Games of the XVIII Olympiad - roleplaying thread

by **Krytenia** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 4:08 pm

Medal Hopes - Hamilton
It's a slow start in the Red City, with only four medals available on the opening day of competition. If you think that means a dry well for the Krytenians, though, you may well be mistaken. All eyes will be on the Old Town Hall, where an old but friendly rivalry recommences – namely us against Quebec and Shingoryeo in the fencing. Truth be told, the two Day One events don't represent the best medal chances for the nation – they're to come in the men's épée and women's sabre – but the flipside of those events do give us hope. Stephen Kidd scored sabre bronze in Jolbonopolis and is now competing in his fourth Games; at the age of thirty-five, it's probably the last chance for “The Buccaneer” to add to his tally. Bromham's own Tonya Rhodes, meanwhile, came out of nowhere four years ago and was only denied gold by a consummate victory in the final from Valanora's Lena Norgaard. Older and wiser, she now leads the charge for Krytenia in the women's épée.

From the old to the new, and Flameworks Skate Park. Krytenia qualified their full complement of three skaters for the women's street event, as the nation famed for its prowess on two wheels looks for its first medal on four. Evie Wagstaff, mother of the bunch at twenty-three, looks most likely to trouble the upper end of the leaderboard, but teenagers Donna Tatchell and Yvette Perrin shouldn't be counted out.

Medal Hopes - Schimpol
Sixteen years after the “death” of the sport in Orean, Krytenia's judoka return to Liventia to exorcise those ghosts once and for all. It's only fair, then, that the last survivor from the XIV Olympiad team will be among the first to stake their medal claims. Polly Gennaro was a callow teenager when things went south; since then, she's become a force to be reckoned with in the under 48kg category. Three consecutive bronze medals have been secured so far; can the now thirty-five year old sign off her career by upgrading at last? And can Kyle Danson finally break his medal duck at the third attempt in the men's under 60kg event?

Of course, we can't talk about Krytenian medal chances without mentioning our most successful sport – cycling. True, it's the velodrome that's considered the Medal Factory, but Krytenia are no slouches in the other disciplines. Case in point: Rowena Federer. She scored a silver in the race four years ago on the flat roads of Whitehaven. Another coastal route – albeit one with a fair bit more elevation change – awaits on the roads of Lox Land Island, and could suit Federer down to the ground, so long as she can reserve some energy for the testing climb up to the Lighthouse Observatory.

Don't mention the “Q” word
Something that has come back for this Olympiad is the dreaded pre-qualifying. It's already robbed us of seeing defending men's golf champion David Finch donning his lucky cyan cap, and led to both of our hockey teams having an unexpected amount of free time for the next fortnight. One team that did make it through unscathed, however, is our cadre of men's artistic gymnasts. And by “unscathed”, we mean “qualified for qualification day”, because that's still a thing. Still, seeing our boys taking on the six pieces of apparatus, and hopefully putting themselves in strong positions to medal later in the week, should be the spectacle it always is.

Something Different
Rowing fans will be suffering from withdrawal symptoms already. For once, there's no action on the lake on Day One; but don't worry, the Olympics have you covered for your oar-based fix. Over on the Liventian mainland, and set against the beautiful Redford National Forest, the canoe slalom gets underway with heats in the men's canoe and women's kayak – and yes, they're two different things. Easy way to tell, for those wondering, is to count the blades on the paddle; one for canoeists, two for kayakers. Look out for competitors riding swells, fighting the currents to get through the red upstream gates, and testing their core and neck muscles by dodging the gate poles like they're on fire. You'll never look at flatwater in the same way again.

Watch all the action from Hamilton and Schimpol at home with up to sixteen dedicated live streams plus highlights on KBS Interactive, or on the go from your device at kbs.kt/smartview or on the SmartView app.

by **Britonisea** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 4:13 pm

Sports News
Brityunik Vefecosoin Cairkovoin
http://www.bvc.com/news
Day 0

Who is Jaime Chandler?

A new swimming star has emerged amongst the Britonish delegation - Jaime Chandler qualified for all four events in the pool, two of which were part of his relay teams.

While Britonisea does have a name for itself in the pool - it is mostly known for artistic swimming and water polo. In swimming, the powerhouse Olympic nation is not very well known. With that being said, that does not mean that medals are not won by Britonish swimmers. At the last Olympics, there were a total of six medals won in the pool by the Britonish including one gold thanks to Usman Cameron in the Men's 800 metres - one of the longer races in the programmes. Interestingly, Britonisea only seems to medal in the slightly longer races. The shortest distance that Britons have won medals in is the 100 metres at the X Games by Magnus Lugaid (who won gold) - but that was the nation's only medal at that distance or shorter. Most medals come from 200 metres or more, including Jessy Tish's silver in the 10km open water race. Medals also come from 4x100 and 4x400 metre relays and looking at the results of the preliminaries, it seems as though the longer distances are what this country is better at.

Someone who seems to be rather consistent is a new name to the swimming team, it is Jaime Chandler. Jaime Chandler is the only swimmer from Britonisea who has participated in four events, to qualify for the Olympics in all four of his races. Interestingly, in three of those races, he has come in the top 2. In his main event - which is the Men's 400m individual medley, he posted the fastest time amongst 68 swimmers with a time of 4:08.54 - which is more than twenty seconds faster than second place, Miron Sengaka from Empire of Kanmer and six seconds from the Olympic record. Jaime seemed to act very coy about his super speedy Men's 400m medley, but it brought his name to the attention of many Britonish fans who will be missing the likes of Pasquale Treadaway after he finally won a medal after years of trying. Jaime is an all-rounder. He didn't know which type of swimming to focus on because he "loves them all", so decided that a medley event would be the best choice for him. He is particularly quick at freestyle, but he is equally strong in the other strokes - if not stronger. He was chosen, however, to represent his nation in the 50m freestyle - probably the most anticipated events of them all. Noel Shoultz posted a slightly better time of 22.10, but Jaime, despite this distance not really being his thing, was close behind with 22.16. It was enough to get both swimmers into the Olympics, but whether it will be enough to win a medal is another question.

Jaime, alongside Sterling Caldwell, Beckham Steele and Carlton Rickenbacker (who all have strengths in their way), were part of the 4x100m medley relay. Carlton Rickenbacker, despite it not being his main event, started with the butterfly. Rickenbacker was in charge of the backstroke leg, Jaime did the breaststroke while Sterling Caldwell did the freestyle at the end (he also qualified in the Men's 100m freestyle individual). It is unclear why Rickenbacker stepped in to do the butterfly, but Jaime stepped in based on the idea that he does this stroke over this distance anyway and he is quite good at it. Despite Steele's disappointment over the time he posted in the end, the Britonish team qualified for the Olympics with the second fastest time of 3:31.56 - mere milliseconds behind the fastest team from Quebec and Shingoryeo. The team for the Men's 4x200m freestyle relay consisted of Jaime who started fourth, Josef Alfredson, Carlton Williams and Raphael Burns. All swimmers, aside from Jaime, are specialist swimmers that decided to participate last-minute in this event otherwise Britonisea would not have sent a team for this event. Expectations were low, but somehow, the Britonish men were able to swim the fastest amongst 34 teams with a time of 7:05.32. The Britonish men rejoiced loudly when they learnt they were the fastest team but they mustn't get complacent as the main Olympics is where teams will be pulling out their best performance.

Speaking to BVC, Jaime says "I am honoured to be participating at the Games and I hope that I can replicate the success that I've had at these preliminaries at the Olympics proper. If I can walk away with one medal, even if it's bronze - I would be a happy man, but the goal is to win four golds and I think I have what it takes!" - Jaime is then asked about whether he will eventually specialise in a certain stroke such as the breaststroke which is his personal favourite, "I think that we will see how things go at these Olympics. I participated in the 50m freestyle sure, but I love all strokes so that's why I am doing the relay and the 400 medley. Maybe after these Games I can look at my split time and decide huh, I'll go for the breaststroke or I might decide something completely different! For now, these are my first Games and everything I have done has been a strategic move. Let's not jump the gun! I've still got a few Olympics in me!"

The Games of the XVIII Olympiad in Electrum and Liventia begin today. Watch the coverage of the Opening Ceremonies in both nations across BVC One and Two. The first events will be broadcast on both channels from 5AM throughout the day.

by **Hopal** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 6:08 pm

At the starting line for the Women’s Road Race it was a hive of activity. As the multitude of the multiverse’s best long-distance cyclists prepared to circle the Lox Land Island circuit to crown an Olympic Champion. Racers were bustling around with their teams, doing last minute check-ups, strategy reviews, warm-ups, adjustments, and repairs before the big race. Right in the middle of it was the Hopalian team, specifically Mikie Hernandez and her eternal coach, her mother Helen.

“We've gone over this a million times, right? You know the course. Don’t go too hard over the course, be careful when we hit altitude and terrain. Play to your strengths, run your race. You know when to attack. The marker, it’s the--”

“Yes, mom. I know, you’ve told me this a million times!” Mikie replied, head held back, giving a bit of a flick of the eyes.

“And you ate all your carbs yesterday? Followed what your dietician prescribed?”

“Yes, mother. I had everything I needed, you don’t need to keep on asking me. I made sure I had everything I needed with Mike.”

“Good, because you know not having enough energy killed me in my race. I couldn’t keep up with everyone else and I expended my energy early, I couldn’t run my race. But you know I was injured, and you're perfectly healthy. But know, it’s all about the mental game, make sure you’ve got your mental game on lock, that’s what kept me going and across the finish line. Remember, run your race, know your markers.”

“I know, mom. I’m not running your race! I’m racing my own! I’ve heard your tips a million times now and I know my own race.” Ending that little outburst from daughter to mother were the Hopalian mechanics informing the pair that the bike was checked and all ready to go. Mikie, quickly switching gears, gave the team a quick smile and thumbs up, thanking them. Hopping onto the while it was still on its stand, she gave a quick test to warm up and confirm that everything was to her liking and as it should be. Giving another thumbs up after a minute or so, she confirmed that all was good to go and took the bike off the stand to wheel it to the start line.

“Oh, well this is it then, my girl.” Helen gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek and she tried to move. “Remember what I said.”

“I always do.”

Giving another kiss on the cheek, then as her daughter began wheeling the bike away, Helen shouted. “Go make me proud. I’ll be following you along in the team car.”

Mikie sighed as she approached the very crowded race line, surrounded by the best cyclists in the multiverse jostling around with their pair of wheels lining up for the race of their lives. But as she approached the starting line, all she thought of was her mother. Helen Hernandez had been an Olympian Road Cyclist in her own right, and she’d been a pretty damn good in her heyday too. But injuries had plagued her career and ended any dreams she had of Olympic glory. In her Olympic race in Bunjil all those years ago, she had gassed out of the race with old leg injuries acting up, ultimately causing her to finish 119th. As she realized that the accumulating injuries meant that her career could not go on, Helen turned her Olympic ambitions onto her children, specifically her daughter Mikie.

As she got to the start line and one of the officials pointed her to her position, weaving her and her bike through the maze of people to get there, Mikie thought of the moment she finally learned how to ride her bike. On the suburban road that she’d grown up outside of the huge metropolis of Hopton, the Hopalian Capital City. Mikie was a bit of a late bloomer, being 7 by the time she finally raced off on her own without her training wheels. At this stage, her mother was beginning to realize that her career was winding down, coming fresh off of the heels of that Olympic performance in Bunjil. Mikie was frustrated after months of trying hard, putting the effort, watching her mother race at the Olympics and being in awe. She’d sworn then that she’d just be like her, she didn’t know how much she might come to regret that promise later on. But for some reason, the fear held her back or she just couldn’t get the right grip or balance. That day, on that fair autumn afternoon, she was walking her bike again, haphazardly trying to ride it, but not quite getting there. Her mother was walking slowly behind, stealthily preparing to get a grip if all went wrong.

That day, her mom told her something that would stick in her mind, that pushed her to get it.

“You have to trust yourself, you have to take the leap to achieve greatness.”

Back then, she put a lot more stock in her mother’s words and she took it to heart. After a deep breath she took those first tentative steps again, gaining acceleration, then putting one foot on the pedal and another on the other. Those first wobbles struck doubt to her core, and that fear rose up in her again, but then she took a hold of the handles and steered herself to safety. As the dust settled and she found herself moving, balanced. Joy welled up within her and she and her mom simultaneously screamed out and she moved ever faster down the straightaway. That afternoon, Mikie would race around the block countless times into the evening until she was physically unable to go on any longer.

