With school officially over and the 2021 IAC underway, it's safe to say that summer had officially begun. This was being celebrated in a number of ways, though not all of them were the same.
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As a kind of prep for the IAC Games Tournament, there was a round robin-style where every athlete/team would either do a few rounds (in games like tennis) or run the course a few times (in the case of the triathlon) with each other both for practice and to set up the appropriate skill brackets. There were a few new things going on that were a little confusing, though understandable after being explained.
"Why do triathlete bikes have to be inspected during the swimming part?" asked one local reporter.
"To make sure none of them have been modified to include hidden electric motors." answered the official being interviewed.
"Ah, right. 'Mechanical doping'." said the local reporter, remembering a few stories when that was a new way of cheating.
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"So why are there Bird of Prey Animalians serving as 'sub-referees'?" asked a different reporter.
"Birds of Prey are known to have the best eyesight." answered the official, "So by having Bird of Prey Animalians as 'sub-referees', we can catch people who are cheating by deliberately throwing matches more easily."
"I actually saw the badminton scandal at the 2012 London Games, so that makes sense to me." Answered the reporter.
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Meanwhile, those who had registered for IAC Games that were taking place in other colonies (or in the case of Animalia Ambassadoria members, doing coverage of said events or covering future colony locations) were boarding flights to other locations.
"So the GGAC are taking part in the Martial Arts Tournament?" asked the TSA Agent at the Lyre/Animalia International Airport, as he stamped their passports.
"That's right." answered Peter, as the others nodded.
"You have heard of the stash of old coins that had been found there while digging the foundations, right?"
"I saw the Inside Edition article on it." said Jerry, who wasn't lying.
"Well, what wasn't covered was that there is now a debate between the Japanese and Chinese Authorities," answered the TSA Agent, looking over the details on the website on his computer, "not only on what to do with them, but also on how to divide the resulting money. The Japanese have already made the claim that, technically, the coins were their property, while the Chinese want a larger share than offered since it was a Chinese construction worker that found the coins."
"I'm sure we can serve as mediators if we need to." said Mara, since the entire GGAC had been using Rosetta Stone to learn Chinese and Japanese.
Meanwhile, another TSA agent was talking with Andre and Melissa, who were also traveling to Heiya Island.
"Just a quick warning," said the Agent, stamping their passports while the TSA Security Agent confirmed that their TES Roleplaying gear was in their checked bags and was legal, "The girls that have been rescued are a little touchy-feely with new Animalians."
"Good to know." said Andre, who was now more used to it thanks to his new girlfriend/bondmate Melissa and their regular "therapy sessions".
"But the guys who were rescued more recently are turning out to be just as touchy-feely as the girls." finished the agent.
"Thanks for that." said Melissa, glad for the warning.
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Meanwhile, the Animalians who were on the judging panel were watching a video that recorded almost all of the most famous cases of athletes who were caught cheating, though some found this a little upsetting.
"Don't worry about it." reassured the agent, "Cheating at competitions is almost as old as competition itself. I've told Clara and Robbie they can be as high minded as they like, but you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be some competitors who won't be."