OlympicIRL

Thanks so much @Herki and Estonia

Well you can ask dcro to take over for you.... he can post on your behalf from now

It didn't.... well it did stop randomly but by then I had already given up and asked dcro to take over

Now you know how i felt during the live draw.... a million tables kept appearing

The devil is here

Points!!! Thank you Argentina

Norway celebrating their return with a big 12!!

Good morning everyone! another TISC is finally here. Good luck to all of your nations and may we all have points at the end!

That was a ceremony fitting of a Jubilee edition and the logo and scoreboard look absolutely beautiful. Another TISC final is just hours away

Wow, it was a huge honour to light the TISC flame for this jubilee edition. Thank you for this invitation vini

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L

Antarctica in the parade and that song

Parade of Nations time

Lovely music so far

Totallympics Annual International Song Contest Countdown to Brazil 2018 days to go.... TISC and the number 1: 1 - is the smallest winning margin in points (Lithuania beat Germany for the TISC Open title in 2015 by a single point.) 1 - is the number of times Lebanon, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vietnam have each taken part in TISC. 1 - is the number of times that Germany, Lithuania and Sweden have lifted the TISC trophy. 1 - is the number of times that Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Mexico, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and the United States have each finished on the TISC podium. 1 - is the number of times that the 300-point barrier has been broken (Ireland scored 333 points at TISC Open 2014). And last but not least........ There is only 1 Winner