Mikie loved cycling, she’d have done it all day if she could and over the next few years she’d build up the speed and endurance she needed for competitive road cycling. Her mother was even more overjoyed than she was that she’d fallen in love with road cycling and poured all of her Olympic ambitions into her, that had been her dream once upon a time after all. Mikie had an older brother, Ben, who was a better cyclist than she was. Initially her mother had pinned her hopes on him too, pressuring him to pursue cycling competitively, but he’d always resisted, disdaining the projection that their mother put on the both of them. He’d eventually become a police officer, now having an extremely strained relationship with their parents.

He wasn’t in the crowd here in Liventia, cheering her own, but Mikie still had a good relationship with her brother. He’d sent her a message the night before wishing her luck, explaining why he couldn’t be there (their mom), and that he hoped that she’d be doing this for herself.

In truth, she didn’t really know who she was doing this for. She still loved cycling, sure, but the passion for the sport, for the competition, wasn't really there anymore. Perhaps it evaporated under the pressure and expectation of her mother. A frightening thought hit her: was this all for her mother? Did she still find any meaning in it for herself?

She was brought back to that starting line in Liventia as her teammate, Jasmine Karknow pulled up beside her. A little older than her, Mikie was familiar with Jasmine as teammates, and they’d gotten along fairly well, but they hadn’t gotten the chance to really get to know each other.

“Good luck out there.”

“You too.” Mikie replied with a smile.

The official gave the sign that the start of the race was imminent. All of the cyclists stopped, the multiverse’s best road cyclists gathered, rather closely jammed together, waited in breathless anticipation of the sound of a gun. This is it, Mikie thought, you’re finally where you dream to be all of those years ago. Savor it, or at least try to for yourself. Stick to your gameplan, her mother’s voice echoed in her mind.

Team Hopal Events - Day 1

Badminton - Men's Singles Play-in Round
Harry Unsern
Mark Fletcher

Badminton - Men's Doubles Play-in Round
Harry Unsern/Mark Fletcher

Badminton - Women's Singles Play-in Round
Liliana Tajovic
Polly Clegg

Badminton - Women's Doubles Play-in Round
Liliana Tajovic/Polly Clegg

Badminton - Mixed Doubles Play-in Round
Harry Unsern/Liliana Tajovic

Table Tennis - Men's Singles Play-in Round
Chen Li
Mike Guff

Table Tennis - Women's Singles Play-in Round
Laura Henderson
Paula Obedo

Tennis - Men's Singles Round of 64, Part 1
Jackson Crowley
Jensen Gulmetts

Tennis - Men's Doubles Round of 32, Part 1
Travis Heck/Jensen Gulmetts

Tennis - Women's Singles Round of 64, Part 1
Madeline Jeffries

Tennis - Women's Doubles Round of 32, Part 1
Madeline Jeffries/Kayla Howson

Swimming - Women's 400m Freestyle Heats and Final
Jenny Juan

Swimming - Men's 100m Breaststroke Heats and Semifinals
Eric Haas

Swimming - Women's 100m Butterfly Heats and Semifinals
Krista Clark

Swimming - Men's 100m Freestyle Relay Heats and Final
Olivier Lemieux/Eric Haas/Ryan Montfort/Travis Reid

Water Polo - Women's MD1
Hopal

Cycling - Women's Road Race Final
Mikie Hernandez
Jasmine Karknow
Raya Bardow
Athena Alsovic

Triathlon - Mixed Relay Final
Hunter Lofmeet/Kevin Oduya/Lia King/Helen Harris

by **Drawkland** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 6:13 pm

Warning: this RP includes themes of a suggestive nature. I believe I've kept it PG-13, but proceed with caution.

"You're terrible at this," Ellzidan clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"You're not playing fair," Septimus sharply pulled the fencing mask off his head in frustration. "You can't keep crossing your feet like that. The flèche isn't allowed in sabre."

"You need to be prepared for more than just the rules prescribe," Ellzidan replied, raising an eyebrow.

"El, my tournament is tomorrow. Now is not the time to be giving me the pirate talk." Septimus rolled his eyes. He didn't want to be rude, but he was legitimately stressed about his upcoming medal event. Why did it have to be Day 1? Why did it all have to be at once? The guys that suffered through qualifiers risked not even making the Olympics, but at least they got time to acclimate. For better or worse, that's what the Elite were all about: acclimation.

"Sep, it's not just your defense that needs work. Your strokes are sloppy. Your wrist movement is subpar." Ellzidan shook her head. She stepped closer, cracking a devious grin. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you chose to enter the wrong event entirely."

"I was not going to try out for table tennis," Septimus hissed. "Do you know how hard the other guys would clown on me? My reputation would be shot. At least fencing is cool."

"This isn't cool either," Ellzidan curled her lip at the fencing equipment they were wearing. "There's no stakes in all this getup. No true adrenaline. Sadly that just seems to be the way of the world nowadays."

"You're literally so old." Septimus shook his head, but he smiled despite himself. "Ah well. I suppose I should be more worried about my replacement for the match tomorrow."

"Your replacement should be fine," Ellzidan replied. "It's his friends I'm more worried about. Now let's do one more run, then I have to shoot off to Schimpol for the ceremony."

Elsewhere in the Team DRK Acclimation Center, a small complex rented out by DISC for the training and warmup of their athletes in Hamilton, Septimus Xander's replacement in the net was practicing his newfound craft.

Leo Cross was known for his enormous frame and raw power on the gridiron, plying his trade as a defensive lineman. Despite the average physical profile you expect to see from a large D-lineman, Leo is surprisingly quick and strong on the jump. He uses this to his advantage when he bursts off the line, and vaults through the pocket into opposing quarterbacks before they escape. Due to his size and penchant for predicting his opponent's incoming moves, he seemed to be the most solid choice to play keeper for the Drawkian men's football team.

Since Septimus Xander would be busy with his sabre matchups on Day 1, the normal Elite Eleven keeper was occupied when the Elite would be playing their MD1 men's football match. Thankfully Leo Cross seemed to be getting used to the role. It was a sort of joint practice, where the normal Elite Eleven forwards practiced some sequences and presses against the Elite defense, with some midfielders splitting time to try and simulate game action. Jack Hoy and Lerocav were also involved, both for extra bodies to aid the half-pitch simulation and to try and get them used to the system.

Leo had a face of utmost concentration, like a cat's piercing gaze. He focused on not just the ball, but the bodies converging and interacting around it. He was getting a couple solid saves, but he also was caught unaware by a few moves and feints by the strikers. Ultimately, he was going to be an adequate substitute. More hopefully, the Elite defense would be playing their best to make Leo's job easy.

Later in the day, the trio of immortal bench options were crowded together in Leo's room in the Olympic Village as they prepared for the opening ceremonies. The outfits for Team DRK in the opening ceremonies weren't too over-the-top: stylish black blazers with striking crimson insides that were revealed from the center crease, and matching black slacks. It didn't take very long to get mostly dress up in the getup, so the trio had decided to mingle in one room. Leo had no clue why they selected his as the venue.

"This is it." Jack Hoy rubbed his hands together excitedly. "This is where we really get some intermingling. Not just passing encounters in the training facility or village. We'll be in close quarters for a few hours! That's really where I'll get to work."

"Yeah man. If you say so." Lerocav was playing some time-killing mobile game on his phone, only half paying attention. Leo looked at himself in the mirror, ensuring the blazer properly fit around his broad, ox-like shoulders.

"Hey Lero," Jack started.

"Don't call me that."

"How do you make babies?" Jack finished, unfazed. Both Lerocav and Leo froze in complete confusion.

Lerocav slowly turned his head up from his phone, fixing a look halfway between bewilderment and disgust. "What?"

"I said, how do you make babies?" Jack repeated, as if that sentence were totally ordinary. Leo reluctantly stepped closer to the conversation.

"Repeating the sentence doesn't make it less insane." Lerocav crinkled his face. "What the hell are you talking about, man?"

"So you're immortal right?" Jack seemed to switch gears without missing a beat. "Did you go through the TiSoFaH maze?"

"fffffffUCK no," Lerocav replied sharply, heavily emphasizing the first consonant. "I've heard all about it from my parents, and the other Drawkionels, and all the other fossils that love trauma-dumping at the Accords. I've learned enough about that place. There's no way in hell I'm ever setting foot there."

"Okay, so you didn't do the maze thing, but you're still immortal. How does that work?" Jack asked, continuing to follow whatever zig-zag line of thinking he was on.

"My parents are immortal." Lerocav replied, stating the obvious for Jack's apparent benefit. "I was their first child, so I'm effectively blessed with the same properties."

"Wait, are all of Iarocav's kids immortal then? How many of you are there?" Jack asked.

"Did you pay attention in school? History class? Never mind, I know the answer already." Lerocav held up his hand before he finished his thought, and continued after a moment. "I have over a dozen siblings. The thing is that whatever effect causes the children to be immortal is ... diluted over time. Does he know what that word means?" Lerocav looked up to Leo.

"Dilution? Beats me." Leo shrugged.

"Whatever. Anyway, the first two kids are essentially the same as their parents, but each subsequent child has more and more 'weaknesses' and end up dying eventually. I think at this point the next time my parents have a kid, they'll probably just be a weirdly healthy and long-lived person, but otherwise regular." Lerocav narrowed his eyes. "I'm afraid to ask why you're asking."

"Ooooooh," Jack nodded slowly in alleged understanding. "I mean, do you parents just not ... do it very often? I mean it's been like several thousand years, but you only have-"

"Dude, I do NOT want to talk about the bedroom habits of my parents." Lerocav interrupted. "If you have a point in bringing this up, just cut to the chase. Please."

"Okay, okay, fine." Jack tented his fingers and pursed his lips mischievously. "Let's say that I manage to hit it off with one of the volleyball girls-"

"You won't." Lerocav and Leo replied simultaneously.

"Okay, but just HYPOTHETICALLY." Jack gesticulated wildly. "For the sake of the thought experiment. Would I be in danger of siring some baby Jack? Like if I'm immortal, does that also apply to my swimmers?"

"Something tells me you've had plenty of thought experiments." Lerocav muttered to himself, then sighed. "No, in fact it's kinda the opposite. The immortal fertility rate is matched proportionally to the lifespan. So if the normal Drawkian lives like 150 years tops, and could be expected to have offspring at X rate, you have to normalize that same rate to a nearly-infinite lifespan."

"Uh ..." Jack tried to parse the mathematics that were slightly more difficult than basic yardage arithmetic.

"If that's the case," said Leo suddenly, "how do immortals have kids at all? I mean stretching the amount of kids you'd expect from about 70 years of fertile life into a span of millions of the years, the chances have to be infinitesimal." Leo still didn't really approve of this topic, but he was admittedly curious about the mechanics. Certainly nobody else had given them that information. If there's one thing Leo had learned in his football career, it's that you can't waste opportunities to improve or learn something when you get them.

"Apparently there's some sort of incantation you can do beforehand that virtually makes it a guarantee." Lerocav shrugged. "Dad found that out when he finally translated all the runes and stuff in the sacred chamber or whatever it's called. I guess whoever created this method of immortality wanted there to be a cheat code if immortals felt they were ready. Something like 'biridank lu poolabu' or thereabouts."

"'Biridank lu pooblabu'?" Jack repeated flawlessly. "That sounds funny."

"Oh shit." Lerocav realized his mistake immediately, and prayed he was misremembering the phrase. "Listen, don't go around repeating that. It's supposedly some ancient, maybe even divine language. Words of power. You can't just flash those around like a joke. It's real shit."

"You just said it two seconds ago!" Jack countered.

"I made an error in judgement." Lerocav cursed internally. "Just promise me you're not gonna say it again. Even as a joke."

"OKAY grandpa, calm down." Jack waved a hand dismissively. "Trust me, I know the value of protection. There's a reason I've hung onto every dollar of the millions I've made."

"A reason?" Lerocav raised an eyebrow. "Is it the fact that you act like a 20-year old frat boy?"

"It could just be the way he talks," Leo suggested helpfully, smirking in Jack's direction.

"I've seen the outfits he wears before gamedays," Lerocav narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Maybe the terrible fashion sense scares the women off."

"Oh, did you know that he can't grow facial hair? It's grossly patchy whenever he tries." Leo's grin cracked into a toothier one.

"YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T TELL ANYONE!" Jack exclaimed hotly.

"That's a very good theory." Lerocav rubbed his chin in thought. "You know, I bet when they learn about the folder in his phone dedicated to his own highlight reels, they get too weirded out to stick around."

