Giovanniland

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.

Dazano, Lavanda Prima, Giovanniland—11:00 AM International Atomic Time, 28th October 1421 "Are us four all ready to go?", asked Matteo Settimo-Nerani to his wife and two sons. "Yes," Angela replied. "Flavio and Augusto, you can go in the back seats of the car. Augusto, please stop using this phone!" The two obeyed. The members of the Settimo-Nerani family were Matteo, a 45-year-old university teacher, Angela, a 43-year-old web designer, and their two sons Flavio and Augusto, 13 and 15 year old respectively. All were avid sports fans, and they decided to go from Dazano to the nearby city of Quorivo for a few hours to watch some of the Esferiad's games. "Alright then," said Matteo. "If I'm not mistaken, there's about 50 kilometers between Dazano and Quorivo, so it should take a hour or two for us to arrive—I think we'll stop at a restaurant in Uryde around halfway of our journey, and then arrive with enough time for the 400m Run and Pole Vault events in the Grande Stadio Sferiko starting at 14:00 PM." The family soon started the journey. Augusto, although initially contemplating the colorful streets of Dazano, soon lost interest as they left the city and went into rural areas. The phone was naturally an attention grabber. Flavio was, unlike his brother, more interested in nature and history. "Look, here are the ruins of the Tomb of Gyalseno III!", noted Angela. "He was an important Lavandulan emperor," Flavio added. "I do hope we visit it sometime, but not now," remarked Matteo. The lack of other comments prompted him to say: "Augusto, will you stop looking at the phone at least once?" "But dad, I can't lose this match of Fight of Factions I am playing! And you know I'm not that interested in those ancient things," the older brother replied. "Whatever," whispered Angela in her husband's ear. "I guess we really can't convince him." Twenty more minutes and they had arrived at Uryde, stopping by at a local restaurant. There were many seafood dishes and salads, and the entire family liked it, spending half an hour in there. Quorivo, Lavanda Prima, Giovanniland—13:30 PM International Atomic Time, 28th October 1421 Another hour and a half and they had arrived at downtown Quorivo. "It's really crowded," noted Flavio. "This is the Esferiad after all," replied his older brother. "Look, there's the Grande Stadio Sferiko!", Angela exclaimed. Let's walk until there. "Matteo, do you have the entrance tickets?" "Of course," he replied. The family entered the stadium and, after some time and effort, found their four seats. "There are over 30 thousand people here already, and there's still half an hour before the 400m run starts!", said Angela. "What's the total capacity?" "I believe it's 100 thousand, but we should probably expect around 50 or 60. It was only really full during the Opening Ceremony," Matteo replied. "Yeah, shame that we had classes and mom had to work that day," Flavio regretted. "I saw the recording and it was really cool." The family then waited, some of them looking at their phones or just talking about random things to pass time. A loud voice three minutes before the start got their attention. "Ladies and gentleman," announced one of the judges, "the 400m run is about to start! Please welcome the athletes that will participate in Heat 1: Gingka Hristov from Hertfordshire and Jammbo, Gilvano Gormo Viator from Giovanniland, Luba Pisk from Teralyon, Lyla Vogel from Dalimbar, Magnus Midtun from Fujai, Milo Audley from United Adaikes, Oumarou Sevil from Dilber, and Ylvia Gougein from Dalimbar! They will start soon." "Look," said Angela, "let's stop doing other things and watch those games." 13:59 PM. The same judge spoke at the megaphone, "Three... two... one... GO!" The runners all started. "Go, Gilvano!", yelled the Giovannilandian fans at the stadium, including the family. Gilvano started at third, but in 15 seconds he had taken the second position, and in another 10 he was in the lead. It took 45.52 seconds for him to finish, the first one of the heat, with Luba Pisk from Teralyon arriving a quarter of a second later. The family cheered. The other heats soon followed with the same procedure, taking around 15 minutes. Beatrige de Abreo-Florino, Gilvano Gormo Viator, Sersio Zara, and Fabio Orintal-Silva had all qualified. In the semifinals, however, only Beatrige and Gilvano ran fast enough to advance to the final. The clock marked 14:40 PM, and the final was about to start. "All athletes ready? Three... two... one... GO!", said another of the judges. "Gilvano is in first place now!", remarked Angela. "But, oh no, it seems Beatrige had a bad start and is now last at eighth..." "She's seventh now! Go, faster!", cheered Matteo. Twenty seconds in. "No! Gilvano has lost the lead!", cried Flavio. Matteo said: "Ouch, seems he's losing steam... third place now... no, fourth..." "No, we've lost a place at the podium!", lamented Augusto. The Giovannilandian fans' cheer started to lose force as the judge announced: "Eute Pesotta first! Wervoja Lasure second! Gingka Hristov third!" and so on. "That was very close," commented Matteo. "They're saying Gilvano only lost by a tenth of a second. Fourth place is still very good anyways." "Oh well, perhaps we get a medal in Pole Vault later," thought Angela. "Who wants some water or food?", she asked. The family had already been there for some time, and still had another event to watch. It was 15:00 PM now. Some people had left the stadium, while others had arrived for the next event. It would start at 15:30 PM, and the family patiently waited. Twenty-five minutes later, the event was about to start. Giovannilandian athletes Neuriano Mettio, Arabella Gianluka, and Edna Nivoso were all ready. The competition started at 5.15 meters, with athletes having three attempts to clear each height and advance to the next. The crowd cheered for each one passing, while sounds of lament could be heard when one was eliminated. Some time later... "Wow, it's up to 5.65 and many athletes are still performing very well—good to see Giovanniland is within those," said Angela. "Ouch, there stops Edna after missing three attempts," commented Flavio. "And Arabella." "Luckily they're in the top twelve that will go to the final," remarked Augusto. "Neuriano is going very strong, I hope he can hopefully win the final," said Matteo. "The qualifying has finished at 5.75 meters now, and hurrah for all Giovannilandians advancing!" The family was very excited for the final, with Giovanniland having good chances at a medal. "5.45 meters," noted Angela. "Ouch, three athletes are already out and we've not even gone to the next height..." They all watched as the height of the bar increased. "It's down to the top 5 now!", said Matteo. "Aleaumin Roachant, Arabella Gianluka, Edna Nivoso, Neuriano Mettio, and Wanja Longs. Three from Giovanniland, one from Glenpavia, one from Nieubasria. We've guaranteed at least one medal!" 5.75 meters was the last height achieved by Aleaumin and Edna. The podium was defined now, all that was yet to be decided was who would get each medal. "Two medals for Giovanniland!", commented Angela. Wanja from Blue Bubble then had three misses, and two Giovannilandians remained. "GOLD AND SILVER!", exclaimed Matteo. The family watched as the two Giovannilandians tried to outdo each other, with Arabella eventually finishing second and Neuriano earning first place. "Giovanniland! Giovanniland!", cheered the fans at the stadium. The anthems of Giovanniland and Blue Bubble were then played in the medal ceremony, and the family proudly sang the former. "And wow, 5.90 meters is a very high score! It may not be an Esferic record, but it's surely something to be remembered," noted Flavio. The family was then ready to leave after the day's events in the Grande Stadio Sferiko ended. They left Quorivo at 17:30 PM, and arrived home around one hour later. The competition may have ended, but those were nice memories that would remain for long.

