sport. An International Sporting Magazine

Gunnish City of Ayr to Host Winter Stephanitics
sport.

AYR. This is not your typical Gunnish city. With glass skyscrapers and Xinhaiese takeout, it is a booming financial center at the base of the Arundel Mountains, and the progressive capital of the Arundel region.

But the Winter Stephanitics will be all about showcasing Gunnish traditions. The northern Germania kingdom is a powerhouse in the biathlon, cross-country skiing, and, of course, curling. "The Winter Stephanitics are a great venue to showcase our northern sporting traditions," says John MacDougall Caldwell, who like most Gunns takes his middle name from his clan. The MacDougall Caldwells are serious about competitive skiing: John is the grandson of legendary cross-country skiier of a same name.

National rosters are coming out in the next few days. Likely enough we will see old powerhouses like Kadikistan, the Scanian countries, and the big Gallian sporting powers. But fans are also looking to see how the up-and-coming countries will fare.

Winter Stephanitics Begin Friday in Controversial Opening Ceremonies
sport.

AYR. The opening ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Stephanitics will go forward as planned Friday, GSOC organizers said, despite criticism. Conservative Gunnish politicians objected that the ceremonies would celebrate the progress of women's rights and the business boom in the northern city of Ayr, rather than Gunnish history in general. Ayr is part of the autonomous Arundel region, which has much stronger free speech codes than the rest of the northern kingdom.

Over the weekend, the first medal events will be men's and women's downhill and slalom Alpine skiing, featuring a field of athletes from nine countries (confirmed): Bergenheim, Bourgogne, Caledonia, East Gouw Marken, Eiffelland, Elben, Geotri, Gunnland, and West Gouw Marken. "We know the cross country and biathlon powerhouses," said John MacDougall Caldwell, Sr., whose son John Jr. is the foremost Gunnish cross-country skiier, "but alpine/downhill is really wide-open this year."

Next will come speed skating, where a smaller field of countries will compete. Caledonia has emerged as a powerhouse in speed skating: on the men's side, especially, Artur MacAnndra is heavily favored. In women's speed skating, the Eiffellandians, Gunnish, and Markenese will try to compete against Caledonian dominance.

Stephanitics Ice Hockey Tournament Schedule Announced
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AYR. No sport is more highly anticipated at the coming Winter Stephanitics than ice hockey. The tournament schedule has been released, with Kadikistan and Bourgogne in the top seeds, as expected. Men's hockey lovers know, however, that fans in Caledonia, Geotri, and East Gouw Marken each imagine their teams to be the best in the world, or close. All the games will be played at the Colquhoun Ice Arena in downtown Ayr.

The women's tournament will be a six-team format. (3)East Gouw Marken will play (6)Geotri on Saturday evening, followed by (4)Caledonia versus (5)Eiffelland on Sunday. The winner of Saturday's game will attempt to upset heavily favored (1)Kadikistan on the following Tuesday afternoon. The winner of Sunday's will face perennial favorite (2)Bourgogne.

The men's tournament will feature eight teams: (1)Bourgogne, (2)Kadikistan, (3)Caledonia, (4)Geotri, (5)East Gouw Marken, (6)Elben, (7)West Gouw Marken, (8)Gunnland, and will begin later in the competition.

First Medals Awarded at Winter Stephanitics; Women's Hockey Starts
sport.

AYR. The bagpipes played "Auld Lang Syne," and Gunnland's winningest stephanitian, the cross-country skiier John MacDougall Caldwell, lit the stephanitic torch. The opening ceremonies stirred controversy for attempting to show another side of Gunnland, especially on international broadcasts: a country of poets and writers, open to new economic opportunities, proud of its progress on women's issues. The modern dance choreography earned a few boos from the crowd, but for the most part the opening ceremonies evinced traditional Gunnish tastes. There were lots of bagpipes, a military tattoo, and even the modern dance drew heavy inspiration from the cèilidhean.