"How did you- when did-" Jack stuttered.

"You gotta keep your phone brightness down. I can see what you're scrolling through from 25 feet away," Lerocav replied with a chuckle. He took a look at his designer watch, then promptly stood up from his seat. "It's time to go, gentlemen. We're meeting at the rendezvous point in about a half hour."

"I'll show you assholes," Jack muttered to himself, but his spite was quickly forgotten once they connected with the Elite Eleven and some of their adjacent friends from the Kick Corps on the way to the meeting position for Team DRK.

Leo Cross couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was coming soon. As he watched Jack engage in a heated discussion with Richard Hanson about run blocking tactics, Leo made the mental note to keep an even tighter watch on Jack for the next couple weeks.

by **Libesia** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 6:22 pm

Expected competitors³ on Day 1:

Fanta Mariama Kante, women’s archery ranking round
Onuchukwu Izuchukwu, men’s badminton singles play-in
Linda Naiko, women’s badminton singles play-in
Francine Sonyi, women’s boxing (middleweight) play-in
Ali Khoury, Athouman Fakhoury and Hanif Najjar, men’s fencing individual sabre
Salome Makena and Alice Ndayambaje, women’s fencing individual épée
Libesian men’s rugby sevens team, matches 1 & 2
Abdoulaye Thiane, men’s table tennis singles play-in
Antoine Ntakobajira, women’s table tennis singles play-in

Sophia Vogl, women’s diving 3 m springboard final
Hatem Abir, men’s 400 m freestyle heats
Katharina Berg, women’s 100 m butterfly heats
Fatima Hamidi, women’s K-1 canoe slalom
Naomi Zeisl, Francine Mugabo, Walida Hamina and Anne Mungroo, women’s cycling road race
Waleed Maroun, men’s 60 kg judo
Asma Amine, women’s 48 kg judo
Nabil El Magry, men’s 58 kg taekwondo
Zahidah al-Mokhtar, women’s 49 kg taekwondo

Libesian diversity¹ on show as flagbearers introduce nation to the world

Representatives of all four of Libesia’s largest ethnic groups helped bear out the Libesian national flag as they participated in twin opening ceremonies in Hamilton and Schimpol at the republic’s Olympic debut as a newly independent postcolonial nation. Ihlathi, Kuroo, Akraman and Watoto representatives were involved in the ceremonies, attended by most of Libesia’s 167 athletes². Amid some minor controversies over a few pre-designated flag-bearers failing to qualify for the Games proper, Libesia neatly sidestepped that by choosing either athletes competing in multiple events (sprinter Kaulanda Gadabu will run in both individual and relay 400 m races) or those already given automatic qualifying berths (such as marathon runner Safia Kahsai). Abdelkarim Tobji said it was “the biggest honour of his life” to carry the flag at Libesia’s debut. The team wore matching green jackets with gold trim, while some Watoto such as flag bearer and slalom canoer Fatima Hamidi wore hijabs directed in Libesia’s national colours of green, red and gold. One notable absence was Hatem Abir, who was busy actually competing in the 1500 freestyle heats, qualifying with a time nearly a minute ahead of his teammate Mustafa Asker; Abir is expected to become the first Libesian to officially compete at the Olympics on Day 1 tomorrow when swimming events get underway in Liventia in the 400 m. Nevermind I misread the schedule.

Day 1 preview: cyclists keen to push credentials in opening road race

The opening day of Olympic action sees some big events that will have no Libesian involvement, such as the swimming and triathlon relays, sports like football, handball, and water polo getting underway, and the qualifying for the men’s artistic gymnastics finals. But one of the more popular events that will feature multiple Libesians will be the women’s road race, taking in Schimpol and the Lox Land Island. “Olympic cycling is a challenge, because unlike in the regular season there are smaller teams with just four riders per team, and no radios allowed which makes communication difficult,” says pundit Nat Khethang. “Although some teams have had limited success experimenting with use of messenger pigeon mid-race to relay orders.” Cycling is a sport growing in popularity in Libesia, and Khethang says it is a good sport for Libesia to target in future Olympics. “Road cycling is not as expensive as track cycling. We’re a country with millions of cyclists. There must be some good riders out there!” He admits such good riders may not be among the team we will see tomorrow, with Libesia unlikely to challenge for medals, but he says it can be a good opportunity for them to put in a shift and get noticed and hopefully signed to a tour team. “The race profile is probably not set up a sprint finish, mainly because xkoranate doesn’t seem to know how to do that,” said Khethang, “So expect to see breakaways. Francine [Mugabo] has our best chance of getting in one; I hope Naomi [Zeisl], Walida [Hamina] and Anne [Mungroo, national champion] work for her!” He added: “Or she could just take a bunch of drugs, that might help?”

Olympic conspiracy theories trend

“They’re turning the steeplechasers gay!!” Hoarse ‘shock-jock’ pundit and, to his critics, dangerous peddler of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, Alex Jawara has attracted scorn, ridicule – and millions of viewers on his channel Info-Legally Distinct Combat Operations. And in his latest broadcast, he’s made sensational claims that the World Assembly, global bankers, monopoly capitalists, and Helvetian gnomes are conspiring to inject “rapid onset gender transition chemicals” into the Rushmori water system. The claims, made after a brief set of technical error showed female divers competing in a men’s diving event in Liventia and women’s steeplechase runners in Electrum recording times far in excess of all known world records for women, have been dismissed by the international community, who pointed out that Olympic hosts quickly clarified the confusion with corrected results and praised their swift and straightforward resolution, but that has not stopped Jawara continuing to peddle his wild theories. Conspiracy theories have a dangerous history in Libesia, according to history of science Fungai Chiwese. “We laugh at people like Jawara, but it was this kind of rhetoric that seriously depressed attempts to eradicate the Spon Plague through vaccination,” says Chiwese, who said the government should revoke Jawara’s broadcast license before he inevitably started blaming it all on the J– ah, too late.

¹ Except for white people LOL.
² Approx. Based on subtracting non-qualifiers and multiple entrants, adding the rugby roster, and making some elementary errors of arithmetic along the way.
³ Information not guaranteed 100% accurate. Based on our best guess of which athletes will have to feature in play-ins. The Ouwarongo Chronicle cannot be held liable for any void bets placed, travel tickets book, or TV remotes broken by being angrily thrown at the wall, as a result of programming changes.

by **Da Cunha** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 6:37 pm

In a booth high above the field of the Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue, two young ladies are having an almighty party, presumably much to the annoyance of whoever poor sod is in the adjacent areas. A banner strung across the glass facing out towards the field displays the Da Cunha flag and a series of identical logos showing chibified versions of the two women. Curly writing says "Opening the Olympics with Innozénza and Phátima".

"...And we are BACK after a short ad break, apologies to non-subscribers, but we are trying to time it so we do not get one when our team marches in, which should, by our estimate, be in around 10 minutes' time," Innozénza says, facing the camera they've set up at the door to the booth. Phátima is pressed against the glass.

"Might be sooner, Zenzi," she says. "Looks like it's Diarcesian down there, and if that's true, we'll be next."

"Well, exciting, exciting. And we'll have way more stuff for you on our channels all across the net in the coming days of course, but while I set up our secondary cam so we can show you what the march looks like from the stadium, all the way up here, we have some questions from the viewers!"

"Yes, we have seen several people ask us about Olívija. I'm guessing you're tuning in for the first time since our winter Olympics coverage alongside NRDU 2 years ago. Big sis is off on maternity leave, so it's just been me and Zenzi for a good few months now. She's incredibly jealous, I'm sure. Who knows, she may decide to chase us down, but this time around, we're expecting only me and Zenzi."

"Yep," Innozénza says as a secondary camera adds to the stream, showing a gorgeous view all over the stadium. "And on similar notes, we're seeing a lot of people asking why we're not doing anything with NRDU again, and all we can say is, you'll have to ask them. We were up for it, but we got turned down. And then we learnt that they weren't even gonna be here live, so we figured, hey, let's take this booth and see how long they'll let us stay here."

"And in the interest of keeping everyone updated, the team from Diarcesian are all in the march now, and the team from Tero al Disco are on their way through the tunnel. We're right after that."

"Great kit, Tero al Disco, by the way, lovely colors on that, whoever designed that has done a great job."

"And honestly, so far, nothing to complain about with the ceremony itself. It's been great fun so far, our hosts here in Electrum have really pulled out all the stops. We got a tip from one of the techs here saying that there's nearly 5 million Coruuns' worth of fireworks up on the roof, which is pretty sick for later."

"We're not saying the whole place will explode, but we imagine any nearby owls will get a severe case of PTSD."

"...And there's the and of the Tero al Disco group... And we can see them in the tunnel now from here! I don't know if the camera can pick that up..."

Both the women are now pressed against the glass next to the second camera.

"Well, Phátima, we can see the good angles and the close-ups tonight on NRDU-1, so we can see the closer shots there, but I think we've got them beat for atmosphere. This place is rocking so hard right now."

"And here, leading out the Da Cunha team is flagbearer Réa-Muhédina Cápsić, who finished her qualifying campaign yesterday, making it to the proper Olympics for the second time alongside long time beach volley partner, Iranian immigrant Roushanak Arabnia."

"And again a beautiful display of design, this time that of Da Cunha. Cápsić is in a resplendent riff of our national dress, gold and silver thread inlaid in deep red, with blue and black accents."

"Great outfit, I gotta say. The knee-length loincloth is a choice, but it works, and the design on the cloth is first rate."

"And the full team following her out here; Da Cunha sending our first ever full delegaton, of course, so there are still a lot of people left even if we have been a bit disappointed by the results at times."

"And as the cameras of this place pan over to the next team entering, we're gonna do a quick ad break again, and when we get ack, coverage will continue. We will discuss some of what will be coming up in the nearest days while we wait for the lighting of the torch."

"See ya!"

by **Barkhastan** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 7:02 pm

Warning: this RP includes themes of a suggestive nature. I believe I've kept it PG-13, but proceed with caution.

Coward.

“Uuuuuughhhhhhhh! Yeah!! Oh yeah!! Uuuuuughhhhhhhhhhh!! Give it to me!! Oh stick it right in there, yes yes yes, jam it all up inside, uuuughhhhhhhhhh it’s so big!!! Uuuuuughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”

Emma Kozyreva sighed. She hated helping Dinara Arslanova pack. Dinara was a very accomplished taekwondo jin and a great teammate, of course, but Emma’s competition was tomorrow, and while Dinara, who’d been a flag bearer, had enjoyed the opening ceremony, Emma was tired and wanted to get a good night’s rest before her competition began. Finally, they managed to get the fur hat stowed away in the compartment and fold the suitcase closed.

For the opening ceremony, the Barkhastanis had worn traditional outfits: intricately decorated long waistcoats over white cotton shirts (before the discovery of uranium, cotton had been Barkhastan’s chief export) and distinctive papaqa: large fur hats. Most modern day Barkhastanis had traded these in for mining helmets, of course, but it was a nod to the rich steppes culture of the Barkhastani Confederacy. The hats did not, however, fit easily in the suitcase, hence Dinara’s rather noisy efforts.

AI generated

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” asked Dinara, turning to sit on the bed beside the overstuffed suitcase.

“I can’t decide whether I hope there’s lots of people there to watch, or no one,” admitted Emma.

For Barkhastanis, the big draw on the opening day of the Olympics would probably be the men’s gymnastics. After failing to understand some complicated by-law the gymnastics federation had accidentally qualified an entire men’s team, breathing life into one of the sports that has declined in post-Soviet years in terms of Barkhastani success. The Arcturians and Zimmerians, and many Barqi, Kukuls, and Sulyakh too, would doubtless be watching the tennis, with the high profile national stars like Petr Zadornov and Emilya Yaskina taking to the court. And of course, the archery.

Emma secretly feared the archery would be a disappointment. Archery is the national sport of Barkhastan and there is huge interest in the Olympic competition, but Barkhastani archery lags far behind international standards of technology and experience. If the competition were held on horseback in the 18th century with wood and horn bows, there’s no question Barkhastan would sweep the podium; in the 21st century with complex modern recurve bows, it could be a humbling day for the Barkhastanis.

All of which meant the judokas, boxers, and taekwondo jins like Emma and Dinara might be a little under the radar. It could take the pressure off and mean it’d be less embarrassing if she fell early. But if she got through the early rounds, Emma hoped she might see a Barkhastani flag or two fluttering in the crowd. As she dreamed, she was suddenly snapped back to reality:

“Uuuuughhhhhh!! Oh that’s the spot!!! Right there!!! Right there!!! Keep going, don’t stop!!! Harder!!! Harder!!!! Harderrrrrr!!!!!”

