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The evening of the Heads of State Meeting at Duchy Estate Main Conference Hall, The Fiovana Kharventhin, Blue Bubble "First and foremost, I want to thank Vikki for organizing this abrupt press conference with you all," President Luke Salazar started, looking at Vikki Boatwright, his Press Secretary, after the meeting with the heads of state hours ago. "I'd like to apologize if I arrived late," Salazar continued. "There were just so many interesting and intriguing points that the world leaders present there discussed in that meeting. I want to share some with you as the President of the United Adaikes. I also believe that some points there don’t need to see the light of the day here in the beautiful country of Blue Bubble. I'll be delighted to accept questions." Salazar points to one of the reporters, raising their hands. “Mister President, this is just the Second Esferiad, the first for the country, but the main question was how did Blue Bubble invite you? And if you have talked with the other leaders about this one, how did you all find the way and time to come here for what the international press calls the ‘Esferiad Summit’?” “When we submitted our reply to the International Federation of National Sporting Organizations that we will be participating in the Second Esferiad, there was already chatter about having a world leaders’ meeting in whoever gets selected to host the Esferiad in the spirit of sportsmanship and how we can introduce more sports competitions and increase participation in these competitions. When I received the invitation, I told Mel [Gaspar, the Vice President] and Jed [Gill, Red Palace Chief of Staff] that I want to be here in Kharventhin.” Salazar selects another reporter. “What was the nature of the meeting, sir? Was it very formal? Were there specific halls that a head of state enters to talk with a specific head of state?” Salazar laughed before answering, “No. Though, of course, we had to dress formally for the occasion as we were meeting other heads of state, yet the conversation was casual. Slightly official, but casual. We were in the main hall of the Duchy Estate. The first I approached was the host, the Mpitarika, but maybe because nearly everyone was there to greet her, I didn’t have the chance to congratulate her on hosting the event and the Esferiad as well. I also tried to talk with King Giovanni VI, but he was also talking with someone else. So I looked around, and there I saw who I think will be my best friend in all the leaders of the world, the Prime Minister of Hertfordshire and Jammbo.” After being selected by Salazar, a reporter asked, “Will there be a trade deal with the Andolian country, Mister President?” “Not really, no. We can shoot for the future, but not at the moment. But I got Clarkov to talk. He's famous for being so tight-lipped, even in his country, but we got to talk about things. Though I noticed his startled face when I started to talk to him, I was just very grateful that he slowly opened up. One of the most interesting things that we talked about was the scope of autism acceptance in their country. I love the programs their government has for persons with autism. I will be surely talking to the Social Services Cluster in my Cabinet when I get back to the United Adaikes. After we can have resolutions, I will be sending a team to Hertfordshire and Jammbo, composed of experts in personality and development, benchmark on their programs to guide us on how we can also develop programs for these excellent members in our society.” Another reporter asked, “How were the other world leaders, Mister President?” “I get to join in dinner the Sultan of Arifiyyah and his wife. They are a lovely couple. I think it’s with the Sultan that I have talked more about sports than anyone in the Estate. Though, I have also talke about sports briefly with Clarkov, it was definitely more with the Sultan. I promised him we could have a yearly international friendly game or games of whatever sport they want. The first on the list will be football, but that would be after Esferiad because our first game in football in Giovanniland will be against each other. I told him that I’d be in the VIP box during that game and that I’d be expecting his presence there. Okay, last two. You,” pointing to another reporter. “Have you talked to everyone, sir?” “Oh, no. That is one thing that I have regretted during the meeting. As I told you earlier, I haven’t had the chance to talk with the Mpitarika and the King of Giovanniland. I’d also have loved the opportunity if I had the chance to talk with Prince Marcarius and the Queen of Orandia. I heard King James of Larxia was advancing a sciences organization. I’ll send my Secretary of Science and Technology to Larxia to talk with them about that. The young Goldberg is also an interesting gal. I hope to bump with her or have Anne [Duncan, Secretary of Foreign Affairs] talk about the relationship of the Federal Republic and Santos-Dominius. And lastly, you.” pointing to a reporter near the back. “Mister President, we have heard that Gladwyn Bird is with you here in Kharventhin. A source has also disclosed that she was in the UAD One with you, leaving the plane as part of the presidential staff and that she was your companion in the Duchy Estate. Any confirmation about your rumored girlfriend, sir?” Luke just smiled and said, “Thank you for coming, everyone! Have a good night. Vikki?” urging the Press Secretary to take over before leaving for his suite on the top floor of The Fiovana.