This morning, the games began. The first event at Colquhoun Ice Arena brought a first surprise, with Andreas Grüniger (Eiffelland) taking gold in men's speed skating, defeating heavily favored Hassan Limitev (Kadikistan) and Artur MacAnndra (Caledonia) -- the latter two winning silver and bronze, respectively.

Up in the mountains, at Kennaquhair, there were no real surprises in women's downhill. Cait Grannda (Caledonia) won gold. Angela Schildkraut (Geotri) and Margot Beisner (Eiffelland) rounded out the podium in a tight field.

In women's ice hockey, East Gouw Marken (3) defeated Geotri (6), 4-0. Nele Doorens scored a hat trick for the winning side, and Gertie Zeveraars netted an additional goal. Coach Kris Stooten called the victory "a strong statement" to the world that the Markenese women can play with the best in the world, even though they are "overlooked" by the hype for traditional women's hockey powerhouses Kadikistan and Bourgogne. EGM faces a strong Bourgogne team next week that advanced to the semifinal with a bye. Tomorrow, (4)Caledonia faces off against (5)Eiffelland for the right to play in the other semifinal against Kadikistan.

Pairs figure skating and men's slalom also take place tomorrow.

Eiffelland Takes Lead in Medal Count; Gunnish Hosts Win First Gold
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AYR. Figure skating began with the pairs competition at Colquhoun Ice Arena, one of the most popular sports with the television audience. Caledonians Màrtainn Tod and Caitlin MacNìll upset the heavily favored Kristof Dezanger and Kristel Scheve in pairs' figure skating to take yet another gold medal for the Scanian country. Eiffelland's Achim Lorig and Hedy Pall rounded out the podium with bronze.

At Kennaquhair, Gunnland won an unexpected medal -- and a gold at that -- when Timothy Porter won men's slalom. The favorite, Bernd Raich of Eiffelland, won the silver. And Reinhold Martin of Elben won that country's first medal, a bronze.


Before the figure skating, (4)Caledonia defeated (5)Eiffelland 2-1 in women's ice hockey. Marsail Smios netted the winning goal in the final minute of regulation to avoid overtime. Eiffellandian goalie Christiane Hechner fought back tears in a postgame interview, saying she felt like she "let down" the Eiffellandian women, who dominated time of possession and shots on goal. The Caledonian victory sets up a semifinal with Kadikistan, while East Gouw Marken plays Bourgogne.

After the initial weekend and four of twenty-four medal events, Eiffelland leads the medal count (4), while Caledonia leads the gold medal count (2).

Eiffelland, Caledonia Tied at 5 Medals; Kadikistan Surges By Dominating First Ski Events
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AYR. Kadikistan struck gold three times yesterday in a powerful statement of the team's strength, and now leads Caledonia (2) the gold medal count. Vladmira Uvarov skated away from the pack in women's speed skating at Colquhoun Ice Arena, while Trees Tentzeil of East Gouw Marken edged Edith Reich of Eiffelland for silver.

At the slopes near Kennaquhair, Ivar's eyes were smiling when Tijana Volonski won women's skijumping and became the first woman to jump 200 meters. Jolien Vanginder of East Gouw Marken won silver and Mathilde Bernice of Bourgogne rounded out the podium for the grand duchy's first medal of these games.

Nearby, Salem Ruslanmanov won the medal race in men's downhill skiing, narrowly beating Nicholas Meyer of Elben, to the great disappointment of the Gunnish crowd. The young, handsome Elbenese skiier won northern Catholic hearts with a KGB-1 interview about his dedication to the Virgin Mary, and seems to have a future in advertising. Frangan Arasgain of Caledonia won bronze, adding to Caledonia's medal haul.
The first medal event at the new Isbre Glacier complex near Purpoole, women's cross country, saw Bourgogne win its first gold. Angela Bizoin recovered from an early crash to out-touch Doirin Ìomharach of Caledonia in a photo finish. Gunnish fans were pleased to see Alexandra and Lucia Caldwell, daughters of stephanitic cross-country legend John Caldwell, place third and fourth, and nearly win two medals for the home country.