But no, it was no good. Dinara just could not get that grease spot out of her opening ceremony uniform, no matter how hard she scrubbed at it with soap and water.

by **Kannap** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 7:05 pm

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

An Interview With Joseph and Jacob Rumball
By: Alexandra Goodum

Today, I interviewed Joseph and Jacob Rumball for my show on the KNN Olympics Podcast Network. They're twin brothers competing in the men's 100 m freestyle at the Olympics this year. Here is the transcript from that interview:

Alexandra: Well folks, today we have two guests. You may have heard about them recently, Joshua Rumball and Jacob Rumball. They're brothers, they're identical twins. They're 23 years old. Joshua holds the Kannapian record in the 100 meter freestyle while Jacob holds the Kannapian record in the 50 meter freestyle. They've both qualified for the Olympics in the 100 meter freestyle and will be competing in heats on the fourth day of the Olympics. Welcome, you too, thank you for joining me.

Jacob: Thank you for having us.

Joseph: It's a pleasure to be here, Alexandra.

Alexandra: So, first, I'm sure fans back home who followed your collegiate careers will be happy to see you at the Olympics. How are you guys feeling about it?

Joseph: I'm certainly excited about it, but I'm also quite nervous. You know, to go from being one of the best freestyle swimmers in your competition level back home in Kannap to being amongst the best freestyle swimmers from around the world is a leap. So I'm nervous. I am confident that I can give my all out there in the pool and be in my best form, but I'm naturally nervous because everybody else in the pool has that same confidence. I guess that's true about collegiate swimming too, though.

Jacob: Well, you've always been the nervous mess between the two of us. I'm super stoked to be here in Liventia representing Kannap. Just to make it past the preliminary stages before the Olympics is a huge honor in and of itself. I know many of my friends didn't make it, which makes it only more fulfilling to be here competing.

Alexandra: Of course. So the two of you are brothers, identical twins in case anybody hadn't noticed. How long have you two been swimming?

Jacob: Me? For as long as I can remember. Our family always tells this story that I learned how to swim before I learned how to walk. That's not true, of course, but I'm sure I've been swimming for almost as long as I've been walking. Our mom always talks about how they could never get me out of the pool as a kid. Guess that remains true now.

Joseph: So I actually didn't start swimming until I was around ten. So Jacob has a huge head start on me, but I kind of danced around other sports in my youth. I was on a kid's soccer team for a bit, did some running for about a year. I absolutely hated that. I tried my hand at tennis, I sucked at it. Finally, I tried swimming and excelled at it rather quickly. Jacob always jokes that I wasted years toying around with other sports, but I rather enjoyed it. And I think it allowed me to appreciate and respect other sports a lot more than I would have otherwise.

Alexandra: That's great! Moving to our next question, you mentioned being excited to be in Liventia, but how have you guys been spending your time there? Besides training, of course.

Jacob: Well, training mainly. But the locals are very friendly and the food is delicious. We hear the nightlife here is also fun, but we haven't gotten to experience that yet. Of course, we'll be here after our events, regardless of our results, so we'll have a lot more time to enjoy the sights of Liventia in the coming weeks. I'm particularly interested in seeing some of the local landmarks and history museums.

Joseph: Pretty much what Jacob has said, he's summed it up perfectly. Though I am excited to see if we can find some hiking trails outside of the city in the coming weeks.

Alexandra: Well, Joseph and Jacob, it's been a pleasure having you here but that is all the time we have for today. I wish you the absolute best in your heats in a few days.

Jacob: Thank you very much Alexandra.

Joseph: Thank you for having us on.

by **United Mandaran States** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 7:56 pm

Home > Sports > Olympics

And It's Officially Opened
12th September 2028

Hamilton & Schimpol (AMP) - After waiting for almost two weeks as athletes were busy with preliminary and qualifying competitions, the main event, the opening day of the XVIII Summer Olympics is finally here. Not many events are held today as everyone is focusing on the opening night. UMSOC through the chief de mission, Kristina Amalia confirmed the flagbearers of the country. "We will only use one flagbearer per host cities and luckily, we don't need to make any changes as all of our preselected bearers are qualify to the main competition," she explains. Long before the competition is held, Amalia has had announced the flagbearers for the country. They are chosen from the big 4 sports that contributed the most medals for the country, Athletics, Swimming, Canoeing and Gymnastics. Fortunate enough that these four sports are held evenly divided by the two hosts. Athletics and Gymnastics in Hamilton, Swimming and Canoeing in Schimpol.

However, with the qualifying round planned ahead, there are an anxiety from the officials that they have to change the provisional lists if ever one of them didn't make out the cut to the main competition. Farid Hamzah, the opening flagbearer in Hamilton is compete in 100m and 4x100m relay events. Luckily, the 100m event is not holding a preliminary round and he is qualifying to the main event with his teammates for the relay. So, he is safe. At Schimpol, Ayu Suryani, the opening flagbearer, success to qualify from Canoeing slalom women's C-1 event by finishing 15th at the time trial round. With the result, the officials express their gratitude in the UMSOC official social media account.

On the other hand, there are many rumors circulate about the country's costume theme for the Olympics opening parade. About a month ago, a fashion designer posted a design of couple clothes who were believed to be the first design for the country's parade costume. The design was using the traditional attire from Pemecutan with kebaya for the women and Pemecutan's pattern batik shirt for the men. The comments went negatives as the women's clothes were considered too revealing especially for Muslim athletes. The sarong that is use was also criticize as it might make the women harder to walk. With all the negatives comments, the post was taken down by the owner.

An official announcement was then made at the beginning of the qualifying round for the Olympics or about 14 days before the opening day. At the announcement, it was mentioned about the provisional flagbearers for the opening parade, the athlete's sportswear for the game and the costume of the opening parade. The athlete's sportwear is quite simple with blue color base and five-color gradient stripping lines at the front. The stripping goes from upper right to lower left of the clothe. The bottom shorts have 2 options, plain blue or plain black colored shorts. For the swimming, the men will be wearing a six-color speedo in a patchwork pattern while the women wearing a swimsuit with a similar pattern as the shirt. The different is on the stripping where the stripping on the swimsuit is not gradient and goes horizontally. For the cyclist and any sports wearing leggings or pants, there is a side stripping on the legs similar to the top which goes horizontally.

For the parade costume, the officials choosing a batik patterned clothes. The men wearing a black based batik pattern shirt with black pants. While the women wear a brown based batik pattern long dress with long jacket. The jacket has the same pattern as the men's shirt. The revelation was welcomed by the sports fans. They mention about the costume going all neutral. They also thoughts that the costume is quite elegant but also not too formal.

So, for everyone who will watch the opening ceremony from the start, please stay tune on the MBU channels. As the official broadcaster, MBU will broadcast the event live for everyone to see.

Olympic Fun Fact of the Day

Rarungan was once planning to be participated in the Summer Olympics as far as the IX edition. However, because of the administration failure they were exempted from the event. They finally made a presence in the Olympics at the XVI edition. If ever they were included in the IX edition, they will become the first amongst the UMS' states to compete in the Olympics.

Related News

Swimming contingent minus 10 events in the Olympics as the athletes failed to qualify. The men's hold the most with 6 missing events including both butterfly events and 2 relays.
4th September 2028

UMS without the Madison entries as all their cyclist failed to qualify
12th September 2028

Interesting group drawing happened in beach volleyball. Rahman/Yasid is in the same group with Da Cunha's pair, Rádić/Dçulhiélmavić who was previously in the same group with Laksana/Gumintang in the qualifying round. While Wedani/Purnami meet again with Gorelova/Grishina of Doubeia who they met in the qualifying round.
12th September 2028

Kristina Amalia praises the hosts for holding the preliminary or qualifying competition before the Olympics proper. She feels that the competition becomes more challenging to be participated in.
10th September 2028

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by **Kelssek** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 9:04 pm

WATER POLO
Both teams through after qualification scares

Fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Kelssek's water polo teams both ensured their presence at the Olympics and the charge for gold remains alive. The men's team came back to win two straight after a loss to Banija in their opening match had tongues wagging of a potential embarrassment, claiming the qualifying spot in their group. The women's team faced a similar early scare, coming back from three goals behind in the fourth quarter of their first match against Uskad, before rolling over United Mandaran States 13-4 to ensure three wins from three.

"When you see strong teams like Britonisea getting knocked out, it's a shock and shows we can't take anything for granted. I think we had a bit of that in our heads, and we had to come together and really commit to each other that we need to live up to what this team represents for the country," said Porter Whittman.

Women's captain Ambre Evrard put it slightly differently but also spoke of the need to build a winning culture. "We've had a lot of nearly-there results in the past, we want to be the group that really establishes ourselves as a dominant force. It starts with the confidence and the right kind of arrogance, that we expect to impose ourselves on any match and opponent and make them respect us".

FOOTBALL (W)

Eowins disappointed as first international coaching foray ends

One Kelssek has already been eliminated, albeit with a different national team. With the elimination of Panay Islands and Guimaras, former Kelssek international Kathy Eowins’s stint as coach of its Olympic women’s football team has come to an end for now, an experience Eowins said has been valuable. While guiding the team to a win against Empire of Kanmer in her Olympic coaching debut, only one team per group can qualify and that turned out to be Deadvlei, who won in her second match in charge to claim that spot.

“Obviously I’m disappointed we weren’t able to qualify for the main event, because they had the ability to make it the Olympics. As a program they have the potential to progress, it was a good experience and if it’s up to them now if they want me around in the future... I'm happy to be returning to my main job at Port City,” said Eowins.

With the Olympic adventure at an end Eowins can now take a short break before the new season, and one Port City fan group has already posted an AI-generated image (right) of Eowins eating popcorn on the touchline as some form of welcome-back message whose full meaning remains mysterious to outsiders.

by **Chromatika** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 9:18 pm

TRYOUTS FOR THE XVIII OLYMPIAD

Men's Archery Tryouts

Ranking Round

Men's Ranking Round
 1 Ji Hyun-Gyeol               674   33    8 Playoffs
 2 Sascha Goodwin              674   32    8 Playoffs
 3 Kristofer Gang              670   32   10 Playoffs
 4 David Earling               670   28    9 Playoffs
 5 Sawyer Olofsson             670   27    8 Playoffs
 6 Blaine Harman               669   28   10 Playoffs
 7 Francis Franz               669   27    8 Playoffs
 8 Patrik Henriksen            666   28    6 Playoffs
 9 Kim Ha-Dol                  662   19    7 Playoffs
10 Abe Herriot                 660   23    5 Playoffs
11 Jolyon Kristofferssen       659   27    6 Playoffs
12 Erling Volkov               658   25    4 Playoffs
13 Vegard Winfield             658   23    6 Playoffs
14 Caleb Ter Avest             658   22    8 Playoffs
15 Vincent Revie               657   24    5 Playoffs
16 Kennet Boer                 656   22    4 Playoffs
17 Kal-El Moulin               655   25    5 Lower Bracket
18 Hrafn Remington             655   24    5 Lower Bracket
19 Valerian Kendrick           653   22    4 Lower Bracket
20 Jakob Leifsson              653   19    1 Lower Bracket
21 Roar Courtney               653   18    5 Lower Bracket
22 Wil Kool                    652   20    4 Lower Bracket
23 Mikael Holtman              646   15    5 Lower Bracket
24 Raven Dodge                 643   19    4 Lower Bracket
25 Lee Dong-Hyuk               641   18    3 Eliminated
26 Farrell Merchant            641   14    5 Eliminated
27 Taavi Lauritsen             640   18    3 Eliminated
28 Austin Plank                640   15    5 Eliminated
29 Gilbert Bulwinkle           628   12    3 Eliminated
30 Yoshimitsu Nylund           621   13    2 Eliminated

Eliminated: Lee Dong-Hyuk (29, Myana), Farrell Merchant (31, Felswyr), Taavi Lauritsen (26, Chromia), Austin Plank (28, Omnio), Gilbert Bulwinker (34, Z'ai'ai), Yoshimitsu Nylund (34, Chromia)