Giovannilandian Esferiad Report - 4th Day 5 Gold - 3 Silver - 5 Bronze Good morning! I am Karlo Nakamura-Edrense, the host of the Giovannilandian Esferiad Report. Today, there are many things to talk about—Giovanniland won 7 medals during the last day, bringing the medal count up to 13. Five are those are gold medals, which is currently the second highest amount of any nation, only behind Blue Bubble. I'll talk about the events that made this possible and the other ones with Giovannilandian participation as well, starting with Kharventhin! Matchday 4 of Beach Volleyball featured Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi winning against Kerry Bulon and Sylvia Marband from Tupmonia. The pair now stands at a comfortable third position in Group B. Meanwhile, the Water Polo team drew 8-8 with Dilber and has dropped to fifth place in Group B, meaning that it must improve if it wants to qualify for the knockout stage. In the 200m Breaststroke Swim event, four Giovannilandian athletes participated, namely Giovanna Voglaria, Zelya Pasqual-Arbone, Horatio Andolia-Zara, and Susanna Sanquinio. All of them qualified for the final, but only Horatio earned a place at the podium, achieving a bronze medal. Susanna, Giovanna and Zelya placed 4th, 7th and 8th respectively. Another aquatic event also happened, namely the 10m Platform Dive. Amanda Portovini, Lorentio Nakamura-Aureli, and Teresa Ferrari all participated in it. All of them qualified for the semifinals, but Amanda did not get past this stage. In the final, Lorentio finished in 6th and Teresa in 3rd, meaning that Giovanniland achieved another bronze medal. Finally, the Judo Finals initially featured Alberto Montemorano in the repechage bracket and Raimundo Ligustio in the main bracket. However, Raimundo was later defeated in the semifinals and then went into the other side of the repechage bracket. In the end, Alberto defeated Baugulf Mata from Nieubasria and Raimundo won against Mio Maeda from Blue Bubble. They both earned bronze medals, since judo is one of the few sports that allows that. In summary, it was bronze medal galore for Giovannilandian athletes in Kharventhin yesterday! In Quorivo, the Baseball team won 4-2 against Nieubasria and is now second in Group A, tied with first place Dilber due to having a lower run differential; while the Basketball team scored a strong 102-56 win against Fujai and now also stands second in Group A, behind only the Cambrians. The 400m Run event featured Beatrice de Beatrige de Abreo-Florino, Sersio Zara, Fabio Orintal-Silva, and Gilvano Gormo Viator, with all of them qualifying at least for the semifinals and the two first making it into the finals. No medal was gained, however, as Gilvano finished 4th and Beatrige finished 7th. In the same stadium for field and track events, Pole Vault also happened today, and Giovannilandian athletes Neuriano Mettio, Arabella Gianluka, and Edna Nivoso all participated. They advanced into the final and finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th respectively, bringing a gold and a silver medal to our nation and almost a bronze, so congratulations to all of them! The other event of Quorivo yesterday was the team version of Equestrian Eventing, in which Klementina Regio-Amanda and Ivone Lauro Hamada both took part. While their performance in the individual version wasn't that strong, their combined forces gained another gold medal for Giovanniland! Teamwork makes the dreamwork, after all. Following our retrospective, it's now time to talk about future events! Firstly, here are the events happening in Kharventhin, which are broadcasted on channels 206 to 210: 200m Butterfly Swim featuring Gianna Kimura-Amanda, Silvana Santo-Sallustio, Galeria Karvilio, and Valeria Lakerta-Flavia; Park Skateboarding featuring Raissa Tongilio, Quirino Zapata-Abria, and Doglio Quartiano; Matchday 5 of Beach Volleyball featuring Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi; Matchday 5 of Water Polo (team event); This is also the first day in which Giovanniland has athletes in all events. Moving on to Quorivo, the list is quite large for today, with events broadcasted on channels 201 to 205: 1500m Run featuring Katia Terra, Brinno Rodrigo, Antonio Tavallano-Porfirio, and Guillermo Nazano; Equestrian Jumping Individuals featuring Talitta Porfirio Kastri and Osvaldo Gormo; Long Jump featuring Rikardo Korunkanio, Teresa Sousa-Afrani, and Lavanda Arboni; Matchday 5 of Baseball, Matchday 5 of Basketball, Matchday 1 of Handball, and Matchday 1 of Lacrosse (all team events); Stage 1 of Tennis Doubles featuring the pairs of Saulo Urydesi Afraniano & Gustavo Quintana Oralino, and Karlo Herbario & Gianna Karventino; That's all events that will happen during the fifth day of Esferic events, so we'll end our sports report here. Remember, anyone can watch live events on the channels 201 to 210, and for members of our monthly subscription, we also have recordings available at sportsreport.com.gl/esferiad/ii/events if unable to check them live. See you tomorrow for the next report!

