Next CivMC Olympics Organisers Still Unsure Whether Pearling Counts As A Sport

Nara—Planning for the next CivMC Olympic Games stalled again this week, as organisers failed for the third straight meeting to agree on whether pearling should be included as an official event.

“Some of us think it’s the purest test of skill on the server,” said a member of the organising committee. “Others think it’s just war with a scoreboard. Then someone pointed out that this is also what the wiki is, and the meeting fell apart.”

The first CivMC Olympics were held by Nara and Danzilona in March 2023, followed by a second games hosted by Yoahtl in September 2024. Both featured traditional events such as racing, boat sprints and building. Neither featured pearling, though several athletes were pearled anyway on their way home.

Proposals for the next games include a vault-breaking relay, a synchronised skybridge event and a marathon in the CivMC queue. The queue marathon has been provisionally approved, but organisers say they cannot yet guarantee that anyone will finish.

The war against Chiraq has added complications. Several nations have asked to compete under neutral flags, while one coalition delegation requested that any medal ceremony be held “at least three portals away from Aspasia.” Chiraq has not said whether it will attend, but has asked whether the medals count toward the wiki’s pearl tally.

“The Olympic spirit is about bringing nations together,” said the committee chair. “On this server, the problem is that whenever nations come together, someone ends up in a pearl.”

At press time, the committee had voted to make the vote on pearling an Olympic event in itself.