First Round Proper
(1) Ji Hyun-Gyeol 6-0 (29-26, 30-28, 29-28) (16) Kennet Boer
(8) Patrick Henriksen 6-4 (27-28, 29-27, 29-27, 28-29, 29-28) (9) Kim Ha-Dol
(4) David Earling 7-3 (29-29, 27-30, 29-28, 30-26. 29-28) (13) Vegard Winfield
(5) Sawyer Olofsson 5-6 (29-29, 28-27, 28-29, 29-28, 28-30, 8-9 PO) (12) Erling Volkov
(6) Blaine Harman 6-0 (29-26, 30-27, 29-28) (11) Jolyn Kristofferson
(3) Kristofer Gang 4-6 (29-27, 28-29, 27-29, 29-28, 28-30) (14) Caleb Ter Avest
(7) Franciz Franz 6-2 (29-25, 26-28, 29-27, 28-26) (10) Abe Herriot
(2) Sascha Goodwin 0-6 (27-28, 28-29, 28-29) (15) Vincent Revie

First Elimination Round
(16) Kennet Boer 4-6 (28-30, 29-27, 28-27, 26-29, 28-29) (24) Raven Dodge
(9) Kim Ha-Dol 6-2 (29-26, 26-28, 29-25, 28-26) (17) Kal-El Moulin
(13) Vegard Winfield 2-6 (29-27, 26-29, 27-29, 27-28) (21) Roar Courtney
(5) Sawyer Olofsson 6-0 (29-27, 28-27, 29-28) (20) Jakob Leifsson
(11) Jolyn Kristofferson 6-5 (29-28, 28-29, 30-29, 27-29, 10-9 PO) (19) Valerian Kendrick
(3) Kristofer Gang 6-0 (28-26, 29-27, 29-26) (22) Wil Kool
(10) Abe Herrot 2-6 (28-26, 27-29, 28-29, 28-30) (18) Hrafn Remington
(2) Sascha Goodwin 6-2 (29-27, 28-26, 28-29, 29-27) (23) Mikael Holtman

Eliminated: Kennet Boer (31, Myana), Kal-El Moulin (26, Staramara), Vegard Winfield (27, Urrheddiao), Jakob Leifsson (23, Chromia), Valerian Kendrick (25, Wirr Tsi), Wil Kool (24, Alnio), Abe Herrot (30, Chromia), Mikael Holtman (26, Felswyr)

Quarterfinals
(1) Ji Hyun-Gyeol 6-2 (29-27, 28-29, 29-28, 30-29) (8) Patrick Henriksen
(4) David Earling 6-4 (28-27, 28-29, 30-28, 28-29, 29-28) (12) Erling Volkov
(6) Blaine Harman 3-7 (29-29, 28-27, 27-29, 28-29, 29-30) (14) Caleb Ter Avest
(7) Francis Franz 6-2 (29-27, 28-29, 29-27, 29-27) (15) Vincent Revie

Second Elimination Round
(24) Raven Dodge 4-6 (29-27, 28-27, 28-29, 28-30, 27-29) (9) Kim Ha-Dol
(21) Roar Courtney 2-6 (28-29, 28-27, 27-29, 28-29) (5) Sawyer Olofsson
(11) Jolyn Kristofferson 0-6 (28-29, 27-29, 26-29) (3) Kristofer Gang
(18) Hrafn Remington 2-6 (29-27, 28-29, 27-29, 28-29) (2) Sascha Goodwin

Eliminated: Raven Dodge (27, Urrheddiao), Roar Courtney (29, Umbar), Jolyn Kristofferson (22, Z'ai'ai), Hrafn Remington (28, Lhor)

Third Elimination Round
(8) Patrick Henriksen 2-6 (28-29, 28-27, 27-29, 28-29) (2) Sascha Goodwin
(12) Erling Volkov 6-4 (29-27, 29-28, 28-29, 30-29) (3) Kristofer Gang
(6) Blaine Harman 0-6 (28-29, 27-29, 28-29) (5) Sawyer Olofsson
(15) Vincent Revie 2-6 (27-29, 28-27, 28-29, 27-29) (9) Kim Ha-Dol

Eliminated: Patrick Henriksen (31, Lanar), Kristofer Gang (25, Myana), Blaine Harman (28, Alnio), Vincent Revie (24, Chromia)

Qualification Round (Winners Qualify)
(1) Ji Hyun-Gyeol 6-4 (29-28, 29-28, 28-30, 28-29, 30-29) (4) David Earling
(14) Caleb Ter Avest 3-7 (29-29, 29-28, 28-29, 28-29, 27-30) (7) Francis Franz

Qualified: Ji Hyun-Gyeol (24, Tihon), Francis Franz (20, Chromia)

Fourth Elimination Round
(2) Sascha Goodwin 2-6 (29-27, 28-29, 27-29, 28-29) (12) Erling Volkov
(5) Sawyer Olofsson 6-4 (29-28, 28-29, 29-27, 28-30, 29-27) (9) Kim Ha-Dol

Eliminated: Sascha Goodwin (28, Hanai), Kim Ha-Dol (25, Sanar)

Fifth Elimination Round
(4) David Earling 6-2 (29-28, 29-27, 27-28, 29-28) (12) Erling Volkov
(14) Caleb Ter Avest 2-6 (28-29, 29-27, 28-30, 27-29) (5) Sawyer Olofsson

Eliminated: Erling Volkov (27, Tihon), Caleb Ter Avest (24, Chromia)

Final Qualification Round (Winner Qualifies)
(4) David Earling 6-5 (29-28, 28-30, 29-28, 28-29, 30-30, 10-9 PO) (5) Sawyer Olofsson

Qualified: David Earling (27, Felswyr)
Eliminated: Sawyer Olofsson (29, Urrheddiao)

Three Points:

Point One
Ji Hyun-Geol proved once and for all that he is the best Chromatik male archer at the moment. David Earling did give him a run for his money, but the unshakable Ji shot a perfect thirty on the fifth set to qualify first. Francis Franz, on the other hand, had to dogfight every step of his way - including defeating Caleb Ter Avest, who had made such a miraculous run. Franz taking the second spot is a ramp of what his play, which may even culminate in a better showing in the Olympics.

Point Two
It made sense for David Earling to be the third one qualifying for the Olympics. He was the only one to give Ji much of a scare, and the way he hit the dead center in the Playoff shot against Sawyer Olofsson was coldblooded. Earling, the eldest of this new trio to go to the Olympics, has been the traditional rival to Ji this season - and despite a weak Raking Round, he made the run needed to make it to the Olympics.

Point Three
What a disappointing tournament for Blaine Harman and Sascha Goodwin, who had real designs for the Olympics. Harman absolutely melted under pressure in the Third Elimination Round, while Goodwin actually lost in the First Round to Vincent Revie in straight sets before eventually being eliminated by Erling Volkov. They'll have to watch from home insetad.

by **Zenic** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 10:06 pm

"How fun. We should do this for the Winter Olympics as well."

Emperor Cuauhtémoc was leaving Schimpol after having attended the Liventia half of the Opening Ceremony. On the phone with him was Minister of Sports Alaia Dimi, who was over in Hamilton to attend the Electrum half. The Emperor was accompanied by his usual security as well as Ascanio Nicodemo, his Minister of International Affairs while Minister Dimi had been joined by her right hand man, Deputy Minister of Sport Heung Soo-min and their own assigned security.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself. It does make relations easier when you actually attend events like these instead of just sending us," replied Dimi as her entourage began filling out of Hamilton. Both groups were headed away from their respective countries but neither was headed back home to the Empire. Instead, they were one their way west to the region of Oygruppen. There, they would make landfall in Pasarga and head over to Paulinthal to watch Zenic's Round of 32 matchup against fellow Rushmoris, Tikariot. This was expected to a fun but emotional matchup as Tikariot was one of the first nations to take a gamble on Zenician futboleros after returning to international participation. Now, these two nations would need to do battle and prevent the other from achieving glory in order to attempt to gain their own.

"And now you get me for TWO straight events, despite being a busy man! Aren't I just the most accommodating Emperor ever?" The Emperor and Nicodemo both swore later that they could hear the veins popping in Dimi's head. "That's definitely one way of putting it. Anyways, getting back on track with this conversation, we will be landing directly in Paulinthal as they happen to have an international airport there, cutting down on travel time. We will need to double check transit schedules once we're there to make sure we arrive at San Daros on time and beat the rush hour." Nicodemo replied, "Understood. I'll double check with my counterpart in Pasarga and the mayor to see what they would recommend as well." Dimi smiled. "Good thinking."

"Weird. I'm the guy who ended a 20 year conflict and you're the one getting the 'good job' around here," retorted the Emperor. "She know you do a good job, she just doesn't have to say it," Nicodemo said, trying to appease the Emperor, who only gave his Minister a stare before grabbing the phone from his hands and concentrating on boarding the plane. "We're boarding our flight now. We will see you once we get there." The Emperor sat down and decided he needed to say one more thing before hanging up and letting the flight take off.

"Also, please make sure we have full coverage of the Olympics in my office once we get back. It would be bad form of the Emperor to miss a potential historic moment. I foresee great things in our sporting future."

by **Crpostran** » Thu Sep 12, 2024 11:34 pm

[*]OOC Note: All images are from real-life events, credits to photographers & athletes. Using these for the time being as AI-image gen credits are over lol

. Comic Strips taken from https://121clicks.com/funny/funny-single-panel-comics-nate-fakes. AI-image used for the plane & background in the poster, rest are my creations. Enjoy!

by **Panay Islands and Guimaras** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 12:01 am

PANAYENSE PARTY IN THE OPENING CEREMONY
Hamilton, Electrum and Schimpol, Liventia

The official delegation uniform for the 18th Olympics:

The delegates today were wearing the traditional Panay-Bukidnon costumes for the opening ceremony. JD Williamson, himself was really excited for this ceremony, where the participating athletes are having fun before they went on serious mode. Even the other delegation in Liventia has joined the fun. Both Williamson and Vergara joyfully bear the flags for the team. "This is really fun, even if its our first time in the Olympics!", says boxer Mariano Fujiyoshi. "And we're like having fun right?" "I DOOOOO!!!!", says his fellow boxer, Nicolás Im. The Panayenses are amazed by the opening ceremony, even the other delegates in Liventia, were too, got goosebumps. But in the first day, the first athletes in Electrum and Liventia will compete for the Panayense glory for gold. But for now, they made other delegations to dance alongside the Panayense athletes, even the hosts will be dancing along with them.

by **Alezian Union** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 1:14 am

Native Alezians are pretty divided this Olympics. In one side, they're celebrating immensely in one side because more and more Native Alezians are entering the Olympics, AND more and more Native Alezians are qualifying to further rounds. It's not simply about representation, but it's also about proving something about Alezia's mega diversity. And the sports they succeed in is very varied as well. In the past, Native Alezians aren't really cared about and as previously mentioned, their native Pantabang Islands (except the coast and the cities) became a warzone between back then divided North and South Alezia over some civil war that went on again off again. However, since reunification, the Alezian Government treated Native Alezians more seriously and with more respect.

However, Native Alezians are pretty saddened with the elimination of the duo of Rayhan Ma'rufazayn and Iszarul Sre'an Salem. After all, imagine a Native Alezian (along with a North Alezian) getting the FIRST GOLD of the entire edition for the Alezian Union last edition. They immediately gained public popularity and showed the power of the small region of the Pantabang Islands. Surely, the small size packs a punch because other than sports, their music are unmatched too since they are the only region to win the WorldVision Song Contest for the Alezian Union TWICE. How crazy is that? Anyway, the duo gained popularity, invited to Pantabang Islander media. However comes this edition, and they're eliminated early. It was a shock and disappointment for many, but the public sentiments are still immensely supportive of Ma'rufazayn and Sre'an Salem's future in the sport of diving. The duo was pretty disappointed too with rumours even circulating that Sre'an Salem cried when they did poorly back then, probably because he felt that disappointed his family, disappointed his Alika'i, even though that is INTENSELY far away from the truth.

Meanwhile, another sport shocked the Alezian scene: Rugby Sevens. No one in the country expected them to do well, both men and women. They're here to just have fun and play against other countries which both teams desperately needed. However, both men and women's teams qualified, by quite a noticeable margin during their last matches before qualification. The men's team defeated Drawkland 35-5, and the women's team has only lost once during their entire group matches! However, like always, Alezians are very careful before they started screaming ALE-ALE-ALE at everything rugby related and can only see how the Alezian Union do in future rugby matches.

