Banija Bid to host the 49th World Cup of Hockey
The Banijan Hockey Federation, representing the Kingdom of Banija, is submitting its bid to bring the World Cup of Hockey to Banijan shores for the first time.
Banija National Information
The Kingdom of Banija is a country that classifies itself as a semi-constitutional monarchy. A nation that is a member of Atlantian Oceania, it is led by the Kabaka(which translates to King), and the current monarch is Kabaka Mwanga. The Kabaka, alongside with the Waziri(translates to Foreign Minister), whom he picks and dismisses solely at his pleasure, is the Head of State and responsible for the country's foreign affairs. Upon reaching age 25, the Isebantu(Crown Prince), becomes the Waziri by constitutional right. The current Isebantu is Isebantu Sekakama- who is a mere 2 years old. The full list of members of the Royal Family can be found here.
Kabaka Mwanga ascended into power after the assassination of his father, Kabaka Albert III during World Cup 82 Qualifying. This is, of course, a government with an elected element. The elected unicameral legislature is the Lukiiko(Parliament), and the Lukiiko is responsible for governance of domestic affairs. The Katikkiro(Prime Minister) is elected by the Lukiiko. After over a decade of rule by the left, this traditionally conservative nation has shown its true colors again by electing a coalition led by the center-right People's Protection Movement. The Katikkiro is Kobe Azizi, who is currently serving in his second term as Head of Government. The established church is the Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, most commonly known as Puritan Mormonism. Well over 90% of Banijans identify as adherents to the state church, though freedom of religion is generally respected by the law and the populace. There is very little patience and open disdain, however, for atheism among the general populace. Courts are sometimes known not to enforce freedom of religion laws when it comes to those preaching atheism, which is considered an 'evil' view by many Banijans.
Due to the massive influence of Puritan Mormonism in this nation, they are relatively socially conservative. Abortion in this country is outlawed unless the mother's life is in danger, and polygamy for males is legal. The church's Universal Call to Motherhood, which teaches that the destiny of each and every woman is to give birth to children and raise faithful Puritan Mormons, has heavily shaped the nation's view on the role of women in society, forming the basis for Banija's prior sports gender segregation laws in the first place. Consumption of alcohol and the recreational use of marijuana in Banija is legal. Due to Mormon tradition, however, the purchase/sale of coffee products is illegal within Banija- however, the consumption is not. Fans and teams are allowed to bring in their own coffee products as long as they are declared at customs, where it is then taxed per pound. Any attempt or effort to sell the product, however, can and will result in arrest.
Most people in the country speak both Olusanke, the local dialect, and English. There is a smattering of Korean spoken within the country, thanks to Banija's Quebecois roots. Banija's currency is the shilling. The exchange rate to the NationStates Dollar is 100 shillings to 1 NSD. Conversion kiosks will be available at all hotels and at airports to exchange your money, as well as any banks. However, using the NSDs directly to purchase items is only guaranteed at stadiums and hotels- vendors outside of stadiums or hotels are not required to accept NationStates Dollars. Fans are also advised that street vendors will only take cash, according to Banijan law- as an issue of security to prevent against credit card theft.
Of course, Banija was for a long time known as a developing country and more of a backwater Economically. However, due to a recent discovery of large oil deposits in Hangaza during World Cup 82, the country has been engaged in an economic miracle since then, with the country almost reaching true developed country status. Public transit within cities is via the boda boda, though each team/delegation will have passenger busses provided by the RTC to transport players, coaches, staff, family, etc... To and from the hotel to the games and practices. The climate of Banija has a lot of natural rainforest and jungle, which means that there is no winter, only wet season and dry season. Temperatures generally range at their coldest around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and at their hottest around 110 degrees Fahrenheit. For the duration of the tournament, average high temperatures will range from 60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Banijans have a tendency of being relaxed about time. While, of course, things like flights and matches will run on time, this is something that is observed generally, especially at restaurants. It is considered standard to arrive about 15-20 minutes late for a restaurant reservation, which is something Banijan authorities would like to make note of for travelling fans and visitors to the country for this tournament. This is very true for hangouts with Banijans, dates, weddings, etc... Within the country.
The largest international airports within Banija are South Moravica/Istria International(called SMI International), Jinja City International, and Busukuma International. These serve the country's two largest cities, and the nation's capitol. All teams and dignitaries, upon their arrival to Banija, will fly into Gonzaga International Airport in Busukuma before reaching their final destination. Gonzaga International has long been known as the 'VIP' airport, catering to the royals, high-ranking government officials, and those deemed of special importance by the Government of the day. Most flights will go to one of those three airports before flying to the host city.
In terms of food, Banijans are very heavy meat eaters, and you'll find plenty of chicken, goat meat, beef, pork, and turkey options on your localized menus. In terms of non-meats, popular staple foods are jollof, matoke, Chapati, a rolex, and samosas. Strictly vegan restaurants within the country, outside of Istria and Busukuma, are almost non-existent, though of course you'll find non-meat options everywhere.
Hockey in Banija
As many know, ice hockey is a sport that is popular amongst the various Banijan migrant communities living in other countries. The Banijan Hockey Federation has made it their mission to use the sport to connect these communities to the homeland, and it has largely been a raging success- the Greater Banijan Hockey League has had international success. But within Banija itself, ice hockey fights for respect, despite quality national teams on the ice and Banijan executives rising to leadership positions within the WCoH. Why?
Simple- Banija lacks winter.