Giovannilandian Esferiad Report - 5th Day 7 Gold - 5 Silver - 7 Bronze Good morning Giovanniland! I am Karlo Nakamura-Edrense, the host of the Giovannilandian Esferiad Report. There's lot to talk about today, especially since Giovanniland earned 6 medals in Day 5 and that brought our nation to 2nd place in both gold and total medals. Of course, we'll review the events of yesterday and talk about the upcoming ones, starting with Kharventhin! In the Matchday 5 of Beach Volleyball, AAlessander Elessiano-Savora & Elisabetta Santi lost to Tor Uthus & Ådne Dyrnes from Fujai but nevertheless qualified to the quarterfinals, facing Morghan Victor & Estelle Montaigne tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Water Polo team drew with Cambria 9-9 and is now fourth in Group B, but in a tough situation since it has one more match played than almost all other teams and must secure a win next Monday. The 200m Butterfly Swim saw Giovannilandian athletes Gianna Kimura-Amanda, Silvana Santo-Sallustio, Galeria Karvilio, and Valeria Lakerta-Flavia competing, with all but Gianna passing through all stages. In the final, Silvana earned a silver medal and broke the previous Esferic record, which is a very nice feat, even if the new record went to James Peaty from Cambria. Meanwhile, the Park Skateboarding event featured Raissa Tongilio, Quirino Zapata-Abria, and Doglio Quartiano, with Quirino and Doglio advancing to the final round and then earning gold and bronze medals respectively. The day was more eventful in the Giovannilandian part, with seven events in Quorivo and one in Uryde. The latter was Stage 1 of Tennis Doubles featuring the pairs of Saulo Urydesi Afraniano & Gustavo Quintana Oralino and Karlo Herbario & Gianna Karventino, with both advancing to the quarterfinals. The latter pair was then eliminated, but the former advanced to the semifinals and will meet Aaren Seabrooke & Lacey John from United Adaikes next. Meanwhile, Equestrian Jumping Individuals featured Talitta Porfirio Kastri and Osvaldo Gormo, with Talitta advancing to the final but eventually ranking fourth, tied with Marcarius Halohin from Saint Mark. Several team events also happened in Quorivo. Giovanniland lost a Baseball match 3-2 to Tupmonia in Matchday 5, but nevertheless finished third in Group A and will face Fuentana in the quarterfinals, while in Matchday 5 of Basketball our nation won 76-63 against Cambria and currently tops Group A. Handball and Lacrosse both had their first matchdays yesterday, and coincidentally Giovanniland played against Dalimbar in both. The Handball team won 27-21 while the Lacrosse team lost 9-10, with both having a bye in the next day before playing their remaining matches. Finally, two athletic events took place in the Grande Stadio Sferiko. Katia Terra, Brinno Rodrigo, Antonio Tavallano-Porfirio, and Guillermo Nazano participated in the 1500m Run, with Katia expected to repeat her feat from the I Summer Esferiad of Saint-Josalyn of winning a gold medal. All four qualified for the final, but Brinno and Antonio were the ones