
KELSSEK'S SPORTS NEWS CHANNEL
Overview: Sports in Kelssek
Kelssek does not have a national sport and periodic suggestions that one should be named very quickly get shot down by fans of other sports. That said, ice hockey (just "hockey") and rugby union (just "rugby") are clearly the two most popular spectator sports in the country. Association football, which can be called either football or soccer interchangeably in Kelssek as there isn't another form of "football" to confuse it with, and water polo are the other two sports with professional leagues and a wide following. The ten most-played sports in terms of registered participants in organized competition are, in order, swimming, soccer, rugby, hockey, water polo, curling, ultimate, tennis, basketball, and alpine skiing.
Sports governance is largely in the hands of civil society. The Kelssek Olympic Committee is responsible for participation in the Olympic Games and is probably the most influential association, alongside the associations which govern the country's most popular sports either to watch or play: Kelssek Hockey Association, Kelssek Rugby Federation, Aquatics Kelssek, Football Kelssek, and Kelssek Alpine. Having participated in every edition of the Olympics since the 2nd cycle, Kelssek has won the most overall number of gold and total Olympic medals. At the Olympics, its traditional strengths are in alpine and freestyle skiing, biathlon, judo, swimming, water polo, rowing, and canoeing. Prospective national athletes as nominated by their sport federation are eligible to receive government stipends, and many sports outside the main professional four have national team programs for training and competition.
The organization of competitive youth and amateur sport is primarily club-based, with inter-schools and university competition also playing an important but secondary role. Youth sport participation is heavily subsidized to encourage accessibility regardless of a family's economic means. That said, cycling, tennis, golf, and rowing are culturally regarded as somewhat elitist and less accessible sports (although notably, not skiing, as it's a very common activity given the country's geography).
Notable national team facilities
Swimming Kelssek National Centres of Excellence: Kingstown, Neorvins, Langlois
Federal Institute for Sport, Neorvins: basketball, field hockey, tennis, figure skating
Federal Institute for Sport, Alavaria: bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, freestyle skiing
Skate Kelssek Centre for Excellence, Coldwater (Etnier)
International competitions
The country has hosted some of the world's biggest international events: the 5th Summer Olympics (Outineau), the 12th Summer Olympics (Novonaya & Provinsk, Vekaiyu), the 4th Winter Olympics (Alavaria), football's World Cup 46, World Cup of Hockey (five times), Rugby World Cup (three times), and the inaugural World Aquatics Championships.
Kelssek has the world's most successful men's water polo team (5 Olympic titles) and joint-most successful women's water polo team (2 Olympic titles). The country has won two Rugby World Cups, one World Cup of Hockey, and football's Cup of Harmony once.
Further reading
National teams: football | hockey | rugby | water polo
Kelssek at the Olympics - a work-in-progress listing Kelssek's Olympic medallists