Also quick note to everyone outside of Alezia who are reading this story, including other news outlets, Native Alezian surnames are unique. They either have a Dutch, French, or Native Alezian surname, but after that, they have a CLAN NAME. This came from when the WHOLE of the Alezian Isles were divided into Dadon, Salem, Ancic, and Makarina lines, and that came from there. However, while there are no one with such clan name in this edition, there are rare examples of people combining their clan names, including our hairless sassy friend on the pic: Pantabang Islands himself, aka PI. His full name is Pa'ina Barley Dasic (a combination of all clan names because he represented all lines of the old system). The more you know, right?

by **Liventia** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 1:24 am

Westwood on Schimpol road race: "One of the toughest courses yet"

SCHIMPOL— Beth Westwood knows a thing or two about Olympic Games road races. Why, she won a gold medal in one, back in Novonaya, Kelssek, in the Games of the XII Olympiad 12 years ago.

So who better to believe than the only Liventian cyclist to win Olympic gold on the road than Westwood when she refers to the courses for the road races in Schimpol this year as "one of the toughest yet"?

"It's one of the longest races the women have ever raced," Westwood points out. "A hundred miles is a lot of racing, and going up to the Schimpol Lighthouse Observatory that late into the race could be decisive."

The peloton makes the climb to the lighthouse with under 40km to go, having already climbed twice to Poynter Peak at Mount Lacslan National Park (the hill from which the island's name is thought to derive). "Nearly 1,900 metres of elevation gain is going to be a test for these women. And we have smaller team sizes this year," Westwood adds.

Team sizes for the road races have been reduced to a maximum of four from five previously, making tactics more important. "And don't forget, we don't get race radios in the Olympic Games."

The climbing doesn't end there, though – there's a short but sharp eight-percent climb in the dying kilometres before the finish line, up Jools Street, which the men will also tackle three times at the close of their race.

"If we still have a pack at the front, that's probably when we'll see an attack go away if anyone still has the legs," Westwood notes.

Meanwhile, the men face nearly 250km of racing with over 3200m of altitude increase. While they face the same Jools Street circuit as the women, they will not climb up to the Lighthouse Observatory. Instead, they will climb to Mount Lacslan, the highest point on the island, within the National Park twice – once from each side.

"And," Westwood mentions, "the two passes are so far apart in the race – if you're still in it by the second pass of Lacslon, you're in a very good spot. But if you're not in the lead group and your legs have gone you can forget about it."

Poynter Peak is also summitted by the men early in their race, around the same mark at which the women first do. "That's probably when the break will be let go," Westwood predicts. "But it'll be brought back by the time they climb to Lochaven Peak before the second climb of Lacslan. The favourites won't want to risk the breakaway being clear on the downhill of Lacslan heading back into Schimpol."

And predictions for who'll win?

"I couldn't possibly. These routes are among the most difficult ever raced and you can't tell who'll have the legs on the day.

"It probably won't be the time triallists though! I'm sure they're glad they've got a mostly flat course around Schimpol and have a week to rest after the road race!"

Top to bottom: Men's road race, women's road race, time trial courses

by **A Kea** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 2:06 am

KTV

The broadcast of the two Opening Ceremonies in Hamilton and Schimpol was once again a very successful programme in KTV, reaching up το 77% viewership. The Kean audience watched the spectacle each of the host countries organized, and were eagerly waiting to see the 306 Kean athletes walk in the parade of nations, with Lila and Pithagoras in Hamilton and Evristhenis and Vicky in Schimpol raising our flag high.
As we're bracing ourselves for the first day of the games, we should inform viewers that KTV, the Kean national broadcaster, will dedicate the 3 tv channels (KTV1, KTV2 & KTV3) as well as the online KTV Sports channel to the Olympic events. Kean athletes will be prioritized with their events shown on the main tv channels, when none of them is on, other popular events will be shown like water polo, football and shooting.
Day 1 of the Games will see some Kean athletes start their Olympic attempts, with the ulterior aim of a medal, with boxing, fencing, rugby, tennis, volleyball, rugby, gymnastics and our national sport, shooting commencing in Hamilton, where Kristie Eleftheriou and Manolis Violetzis will be stationed to provide us interviews and further information on the events.
As for Schimpol, Judo, Taekwondo, Triathlon and the event we're mostly looking forward to, swimming will be commencing and broadcast in our channels. Tatiani Dimitriou and Marios Papapetrou will be our correspondents in Liventia.
Replacing Olympic Countdown, we will introduce a new talk show, Olympic Nights, held in our studios right after each day has ended, with Athanasia Karvela and Iordanis Hatzinasios returning as main hosts.

May these Olympics be the most successful ever for our nation. Tune in for all the Olympic coverage by KTV to not miss a single milestone of the Games of the XVIII Olympiad.

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 2:28 am

Tricolour Taegeuk: Days of Future Past

Future - Part 1: Juliette Oleksiak-Collinson [Athletics]
Future - Part 2: Abdullah Ibn Salam [Association Football]
Future - Part 3: Taras Sen [Rhythmic Gymnastics]
Future - Part 4: Princess Adelaide [Sailing]

Past - Part 1: Hannah James-Yim [Swimming]
Past - Part 2: Jin hang-Wook [Volleyball]

Sailing:

In theory, Quebec and Shingoryeo should be the sailing powerhouse, the same way Electrum, Baggieland or the ABEN Union would be. Sailing, after all, is a very important skill to have on a nation whose three sides are surrounded by the Salamantic Strait on West, the Blood Sea up north, and the Grinsham Sea out east. Furthermore the Shingoryeoite Empire, during its heyday in the late-1700s to mid-1900s, was centred around the might of its extensive maritime trade, outstanding manufacturing capacity, and the strength in numbers that involved immense pool of seamen and those involved in the industries. While the Empire has mostly given way into Quebec and Shingoryeo as a solitary kingdom, though the monarch retains the title 'King/Queen-Emperor/Empress', and its former protectorates, colonies and allied states forming the Quebecois Commonwealth of nations, the maritime legacy remains firm with maritime hubs in Prince Eric, Montevicio, Equinox Hill and Dongnae-Halifax County with Twin Cities, Iqaluit and Attawapiskat complementing them where necessary.

Of course, sailing as a skill has definitely shifted far away from sectors where it used to matter, with fishing, military and maritime trade nowadays using options that are faster, more reliable, and most importantly safer in diesel, nuclear and solar fuel. But it doesn't mean that sailing's going away either. If anything quite the opposite is the case with stable, if not slightly growing participation on all levels of competition, entry-level and development programs receiving strong reception and feedback, and national surveys finding sailors to be among tops in athletes' satisfaction. Sailing, while not exactly on vogue when it comes to professional utility, grows its value as a sport taking a greater share of the pie. In ways similar to Kendo and Fencing's firm shift as a sport and not a warcraft exercise - HEMA fans may disagree with this notion, but what do the nostalgia-wankers know about developing a sport internationally? - it is in a fine shape.

This, of course, doesn't mean that Quebec and Shingoryeo is likely to win a sailing medal in the Olympics. Historically Quebec and Shingoryeo has won four sailing medals, which is a moderate haul considering its relative pecking order. What people don't always realise, however, is that two of the medals were won back in 2020 Nassau Bay-Centralis, with the third medal arriving in 2024 Aeropag and the latest one not until six years ago when Zaire-Luca Girardi and Yoon Ye-Rahm won a mixed two-person dinghy bronze in 2062 Afanc Strait-Jolbonopolis. 38 year gap, for what it's worth, is a very long one. Why is that?

Several reasons exist behind this and they have been discussed to the death, though the most important barrier to the sport is its entry barrier. Sailing inherently is an expensive sport with moderate cost of boats and yachts, very expensive maintenance fee, and also licencing required past certain level, not to mention access to a local marina that can get a bit gatekeepy sometimes. What this means is that the sport faces challenge in recruitment of athletically-inclined prospects outside its familiar demographics who already have the means and the materials [literal ships, of course] to carry on. There are other gateways to the sport, of course, with the Royal Quebecois Navy running its successful development programs and many collegiate sailing programs having success in recruiting promising athletes into high-level sailors, but it's something that the sport still lags on the earlier age groups compared to similarly expensive sports such as fencing and shooting that have worked for decades to address the gap with great success, and affects them on the state funding, which tend to prioritise 'sports of the people' more often than not, as well.

In any case, the Tricolour Taegeuk delegation is expected to be fully present for the course of the Olympics, with fourteen athletes set to take part in Schimpol Harbour from the preliminaries to the final day of competition. As with past cycles, the expectations are relatively modest for the Quebecois sailors who have performed decently but not great in the Quebecois Commonwealth Games last year, but have miraculously secured a bronze medal six years ago in Afanc Strait. There is one promising sailor, however, and that is 21-year old Princess Adelaide in kiteboard. A third-generation olympian whose mother, Christine II, also sailed for 2030 Novonaya-Provinsk and 2044 Istria-Orean in mixed multihull event, Princess Adelaide is widely considered to be the most sportive one of Christine II's four children with Prince Caspian of Cassadaigua, a reputation she holds dearly. Princess Adelaide, unlike her elder brother, Alexandre the Prince of Abitibi, is also a private individual who prefers to keep the mild, go-easy reputation neither Christine II nor her late grandfather, former WCoHF and RQOC President Jacques IX, carried. This doesn't mean that the competitive spirit of her ancestors doesn't carry over with her, however, with her drive, especially in 'making up for the disappointments six years ago in the Endemians', considered to be one of her biggest strengths.

The opening ceremony was about eight hours away when Princess Adelaide returned to her hotel room.

She knew it was going to be a very long day for her, who woke up early at six in the morning for breakfast before attending the Shingoryeo House for the morning's events. There she, who had previously accepted the appointment on the last night's meeting with the RQOC Executive Board, was welcomed as the Quebecois co-flagbearer for Schimpol half of the Summer Olympics with Judoka Soh Hyeong-Weon to fanfare, before minor festivities followed. Afterwards, Adelaide went straight to her hotel in hopes that she might be able to catch herself a brief nap, though when she arrived back there, the thought of her sleep went away, only to be replaced by the dreariness and the weariness.

Here we go again, thought she. Even with a full night's sleep, and the opening ceremony still some hours away, Adelaide was feeling nervous, as she found herself looking at the Schimpol Harbour where hundreds of yachts dotted the marina. I'm lucky, but now I actually have to follow it up. Can I do it?

It was noticeable to her, a natural sailor, how significantly fewer ships were around each passing day of the preliminary round, some of those departing including her own teammates who did not progress through the extra preliminary round. Now Adelaide wasn't affected by the preliminaries - being a comfortably among top 25-ranked kiteboarder in the Multiverse had its positives after all - but second-time Olympian, on her own volition, still came to Schimpol weeks in advance like the rest of her teammates did.

Multiple reasons existed for her to come so early, them ranging from camaraderie, public commitments as a member of the royal house [and a possible RQOC Chair in decades' time] and all the reasons so typical. There was one reason she didn't tell people, however, and that was the opportunity to avoid most news from home. Being a public individual, especially a royalty, had meant that she wasn't exactly given a lot of options as to when she could avoid hearing or discussing them, so an opportunity like the Olympics and the Quebecois Commonwealth Games, where it's easier to drown the figurative noise out to be replaced by literal noise of who's-and-who's respective placements and anecdotes both live and online, was mildly relieving.

It was then that her silence was broken, right as her mother, Christine II, entered her room. 'It's happening, isn't it?' said Christine, deeper, alto register of her voice enough to bring Adelaide back to focus. Adelaide turned around right away, facing the Queen who was dressed on a neat, dark suit and her favourite red scarf, which carried traditional Petrogradian patterns.

'Mummy,' answered Adelaide, as she tried her best to straighten her Team Quebec tracksuit and pants. Unlike Christine, who had a great sense of fashion inherited from her grandmother the Queen Mother Elisabeth, Adelaide wasn't a particular stickler of what to wear. Being a sportsperson, especially one handling rough currents with bare minimum like a kiteboarder would, had meant that convenience and utility was to be valued. 'You came earlier than expected.'

'Yes,' was all that she said, as Christine spoke to Adelaide with the worrying look on her eyes. Her decision to speak through glare immediately had Adelaide realise that it was something of serious nature. Normally, unless they were in a private capacity, especially in the Daemyeonggoong Palace or the Thetford Castle, Christine made sure to communicate directly and with words. That's something that Christine, who was used to decades of disagreements and tension between two Queen Mothers growing up, made it clear with her husband and children.

Sometimes, exceptions would exist, but they usually came on urgent times, so for this to come up right now suggested that Christine wanted to talk to her daughter about something more personal - that being the deathbed of Christine's longtime friend, legendary ecrivain Asher Lundrigan, the 1st Earl Lundrigan of Battersea Woods.