that won medals, gold and silver respectively. Katia barely missed podium and placed 4th, while Guillermo finished 6th. The Long Jump featured Lavanda Arboni, Rikardo Korunkanio, and Teresa Sousa-Afrani, with all of them advancing to the final. They then placed 3rd, 5th and 10th respectively, meaning that Giovanniland gained a bronze medal. This was a very successful day for our nation! Two medals of each type were gained, putting Giovanniland in 2nd place of both gold and total medal rankings as I said before. Giovanniland is tied with co-hosts Blue Bubble for gold and bronze medals, but has six less silver medals. Nevertheless, this is still a very good performance for Lavender Island and Aura overall, and since we're 1/3 of the way in the Esferiad, the Giovannilandian Esferiad Report decided to make a table comparing each continent's performance, sorted by gold medals. Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total Aura Blue Bubble 7 11 7 25 Giovanniland 7 5 7 19 Saint Mark 1 2 5 8 Santos-Dominius 1 0 1 2 Orandia 1 0 1 2 Arifiyyah 0 0 0 0 Dilber 0 0 0 0 Fuentana 0 0 0 0 Aura 17 18 21 56 Andolia Hertfordshire and Jammbo 6 3 4 13 Larxia 2 0 3 5 Fhaengshia 0 0 0 0 Nagaraningrad 0 0 0 0 Tupmonia 0 0 0 0 Andolia 8 3 7 18 Polaris Nieubasria 4 6 3 13 Tara and Cambray 2 3 1 6 Fujai 1 0 0 1 Teralyon 0 1 0 1 United Adaikes 0 0 1 1 Dalimbar 0 0 0 0 Polaris 7 10 5 22 Total Aura 17 18 21 56 Andolia 8 3 7 18 Polaris 7 10 5 22 Doll Guldur 0 0 0 0 Esferos 32 31 33 96 We can clearly see that Aura has performed very well in the Esferiad so far, dominating all rankings. Polaris and Andolia are neck and neck, with Andolia having one more gold medal but Polaris prevailing in the total medal count with four more. As for Doll Guldur, the continent sadly did not have any nation entering any athletes for the Esferiad. Anyways, following this retrospective, it's now time to talk about future events! Firstly, the events happening in Kharventhin: 10 km Marathon Swim featuring Giovanni Amdo-Gyasso, Lavinia Prospero, and Sara Urbana-Amorio; Quarterfinals of Beach Volleyball featuring Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi; Matchday 1 of Indoor Volleyball and Matchday 6 of Water Polo (team events); The 4x200 m Medley Relay Swim and Rowing Coxless Fours events will also happen, but Giovanniland will not participate. Meanwhile, the events in Quorivo will be: Quarterfinals of Baseball, Matchday 6 of Basketball, Matchday 2 of Handball, and Matchday 2 of Lacrosse (team events); 10000 m Run featuring Marko Kambraya, Anastasio Fernando-Vittoriani, Ivone Sanquartina, and Tiberio Nyima Quartilio; Shot Put featuring Quirino Anario, Amanda Karventino Valli, and Rullo Aquamena-Santi; Equestrian Jumping Team featuring Talitta Porfirio Kastri and Osvaldo Gormo; Tennis Doubles Finals featuring Saulo Urydesi Afraniano and Gustavo Quintana Oralino; Those are the events that will happen during the sixth day of Esferic events—and anyone can watch them on the channels 201 to 210! That is all for today, and see you tomorrow for the next report.