Benaventura Corporation Headquarters, Porto Violeto—13:00 PM International Atomic Time, 27th October 1421 Erasmo Benaventura sat on his chair in the room at the top of the building, sipping a cup of coffee. He was the CEO of the Benaventura Corporation, a large enterprise that significantly aided in a few Esferic projects, such as building the Benaventura Arena for field hockey and renewing five or six existing venues, and successfully bid to be one of the official sponsor. The TV displayed the ongoing basketball game between Giovanniland and Orandia. "Heh, with our athletes winning, I'll be able to profit even more!", he thought to himself. "Maybe we could sponsor some of those gold medal receivers for their future appearances," and as he continued this thought, the doorbell rang. It was the time for an important meeting. Kornelio Zorteyano, CEO of Lavandula Technology (an important enterprise from the nearby city of Annavilla), and Tertullia Adagio-Vitruvio, CEO of Porto Violeto Kasini (the largest gambling enterprise in the city), had just arrived to talk with Erasmo. They were close friends controlling large businesses of different sectors, and saw this Esferiad as a way to increase their influence. "Welcome! So, how are your companies going?", greeted Erasmo. He turned off the TV while the Giovannilandian basketball team scored a three-pointer. "Very good! Lavandula Technology Inc. has provided some of the technology being used for the Esferiad... for a small fee, of course," Kornelio answered ironically. "Same here, we at Porto Violeto Kasini are hoping that the influx of tourists from around the world can earn us an increase in visitors... and in profit," replied Tertullia. "Great to know, my friends," said Erasmo. He added, "so here we are to discuss how to best use the profits we reap from these ongoing games and our next steps forward." "Indeed we are," the two others said. "After the games," Erasmo told the other two, "it seems we have a golden opportunity in promoting some of the less-known sports in Giovanniland. Field hockey, for example, hence the arena our company built for the games. Lacrosse and golf are two other good options." "For me, any sport works as long as enough people are interested in betting on athletes," commented Tertullia. "Our casinos in northern Giovanniland are already booming with many people betting on their favorite athletes," she added. Kornelio agreed, and proposed to also provide the technology needed for these further plans. "A very good plan, and I could help you in building some of these new casinos across the country," Erasmo offered. "Ugh, if this country just had less of those damned taxes, we would be able to profit in an even greater way," he said. "That's where one of my other plans comes in," Kornelio remarked. "I don't think this old lady we call Prime Minister will try a re-election. I was talking with my old friend Lauro de Abreo-Florino. and he's trying to build a grand coalition of all other parties against this government led by the Soquale-Verde and Komunista parties. One of his goal is to reduce those taxes imposed on enterprises like ours," he announced. "And you think Lauro will get enough votes?", Tertullia doubted. "The two other parties combined only got 37% of the votes in the last election, while this coalition of tree-huggers and socialists still managed to earn over 60%..." Kornelio answered: "Worry not, as we have a plan to turn the tables in regards to that. The prospect of raising our economy even more should hopefully sway some of the voters, and with Amore Gile Abrente's old age I don't think she's running for another term." "Wonderful," Tertullia exclaimed. "The election is still a year ahead, but when the polls happen in 1423, I hope our plans succeed. For capitalism and glory!", she said. "I take it we're finished with this meeting," Erasmo announced. "I'll see you two soon again, my friends, but for now, may our corporations profit even more from the Esferiad." "Indeed," Kornelio and Tertullia concurred in unison. The two soon left the building and went back to their own corporations' headquarters. Erasmo turned back on the TV, and was delighted to see that the Giovannilandian basketball team won the match against Orandia—a close match indeed. He switched to another channel, and it was displaying the High Jump event. He watched as the athletes brought more medals to the nation, but deep down, all he could think about was profit. ---------------------------------------- Governor's Lavender Palace, Quorivo—9:30 AM International Atomic Time, 28th October 1421 King Giovanni VI was resting at a luxurious bedroom reserved for him in Quorivo for the duration of the Esferic Games, after arriving for the Opening Ceremony. Soon, an aide rushed into his room. "Your Majesty, here is an important letter from Kassakira Petrovikan, the Mpitarika of Blue Bubble," the aide said as she handed the King the letter. "Thank you," he replied. As he read the letter, he thought: "Hmm, an invite to meet at the Duchy Estate tomorrow? Sounds a nice opportunity to strengthen our friendship with our Blue Bubble neighbors. The Mpitarika will appreciate my presence." A few minutes passed and he finished thinking, as the aide stood near the door. "Giulia, please let the Governor of Lavanda Prima, Teodoro Anario-Lauro, know about this invite. I want him to go together with me, after all, his province's second largest city is co-hosting the Games with Kharventhin." She quickly obeyed. Ferenno of course accepted. Later that night, he and the King were preparing to depart the Governor's Lavender Palace and travel to Kharventhin. A small security guard was to go along them, and the King of course made this known to the Mpitarika.

Giovannilandian Esferiad Report - 3rd Day 3 Gold - 2 Silver - 1 Bronze Hello again, Giovannilandians! I am Karlo Nakamura-Edrense, the host of the Giovannilandian Esferiad Report. Today I'll talk about the results in the 3rd day of Esferic events and Giovannilandian highlights, as well as present the upcoming events for the next day. Firstly, we'll talk about yesterday's events in Kharventhin! In the 200 m Backstroke Swim, four Giovannilandian athletes participated: Yesse Gilvano-Altada, Lavanda Aselliana, Gigero Neuriano Vitale, and Klodio Giovanni-Santi. The only to qualify past the initial heats was Yesse, ranking 8th overall, while Gigero was unfortunately disqualified from the race. Her performance improved in the semifinals, earning 2nd place of her group and advancing into the finals. In the end, she was able to bring home another gold! Yesse shared the podium with 2nd place Hecatia Lukanova from Hertfordshire and Jammbo (H&J) and 3rd place Ethel Merman from Saint Mark. As for the first stage of the Judo events, Tamara Montemor-Verdi failed to qualify past the group stage but Alberto Montemorano and Raimundo Ligustio were more successful. Alberto was defeated in the quarterfinals and will go in the repechage bracket, while Raimundo defeated Faith Peytone from Nieubasria and will meet Funny Valentain from H&J in the semifinals. Then, matchday 3 of Water Polo saw Fhaengshia win against Giovanniland, while in Beach Volleyball, our athletes Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi earned their first win, namely against Christmas Hanley and Haven Cannon from United Adaikes. In the city of Quorivo, six events happened yesterday, notably the start of the track and field events which are all hosted in the Grand Esferic Stadium. Giovannilandian athletes Kyro Velsio-Sousa, Humberto Takeda, Telles Arpineyo, and Roberto Arvale all participated in the 100 m Run, with all of them qualifying for the semifinals but only Kyro advancing to the finals. In fact, Kyro had notably achieved first place in both the heats and semifinals, but he was unlucky in the finals as he sadly placed last. Meanwhile, in the Equestrian Eventing Individuals, athletes Klementina Regio-Amanda and Ivone Lauro Hamada had a very good performance but barely missed the podium, placing 4th and 5th. As for Tennis Singles, both Karlo Herbario and Saulo Urydesi Afraniano failed to win in the round of 16 and were therefore eliminated. Now there's happier news about the Quorivo events! Our Baseball team won 4-2 against the Dalimbari, and is now placed 2nd in the group behind Cambria, while in Basketball, a close match against Orandia resulted in a 79-78 win in overtime. Finally, the High Jump event featured Giovannilandian athletes Frankina Savorana-Lauro, Vanda Kupienno, and Konrado Trieste. Konrado and FranKine achieved a safe qualifying, tying for first, while Vanda failed one jump but nevertheless also advanced into the final. The tables then turned for Giovannilandian athletes, as Vanda improved her performance in comparison to the qualifiers and earned Giovanniland its third gold medal! Konrado, who also achieved a nearly perfect performance, got the silver medal because he failed in higher heights, whereas Frankine could not advance past 1.93 meters and finished 7th. Following this quick review, it's now time to talk about upcoming events! Firstly, here's the list of events happening in Kharventhin, broadcasted on channels 206 to 210: Matchday 4 of Beach Volleyball featuring Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi; 200 m Breastroke Swim featuring Giovanna Voglaria, Zelya Pasqual-Arbone, Horatio Andolia-Zara, and Susanna Sanquinio; Judo Finals featuring Alberto Montemorano in the repechage bracket and Raimundo Ligustio in the main bracket; 10 m Platform Dive featuring Amanda Portovini, Lorentio Nakamura-Aureli, and Teresa Ferrari; Matchday 4 of Water Polo (team event); Furthermore, the Rowing Single Sculls will also be happening, but without Giovannilandian participation. In Quorivo, the following events will happen tomorrow and be broadcasted on channels 201 to 205: Matchday 4 of Baseball (team event); Matchday 4 of Basketball (team event); Equestrian Eventing Team featuring Klementina Regio-Amanda and Ivone Lauro Hamada; Pole Vault featuring Neuriano Mettio, Arabella Gianluka, and Edna Nivoso; 400 m Run featuring Beatrige de Abreo-Florino, Sersio Zara, Fabio Orintal-Silva, and Gilvano Gormo Viator; And that's all we will have during the fourth day of Esferic events! Anyone can watch live events on the channels 201 to 210, and for members of our monthly subscription, we also have recordings in our website if you aren't able to check them live. See you tomorrow for the next report!

