4th Winter Olympics

The IV Olympic Winter Games (French: IVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) were a multi-sport event held in Alavaria, Kelssek. They were the first Olympic Games held in Kelssek. The Games logo featured a profile of Caunidhrenon mountain, an Alavaria landmark and site of some of the Games events, with four stars in an arc above it, evoking the flag of the province of Eryn Firith.

There were two bids for the Games, from Monthuez, Krytenia, and Alavaria. With the withdrawal of the Monthuez bid, Alavaria was awarded the hosting rights by default.

Notable individual performances
Even participating in an Olympic event is of course a testament to great sporting prowess. Nonetheless, some athletes achieved particular successes. Six athletes won two gold medals, including Alliance Star similar pair Sarah Anne Greene and Christine Wilders who won both the pairs and ice dancing in the figure skating. 35 other athletes won two or more medals, including brother and sister Michael and Sarah Roberson of Newmanistan, both of whom earned two bronzes in the Nordic combined. Secristani ski jumper Pete Garrison, Quodite alpine skiier Han Chung, and Dagan cross-country skier Stefanie Johnson each won three medals, while Ariddian speed skater Jean-Michel Chang took home a gold, a silver, and two bronzes; he was also the only athlete to medal in two different disciplines, competing in both short and long track speed skating events.

Olympic records
Records are only recognised in the two speed skating disciplines at the Winter Olympics. New records were set in ten different events, including one relay. Perhaps most impressive in this aspect was Linda Uosh, who set new records in the semifinal and final of the women's 1500m short track. She also recorded two times in other events that were faster than previous records, though others went even faster. The Landau Institute and the Ariddian Isles were the only nations to have more than one skater set a new record - despite the latter only having two speed skaters in their Olympic team!


 * 1) Three other teams skated faster than the record team, including record holders Jasīʼyūn - though with different skaters in the team.
 * 2) Seven skaters beat the existing record in this very fast race, including the previous record holder, Linda Uosh.
 * 3) These times broke records set earlier in the Games.
 * 4) Across the various races, nine times were recorded that were faster than the record prior to the Olympics, with records set and then broken in the quarterfinal and semifinal, the latter by Uosh herself.

Returning medalists
The curtailment of the Third Winter Olympics after only a few events, and the passage of time necessitated changed rosters, as well as the withdrawal of some nations that had previously competed and entry of those that had not meant that there were only about 20 Winter Olympic medal holders who returned to Alavaria to defend their titles: and of these, only a single athlete was successful: snowboarder Lyndis Lemaire of hosts Kelssek repeated her silver medal effort in the women's halfpipe. Teammate Brandon Shelley won a second men's biathlon medal, but in a different event.

The Games
The following necessarily subjective and partial list records some of the most memorable performances and incidents of the Games, and is based on the RP thread.

Day 0 Day 1 Day 2
 * The opening ceremony celebrated multiculturalism and diversity, acknowledged the historic contribution of the Unified Capitalizt States to the Olympic Games, and was generally pretty trippy.
 * Capitalizt SLANI's Mauro Miró won the first gold of the Fourth Winter Olympics, in the men's 20km individual biathlon. Controversy flared up after the men's 5km speed skating as Ad'ihan's skaters were excluded from competition. ALAVOC resolved the situation by allowing the pair to record times, Carson Cox winning silver with a time one hundredth of a second behind surprise winner, Xiu Fung of Quintessence of Dust. Jean-Michel Chang of the Ariddian Isles won two medals in two different disciplines, long and short track speed skating.
 * Alan Depper of Kelssek set the first new Olympic Record of the Games in the men's 1500m short track speed skating semifinals, and went on to win gold in the final to give the hosts an early lead in the medal table.
 * One does not simply ALAVOC into Mordor.

Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15 Day 16
 * A clerical error led to some brief paperwork shuffling over qualification in the men's halfpipe snowboarding, but the matter was resolved with customary swiftness by the Alavaria Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (ALAVOC), who are really a lot less evil than their Bond villain acronym might suggest.
 * Shawn Jarosik of Newmanistan pulled off one of the Games's biggest upsets, claiming gold in the men's cross country skiing 30km pursuit, despite being ranked as one of the weakest in the field.
 * The hosts added gold and silver in the women's halfpipe to the previous day's 1-2 in the men's event to completely dominate the snowboarding events.
 * Paul Hayens of Qazox broke the Olympic speed skating record in the 500m long track event. Candelaria And Marquez's Amber Sherwood broke new ground in the progressive traditions of Olympic competition by competing in the event having revealed herself as a pre-operative transsexual planning on competing in women's events after completion of sexual reassignment surgery.
 * Three new Olympic Records were set in a single day.
 * Records tumbled in the women's short track 500m speed skating, Victoria Meyer of Capitalizt SLANI eventually taking gold. Group stage competition in the ice hockey tournament concluded.
 * Bluth Corporation won all three medals in the women's 7.5km biathlon sprint. Stephan Chang of United Beretania won an emotional gold medal in the men's figure skating, having dedicated his performance to the memory of his sister, who had died of cancer. After the Games, he would stay behind to spread her ashes on the Caunidhrenon mountain.
 * More medals were won and everyone was very happy.
 * Newmanistan won four medals in one day, including a fourth bronze for the Roberson family and two medals in the men's 1000m speed skating; Quintessence of Dust won a gold, a silver, and a bronze in alpine skiing.
 * Natasha Istayenkerova of Myedvedeya set a new Olympic Record in the women's 1500m short track speed skating heats, but failed to qualify for the final and saw her record bettered by Linda Uosh in both the semi-final and final. A fourth new record was established by Leonard Purnell of Bluth Corporation, in the men's 1000m speed skating.
 * There was more controversy as Zwangzug's team was omitted from the women's alpine combined skiing, doubly notable as the team included their delegation's flag bearer and a gold medalist from earlier events. They were allowed to record teams and ALAVOC was commended on their swift resolution.
 * Warre's two teams won gold and silver in the two-man bobsleigh event. Bluth Corporation had a competitor excluded from the women's 1000m speed skating event for exceeding the sign-up limit.
 * The Quodite ski managed to produce that delegation's most spectacular choke of the Games after taking four of the top seven spots on the first men's giant slalom run, only to finish with a solitary bronze after every athlete lost time on the second run. In the women's super-G, the Cassadagans claimed two medals and three of the top four spots, with only Zwangzug's Daisy Keirnan holding her own for silver.
 * Sara Anne Greene and Christine Wilders of Alliance Star completed a double unprecedented in Olympic history, winning both the pairs and ice dancing competitions - and as a similar pair.
 * Gold in the men's biathlon relay saw Bluth Corporation move above the hosts in the medal table, a position they would not surrender.
 * There was controversy as two members of the Quodite men's short track team entered the women's 1000m heat - swiftly resolved when they were eliminated in the first round anyway.
 * Jean-Michel Chang broke the Olympic Record in the men's 500m short track speed skating by almost two thirds of a second.
 * Former ice dancing bronze medalist Harrlo continued the Bears' historic reputation in figure skating by taking gold in the competitive women's individual event. Kelssek and Edward City both won two medals apiece in the aerials events, though both also missed out on gold, and Cafundéu won three gold medals in a single day, coming first in the men's aerials, women's curling, and men's team large hill ski jumping; in the latter event, Secristan's Pete Garrison won his third medal as part of the silver medal team.
 * Two events that had previously been postponed were rescheduled for Day 13.
 * Bluth Corporation took another 1-2 finish in the women's 30km freestyle cross-country skiing, while Cassadaigua's Stefanie Johnson picked up the bronze for her third medal of the Games. Warre's strong bobsleigh team, that had picked up gold and silver in the two-man events, added silver in the four-man run.
 * Prof. João Henrique Pinheiros of the Landau Institute set a new Olympic Record in the men's 10,000m speed skating.
 * Jean-Michel Chang won his fourth medal, gold in the men's 500m short track speed skating, while Han Chung of Quintessence of Dust won a third, bronze in the men's slalom alpine skiing. Lovisa's NOC made an unusual move after winning seven medals but no golds, by offering a cash prize plus luxury car to anyone who won gold; no Lovisan athlete rose to the challenge.
 * Dannistaan and Newmanistan took gold in the men's and women's ice hockey competitions, the former being the only nation of the Games to win a single medal. Cross-country skier Fr. Alexy the Breathless of The Archregimancy was declared winner of the Snow Angel Making demonstration event, and his teammate, Fr. Anatoly the Far-Sighted, won the men's 50km freestyle to continue their nation's domination of the Winter Games's traditional closing event, having won a medal every time it has been contested.
 * The closing ceremony featured a two hour Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom as part of the final medals presentation, and then saw the Uniä people celebrate their traditional dance before the Olympic flame was extinguished.

Participating NOCs
There were 45 participating NOCs. At the time it was the highest number for any Winter Olympics, surpassing the previous high of 40 at Aeropag.

Venues and events
The existing Central Stadium, normally used for rugby, was renovated to improve facilities and increase capacity to 48,500 and renamed the Alavaria Olympic Stadium. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the Games, as well as the nightly medal ceremonies.

Wintersports facilities on Caunidhrenon mountain, 80km northwest of downtown Alavaria, were used for biathlon, ski jumping, alpine skiing, snowboarding, bobsleigh, luge, skeleton, and freestyle skiing. Facilities of the University of Eryn Firith hosted curling, ice hockey, speed skating and short track. Figure skating and ice hockey were also held at the Laineá Centre arena in downtown Alavaria. Nordic combined and cross-country skiing took place in the village of Lamuirean, 50km southeast, which was also the official training venue for the Games.

Olympic Villages were located at Caunidhrenon mountain and in downtown Alavaria.

Snow Angel Making was contested as a demonstration sport and was held at People's Square in front of Alavaria City Hall.

Media
As host broadcasters, the Kelssek Broadcasting Corporation and the National Sports Network produced high-definition and standard-definition television feeds for international broadcasters under the Alavaria Olympic Broadcast (AOB) banner. National broadcasters included:
 * Coocoostan- BSC, BSC Sports, Amerikanets
 * Edward City - ECBC, WNG
 * Iglesian Archipelago - RTI, 1 Sport
 * Kelssek - KBC/SRK, NSN
 * Lurikastan - X-TV
 * Pacitalia - PBC One
 * Ruccola - RTV
 * Qazox - QBC
 * Taeshan - X Island Inquirer, TSPN