Kadikistan Leads Medal Count; Markenese Anthem Snafu; Gunnishwomen Curling Gold
sport.

The medal race tightened, but the real story was West Gouw Marken's first gold in men's skijumping. Klaas Vandaar narrowly edged out heavily favored Radomir Kuc of Kadikistan. In qualifying rounds, the ISOC investigated complaints from Team Gouw Marken (West) of lowball scores from judges representing East Gouw Marken and Kadikistan. But Vandaar's massive jumps wowed the Burgundian, Eiffellandian, and Geotrian judges and secured him the gold. Pierre Lachenz of Bourgogne won bronze.

What should have been a triumphal moment for Gouw Marken (West), which lags far behind the East in medals but now has a coveted gold that the East lacks, was marred by a technical incident. At the medal ceremony in Kennaquhair, as the flag of West Gouw Marken was raised for the first time, the East's anthem "‘t Vrije Volk" was accidentally played instead of "t Lied der Vrijheid." Vandaar appeared agitated, and after thirty seconds, technicians stopped the song and played the correct anthem. The GSOC apologized for the mishap.


In women's curling, the favored home team took gold at Colquhoun Ice Arena, the first for a women's team from Gunnland in these games. Team captain Marguerite MacNeil gave thanks to "God, Gunnland, and Clan MacDougall," and pointedly deflected reporters' questions about what the win might mean for women in Gunnland in particular. Caledonia won silver, thanks to an incredible final throw by Seonag MacUalraig. East Gouw Marken won bronze.

The first event at the new Ayr Slide Center on the outskirts of the city was men's luge. Paul von Braun of Elben won that country's first gold medal, outracing a competitive field. Men's downhill silver medalist Nicholas Meyer, which the Gunnish television broadcaster KGB has an obsession with as a kind of heartthrob, was in the audience to cheer his countryman on to the gold that Meyer was widely expected to win. Alexander Schönfelder of Eiffelland and Nikolai Suzerjev of Kadikistan won silver and bronze, respectively.

Kadikistan, 6 [3G, 3S]
Caledonia, 6 [2G, 2S, 2B]
Eiffelland, 6 [1G, 2S, 3B]
East Gouw Marken, 4 [3S, 1B]
Gunnland, 3 [2G, 1B]
Elben, 3 [1G, 1S, 1B]
Bourgogne, 3 [1G, 2B]
West Gouw Marken, 1 [1G]
Geotri, 1 [1S]

OOC: A list of who wins medals in what, apparently in gentler formatting, here:

Officium Legati + Regnum Marpesiae
Foreign Office + Kingdom of Gunnland

The Kingdom of Gunnland is proud of its friendship with Katholica and the people of West Gouw Marken. ISOC protocol is to play the national anthem submitted by the stephanitic committees. Since the Stephantic Organizing Committee of Gouw Marken (West) submitted "t Lied der Vrijheid," that anthem ought to have been played for Mr. Vandaar. The GSOC is investigating whether the incident is a regrettable mistake or the result of foul play. In either case, it will not be repeated. We salute Kennaquhair staff responded quickly to remedy the situation, but with heavy hearts because of the injuries sustained by the two citizens of West-Markstad.

Elben and Gunnland Split Curling Golds; Caledonia Leads Medal Count
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Snowstorms delayed events on Isbre Glacier and in Kennaquhair, but curling was underway in Colquhoun Ice Arena. In men's curling, Elben and Geotri upset heavily favored Gunnland and East Gouw Marken to win gold and silver, respectively. Geotri's Günter Lauer claimed his team was "overlooked" with the attention given to the strong host nation's team, and "had a real shot at gold." Wearing his gold medal in interviews after the bonspiel, Elben's skip, Ryan Keith attracted attention by playfully taunting the favorites, "This victory also means that Keiths curl better than Camerons, mind you." Paul Cameron and Gunnland did manage to edge out the Markenese for bronze. The bronze medal match was visibly tense, due to Monday's anthem mishap. The GSOC continues to investigate that incident.