Benavedia, Spandorto, Giovanniland—18:00 PM International Atomic Time, 26th October 1421 "This was a tiring day of school," thought 12-year-old Aulo, as he left the Benavedia Middle School and started to search for his mother Barbara that would take him home. At that time of the day, his father Lorentio would still be working in Tommasia, the capital of Spandorto Region, a fair distance from their hometown. It wasn't an easy life for his family, living in a poor suburb of Benavedia, a town of around 10,000 in a sparsely populated part of Giovaura. After some time, he managed to find his mother, waiting for him in an old-looking car. "So, how was school?" asked Barbara. "It wasn't bad, as always I struggle in the math class, but having sports class at the end of the day was nice", her son replied. "I do think," the mother thought, "that you could be a nice athlete in the future if you continue being dedicated as you are." She added, "just like those we're seeing in the Esferiad." "That would be so cool..." he replied, as he and his mother passed through the streets of Benavedia and got closer to their home. His thought went deep into this idea of becoming a future Esferiad athlete, and time flied. Soon they had arrived. "Dad isn't here yet," Aulo said as they arrived. "Indeed, he's probably driving from Tommasia to here," his mother answered. "Let's turn on the TV," she offered—their TV was one of the few modern things at home, and of course it wasn't of good quality and had few available channels, but the ones broadcasting Esferiad events were available. He grabbed the remote control and turned on. The screen was displaying the 1500 m Freestyle Swim athletes as the first semifinal started. "Now, Giovannilandian athlete Zutrina Frateriana will prepare to swim!", said narrator Urbano Sallotio from Quorivo. "and Zutrina has started! She's now third, but the top 3 are all close! Go, Zutrina, go!", the narrator continued. The competition proceeded, while mother and son watched. "Zutrina has now taken the second place with just three minutes to go! Will she be able to take the first one as well?", said the narrator. Barbara thought, "it's better for her to not spend all the energy so she has some for the final". It seems the mother was right, as Zutrina slowed down but still maintained some advantage ahead of third place. "And Zutrina is second! Fourteen minutes and 42.55 seconds, she is now qualified for the final!", the narrator Urbano said with joy. Aulo wanted to see the other semifinal in which Andreana Viriato would be seen, but his mother suggested him to take a quick shower so as to get that done and not miss the final. "Okay then," he reluctantly replied. Twenty minutes later he was back from the shower, while Andreana had already qualified for the final as well. In Quorivo, hundreds of kilometers to the north, both Zutrina and Andreana were preparing for their possible medals. "And now, the final is about to start! Will Giovanniland earn a medal?", the narrator asked to themselves, "that's what we'll see now!" A quick pause, and the final match started. "Zutrina gets ahead of everyone else by performing a nice jump into the pool—but oh no, what's that? Andreana has just fallen in an odd way and is now in last place! Oh no..." Five minutes later. "And Zutrina has lost first place, but it's not the end yet! Andreana seems to have recovered and is now in fifth place!", Urbano told to the spectators all around Giovanniland. Another five minutes passed, and Zutrina was still in second, but Andreana was now in fourth. The competition was down to the final meters, with Aulo and Barbara nervously looking at the screen. "Hey, a silver medal isn't that bad!", she thought. But deep down, everyone wanted Giovanniland to get its first gold medal. Soon, Urbano the narrator said: "Andreana has just taken third place, we've got two Giovannilandians in the top 3 now!" "We approach the end of the competition, Zutrina is neck and neck with the first place while Andreana has taken third!" A few seconds later... "and Zutrina has taken first place again!!!... three, two, one, SHE'S THE WINNER!" One second later, Kaetana Makado from Blue Bubble had also arrived and so did Andreana, completing the podium. "Two medals in one event, Giovanniland now has three medals! Woohoo!" the narrator said. Aulo and Barbara cheered, and watched the medal ceremony of that event with happiness. It was soon dinner time, and Aulo wanted to watch more of the Esferiad, but his mother called him. His father Lorentio arrived, and he was told the news, all the family celebrating despite their tough routine—among all hard things life has to offer, it was nice to have some comfort. Soon, three hours had passed since Aulo' classes and the clock reached 21:00 PM. "Bed time, my dear Aulo," his mother said. He obeyed her, going to his bedroom and grabbing his pajamas to sleep. Laying in bed, his thoughts were still in the nice event of the Esferiad that they had watched earlier, reinforcing his future idea of becoming an athlete. "Only time will tell," he thought as he quickly went asleep.

Giovannilandian Esferiad Report - 2nd Day 1 Gold - 1 Silver - 1 Bronze Hello again, Giovannilandians! I am Karlo Nakamura-Edrense, the host of the Giovannilandian Esferiad Report. Today I will present the retrospective of the 2nd day of Esferic events, and briefly talk about the ones of the 3rd day that will start soon today. Firstly, we'll talk about yesterday's events in Kharventhin! The 3 m Springboard Dive, just like all other aquatic events, happened in the Rano Aquatics Centre. Three of our athletes competed: Amando Nivoso, Venusta Merkuria, and Guillermo Vindemia-Tamudio. While Amando and Venusta could not get past the semifinals, Guillermo made a very strong performance! He ended up 4th in the final, barely missing the podium, but his effort is nevertheless praised. Following that, we had the best event for Giovanniland in the 2nd day: the 1500 Freestyle Swim. Andreana Viriato, Taide Polari-Annabella, Zutrina Frateriana, and Paulo Varguntio Silva all participated, with Andreana and Zutrina qualifying for the final round. Zutrina earned Giovanniland its first gold of the II Summer Esferiad, while Andreana achieved the bronze! They both shared the podium with none other than our neighbors Blue Bubble, represented by Kaetana Makado. In the Beach Volleyball event, our pair of Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi had some time to rest as they were given a bye. There were also some unfortunate results, however, such as our Taekwondo athlete Amandita Gaudino-Ferenna losing the bronze medal match to Blue Bubble's Takondwa Cardoso. Another example was our Water Polo team sadly losing to Larxia 5-11. Furthermore, the Sailing Windsurfing and 10 m Air Rifle events also took place, but as I said yesterday, Giovanniland decided to not compete in them. We've seen that our Blue Bubble neighbors performed nicely in them, so congratulations to them! Meanwhile, in Quorivo, four more events happened. Similar to Beach Volleyball, our Basketball team had a bye, and will hopefully use this to prepare to win their next games as they lost the first one. In Baseball, however, our team won against Dilber and now stands in 2nd place of its group! Our Equestrian Dressage team performance was not that good, finishing 7th of 8 teams in the final; while in Tennis Singles we had a good start as both Karlo Herbario and Saulo Urydesi Afraniano qualified to the next round. Time to talk about upcoming events now! Here's the list for Kharventhin tomorrow, broadcasted on channels 206 to 210: 200 m Backstroke Swim featuring Yesse Gilvano-Altada, Lavanda Aselliana, Gigero Neuriano Vitale, and Klodio Giovanni-Santi; Judo Stage 1 featuring Alberto Montemorano, Tamara Montemor-Verdi and Raimundo Ligustio; Matchday 3 of Water Polo (team event); Matchday 3 of Beach Volleyball featuring Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi; Like other days, due to the limit of 150 entries, Giovanniland chose to not participate in a few events: the next ones in which this will happen are Sailing Multihull and Trap Shooting. Meanwhile, the following are the events in Quorivo, broadcasted on channels 201 to 205: 100 m Run featuring Kyro Velsio-Sousa, Humberto Takeda, Telles Arpineyo, and Roberto Arvale; High Jump featuring Frankina Savorana-Lauro, Vanda Kupienno, and Konrado Trieste; Equestrian Eventing Individuals featuring Klementina Regio-Amanda and Ivone Lauro Hamada; Tennis Singles Finals featuring Karlo Herbario and Saulo Urydesi Afraniano; Matchday 3 of Baseball (team event); Matchday 3 of Basketball (team event); That is the schedule for the third day of Esferic events! You can watch live events on the channels 201 to 210, and for members of our monthly subscription, we also have recordings in our website sportsreport.com.gl/esferiad/ii/events if you aren't able to check them live. See you tomorrow for another report!

