years old at time, finished 4th overall in the Women's Individual Competition - it was the XII Games in Kelssek and Vekaiyu that put the trio firmly in the mainstream Archery conversation.

The sisters put on a performance of the Ages in Novonaya during the Women's Team competition ranking round, dominating the field with the most 10's and X's amongst all to post an Olympic Record score that to this day has never been bested. Yet it would all fall apart in the knockout rounds when the sisters were ousted in the Quarter Finals by the eventual Gold Medalists from the Paripana Sporting Council denying them a first ever Olympic Medal.

That would all change at Mallow Park in Agri, home to the Archery and Shooting Competitions at the XV Summer Olympic Games.

On the opening day of the Games both the Women's Individual and Women's Team Ranking Rounds would be held and the Sisters would excel at both. Zelda Moraia, who had overtime proven to be a more consistent performer than her sisters, would post the top score in the ranking rounds to take the top seed with Triniti advancing in 11th and Lara 40th in the 64 Archer Knockout field. From there they would move on to the Team Ranking Round with their Olympic Record from the XII Games still in tact and - to this date - the only historical mark they had managed to leave from their long-time presence at the Olympic Games. The sisters would post the second highest score in the Ranking Round - though well short of their Olympic Record from the XII Games, still more than enough to qualify for the Round of 16.

Unfortunately, just as they had during the Team Event in the XII Summer Olympic Games in Kelssek and Vekaiyu, the sisters were defeated in the Quarter Final round and as a result would not even have the opportunity to compete for a Medal.

While the sisters were out of the Women's Team competition, one sister, Zelda, was still alive in the Mixed Team event. Zelda and her partner Tuiali Rijamora had actually broken the Olympic Record in the Mixed Team Ranking round but so did three other teams who finished ahead of them by narrow margins meaning it was the Chromatika Team of Isaak Kristoffer and Franz Cedostera who would come away with the Olympic Record overall. In the dreaded Quarter Final round Tuiali and Zelda faced off against Aron Semon and Cherry Mates from Britonesia. Yet something unfamiliar happened. With a 6-0 victory, the duo were moving on. With a place in the Semi-Finals it was brand new territory for the duo but they would have the newly-minted Olympic Record Holders from Chromatika in their path. Tuiali Rijamora and Zelda Moraia made quick work of Kristoffer and Cedostera in the Semi-Finals advancing to the Gold Medal match against Marcelino Brown and Estella Aguilar. For the first time ever, one of the Vilitan Union's Moraia sisters was guaranteed an Olympic Medal. The only remaining question was what color would it be? In one of the most closely contested matchups of the knockout round, Rijamora and Moraia would be defeated but still made history earning the first ever Olympic Archery medal for the Vilitan Union.

While it was only Zelda's name on the scoreboard next to Rijamora, all three Moraia sisters celebrated as if the Medal was theirs - a reward for years of hard work and family dedication to the cause. Yet there was still work to be done and two days later the Women's Individual competition would resume with the knockout rounds.

All three sisters would win their Round of 64 matchups but unfortunately Lara - the sister who peaked youngest in her career but had lacked the consistency to challenge at the highest levels in recent seasons, was defeated cleanly in the Round of 32 by host nation competitor Violet Fleming. It left just Zelda and Triniti in the mix but both would end up advancing to the Quarter Final stage giving the Moraia sisters a statistically non-trivial chance of earning another Olympic Medal. In the Quarter Final round, Zelda would be matched up against Violet Fleming, the Electrumite who had earlier eliminated sister Lara from the competition while Triniti would face Estella Aguilar from Scornese who had previously denied Zelda the Gold Medal along with her countryman Marcelino Brown in the Mixed Team competition.

While Aguilar would once again get the best of a Moraia sister eliminating Triniti from competition, Zelda would end the host countries chances advancing to the Semi-Finals. Both Moraia and Aguilar would easily win their Semi-Final fixtures to set up a rematch of the Mixed-Team final just without their male counterparts in the mix. This time, Zelda Moraia would not be defeated. By a score of 7-3, Zelda would overcome her new rival Estella Aguilar to earn her first ever Olympic Gold Medal, the first for any of the Moraia sisters and the first all time Archery Gold for the Vilitan Union.

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