No winter, no naturally occuring ice. Obviously, that provides a strong challenge for the growth of ice hockey in a country such as this one. Getting players and fans interested is a challenge- it is growing, but slowly. The BHF is hoping to increase that growth by quite a bit by bringing the world's best hockey players to a tournament on home soil.
Because of the lack of popularity in the country already though, there are drastically few true ice hockey stadia in the country that are capable of hosting ice hockey. But, the Banijan Hockey Federation, despite using some unconventional stadia for this tournament, believes in the quality of the ice and believes that they will put on "an elite tournament", even if some of the stadium capacities are far less than what some other nations can provide for tournaments of this caliber- or indeed, what Banija can provide for other warm weather sports.
Group Draw
We will do the group draw and post it on the boards approximately 24 hours after we post the IC thread.
Format
All formats are double round robin for group play, and single elimination in the knockout stages. All group stage games will be played home/away, and all Play-In Round/KO stage matches will be played in Banija (and an associated puppet or two).
42 teams: 7 groups of six. Double Round Robin. The top two in each group will advance, and at that point, the group winners will be seeded 1-7, with the group runner-ups seeded 8-14, and the top two third place 15-16. The bracket will be drawn at that point.
44 teams: 11 groups of four. Double Round Robin. Top two in each group will advance, and the top two 3rd place teams will advance to the KO stages. Group winners seeded 1-11, runner-ups 12-22, top two third place 23 & 24. Top 8 teams will get a bye from the Ro16, Teams 9-24 will enter into a seeded play-in round. Reseeding shall occur for the Round of 16- but at that point, the bracket shall be drawn and no more reseeding.
45 teams: 9 groups of 5. Double Round Robin. Top two in each group will advance to the KO stages. Group winners seeded 1-9, runner-ups 10-18. Bottom four runner-ups, seeds 15-18, will engage in a single game play-in round (15 v. 18, 16 v. 17), for the last two places in the Round of 16.
48 teams: 8 groups of six. Double Round Robin. The top team in each group will directly advance to the Round of 16, meanwhile the second and third teams from each group will move onto a play-in round (Round of 24). The Round of 24 will be a seeded round, the winners of which will face the automatically qualified teams in predetermined fixtures.
49 teams: 7 groups of seven. Double round robin. The top two in each group will advance, and at that point, the group winners will be seeded 1-7, with the group runner-ups seeded 8-14, and the top two third place 15-16. The bracket will be drawn at that point.
50 teams: 10 groups of 5. Double Round Robin. Top two in each group will advance, and the top four 3rd place teams will advance to the KO stages. Group winners seeded 1-10, runner-ups 11-20, top four third place 21-24. Top 8 teams will get a bye from the Ro16, Teams 9-24 will enter into a seeded play-in round. Reseeding shall occur for the Round of 16- but at that point, the bracket shall be drawn and no more reseeding.
Scorinating Experience
As Banija, I have hosted/co-hosted the following tournaments.
World Bowl XXXIV
World Bowl XXXVII
25th International Basketball Championships(co-hosted w/ Filindostan)
28th World Lacrosse Championships
29th World Lacrosse Championships(co-hosted with Razenthuria)
40th World Lacrosse Championships
67th Baptism of Fire(co-hosted w/ Qasden)
76th Baptism of Fire(co-hosted w/ Bollonich)
76th Cup of Harmony(co-hosted w/ Xanneria)
Conferences in multiple seasons of both the NSCAA and the NSCF
Multiple seasons of the IDLO
World Cup 83(co-hosted with Equestria)
World Cup 81(co-hosted w/ the Federation of Free Republics)
AOCAF LVIII(co-hosted with Baker Park)
XIV Summer Olympiad(co-hosted with Liventia)
AOCAF LXII
IBS XIII
Brevity Cups 4 & 5
Copa Rushmori XLIII (as Nyowani Kitara)
Scorinating Method
We will be using version 0.3.3.of xkoranate, with the SQIS formula, OT only (no shootouts) with home field advantage on for group play. I will leave on draws for group play(so if you're tied after 60 minutes you split the spoils), and in the KO Stages, there will be overtime until there is a winner (so no penalty shootouts).
RP Bonus Info
A roster shall be eligible for two full day's RP bonus. RP bonus shall be cumulative across the duration of the tournament.
Nations who post their roster 24 hours before the first cutoff shall get a 10% roster points bonus.
Nations who post their roster between that point and the end of the group stages shall get their standard roster score.
Nations who post their roster after the first KO stage/play-in cutoff shall get a 20% roster penalty.
Furthermore, nations without a roster will receive a rank penalty equivalent to half of their rank points. Once a roster is posted, no matter what point of the tournament we are in, that penalty shall be removed.
Points Method
Since we're leaving on draws, I'll stick with the standard hockey points system for 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie/draw, and 0 points for a loss.
Tiebreakers
1) H-2-H Wins
2) Overall Goal Difference
3) Total Wins
4) H-2-H Goal Difference
5) IC Coin Toss (scorianted tiebreaker match in xkor that is RP bonus only)
This might seem a bit weird, but the logic follows. H2H wins are first for obvious reasons. But, second is overall goal difference so teams who are tied in wins dont' just get a huge markup for having a blowout win v. close win over that specific opponent. Then, total wins- to favor winning over getting a draw (aka 2 points with a 1-1 record is better than 2 points with 0-0-2 record).
Other OOC Information
Any and all questions are welcome and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