David C. MacGinley did win gold, however, in mixed curling, thanks to a strong performance by gold-medalist Marguerite mD. MacNeil. It was unknown how the Cameron 'lads' and the MacDougall 'lasses' would work together, since the mixed team combines the men and women who qualify. East Gouw Marken won silver, in another tense match with the home team, but after the bonspiel, women's bronze-medalist Anna Claessens gracefully said, "Curling is enough of a battle without bringing yesterday [the anthem incident] into it. It's a battle for the house." Caledonia's bronze in mixed curling brings that country atop the medal count.

As Gunnland is now tied with Kadikistan for the most gold medals -- three -- KGB-1 has begun listing the medal counts in that order. There will be no events today, however, Gunnish bishops have granted the Catholic athletes dispensations not to fast for Ash Wednesday. The women's ice hockey semifinals are Thursday.

Caledonia, 7 [2G, 2S, 3B]
Kadikistan, 6 [3G, 3S]
Eiffelland, 6 [1G, 2S, 3B]
East Gouw Marken, 5 [3S, 2B]
Gunnland, 5 [3G, 2B]
Elben, 4 [2G, 1S, 1B]
Bourgogne, 3 [1G, 2B]
Geotri, 2 [2S]
West Gouw Marken, 1 [1G]

Who wins what?

East Gouw Marken Women Shock Bourgogne in Hockey
sport.

Skiing resumed at Kennaquhair after snowstorms. Brigitte Shild of Eiffelland won gold in women's slalom, followed by Caitlin Bochanan of Caledonia (silver) and Selva Akhandaryov of Kadikistan (bronze). This concludes the downhill skiing events; men's and women's snowboarding are next.

At Isbre Glacier, Ruaraidh Gall of Caledonia won men's cross-country skiing, followed by Thomas Driehoek of West Gouw Marken (silver) and Toni Schranz of Eiffelland (bronze). Gunnland's John mD. Caldwell, Jr., led the early stages of the race, hoping to join his sister Alexandra by winning a cross-country medal, but faded in the later stages of the grueling race. He gets a shot at redemption in biathlon, where he is heavily favored. The Geotrian Elsha Teschner heavily favored on the women's side.


At the Ayr Slide Center, Jana Polak of Kadikistan won gold in women's luge, followed by Olga Nadig of Eiffelland (silver) and Christine Bascal of Bourgogne (bronze).

In women's ice hockey, (1)Kadikistan defeated (4)Caledonia by a score of 4-2. Captain Snezhanka Lovric caused a minor kerfuffle when a hot microphone before the post-game interview caught her call the Caledonians "snow-eaters." Later in the evening, in the surprise of the tournament, (2)Bourgogne fell to (3)East Gouw Marken, 5-4. Burgundian coach Sabine Bouin made critical comments about the tournament format, alleging it gave the Markenese a "warm-up game." Bourgogne faces Caledonia in the bronze medal match. The men's tournament begins Monday.


Caledonia, 9 [3G, 3S, 3B]
Eiffelland, 9 [2G, 3S, 4B]
Kadikistan, 8 [4G, 3S, 1B]
Gunnland, 5 [3G, 2B]
East Gouw Marken, 5 [3S, 2B]
Elben, 4 [2G, 1S, 1B]
Bourgogne, 4 [1G, 3B]
West Gouw Marken, 2 [1G, 1S]
Geotri, 2 [2S]

Who wins what?

Kadikistan Wins Women's Hockey Tournament; Mix of Emotions As Old Caledonian Flag Hoisted
sport.

Top-ranked Kadikistan won women's ice hockey, 8-2, when the luck of plucky East Gouw Marken ran out Saturday evening. Grzymislawa Soloveichuk netted the go-ahead goal in the second period to make the score 3-2, followed by a torrent of five goals from her countrywomen in the last period. Bourgogne won the bronze medal match over Caledonia, 4-1. Burgundian coach Sabine Bouin, who has been critical of the tournament format, could not help but remark that the Markenese women, who played one more game than the top-ranked teams because of byes, looked "exhausted."