[OOC: Post jointly written with @Giovanniland] Governor's Lavender Palace, Quoriv—11:00 AM International Atomic Time, 29th October 1421 “We are now departing the Palace and traveling to the Duchy Estate at Kharventhin for a meeting with other esteemed world leaders,” King Giovanni VI told the other people present at the room. He added, “Teodoro Anario-Lauro, the Governor of Lavanda Prima, will be there together with me and a few security guards. Are we all ready?” “Yes, your Majesty,” replied Theodoro. “Are we traveling by land?” “No, we shall use a private helicopter with enough space for myself, the Governor, and the four guards. One of the guards is also a trusted pilot and will be commanding the flight,” explained the King. They left the palace and entered the helicopter. The trip lasted around half an hour, and soon they arrived at a heliport in Kharventhin near the Duchy Estate. Duchy Estate, Kharventhin—12:00 PM International Atomic Time, 29th October 1421 “Your Majesty!” Kassakira walks over to the pair, heels clicking across the polished floor, “And you must be the Governor, yes?” “Yes, I am in fact the Governor of the province whose capital is co-hosting the games together with this city,” replied Teodoro. Meanwhile, the King greeted the Mpitarika. “Of course, I have read your reports on the city and the plans… How are the games going over there? I understand there was a lot of investment made to allow the capability of the province to be upped, so we could handle the games. Thank you for that, by the way.” “The games are going nicely, and they have also generated a lot of income from tourists coming to visit not only the games, but also the beautiful Lavandulan historical district and the Violetist churches and royal houses from the Duchy, just like this one. And you’re welcome, of course,” said the Governor. Kassakira smiles, “Sounds like it was worth the cost, then.” She glances at the King, “How are you feeling about the games currently? I understand that you are 3rd in the rankings currently?” “The games have been wonderful so far, I’ve watched certain events from the Governor’s Palace after opening the games together with you in the Opening Ceremony. We are in fact 3rd by gold medals at the moment, although there are some strong athletes competing today so I hope we can rise to 2nd,” noted the King. He added, “We’re already 2nd if we count by total medals, after all.” “I wish them plenty of luck today. I was surprised of how quickly Blue Bubble has risen to the top of the leaderboard, in fact that we have managed to stay number 1 for almost a 3rd of the games in total. They have really made quite the impression, I believe.” She glances at Meklit for a second, looking nervous. He was speaking to the waiter, distracted by the canapés. “I was also impressed by your nation’s performance, it’s a really good representation of Lavender Island. While Giovanniland had a less than average start, I think we can safely say that both our nations’ performances, together with other Auran teams such as Saint Mark, Santos-Dominius and Orandia, have shown the world a strong showing by our continent.” She nods slowly, taking in his compliment, “I understand that our relations have been positive for the last 100-ish years, and that Giovanniland understands Blue Bubble almost as well as Blue Bubble understands itself. Although Blue Bubble hasn’t always been the most open country to the rest of the world, I am grateful for all that you think of us. You understand that I’d happily listen to any collaboration or ideas you may have for our nations, yes?” she speaks softly, almost shyly. “Of course,” the King agreed. “One of the main focuses of our prime minister Amore Gile Abrente is to keep Giovanniland at the same speed as Esferos is advancing in technology, and we’d of course be happy with any collaboration on this matter or any other that you may have.” “Well, you have kept us up to speed on any latest technology for a long time. Now I want to open Blue Bubble to the world, I think our joint support on Larxia’s ambition for an international committee for science, with our own Lavender Island push in technology between ourselves could be something for the future?” Kassakira relaxes, Meklit winking at her as he walks behind the King to speak to another Leader. “I must say Giovanniland does not exactly trust Larxia due to their historical opposition to us, but if other, more trusted Auran nations are also willing to join this international committee, then I’ll see what Amore and the Senate of Giovanniland think,” the King said. Kass takes a drink from a passing waiter as he catches her eye, “I understand your concerns, I believe in this idea. It will benefit you as much as it will benefit Larxia. Either way, I am looking to push technology advancement, and I would like to do such with my closest ally.” she smirks, taking a sip. “That’s fair, as I said before I’ll talk with the government and hopefully they are open to the idea. But when the topic is technology advancement between our two nations, I can say for sure that it’s certainly an idea that Giovanniland would support, even if I’m not the one making the decisions.” “We are of the same ground, Your Majesty, please remember that when I am conducting new business with other nations, including those nations you are perhaps not on the best of terms with.” she winks, and looks over, “It appears the Larxian King and Foreign Affairs Minister is here. I must go and say hello, please enjoy the rest of your afternoon.” “Of course, our conversation has taken a lot of time already, and it’s almost 13:00, so I understand that you should also talk with other leaders,” the King remarked. “If you don’t mind, myself and the other Giovannilandians here will taste some of the canapés served here, and later, perhaps talk with some other world leaders as well. See you soon, and thank you for organizing this.” “It is my pleasure, may we speak soon.” She nods, just as Meklit appears to whisk her away. They speak in hushed tones as they walk away, in Glenpavian: “Kass, my Fitiavana, are you taking a note out of-” “Yes. I think it is required, though.” He nods, “Of course.”