Giovannilandian Esferiad Report - 1st Day 0 Gold - 1 Silver - 0 Bronze Good morning Giovannilandians! I am Karlo Nakamura-Edrense, and today I will host the first edition of our Giovannilandian Esferiad Report talking about the Esferic events themselves, i.e. review the ones that happened yesterday, and then briefly talk about the ones starting soon today. Firstly, we'll talk about yesterday's events in Kharventhin! In artistic swimming, the Giovannilandian team finished 6th overall with a score of 48.167, while Nieubasria and Santos-Dominius notably shared the gold medal due to achieving the exact same score. Another defeat happened in the 1st matchday of beach volleyball, in which our pair of Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi lost to Frisk Dachev and Robert Spïdwagen from Hertfordshire and Jammbo. However, in the 200 m freestyle swim, we've got some happy news to report! While three of our four swimmers could not get past the semifinals, the swimmer Milite Laroni earned Giovanniland its first medal in the II Summer Esferiad, namely a silver medal, which was also our only medal for this first day. Nilton had also earned a silver medal at the same event a year ago in the I Summer Esferiad of Saint-Josalyn, making him one of the most successful Giovannilandian athletes of today. Four more events happened in Kharventhin, two of which we did not participate in. We did, however, participate in water polo, in which our team won 9-5 against Santos-Dominius, and taekwondo. Our athlete Barbara Urbolina Alboquerko sadly lost to Naho Sotirova from Hertfordshire and Jammbo in the round of 16, but the other athlete Amandita Gaudino-Ferenna was more successful and won against Hrolf Vidal from Nieubasria. Amandita later lost to Takondwa Cardoso from Blue Bubble in the quarterfinals, however this is not the end of the road for her as she will proceed into the repechage bracket: the winners of it will compete with the losers of the semifinals for bronze medals. In Quorivo, four events happened yesterday. In the archery individuals, Giovannilandian athlete Miria Ulpia-Numerio failed to qualify for the final after ranking 20th in the first round, while Milite Lupo-Kadrino and Giuditte Verania Quadri did qualify but ended up ranked 5th and 9th respectively in the final. In baseball, the Giovannilandian team lost to Cambria 5-6, and in basketball, Giovanniland similarly lost but to Dalimbar 75-77 instead. Luckily, both of those still have several matchdays ahead so who knows if our team can win or not. Finally, in the equestrian dressage individuals, Aura Attinio-Elisano and Federigo Violetone both did not qualify for the final round. I now proceed to talking about the upcoming events! Just like yesterday, here is a list of events featuring Giovannilandian athletes so that people from all around the country can watch their performances. Here's the list of events happening in Kharventhin, broadcasted on channels 206 to 210: Matchday 2 of Beach Volleyball featuring the pair of Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi; 1500 m Freestyle Swim featuring Andreana Viriato, Taide Polari-Annabella, Zutrina Frateriana, and Paulo Varguntio Silva; 3 m Springboard Dive featuring Amando Nivoso, Venusta Merkuria, and Guillermo Vindemia-Tamudio; Taekwondo Finals featuring Amandita Gaudino-Ferenna; Matchday 2 of Water Polo (team event); The Sailing Windsurfing and 10 m Air Rifle events are also happening, but Giovanniland will not compete in these events. Meanwhile, these are the events in Quorivo, broadcasted on channels 201 to 205: Matchday 2 of Baseball (team event); Matchday 2 of Basketball (team event); Equestrian Dressage Team featuring Aura Attinio-Elisano and Federigo Violetone; Tennis Singles Stage 1 featuring Gustavo Quintana Oralino, Karlo Herbario, and Saulo Urydesi Afraniano; That is the schedule for the second day of Esferic events! This is it for Esferiad Report for today, but stay tuned for the many events happening today. Remember: watch live events on 201 to 210, and for members of our monthly subscription, recordings in our website will be waiting for you if unable to check them live!