In men's snowboarding, Sandaidh Rathais put on a spectacular halfpipe sequence at Kennaquhair to take home gold, which he dedicated to "peace and stability" in tumultous Caledonia. Hubert Mirkovic of Eiffelland and Pjotr Vinsko of Kadikistan placed second and third, respectively. Conflicting emotions were evident among the Caledonians present when the old black flag of Caledonia, with its white cross, was raised at the medal ceremony.

In women's figure skating, the Markenese women dominated. Astrid Veeltedik of East Gouw Marken edged out Kristel Scheve of West Gouw Marken for the gold. This was the first gold won in the East, which is currently dominating its neighbor and rival in the medal count. Caitlin MacNìll of Caledonia won bronze.

Caledonia, 11 [4G, 3S, 4B]
Kadikistan, 10 [5G, 3S, 2B]
Eiffelland, 10 [2G, 4S, 4B]
East Gouw Marken, 7 [1G, 4S, 2B]
Gunnland, 5 [3G, 2B]
Bourgogne, 5 [1G, 4B]
Elben, 4 [2G, 1S, 1B]
West Gouw Marken, 3 [1G, 2S]
Geotri, 2 [2S]

Who wins what?

Men's Hockey Tournament Set to Begin
sport.

Perhaps the most internationally anticipated event of the Ayr 2018 games, the men's ice hockey tournament, is set to begin. The teams from Gunnland and Bergenheim were eliminated during pool play. The four game quarterfinal will feature the following eight teams:


Caledonia, 11 [4G, 3S, 4B]
Kadikistan, 10 [5G, 3S, 2B]
Eiffelland, 10 [2G, 4S, 4B]
East Gouw Marken, 7 [1G, 4S, 2B]
Gunnland, 5 [3G, 2B]
Bourgogne, 5 [1G, 4B]
Elben, 4 [2G, 1S, 1B]
West Gouw Marken, 3 [1G, 2S]
Geotri, 2 [2S]

Who wins what?

Eiffelland Takes Medal Lead; Police Break Up Fights as Kadikistan Hockey Team Advances
sport.

At Colquhoun ice arena, the men's ice hockey tournament began with a competitive game between Elben and Geotri. Tied 2-2 after regulation, Elben advanced via shootout. Later, Kadikistan defeated West Gouw Marken, 6-1. But headlines were grabbed when a fight on the ice between Dobiegniew Benda and Jorgen Hadermeyer sparked a brawl in the stands between Kadikistani and Markenese fans. Kadikistan supports the government of East Gouw Marken, and is blamed by the westerners for dividing their country. Although the games have been peaceful so far, the Earl of Arundel's Mounted Police quickly swarmed the scene to suppress the riot. After several sections of the arena were cleared, the game resumed, though the underdogs' luck did not improve. Six fans were taken to Mercy Hospital with injuries.

The later games featured less excitement off the ice, but were tough-fought close contests. Eiffelland downed East Gouw Marken in a back-and-forth game, 4-3. And Bourgogne managed to hold on with a strong defensive effort to defeat a strong Caledonian side, 1-0. The semifinals will feature familiar rivals. Elben faces off against its neighbor Kadikistan, a superpower in more than hockey. The two countries became embroiled in a dispute over airspace access during the so-called "Christmas Coup" in Crotobaltislavonia. The other semifinal is a bout between Gallian heavyweights Bourgogne and Eiffelland.
Geotrian fans finally had something to cheer about in women's biathlon, Elsha Teschner won gold when she and Marie de Gaux of Bourgogne (silver) overtook Sandra Wallser of Eiffelland. Wallser, who fell behind by uncharacteristic penalties shooting from the prone position, won bronze.

Men's figure skating was a Markenese affair. Heavy police presence ensured there would be no further violence in the Colquhoun Ice Arena. A bemused EAMP Captain Hamish mLd. MacDuff could not help but wryly add, "...in the unlikely event that someone starts a fight over these lads twirling 'round in sequins." After the afternoon's violence and the earlier men's skijumping 'anthem affair,' the GSOC clearly was not willing to take chances. After landing a record four quadruple axles, Janne Vandeput of East Gouw Marken won gold, while Maxime Vanbuiten of West Gouw Marken won silver. Achim Lorig of Eiffelland won bronze to round out the podium.