'He's on his last days, isn't he?' Adelaide asked, as Christine gave her a light nod. Adelaide's face then slowly turned red, as Adelaide realised in a measure of shame that over the past two weeks, she had automatically blocked out of her whatever the news regarding the dying Earl, whose daughter and Alexandre's partner, Claire Lundrigan, happened to be one of her closest friends. How could I call myself a friend at this moment... thought she, as Adelaide briefly imagined Claire and her mother, singer-songwriter Plongeon, on their deathbed.

'It's always hard to lose a friend, as I did when your grandfather died,' Christine answered, the Queen trying her best to rein in the emotions of her voice. 'But it does hurt, isn't it?'

Adelaide didn't answer rightaway, perhaps afraid that she might say something regrettable in the presence of her mother. Through her friendship with Claire Lundrigan, which began at the Avon-Gillespie School four years back, and her relationship with Alexandre, Adelaide was more than familiar with what brought the Queen and the so-called The Writer of Taewha Era close back in their university days. They were both well-read, literary figures who saw beyond the normalcy and into the supernatural and the inevitable, and while no romance had ever been considered by them with Christine already with Caspian and Asher missing his ex-partner, they shared so much that at this moment, the shared grief extended beyond the Lundrigans' Silverhills estate and may as well have transported to Joongyeong and here, affecting both of them.

She eventually drew a sigh, and looked back at her in agreement. 'In shame I have no face to keep, mummy,' answered Adelaide, trying to keep her frank.

'I didn't ask for that,' Christine answered back to her daughter, as her look sharpened to suggest disagreement. The two-time Olympian, after all, knew the weight of the world Adelaide was holding, as well as her desire to avoid the news from home. 'There's nothing you and I could do at this point. The best we could do is to pray for him, and his bewretched wife, in what would be the last days of his life right now, and also to pray for his children.'

'Yes,' answered Adelaide, as she quietly grasped her hands together to lightly gesture a prayer.

Christine's interests weren't so much about the prayer, however, as her gaze remained firm, almost in an instructional manner. 'Addy, please understand that you will not be flying back, in under any circumstance involving this, for when his funeral comes. Your competition may not start until Day twelve, but this does not excuse you from the expectations in the ways likewise applied towards others.'

Adelaide, immediately stung back by how rigid and even cold her mother sometimes was, slightly moved back. 'Mummy,' she said to indicate surprise. 'How could I not attend it even if it's for short while-'

'This is the order, a state directive issued with approval by Lord Lundrigan, that you will not return until your duties with the Team Quebec is completed at the end of the Olympics,' Christine answered with firm conviction, wasting no time in delivery. 'There will be no more word about this, Adelaide Marie.'

by **Kanmer** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 2:48 am

Ritsport is still experiencing technical problems, and again, the Ritsport redaction was not able to issue a report about the performance of the Kanmerin athletes. The redaction of Ritsport hopes that all those technical difficulties would be fixed by tomorrow, so all Imperial sport fans might rejoice and read about the Olympic delegation.

BRIEFLY.

The main stage of the Games is about to start, and 67 nations from all around the multiverse participated in the Opening Ceremony, including Kanmer. The initial squad of Harugwahandirs (flag-bearers) remained unchanged. In Hamilton, Ranmir Dantagain, whose team successfully passed the qualification, held the Gainkar (Kanmerin flag), and in Schimpol, the same was done by Ulyana Reisen, who didn't need to participate in the qualifying rounds.
Unlike the last year, the Enlightened Emperor Damian I Rinmein attended the Opening Ceremony in Hamilton and greeted the Kanmerin athletes, praising their determinance and patriotism.

MAIN HOPES FOR DAY 1:
Badminton: Darinka Sutenkar
Fencing: Enilian Delhain, Maksim Noregin, Paulina Korinka, Amalina Surkodara
Artistic Gymnastics: Wasil Wirpalin
Shooting: Petr Kirinsen, Makar Senrensen, ULYANA REISEN
Judo: Rika Senkar

It is only the first day of the games, but a plenty of strong athletes would lready fight for the medals, including stars like Paulina Korinka, Wasil Wirpalin and even the Harugwahandir Ulyana Reisen. The redaction of Ritsport wishes good luck to them.

Imperial women's hockey team got the same results as Polkopia, but failed to qualify... by a random draw. They will miss the Olympics just because they are unlucky.

Ranmir Dantagain holds Gainkar at the Opening Ceremony in Hamilton.

by **Electrum** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 3:06 am

DAY 1 CUTOFF

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 6:56 am

The big hope in Schimpol and Hamilton for the athletes in green and blue: the canoeing team.

Broadly, there are two disciplines: slalom and sprint. Within those, there are C-events (canoes) and K-events (kayaks). There are different vessels in canoeing and kayaking (kayaks have rudders!), but the most striking difference is that a kayak's paddle has a blade on each end while a canoe's paddle has a single blade, which requires the athlete to quickly alternate left-right to propel themselves. The Sprint takes place on calm waters and is about quickly travelling a distance along a straight line. Any other numbers tell you the distance (200, 500, 1000 metres) or the number of athletes in one vessel (1, 2, or 4). The Slalom takes place in so-called white water - turbulent waters with turbulent flows and quick currents. There, athletes have to complete a course marked by gates to paddle through or around, with penalties for not making it through properly. Within Slalom, a special event - the Kayak Cross - is much like regular slalom except multiplayer.

Among the women is a medal winner at the previous Olympics: Suevia Miramontes, in the sprint C-1. Two colleagues who got close but left without a prize were Mitsuula (4th) and Troncoso (5th). As for the men: they got close, but couldn't get on the podium: Lavelle, Cueto, Nisato, and Vigneault all had a fourth place, and all of them are back with a mission.

The slalom qualifiers were in Edihlbahl, the city alone has several stretches that are up to Olympic standards, and it's clear that the field was more competitive than last time - though it still wasn't exactly a massive field. The sprint qualifiers were held at multiple points in the year, and their field was massive. The Ilohilwelutulo Olympic Academy qualifiers were held on the lakes outside Berelmurau in central Ko-oren and attracted a crowd for the dozens of prospective Olympians, among them a few we might see in the future, and many who were there because they couldn't let go of the sport just yet. The smaller, but more competitive preparatory events were near the Alahrenna-Ethena Olympic Academy, the home of Sakisaka, Nisato, and not far from where Mitsuula and Kanmuli grew up - yes, they would eventually make the switch to the slalom, but got their start on the pristine waters off the Ehnkumoh coast.

In the preliminary events, we've seen a bit of Vigneault, Kanmuli, Daoust, and Mitsuula - they didn't look 100% ready yet, but they comfortably survived the days before the opening ceremony.

That said, we're also expecting a lot from our road and track cycling, as well as decent cover across the various gymnatics disciplines, and we're hoping that our young Judo programme might already pay off. And of course, the team sports should yield us something - though our expectations might be well beyond what's reasonable - with especially hockey where we should be title contenders already. As for sailing: despite the series between the eastern islands in order to progress the scene, unfortunately we're not seeing enough development translating into medal chances. Energy has largely gone towards canoeing over sailing. After all that: don't count out the fencing team entirely - much like Judo, there are some dark horses there, and if you're feeling great on the right days, who knows what happens.

Speaking of our chances in hockey: both teams made it through the qualifiers with ease: the men won both of their games - 2-1 over Lisander, 3-1 over Tero al Disco - the women won 2-0 over Uskad and 2-1 over Katzeburg. They're not massive wins, but they're enough. Vleugelalk was involved in three out of five goals for the men's side - the other two goals being penalty corners - further stressing how vital he is to the creative and offensive output of the team. The women, with three out of four goals coming from penalty corners, are in mid-season form from the top of the circle already. So far, both teams managed to get this far while focusing fully on their own strengths, but from now on there will be mitigations as weaknesses must be covered as the tournament progresses.

by **Magnus Phoenicia** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 8:05 am

MP||VIBRGOLD

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HAMILTON- The Magnus Phoenician Olympic Committee found itself in turmoil just days before the anticipated and highly watched opening ceremonies in Electrum and Liventia.

The unexpected departure of golfer Sidd Patel during the qualification rounds left the Magnus Phoenician Olympic Committee scrambling to fill the prestigious role of flag bearer. Just days before, Patel had been announced as one of the stars honored with carrying the flag into Hamilton Stadium for the opening ceremony. This sudden turn of events has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the delegation's preparations, throwing them into a dilemma as they searched for a new flag bearer.

Sidd Patel was originally chosen as flag bearer due to victorious results across all national golfing tournaments, over the last 5 years he has been the one to beat.

Sidd Patel is a regular participant in the Olympic Games, relentlessly pursuing his ultimate goal of clinching a medal, much like Ahab's pursuit of the White Whale in Moby Dick.
The number one Magnus Phoenician golfer failed to progress after finishing in 85th place, signalling his exit from the event

As the clock ticked down in the lead up to the opening ceremony, the search for a new face to lead the nation into the Games intensified with Olympic Federation President: Kim Na-gil
naming number two seed Harpreet Singh at the eleventh hour.

Golfing Federation President James Franklin expressed his delight at the Olympic Committee's decision to appoint Hardeep Singh as the new co-flag bearer for the Hamilton; Electrum opening ceremony.

“It is a tremendous honour that the committee has chosen to replace Patel with someone as talented as Hardeep Singh,” Franklin began, his voice proud. "Singh embodies the spirit of golfing excellence. I am confident he will represent the golfing community and the entire nation with grace.”

Several Federations criticised the decision. Leading the criticism was Athletics MPA, Federation President Tania English and Gymnastics Phoenicia President Olivia St Cloud said in a joint statemen.

“Golfing has never won a medal at an Olympic level. Whereas Athleticss and Gymnastics have a proven record of winning medals of every shade. To overlook both sports to represent the nation as a flag bearer is a disgrace and a slap in the face to the hard work and dedication of athletes of those sports “

One might assume that after the Olympic flag bearer debacle was finally settled, Team Magnus Phoenicia could enjoy a smooth evening. But, oh, how wrong you would be.

Just as the dust seemed to settle and the athletes began their opening ceremony marches into Hamilton and Schimpol glistening like a purple and gold army in their eye popping uniforms in front of a jam packed stadium.

Magnus Phoenicia's Olympic commentator for The Purple & Gold Channel, Hank Hendricks, found himself in an awkward spot. Three times, Hendricks excitedly identified the flag bearer as Sidd Patel, the original choice, despite Patel having been replaced by golfer Harpreet Singh just days prior.

Social media lit up faster than free cake disappearing at a Weight Watchers convention. The reactions ranging from playful memes, outright confusion and questioning if Hendricks was racist.
Many theorised Hendricks had missed the memo.

Harpreet Singh, who was blissfully unaware proudly leading the delegation alongside co-flag bearer Kim Bong-Cha, marched on with the flag his face beaming with pride, unfazed by the commentator's mix up, capturing the spirit of the moment and packed stadium.

Sidd Patel was quick to take to his VibrGold social media account posting;

MP Empire Party Senator Chad Patel posted,

While making a light joke of the identification flub, Senator Patel of the Centre-Left MP Empire Party, called for an apology for the error from Hank Hendricks, and called on the television station is replace him with someone with better eye sight and whose more cultural sensitive.

People are encouraged to head over to the official Magnus Phoenicia Olympic Delegation page and post their thoughts. The thread has already had 3, 400 posts in regards to the identification blunder.

by **Waisnor** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 11:24 am

Not much, but it's honest work

On this day, Olympics actually and officially began for Waisnor with medals now on the line. But sadly, no medals would be won by Waisnorian athletes. But if we are talking about qualifications, there were some great results with a lot of hopes for successful performances in next stages:

One of these great qualification results was from Valentina Kuntush, who represented Waisnor in women's K-1 heats in canoe slalom. Kuntush is a new person to the canon scene in Waisnorian sport, but she already made her name known in national tournaments, alreadty showing great results and getting her place in these Olympics. More to that, Waisnor didn't exactly show good results in canoe slalom before, mostly sticking to traditional version of canoeing. And so, Valentina was determined to change that and to make Waisnor completely set on canoe slalom, especially after Arina Borisova's silver medal in Paris 2024 in the same discipline. Sadly her first run wasn't very promising - in addition to Kuntush getting into some turns pretty slowly, she missed several gates, getting her some penalty seconds. In the end, first run got her the result of 101.01 seconds - definitely not enough to get into the next round, much less to contend for medals. But thankfully, there was a second run, and there Valentina would show all her good sides for which she is known for - the turns were now much smoother, no misses with the gates, and finally, her speed in other segments was incredible. Such improvement from her first run was greatly appreciates, mostly in the results: much better 93.27 seconds, which catapulted Kuntush from being almost eliminated to the 2nd place in the qualifiers, which left all Waisnorian canoe fans yearning for more from Valentina.

