Martian Olympics?

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Precision Pole Vaulting among other new sports revealed at the first Track & Field Conference hosted in Amrita fuel excitement for a Martian Olympics

Coinciding with the Track & Field Conference held in Amrita this week, PSAC (Pathfinder Sport Athletics Committee) announced an ambitious initiative to develop a Martian equivalent of The Olympics. The games will not be affiliated with the defunct International Olympic Committee or any other Earth-based organizations, however, a spokesperson did confirm this is intended to involve multiple partners.

The keynote presentation on Martis by Fredrick Seulovik, CEO of Ice Sports Mars Organization, is fuelling speculation that that he could be one of the stakeholders.

In his keynote, Seulovik shared his personal experiences with incubating experimental sports and the incredible financial and emotional burden with failing to produce viable self-sustaining franchises. He made it clear that even though ISMO’s future may not be certain, he remains resolute in continued investment in professional sports to enhance the quality of life on Mars.

The pooling of resources and operational knowledge would, no doubt, help with orchestrating such a spectacle, but what makes this more viable than the previous Ice Hockey experiment would be in the inclusion of all colonies and settlements.

Many suspect that success of this bid will rest in the hands of the MAFL and/or the club owners because of their great influence and access to recourses.

Adding to the hype, a number of new sports were also exhibited at the conference, including a convincing demonstration of Precision Pole Vaulting. The athletes purportedly have only trained in the sport for 6 weeks, implying that candidate games may have a low barrier of entry, thus enabling more settlements to participate in Martian Olympics. This has been a successful recipe for the Pathfinder Marathon, contrasting the steep learning curve that came with Seulovik’s exhibition ice hockey.

Though a target date is yet to be revealed, numerous colonies have already expressed their support. With the top sporting groups and settlements lining up, this could happen sooner rather than later.

Going Nowhere Fast

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Now that the final adrenaline rush for ISMO hockey has come to an close, little is actually known of what is in store for the experimental sport.   

Beyond the drama prior to the championship series, ISMO has been tight lipped regarding next steps, only announcing the training program and exhibition to be a 'success'. With all of the test players now released from their temporary contracts, it is unclear what, if anything, will come of the skills they have developed over the last several months.  And without any follow-up plans for the 75 test players, what does ISMO have to build on?

Vicki Li and Laura Hall clear out their personal effects from their Europa locker room.  Their hockey future is unknown as they return to their respective colonies, San Olympus and Chariton. An emotional Li vows that they will play together again.

Despite a rough start in the first round of exhibitions and the amateur quality of play due to inexperienced players, the sport did capture the imagination of fans.  With no follow through, however, even the initial participating colonies are skeptical that ISMO have the capability of forming a league anytime soon.

"It's a shame," according to Marp Unigeny, a planner at Europa, "We were ready to talk about the future possibilities of hockey, but there isn't a lot of faith in the Ice Sport Organization from a business partner perspective."

Many, including Mr. Unigeny, think this is a byproduct of the 'trust-fund' start-ups and non-profits that come and go across the colonies.  The challenge for the significant ultra-wealthy segment of population is, there's little they can spend on, limited local investment options, and it is incredibly difficult to influence colony policies.

Sports have become a new investment option and play-thing that, it turns out, not only is it proving to be a viable venture, but a back door to shaping Mars culturally, making it that much more enticing for would-be entrepreneurs and investors.

It may not be entirely fair to question the motives of ISMO president, Fredrick Seulovik, and others like him, as their contribution to Martian sports cannot dismissed.  What Seulovik lacks, however, is commitment.  With no outlook for a next stage, no indications on upcoming seasons or exhibitions, the momentum is sure to evaporate.  It's fine for ISMO to concentrate their efforts on research and development and leave it to others to find a way to make it work.  There is nothing wrong with others shepherding the ice sport experiments and take it to the next level. As we've seen with the hockey finals, perhaps it will be the players themselves that will take up the mantle.

After getting our first appetizer of Martian Hockey, we have to accept that there isn't a main course, at least, not yet.  With that said, we all know that things can happen very quickly here on Mars, so anything is possible.

Until then, we can rest assured that Martian Aero Football is sticking and just around the corner with a season 2.

Extended Exhibition Plans

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Seulovik will take the top 4 teams to Marineris, Noviymir, Wendland, and Europa in a 2nd round Exhibition.

Martian ice hockey has gained enough momentum at the midpoint of it’s 5 week schedule for organizers to announce the next stage of exhibition play.

Until now, unless you live in one of the hockey prototype settlements or purchased one of the weekend vacation packages, more likely than not, you’ve seen very little of this sport.  This announcement by the ISMO will change all of that as extended exhibition dates are in the works and are expected to be played in Marineris, Europa, Noviymir and Wendland.

ISMO has arranged with local councils to set up temporary rinks in each respective colony.  Not only does this increase audience size, it provides a platform for fund raising.

“After this first round of games wraps up,” explained Fredrick Seulovik, President of ISMO, “We’ll take the top 4 teams on tour.  We believe in our mission to develop new sports, so this will our showcase.”

Not all teams were happy to hear this news.  Sands’ captain expressed disappointment that this plan was not shared prior. “Of course we are upset.  We were led to believe that the exhibition was part of the training camp program, not actual competition.  What can I say, we feel we were left in the dark.“

The Sands have had a dismal record thus far, losing all 4 games and having scored only 2 goals over the 3 weeks of play.  It is unlikely that the Sands would have faired any better had they been aware of the second round.   

When asked how the teams would be selected in case of tied records, Seulovik responded that it would come down to points.  Clearly, they are looking for the teams with the greatest skill and capacity to entertain spectators.

In actuality, ISMO hockey training camp currently has 15 test teams, from which only 6 are represented in the current exhibition round.

According to program organizers, many of the test teams may disband as players return back to their home colonies and back to their day-jobs.  It is unclear at this point whether ISMO will broker deals to create rinks and training facilities in more colonies to continue their efforts in developing the sport outside of Mareotis, Noviymir and Korolev. This could very well be dependent on reactions during the 2nd round of exhibition.