Giovannilandian Esferiad Report - 6th Day 9 Gold - 6 Silver - 8 Bronze Good morning Giovanniland! I am Karlo Nakamura-Edrense, the host of the Giovannilandian Esferiad Report. And firstly, I am glad to tell you all that Giovanniland is now ranked FIRST PLACE for gold medals in the Esferiad! Four medals were gained today, bringing the total to twenty-three, and in this report I'll of course talk about the events that brought us these medals and the others that happened today. Firstly, the events in Kharventhin! The quarterfinals of Beach Volleyball happened, and the Giovannilandian athletes Alessander Elessiano-Savora & Elisabetta Santi won against Morghan Victor & Estelle Montaigne from Nieubasria. They will now meet known opponents in the semifinals, namely Frisk Dachev & Robert Spïdwagen from Hertfordshire and Jammbo. Giovanniland also fared well in Matchday 1 of Indoor Volleyball, with a strong win in all sets against Tupmonia, while it had a bye in the Matchday 6 of Water Polo. Those were all events with Giovannilandian participation in Kharventhin, but there were a lot more in Quorivo. In the Quarterfinals of Baseball, Giovanniland achieved a strong 6-2 win against Fuentana, and will now face Cambria in the semifinals. The Giovannilandian Basketball team won 89-54 against Larxia and now stands in first place in its group with twelve points, a strong showing that should hopefully continue in the upcoming knockout stage. Meanwhile, Giovanniland had byes in Handball and Lacrosse. The Equestrian Jumping team, however, did not fare well and finished in 7th place out of 10 nations competing. In the Grand Esferic Stadium, two athletic events happened. The 10000 m Run featured Marko Kambraya, Anastasio Fernando-Vittoriani, Ivone Sanquartina, and Tiberio Nyima Quartilio, and they finished 1st, 3rd, 7th and 8th respectively. This was a very good performance from the Giovannilandian runners, earning two medals for the nation. Meanwhile, in the Shot Put, Quirino Anario, Amanda Karventino Valli, and Rullo Aquamena-Santi all performed well both in the qualifiers and in the final. Amanda won a gold medal and established a new Esferic record, while Rullo and Querino achieved 6th and 7th places respectively. Finally, the knockout stage of Tennis Doubles saw Saulo Urydesi Afraniano & Gustavo Quintana Oralino earn a silver medal after losing to Dio Burluka & Faust Hareleudeiem. Following this retrospective, it's now time to talk about future events! Firstly, the events happening in Kharventhin: 10 km Marathon Swim featuring Giovanni Amdo-Gyasso, Lavinia Prospero, and Sara Urbana-Amorio; Semifinals of Beach Volleyball featuring Alessander Elessiano-Savora & Elisabetta Santi; Matchday 2 of Indoor Volleyball and Matchday 7 of Water Polo (team events); Furthermore, the Rowing Coxed Eights and Fencing Épée Individual events will also happen, but Giovanniland will not participate. Meanwhile, the events in Quorivo will be: Semifinals of Baseball, Matchday 7 of Basketball, Matchday 3 of Handball, Matchday 3 of Lacrosse, Matchday 1 of Field Hockey, Matchday 1 of Football, and Matchday 1 of Rugby Sevens (team events); 110 m Hurdles featuring Barbara Gaudina, Ernesto Arboreto Amorante, Diogo Kollega, and Kyro Velsio-Sousa; Discus Throw featuring Alkione Quernio-Velanio, Klara Rasenno Rosa, and Rosangela Abrenti; Those are the events that will happen during the seventh day of Esferic events—and anyone can watch them on the channels 201 to 210! Members of our monthly subscription can also check recordings if unable to watch live. That is all for today, and see you tomorrow for the next report!