From canoeing we transition to shooting, where we find men's 10m air pistol and Sergey Shepelev, the athlete who is no stranger to these Olympics. He was already present at last ones, getting into the final and getting a respectful 6th place, after which his next appearance at the Olympics was a lock. And so, Shepelev was psyched to get himself another great result at the Olympics, possibly to even get a medal, since he was pretty close to it the last time. But first, to get to the finals, he had to go through the qualifying stages, and since there were only 8 placed in the final out of 70 competing athletes, Shepelev had to already bring his best game. His first round, although, wasn't very noticeable with 97 points out of 100. Considering the worst athlete numbered 92 points, that wasn't much. But when Sergey numbered 98 points in his next 2 rounds, his main good part was seen now - consistency of his performances. When other shooters did manage to do missteps, Shepelev was consistenly shooting up good numbers, which was proven by next 2 rounds after this with 97 and 98 points. Sergey's good results were solidified with the last deciding shootout, in which one missed point could mean elimination from the tournament. Thankfully, Sergey didn't commit any misseps, getting 99 points and setting his foot into the finals, getting there with the very respectable 3rd place, with high hopes for the final.

Other Waisnorian results:
In men's individual archery ranking round Nikolay Veselovsky placed 87th
In the same discipline in women's division Polina Beketova placed 22nd, qualifying into the next round, while Marya Petrenko finished at 93rd
Archery mixed team placed 28th and finished their participation
In men's singles badminton play-in round, Yaroslav Sobolev lost to Luca González from Sargossa
In men's light middleweight play-in round, Bogdan Zhdanok lost to Antonio Wash from Britonisea
Sergey Borovsky reached round 3 in men's individual sabre, in which he lost to Lucas Arenhart from Lisander, while Evgeniy Kulenok reached round 2, where he lost to Bretnil Urvoathil from Diarcesia
Liliya Khodkevich placed 17th in women's 400m freestyle heats
In woman's road race in cycling, Lyudmila Kulagina placed 15th and Faina Vishnyakova was 83rd
Elena Potapenko in judo women's 48kg reached round of 16, where she lost to Málimira Bencqić from Da Cunha Islands
In men's 58kg tournament in taekwondo, Andrey Tarasenko lost in round of 16 and qualified for repechage, where he was defeated by Kabonero Mwesezi of Banija

Random Waisnorian tweets about Olympics:

by **Da Cunha** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 12:52 pm

The stream countdown reaches zero. The screen fades into a view of what looks like a poolside bar counter with a small, but quite well ornamented pool behind it, slightly out of focus.

A jaunty tune starts up. It sounds familiar to regular watchers, but it has been 'Match of the Day-ified' a bit.

Voiceover: "Live from several stories high in Hamilton, Electrum... It's"

THE 18TH SUMMER OLYMPICS WITH (MOST OF) THE GOLÑUČÁVCA SISTERS

Phátima strolls in from right of camera, while Innozénza appears from below the counter in a way that makes it very clear she was just lying down on her chair.

I: "Hello, hello and hey everyone, old and new!"

P: "And we can see there are quite a lot of You who are new today, so I guess that little stunt at the opening ceremony worked. Before anyone asks: No, we were not escorted off the premises, we were there legitimately."

I: "Yep. Turns out if the main broadcaster doesn't claim the booth, anyone with a press card can get it. Of course, our 'friends' at NRDU-1 has claimed it back today, so..."

P: "Luckily, we came prepared, and we will host the rest of the Olympics from right here, inviting the best of guests and covering the best of events from poolside, enjoying a summer like a summer should be enjoyed."

I: "Of course, today being day 1, not a lot happened, and to be honest, most of the medaling events were without any of our girls and guys in it. Our first medal of the games was a silver in the men's 58kg Taekwondo, won by Demír Cargúxivać after a whole string of dominant wins all the way through to the final, where he was then sat down pretty quickly."

P: "Yeah, it was a bit of a bummer to end it on, because while Demír had not been quick to any of his wins, he'd been very patient all of the rounds, he was pretty much ring out immediately at all opportunities against his opponent from Barkhastan, some guy named Karataev."

I: "Well, I mean, it's Barkhastan, aren't they good at that whole martial arts thing, generally? As a nation?"

P: "I think that's stereotyping, Zenzi, but Karataev was certainly a much more experienced combatant. Still, you know, silver! First medal of the games, off to a start."

I: "But not exactly a great start... I don't even wanna talk about Benedét Ósmeć and Grigório Léneć... Man, everytime a letdown. The sports we really cared about in Da Cunha where we were in the mix today was... What... Beach Volley and Handball? Maybe a bit the cycling, where we honestly did okay, cycling... You just get lost in the mix if you aren't at the top of the game, and we weren't, so honestly that was okay..."

P: "Tangent, Zenzi."

I: "Sorry, you're right... But, we cared about the handball and the first beach volley pair, and both of them just... Fall flat. The beach volley guys, they fought, but it just seemed like they weren't prepared."

P: "Playing BV not on a real beach is a bit weird, honestly."

I: "Well, sand is sand, Phátima. The men's handball team were stuck in metaphorical sand, meanwhile, just dropping an absolute stinker against Drawkland. Top scorer was... Abdixmájl Séphić. With 3. Nearly everyone scored, which is neat, but only because they swapped out everything so much because the defense was just Swiss cheese. Drawkland could walk through whenever they desired. I felt for Béncqić in goal so hard... Like, there's only so much you can do when the defense cannot even block shots from halfway to the center line."

P: "Yeah, that goal was particularly rough. He should've caught it, though. Even if the defense was bad, he was just not focusing."

I: "I think everyone watching had tuned out as well, because it was just sad, really."

P: "Hopefully it's just nerves. I was personally more concerned by how difficult it was for Rinatdína Bacqać to win her first singles game. She's the 4th seed. Going into tiebreaks already now is gonna be bad in future rounds. Sure, she won both of them, but..."

I: "That game was just double fault-city all day. I dunno if there was wind that they hadn't prepared for or something, but none of the serves were landing right, it was just plain weird. As you say, Rinatdína fought through, but if there's something about the courts, surely the tennis union should've prepared everyone for it."

P: "Call me a subversive, but I don't have great faith in the national sports unions to prepare competently."

I: "Well... Should we end on a positive note for now, before we move on to the rest of the day's entertainment?"

P: "Yeah, I mean, ultimately, it's just sports, and we are disappointed because we care. There were loads of performances to be proud of, even though they weren't close to the finals. The men's 4x100 meter freestyle team did great. We didn't expect them to get to a final, but they did. Were they the slowest qualifier by a mile? Did they get blown out on the final? Yes. But they fought and they came close to a national record, thanks especially to Íxlam Jácupić swimming his heart out on the first leg."

I: "And of course, we have two people in swimming finals coming up in a few days: Zorána Tsérić-Spáho in the women's 100m butterfly and Grígor Dracosvárić in the men's 100m breaststroke. So yeah, you know, some opportunities there; we are an aquatic nation after all. Loads to look forward to still."

P: "Including on our channel right here. This has been our daily round-up. We'll be back several times during each day, live-streaming our reactions to some of the highlights of the day as they happen, and of course special guests among the athletes. No one today, though: We have promised to not interrupt preparations by dragging people all the way up here."

I: "But we guarantee we'll get the inside scoop on prep, feelings and true reactions better than you'll see it on cable, so stay tuned and we'll get you into the hearts, minds and changing rooms of all you favourite athletes! We'll be back soon! Phórza Da Cúnha!"

The jaunty music begins again. Innozénza simply leans back and dives backwards into the pool behind them. Phátima looks alarmed.

P: "...What was that third thing?"

by **Kannap** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 12:58 pm

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

What it Feels Like to Finish 4th
By: Elliott Wiltzel

There was a lot of excitement during the first day of the Olympics in Electrum and Liventia today. Naturally, my eyes were drawn to a few athletes more than any others: the Kannapians that finished in fourth place in their medal events. There are a few events that had medal events today, and some saw Kannapians place that high in the competition. In the women's street skateboarding event, Marianne Lee placed 4th. In the mixed rifle team shooting event, Karen Hutton and Jacob Borsholt placed 4th.

What interests me about these circumstances is the positioning of these athletes and how that makes a person feel. Is there a difference in how a person is left to feel after finishing in 4th place rather than 3rd place? That is exactly what I wish to explore. Naturally, one assumes that there is a bit of disappointment in finishing fourth and barely missing the medal podium. Is an athlete more excited or disappointed to finish so close to the podium with earning a spot on it? I got the chance to speak with all three of these athletes for their perspective on their competitions and their finishes. Here are the questions I asked them and their responses.

How do you feel after your competition?
Marianne Lee: "I'm on top of the world. I'm here in Electrum competing in the Olympics and representing my home. I'm happy and I hope my friends and family back home are proud of me and happy with me."

Karen Hutton: "I'm happy to be a part of all of this. Kannap has returned to the Olympics and Jacob [Borsholt] and I nearly won a medal on the first day!"

Jacob Borsholt: "It's a good day. We came out here to win and we came very close. It's exciting just to be here competing amongst the best in the world."

Are you disappointed to have finished fourth instead of medaling?
Karen Hutton: "There is a bit of disappointment, of course, but it's miniscule compared to the pride I'm feeling right now. Jacob and I came out here and we did our absolute best and nearly won a medal. We both have other events we're competing in during the coming days and it's very possible that one or both of us win a medal still. So, to answer your question, there is a very tiny amount of disappointment but we came fourth at the Olympics, that's a huge accomplishment."

Jacob Borsholt: "Of course I'm disappointed, that's natural. We came here to win and we failed to accomplish that goal today. But that goal is still in the air, I still have events that I can compete in and the same goes for Karen. We both did our utmost best and that's all there is to it. There were three better teams out here today and I commend them for it."

Marianne Lee: "Fourth place is great. I suppose people back home will see my finish and think it's terrible that I came in fourth and that I'm probably feeling miserable about it. I'm sure there's some people who are even suggesting if I did this differently or that a little better or did this trick instead then I would have medaled, but it does no good to fret over any of that. The thing is, I'm here at the Olympics with some of the best skateboarders in the world and I finished fourth. Hell, in qualifying I finished 7th out of the eight who made it to the final. So that I finished fourth amongst the same eight shows that I did things right. I don't need a medal to show that I accomplished something here today, and besides, there's always next Olympics."

Would have you preferred to medal?
Jacob Borsholt: "What a stupid fucking question, of course I would have preferred to medal."

Karen Hutton: "Did you ask Jacob that question? I'm sure he got his point across about it. I have nothing to add to that."

Marianne Lee: "I feel like I already answered that question, but no, I'm at peace with where I placed and I'll learn and grow from there. I'll try again at the next Olympics and we'll see what happens then."

Do you have any regrets about your competition, is there anything you'd change if you could go back and do it again?
Karen Hutton: "I can't go back and do it again, so I'm not going to entertain a hypothetical. Our bronze medal match-up was actually quite close each round and I commend Anna Pamvaki and Demitres Yokas, they certainly earned that bronze medal and I'm proud of them."

Jacob Borsholt: "If I could have shot better, that probably would've been fucking nice. Are you going to ask any good questions or should I find somebody else to talk to?"

Marianne Lee: "I don't regret anything. It doesn't help to look back over my performance and try to fantasize about what I could've done differently to win a medal. I'm proud of my performance and fourth place is fine by me."

Closing Thoughts
Well, there you have it. My interest in what it looks like to finish fourth was answered by three of our best athletes who did just that today. I had a few more questions for them, but I figured I shouldn't try to anger Jacob any further. Is there a difference in how a person is left to feel after finishing 4th place rather than 3rd? It does seem that there may be more disappointment in the former, but is it not also true that a person winning bronze may be more disappointed than a person winning silver? It seems to me that the more important element is how a person personally views it. Marianne Lee, for example, seems very happy with her finish regardless. Karen Hutton and Jacob Borsholt seemed to be a bit disappointed but still hopeful for their other events during the coming days. There is no clear answer on what it's like to finish in fourth, because it's different for everybody.

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