Day 0: Opening Ceremony

At last, the big day had come! Tonight, I would be attending the opening ceremonies of the Simlympics, held right here in Nyhaven. I remembered how hard I had worked getting the city ready for the Games and knew it would all be worth it.



While I was striving to prepare the city's transit networks for the huge influx of visitors that had already started arriving in town, other city employees built a host of new stadiums and arenas to host the many events of the Simlympics. After six years of construction at Puget Island Athletics Park and elsewhere in the city, everything was finally ready.



I decided to ride down the Central Line to the big park so I wouldn't have to worry about parking, which i knew would be tight. When I arrived, there were already thousands of people outside the new Jean Le Conte Simlympic Stadium, the centerpiece of the Games, waiting to get in. I knew I was in for a long wait...



As the sun set, I finally made it to my seat - a pretty good one, thanks to my connections in city government. Looking out across the stadium, I was struck by just how many people were there that evening.



I knew that just outside the stadium, the Simlympic cauldron's plaza was being emptied and prepared for the final leg of the Simlympic relay. The torch had arrived in Lower Columbia just hours ago and was making its way from Astoria to the park.

Finally, as the last sunlight disappeared, the opening ceremony began. What a ceremony it was!





The fireworks displays were unbelievable! Not only that, but they also perfectly complemented the theatrics that were unfolding doen on the field.

Eventually, the parade of athletes began. At the end, when Team Lower Columbia entered the stadium, a tremendous roar went up across the stadium. This was a huge point of national pride.



Finally, His Majesty King Zachary, together with ISC president Slacker, declared the Simlympics to officially be open. Once the last few athletes had had their turn with the Simlympic torch, the cauldron was lit - and a new fireworks extravaganza began!