Giovannilandian Esferiad Report Good morning Giovannilandians! I am Karlo Nakamura-Edrense, the main host of the Giovannilandian Sports Report and of its Giovannilandian Esferiad Report that aims to keep Giovannilandians informed of the latest happenings of the Esferiad. We have reserved several channels to display games live in both Quorivo and Kharventhin when they happen, the channels 201 to 210, while our main channel 020 will sometimes display key matches involving Giovanniland while also continuing normal sports coverage from events around the world. I am glad to say our news report has once again been chosen by the Ministry of Sports to be the main media group reporting the events! Therefore, we are also using the logo of the Giovannilandian Esferiad Committee displayed above. In this report, I will talk about the Opening Ceremony, which was broadcasted by this same channel 12 hours ago, with special live coverage from our news reporter Urbano Sallotio. She is the head reporter of our press corps at Quorivo, while Madalena Vindemia heads the press corps covering the Kharventhin events. A brief retrospective of this ceremony will be said now, especially for those who couldn't view it live—those can also later check the recording made by our Quorivo crew at our official website. The opening ceremony was really nice to see, with the initial part telling about the story of Lavender Island and how the close relationship between Giovanniland and Blue Bubble was created. The anthems of those two nations were then played, and after that a beautiful section about nature and culture of Giovanniland was presented, including musical pieces such as Opera Arboria by Agrippina Quintilio and poems such as Lavender Island by Gyalba Tuditano-Poska. Then all sports were represented by pictograms in a technological display, and the long-awaited Parade of Nations started, with the Giovannilandian delegation arriving at the end of the queue. Important speeches were given by Gabriello Hiberno-Elisano (President of the Quorivo & Kharventhin Organising Committee of the Esferic Games) and Chi Ijendu (Chair of the International Esferiad Commission), and then our monarch King Giovanni VI officially opened the games together with Kassakira Petrovikan from Blue Bubble. The display of the Esferic hymn and flag soon followed together with the Esferic oaths on behalf of athletes, judges and coaches, with the first one notably taken by our athlete Katia Terra, gold medalist in the 1st Summer Esferiad. Last but not least, the very anticipated part of the cauldron lighting happened. It was designed in the form of a bouquet of lavenders with the fire in the middle, and was lit by none other than Vanessa Desniana, athlete and former reporter of this very sports program. Vanessa has now entered a well deserved retirement from journalism and continues to influence Giovannilandian sports as athlete, and I've had the pleasure to work with her ever since entering sports journalism, so she was naturally a great choice for this important moment of the Esferiad. Anyways, that's all that happened in the Opening Ceremony. Moving on, we have analyzed the upcoming schedule for the events of the 1st day and prepared a nice list of events featuring Giovannilandian athletes so that viewers from all around the country can watch them shine. Some of the events will start in a few hours, therefore, stay tuned! The following are the events happening in Kharventhin, channels 206 to 210: Artistic Swimming (team event); Matchday 1 of Beach Volleyball featuring the pair of Alessander Elessiano-Savora and Elisabetta Santi; 200 m Freestyle Swim featuring Farlina Arruntio-Kommodo, Vera Santanna-Borba, Milite Laroni, and Giordana Montana-Sousa; Stage 1 of Taekwondo featuring Barbara Urbolina Alboquerko and Amandita Gaudino-Ferenna; Matchday 1 of Water Polo (team event); Additionally, the Sailing One-Person Dinghy and 10 m Air Pistol events will also be happening, although the Giovannilandian Esferiad Committee has chosen to not send athletes to these events. Meanwhile, the events happening in Quorivo, broadcasted on channels 201 to 205, will be: Archery Individuals featuring Miria Ulpia-Numerio, Milite Lupo-Kadrino, and Giuditte Verania Quadri; Matchday 1 of Baseball (team event); Equestrian Dressage Individuals featuring Aura Attinio-Elisano and Federigo Violetone; That is the schedule for this very exciting first day of Esferic events! We're finishing the Esferiad Report for today, but viewers will of course have many things to watch, and for those not able to follow the events—worry not, as our report will present a retrospective of the first day tomorrow morning for all our viewers. See you then!

II Summer Esferiad Opening Ceremony Grande Stadio Sferiko, Quorivo—8:00 PM International Atomic Time, 24th October 1421 Near the margins of the Purpuro River of Quorivo lies the Grande Stadio Sferiko, one of the few venues built for the Esferiad. It was designed to host not only the field and track athletic events, but also the Opening Ceremony, creating much anticipation from Giovannilandians and visitors alike. The ceremony was about to start, with representatives of the 17 nations, musicians, actors and actresses, singers, and many others ready for it to begin. The countdown finally ticked down to zero, and everyone at the stadium went silent. Finally, the darkness was broken by a few lights pointing at the center of the stadium. The ceremony had started. Then appeared the first few actors, staging the creation of the world and birth of life. Dressed as indigenous Lavandulans, they represented the first few inhabitants of the Lavandulan city-states, and soon the wars that ensued between armies of each city-state until the rise of the Lavandulan Empire. More actors dressed as warriors arrived as the public heard ancient war songs from that era. Soon, the scene shifted to the fall of Lavandula, the multiple states of the Medieval Age, the arrival of the Abrentans from the Saint Markan lands (all represented by people wearing different costumes), and then the unification of the island under the Giovannian Empire. Following the scenes of overseas Giovannian conquests, life in the Empire, and finally the wars that brought its downfall, the highlight was the birth of two modern nations—Giovanniland and Blue Bubble—the two hosts of this Esferiad. Initially hostile to each other due to the former’s occupation of the latter, the nations then started to heal the relations, with the actors demonstrating the growth of the two nations and the events they had to deal with, such as the Industrial Revolution. This part of the ceremony ends as the contemporary age and the strengthened friendship between the two nations is represented. Once the history part of the ceremony ended, the anthems of the two countries were each sung by a chorus of people from each nation, with the two flags also raised by athletes of each team. The next part then focused on nature and culture. Hundreds of actors dressed in different colors changed their positions every now and then to represent the different biomes of Giovanniland. Animal species such as the jaguars, ocelots, tapirs, sloths, armadillos, hyacinth macaws, flamingoes, anacondas, piranhas, and pink dolphins were all highlighted. Meanwhile, different types of plants, such as lavender, violet, pines, rainforest trees, coastal vegetation, shrubs and many more, each representing a different region of the country, were also represented. Then it was the part for the cultural practices to shine. Different types of music, from classical to modern, were played or sung by renowned musicians, for example the classical Opera Arboria by the Imperial era composer Agrippina Quintilio. A representation of the Violet Carnival soon happened together with modern tunes authored and played by the composer Floriano Tiberi. Finally, the poem Lavender Island by Giovannilandian poet Gyalba Tuditano-Poska, which talks about the multiple peoples of the island, was recited by students of Quorivo High School. The focus of the ceremony then went back to the Esferiad itself as pictograms representing each sport included in the schedule were performed. And soon after, the long-awaited Parade of Nations started. Each team’s name was announced in Common, Giovannilandian and Glendulan by King Giovanni VI, although the order of appearance was sorted by their Giovannilandian name, with the two hosts arriving at the end of the queue. Adaiki Uniti (United Adaikes) Arifia (Arifiyyah) Dalimbar Dilber Fensia (Fhaengshia) Fontana (Fuentana) Fuya (Fujai) Herfordia ed Yambo (Hertfordshire and Jammbo) Kambria (Cambria) Larsia (Larxia) Nagaria (Nagaraningrad) Nova Basria (Nieubasria) Orandia Santo ed Dominio (Santos-Dominius) Santo Marko (Saint Mark) Teralia (Teralyon) Tupania (Tupmonia) Glenpavia (Blue Bubble) Giovanniterra (Giovanniland) Following the parade of nations, Gabriello Hiberno-Elisano and Chi Ijendu, President of the Quorivo & Kharventhin Organising Committee of the Esferic Games and Chair of the International Esferiad Commission respectively, each gave their own speech about the Esferiad. They highlighted the collaboration of Giovanniland and Blue Bubble as a good example of international friendship, wished all athletes a good competition, and emphasized the motto of this Esferiad: “Friendship. Individuality. Trust.” It was then the time for one of the most anticipated moments of the ceremony: the heads of state of Blue Bubble and Giovanniland, Kassakira Petrovikan and King Giovanni VI respectively, to officially open the games. They each declared the Games of the II Summer Esferiad open in their own native languages (Glendulan and Giovannese respectively). A burst of fireworks forming the four Esferic Rings in the sky then followed. After that, a hundred actors went into planned positions so as to form the four Esferic Rings within the stadium, while the Esferic Hymn and Flag were sung and raised respectively at the same time. The Esferic oath on behalf of the athletes was then recited by Giovannilandian athlete Katia Terra, gold medalist in the 1500 meters event of the I Summer Esferiad of Saint-Josalyn, while the corresponding oaths on behalf of the judges and coaches were taken by Flavia Kopelli Gillo and Amoriano Minidio respectively. Last but not least, the last part of the opening ceremony then happened: the end of the torch relay and lighting of the Esferic cauldron. The torch had travelled through all four continents and a quick retrospective of its journey was then shown before it arrived into the stadium. The cauldron was designed in the form of a bouquet of lavenders, with the fire in the middle, and was lit by Giovannilandian athlete and retired sports journalist Vanessa Desniana after entering the stadium. The people at the stadium then cheered, as the ceremony came to an end. Soon the athletes would go back to either the Quorivo or the Kharventhin Esferic Villages, and the visitors to their homes or hotels.