Eiffelland, 12 [2G, 4S, 6B]
Caledonia, 11 [4G, 3S, 4B]
Kadikistan, 10 [5G, 3S, 2B]
East Gouw Marken, 8 [2G, 4S, 2B]
Bourgogne, 6 [1G, 1S, 4B]
Gunnland, 5 [3G, 2B]
Elben, 4 [2G, 1S, 1B]
West Gouw Marken, 4 [1G, 3S]
Geotri, 3 [1G, 2S]

Who wins what?

Two claims are made today

1) From team East-Gouw Marken: wrong medal count - the silver in mixed curling is counted for as bronze

2) From team West-Gouw Marken: Pollie Kinderloos of West-Gouw Marken wins silver in Woman’s figure skating and is announced as Kristel Scheve from East-Gouw Marken!

[ooc: I think you have made a little mistake, as Kristel Scheve has won a medal in Pair’s figure skating for the east, so she cannot win for the west – the name given was Pollie – but let’s make some fuss about it ]

Eiffelland Seals Medal Count Lead, Shocks Bourgogne Hockey Team
sport.

The final events of the Ayr 2018 Stephanitic Games took place yesterday. On the Isbre Glacier course near Purpoole, John mD. Caldwell gave the home crowd something to cheer about by winning gold in men's biathlon, a popular sport in Gunnland. Dominik Steiner of Eiffelland won silver, and Harry Wiesner of Geotri took bronze.

Steiner's medal clinches the total medal count lead for Eiffelland. 2018 is the second time that Eiffelland has led the medal count at a Winter Stephanitics. Team Eiffelland's success is not entirely surprising. Although they did not dominate any events, like East Gouw Marken in figure skating, or Kadikistan in skijumping and snowboarding, the Eiffellandians brought a deep and talented team that was competitive in almost every event, women's and men's.

In Kennaquhair, Sventlana Andreikovic won a sixth gold medal for Kadikistan by winning women's snowboarding. Martina Buchner of Eiffelland won silver, while Baraball Ruadh of Caledonia took bronze.

Meanwhile, the "West Gouw Marken story" of these Stephanitics just will not go away. Tensions have steadily risen after the East's anthem was played at Kennaquhair for the West's victory men's skijumping. Then a nasty brawl with Kadikistan hockey fans sent several West Gouw Markenese to the hospital. Just today, the GSOC announced that Kristel Scheve's silver medal was wrongly counted for the West. In fact, East Gouw Marken took gold and silver in women's figure skating. Team Gouw Marken (West) was confused and believed that their skater Pollie Kinderloos had in fact won the silver, not Ms. Scheve, but an internal review determined that she finished a close fourth. It was another case of announcing the wrong country. The Foreign Office has apologized to West Gouw Marken, whose Prince-Bishop is a close Gunnish ally, for the pattern of mistakes involving the Markenese stephanitians.


The story of the week, however, was Eiffelland's shocking upset of Bourgogne in men's ice hockey. Heavily favored Kadikistan wore down Elben's defense late in the second period, eventually winning 3-0. Top-seeded Bourgogne was the odds-on favorite to face them in yet another heavyweight finals between the two countries.

But Eiffelland stuck early with a goal from Thomas Leithner, and opened up a 4-1 lead by the end of the second period. A furious comeback effort by the Burgundians fell short by one goal. The finals core was 4-3. Leithner told reporters that the Eiffellandian team had really "come together" this stephanitics. Meanwhile, Burgundian head coach Florian Mayer was tight-lipped after the loss. "Brutal," he said of the loss, "Team Bourgogne has come up short of the high expectations we have for our hockey teams. This entire stephanitics has been a brutal one for us."