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City of Quoriv, Giovanniland (Giovannese: Quorivo — Lavandulan: ཀླུང་ཆེན) Giovanniland is a kingdom located in Aura and Andolia, bordering Blue Bubble to the west of the Auran lands. Although relations with its western neighbor Blue Bubble were previously tense due to the Giovannian Empire's occupation for almost four centuries, ever since the 13th century they have improved, and now the two countries have been close allies. The northern region was chosen to host the games due to the proximity of its main cities to the Blue Bubble border, with the northwestern city of Quorivo taking on the host role. Some venues are located in the nearby cities of Uryde, Dazano, Medottone, and Kyene. Quorivo is one of the nation's most ancient cities, being founded in around 2200 BF in the Lavandulan civilization and becoming one of the most important centers of Violetism. After the Lavandulan Empire's fall, it served as capital of the Duchy of Quorivo, bringing wealth and prosperity to the city. Even after the conquest by the Giovannian Empire, it remained important and was one of the first cities to industrialize during the Industrial Revolution. Today it's the second largest city in the Lavanda Prima region and ninth largest in Giovanniland overall, with 262,144 inhabitants. It contains well integrated, technological and sustainable services, for example a great transport network that includes the Airoporto Lavandula (Lavandula Airport). Visiting Giovanniland Arrival and Transport Giovanniland has a strong and well connected network of railroads, highways, waterways, harbors, airports, and more. For visitors only seeking to watch the Esferiad, there is little to worry besides airports and highways. The Airoporto Lavandula is the main place of entry into the city, and although it was mostly used for domestic and regional flights before, it has been recently repurposed and expanded for visitors and teams from all around Esferos to arrive, with millions of Abrios spent on this project. Visitors can also choose to arrive through the Airoporto Internationale Violeto (Violet International Airport) in Uryde, if they wish to focus on the games that will be played on that city and the adjacent ones of Medottone and Dazano. Once you are here, there are many options of places to stay in Quorivo and the other auxiliary host cities. Whether you're looking for a five-star hotel, a good place to sleep but also not that expensive, or even homestays for vacation rentals, an online search will reveal many choices for all kinds of tourists. The Giovannilandian highway system is divided into the great national roads, and the regional and provincial roads supporting them. The most important highway for people watching the Esferiad is the Grande Autovia Boria (Great Northern Highway) which connects various cities in the regions of Lavanda Prima and Lavanda Sekunda. It connects the many cities of the north such as Quorivo, Uryde, Dazano, Medottone and Kyene, passing through other cities including Lampo and Kastellavando, and finally having Rivomonte as the southern terminus. Quorivo also features a highway to the west, passing through the Blue Bubble border, for easy transport between it and the other host city Kharventhin. A map of Lavender Island's major cities, including the two host cities. Tourism and Cuisine Most people reading this will of course be looking to follow the various types of sports that will happen during the Esferiad. However, for those seeking to do more besides watching the athletes competing, there are several options for tourism in the northern region of Giovanniland. The city of Quorivo contains a beautiful historical center with a few buildings dating back to the era of the Lavandulan Empire, many Violetist churches and royal houses from the Duchy of Quorivo decorated with precious metals, and at the same time several modern buildings. The Lavandulan History Museum, pictured below, contains not only many artefacts made by the native Lavandulan peoples, but also others earned by trade with foreign powers such as Saint Mark. The nearby city of Uryde is the 4th largest and one of the busiest cities of Giovanniland, with much to see there such as the historic district with buildings dating back to medieval times, and the great Violet Carnival and Lavender festival celebrations! Dazano is another important city with a millennia-long history, and today it's also home to several technological hubs that are certainly worth visiting. Another auxiliary host city is Medottone, known for the nearby national parks where one can see the Giovannilandian nature and wildlife of the tropical moist broadleaf forests. Last but not least there's the city of Kyene, whose most famous feature is the Great Tomb of the Violet Father (the founder of Violetism that lived from around 2048 to 1963 BF), one of the most holy sites for the national religion. Staple foods of Giovanniland's cuisine include most notably pizza and pasta, and the Lavandulan cuisine has its own variations on them. Dishes with marine food are common in the tropical north coast, in which paella is a regional dish featuring seafood and the rice coming from the farms in the southern part of the region, whereas pasta with seafood is also a common dish. The national drink is violet tea, made from the leaves of the national flower, and in Quorivo local teahouses commonly use the leaves of violets from the city's Great Violet Park. The world-renowned restaurants that mix flavors from the Giovauran and Giovandolian cuisines are also worth visiting. The Lavandulan History Museum of Quorivo, and the historic district of Uryde. Host Venues Venues not in the host city are marked with an asterisk Stadio Abreo-Florino* - Located in the nearby city of Uryde, this is one of the five football stadiums that will host the football games of the Esferiad. Named after the wealthy and influential Abreo-Florino family, which in the past has produced several Prime Ministers of Giovanniland and today has many athletes and businessmen in its ranks, it is the home of the Uryde Pedesfera team also sponsored by the family. Kentro Ginastiko Velanio Umberti - One of the largest gymnastics centres in the country, this venue is named after one of the best Giovannilandian athletes in this sport from decades ago, Lukretio Velanio Umberti. In this Esferiad, it will host the gymnastics events of Individual All-Around, Team All-Around, Floor Exercise, Balance Beam, Uneven Bars, Parallel Bars, Rings, and Vault. Novo Kentro Volanisfere* - The recently-built badminton center of the city of Dazano and the Lavanda Prima region as a whole, the New Badminton Center will host both the singles and doubles modalities of the Esferiad. Badminton is not a very popular sport in the country, but when it does participate in international tournaments, Dazano is where most of the Giovannilandian athletes come from. The name refers to the fact that it has now replaced the older and smaller center, which is now a museum about the sport's history in Giovanniland. Monte Zodeno I - Due to the Monte Zodeno I’s status as the highest mountain of the coastal Gyusero Province, where Quorivo is located, and its closeness to the host city, this venue will host the Mountain Biking events. The mountain is named after the Lavandulan emperor Zodeno or Chöden the First, which ruled between 1026-1013 BF and started a new era of expansion for Lavandula, ushering in the peak of the empire. Arena Benaventura - Located in the southern part of Quorivo, this arena will host Field Hockey events in the Esferiad. It was one of the few venues that had to be built for the games, since this sport is not played at the professional level in the country and few Giovannilandians are interested. It bears the name of the company who built it, currently led by businessman Erasmo Benaventura. Verderia Ludi Olibrio Vigellio - The selected venue for the BMX Cycling events, this park is one of the oldest verderie ludi (sports parks) in Giovanniland and has recently undergone reforms so that it can host visitors from around the world for the Esferiad. It was originally founded by Olibrio Vigellio in the 12th century, during the late Giovannian Empire. Perkurso Mallisfere Medottoni* - An interesting tourist attraction in the nearby city of Medottone, it's the largest golf course of Giovanniland, a sport called mallisfera in Giovannese, from the words for hammer and ball. Visitors and athletes alike at the venue will not only be able to see the sport itself, but also the breathtaking nature of the nearby tropical forests. Stadio Lidoborano - This venue is one of the two football stadiums located in the main host city, and the only one of those that isn’t a new venue built for the event. Named after the province where the city of Quorivo is located, this is one of the oldest football stadiums of Giovanniland and also the home stadium of the Quire Quorivane (Spears of Quorivo), the city’s most popular team. Among the football matches it will host is the third-place match! Arena Rivi Purpuri - The name of this stadium refers to one of the most important Giovannilandian rivers, the Purpuro River, which starts on the Great Violet Range in the central part of the country, and also runs through the city of Quorivo. It is located near the margins of the river, and will host all events of Baseball for the Esferiad. Manosferio Quorivano - The Manosferio Quorivano, Handball Arena of Quorivo, is one of the largest handball stadiums of the country and notably serves as the home stadium for the national handball team! While many sports' national teams have in fact their seats in the capital Giovannia, handball is one of the exceptions due to the fact it is better known in the northern part of the country but not much elsewhere. Stadio Giordano Magisto - The venue for the Esferiad's Rugby Sevens events, it is located in eastern Quorivo and bears the name of a famous Giovannilandian player of both sevens and union, who currently also coaches both national teams. The Stadio Giordano Magisto is also the oldest rugby stadium of the country, founded in the early 14th century when the sport was introduced in Giovanniland. Stadio Zerino* - This is another football stadium that will be used as a venue for certain matches during the Esferiad. It is named after an important person in Lavandulan history, who reunited his people after centuries of division after the Lavandulan Empire's fall and sought an alliance with the powerful Abrentans to defend against external threats, eventually ushering in the foundation of the Giovannian Empire. Grande Stadio Sferiko - In a prominent location of downtown Quorivo lies this grand stadium, near the margins of the Purpuro River. It was one of the few venues built for the Esferiad, and is planned to host the opening ceremony on the 24th of October, with the Esferic Flame to be lit there and then transported to Blue Bubble for the closing ceremony. Throughout the remainder of the event, the Grande Stadio Sferiko (Grand Esferic Stadium) will host various field and track athletic events. Grande Kentro Violeto - The main spot for basketball in Quorivo, this center was of course selected and expanded to serve as a venue for the Esferiad’s Basketball events. It is located near the Great Violet Park, which is an important place of worship for the Violetist religion and is filled with violet flowers, hence the basketball center also adopting this name. Kentro Equestre Lavandulo - A new venue built for the event, the Lavandula Equestrian Center will host all equestrian events of the Esferiad, i.e. both individual and team versions of Dressing, Eventing and Jumping. It is located on the western part of Quorivo, near the Purpuro River. Stadio Sferiko Rege Karlo III - While lacrosse is not very popular among the Giovannilandians, it was one of the former monarch Karlo III’s favorite sports, and thus he was honored by becoming the namesake of the main lacrosse stadium of Giovanniland. The venue was recently expanded so that it could host all events of this sport for the Esferiad. Stadio Sferiko Rege Giovanni VI - A new football stadium built for the Esferiad and one bearing the current monarch’s name, it has a high capacity that rivals the Arena Abrentana in the capital Giovannia, where the national team is located. It will host several football matches for the Esferiad, including the final match where the gold and silver medals will be decided. Via Firkella Herennio - This cycling road is the largest in the city of Quorivo and is named after a famous Giovannilandian cyclist from the 14th century. It is located in the southern part of the city near the Arena Benaventura, and will host the Esferiad’s Road Cycling events. Bella Verderia Arquaris - This venue name means the Beautiful Park of the Archers, and is located in an open area in the extreme west of the city. It's been chosen for the Archery events of the Esferiad, and is also halfway between downtown Quorivo and the iconic Monte Zodeno I with its nearby tropical forest! Magna Arena Gyalbana* - The last of the five football stadiums in this list, it is located in the city of Kyene, which is the capital of the nearby Gyalbo Province of the Lavanda Prima region. It will host certain football matches in the Esferiad, and is the home stadium of the Kunigli Kyenesi (Rabbits of Kyene) team as well. Velodromo Kelsano-Vikenti - Named after Giovannilandian track cyclist Lodena Kelsano-Vikenti, it is the indoor velodrome chosen to host the Esferiad’s track events. One of the most important velodromes in the country, it also recently underwent various reforms to host bigger national and international events. Stadio Galerio-Dellina* - Last but certainly not least in this list is the Stadio Galerio-Dellina, which will host both the singles and doubles modalities of tennis for the Esferiad. The venue's namesake is a famous tennis player from Uryde, called Zelya Galerio-Dellina, which was posthumously honored with a change in the stadium's name to recognize her national and international achievements.

Thank you for the update!

Looks like I'm on the minority this time around. Maybe it's just the fact I am Brazilian, the Amazon has some lovely biodiversity that I'd like to see more closely.

Lost in the jungle, even though I could potentially be hunted down by dangerous animals, I would also get to see a breath-taking nature.

Please remember to create a forum account so it can be masked as Hall of Nations member if your application is successful

Fluent in all languages, I already know how to play my favorite instrument which is the piano but there are so many nice languages that I don't know how to speak so it was an easy choice for me.

Thanks for the update, and indeed we're having a great month here

Welcome! I am one of the TWP Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and it's nice to have you here Be sure to post any updates you have, the embassy UA linked above is the best place for that.

Back in time, I love history. Funnily enough, since I've been researching NS history a lot recently, perhaps I could travel to 15-20 years ago and see for myself how the early days of NS were. Not that the existing coverage is bad (our forums have really good resources), I just feel like wanting more.

Interesting, looks like everyone answered side so far. For me it's almost always side, but sometimes I also sleep well in the stomach position.

This was hard to choose considering there are both cats and dogs at home. But considering both quantity (2 dogs vs 1 cat) and time they've been here (7 and 6 years for the dogs, 6 months for the cat) I choose dogs.

If you follow the instructions listed in the first post of this thread, sure. Also please create a forum account instead of posting as guest, so it can be masked as Hall member after you successfully apply.

I'd have hiccups for an hour. If the hour of sneezing comes at random and then it happens during a class, I'd hate for everyone else to think I've got the coronavirus.

Welcome to the forum embassy of Venice! Make yourself at home, and feel free to post any updates about your region when you have them.