Coming into Ayr, Eiffelland was a distant 6th in the world rankings. Many in the ice hockey world wrote them off after recent losses to both Caledonia, 5-2 and East Gouw Marken, 2-0. But now the Eiffellandians, not the Burgundians, face off against a Kadikistan team ranked second in the world. It has a familiar ring to it, 'Trier versus Rurikgrad.' KGB-1 is already promoting the game as "the international sporting event of the decade."

In some ways the Saturday night matchup is a fitting ending to these Ayr games, a highly anticipated matchup between two of the most successful stephanitic teams. If Eiffelland wins, they will earn a record fifteenth medal, the most for any country in Winter Stephanitics history. And if Kadikistan wins, they will win a seventh gold medal, tying the country record.

Eiffelland, 14 [2G, 6S, 6B]
Caledonia, 12 [4G, 3S, 5B]
Kadikistan, 11 [6G, 3S, 2B]
East Gouw Marken, 9 [2G, 6S, 1B]
Gunnland, 6 [4G, 2B]
Bourgogne, 6 [1G, 1S, 4B]
Elben, 4 [2G, 1S, 1B]
Geotri, 4 [1G, 2S, 1B]
West Gouw Marken, 3 [1G, 2S]

Kadikistan, 6
Caledonia, 4 [3S]
Gunnland, 4 [0S]
Eiffelland, 2 [6S, 6B]
E.G.M., 2 [6S, 1B]
Elben, 2 [1S]
Geotri, 1 [2S, 1B]
W.G.M, 1 [2S]
Bourgogne, 1 [1S]

Who wins what?

Kadikistan Prevails in Overtime Hockey Finals Thriller to Close Stephanitics
sport.

In men's ice hockey, Kadikistan fulfilled expectations to win gold, but it was a wilder finish than anyone could have expected. Bogomil Slowacki's power-play goal capped the classic final in overtime, 4-3. Eiffelland's silver medal was their best finish at a Winter Stephanitics. The top-seeded Bourgogne team fended off a pesky Elbener side to win the bronze by a score of 6-4.

Fans from both countries had plenty to cheer about. Eiffelland won a record 15 medals. Even in their heydays, Caledonia, united Gouw Marken, and Kadikistan never won more than 20% of the medals in the winter stephanitics. Kadikistan tied a record 7 goals, dominating ice hockey, speed skating, and skijumping and winning almost 30% of the 24 events.

A subdued closing ceremonies featured bagpipers and a cèilidh. The GSOC was positive about the experience of hosting the games, "There were hitches here and there, as you expect with an event as complicated as the stephanitics," said John MacDougall Caldwell, "but we are confident this was a positive experience for many athletes who came. Team Gunnland exceeded expectations, and even if we hadn't, we showed the confident face of the Kingdom, the Arundel region, and the city of Ayr that was new to many European audiences."

The Caledonian crisis threatened to overshadow the last week of the games, but Caldwell and others expressed hope that the relationships and goodwill forged at the games will contribute to stability in a northern region that is suddenly volatile once again.

Eiffelland, 15 [2G, 7S, 6B]
Kadikistan, 12 [7G, 3S, 2B]
Caledonia, 12 [4G, 3S, 5B]
East Gouw Marken, 9 [2G, 6S, 1B]
Bourgogne, 7 [1G, 1S, 5B]
Gunnland, 6 [4G, 2B]
Elben, 4 [2G, 1S, 1B]
Geotri, 4 [1G, 2S, 1B]
West Gouw Marken, 3 [1G, 2S]

Kadikistan, 7
Caledonia, 4 [3S]
Gunnland, 4 [0S]
Eiffelland, 2 [7S, 6B]
E.G.M., 2 [6S, 1B]
Elben, 2 [1S]
Geotri, 1 [2S, 1B]
W.G.M, 1 [2S]
Bourgogne, 1 [1S]

Who wins what?

Kanzleramt
Trier, Eiffelland

We are very proud of Team Eiffelland, and we are very proud of the record in medal count it set. We also commend the organising committee of the Stephanitic Wintergames for the very efficient organisation and the very good accommodations it provided. We hope that the accommodations will continue to be used for winter sports events.

Matthias Graf von Seydewitz, Chancellor