Thanks for the amazing gala event @vinipereira. It was a huge amount of fun and a great addition to our Jubilee celebrations To conclude the gathering, I would like to bring you all back to our roots and take a look back at where it all began..... Going Back To The Start - Revisiting our Roots "And Finally....... Sweden 12 points....." It is hard to believe that all those years have past since TISC came into our lives. No one could have predicted, not I at least, that 10 editions in and we would still be going strong - stronger than ever in fact! The history of TISC goes all the way back to 2012 when Totallympics staged a once-off topic devoted to finding the "Best Eurovision Song of All-Time". That thread began on September 21st, 2012 and, in truth, this is the date the TISC was born. It was a truly colossal competition - 5 preliminary round heats featuring 7 decades-worth of Eurovision hits, and that was only just the aperitif. A further 4 semi-finals were dished up before the main course arrived - a Grand Final in the spring of 2013 which would eventually see Abba’s Waterloo see out victory in a final vote thriller. The result would not be clear until the very last mark was cast. It was a treat to savour. A drama, the likes of which we would never see again on our little forum at the corner of the world-wide-web. A drunken fool could have told you that much! Such drama, a fitting culmination of months of competition and a community spirit burned so bright that day, lighting a fire inside the hearts of Totallympians. There was now an appetite that needed feeding, and what was to follow on our very fine menu is what we have now come to know as The Totallympics International Song Contest. TISC - that sweet dessert that we have been dining on since 2013. And what a greedy lot we are. Long may it continue! TISC I - TISC Open 2013 (Ireland) Totallympics (Open) International Song Contest 2013 Grand Final: Saturday November 9th, 2013 Venue: The O2, Dublin, Ireland Argentina (LDOG) Azerbaijan (Ilqar, AndyAnar) Brazil (vinipereira, titicow) Bulgaria (batbobi) Canada (Canada4thewin, olympicsfan97, juddy96, Intoronto) Croatia (crovitlaci, Deuce) Czech Republic (stepansevs) Denmark (Agger) Egypt (Dermatologist, thepharoah) France (Bohemia) Germany (catgamer) Greece (Janakis) Guyana (PrivateKnoll18) India (gvaisakh, gubchandrolai, dolby) Ireland (OlympicIRL) Italy (Henry.Leon, SteveParker, leli, Pablita) Kazakhstan (Ruslan) Latvia (vitaamiins) Lebanon (Roy) Lithuania (Werloc) Malta (Glen) Mexico (mrv86) Morocco (Amal) Poland (rybak, mati, mateusz00142, Adriano) Romania (vlad, yellowviper2001) Russia (vovanA) Serbia (pčelica, dareza, earth, smrča) Slovakia (JanMolnar) Slovenia (2007, mihamiha) Sweden (fabwin, Mango) Turkey (Euphoria) Ukraine (zhenya) United Kingdom (10ftTITAN, uk12points) United States (dezbee2008) Vietnam (DoPhuQuy) Totallympics Song Contest 2013 Grand Final Scoreboard OFFICIAL RANKINGS Lebanon 0 Latvia 32 Brazil 95 Sweden 211 Poland 51 Russia 38 Czech Republic 51 Vietnam 119 Croatia 55 Argentina 19 India 46 Serbia 73 Greece 20 Kazakhstan 69 Egypt 56 Slovenia 36 Lithuania 53 Denmark 91 United States 150 Guyana 167 Mexico 128 Italy 206 United Kingdom 178 Turkey 28 Canada 150 Romania 40 Morocco 65 Slovakia 18 France 89 Azerbaijan 19 Germany 92 Ireland 111 Malta 77 Ukraine 30 Bulgaria 11 Current Top 5 Positions: 1 SWEDEN 211 2 ITALY 206 3 UNITED KINGDOM 178 4 GUYANA 167 5 CANADA 150 On the 23rd September 2013, the very first thread for the inaugural TISC Contest was opened on Totallympics. A tentative toe was dipped in to test out the water. Sure, the previous "Best Eurovision Song of All-Time" topic proved a success, but would anyone really want to come onboard for this one? Those were the thoughts going through the minds of the organiser at this premature stage of our TISC journey. We did not have too wait too long however for the very first post in response to the new thread to come in.... "Approved", it said. And that was that. TISC was approved!! One single word from Henry.Leon to set minds at rest and to set TISC on its fruitful journey. Approved! The exact format of the contest was not known at that stage and as users registered for this exciting new project, there were many questions about how it would take shape: - If not enough countries take part, maybe we can have 2 songs per country? - Does the song have to be from the current year? - Does the song have to contain lyrics? - Does the video have to be a live performance? - Does the song have to be performed by the original artist? - Does the song have to be in the national language? After almost 1 month of getting the idea off the ground, 35 Nations had chosen their songs and artists with which they would compete with at TISC. However, after the voting window had come and gone, one nation had still failed to cast their votes. Nothing had been heard from the National Jury of Lebanon since they registered and submitted their entry. Despite multiple attempts to reach out to the Lebanese jury member, Roy, sadly Lebanon had ceased to fulfil their role and there was no choice but to exclude them from the contest. However, in what proved to be the only such instance to date, it was decided Lebanon could remain on the scoreboard as a "ghost entry" in faded out font. Any votes they had originally received would also show in faded out font, but would not count in the rankings. And so we were left with our 34 pioneers: Argentina Azerbaijan Brazil Bulgaria Canada Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Egypt France Germany Greece Guyana India Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Lithuania Malta Mexico Morocco Poland Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Sweden Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom United States Vietnam Little did we know that this would be the first and only time (to date) that Ukraine and Vietnam would participate. Nine editions later and of that pioneering list, 17 proud warriors still hold the distinguished achievement of being a TISC "ever-present". Take a bow Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States! By virtue of random draw, it was decided that Latvia would have the honour of delivering the first ever set of votes at TISC. The first 12 points at TISC would go to France for their entry "Fleur de Saison" by Emilie Simon. United States took over pole position after 4 rounds of voting had passed. Their entry "Feelin' Good" by the late Christina Grimmie was proving early on to be a big hit amongst the national juries. During the early stages, one could not have foreseen the twisting road that lay ahead. Abiding memories of that contest are of three titans battling it out at the top, two of which had made early and apparently decisive bids to claim the inaugural TISC title. The third, waiting in the wings throughout, unflinching, biding their time, happy to let others set the pace, all the while keeping them within sight. Three titans, each with different shares in the drama that would unfold. Let us then introduce the first contender, Italy: "Con Te Partiro" - Andrea Bocelli Three consecutive sets of 12 points sent Italy racing out to an early lead by the time jury number 6 had finished delivering their votes. Another 11 points from the next jury from Slovenia and soon Italy had established a 22-point cushion at the top of the leaderboard. Scoring heavily, it looked as though Andrea Bocelli would not be stopped on his onward march to TISC glory. However, the second of our titans had other plans and the battle-lines were well and truly drawn. Enter the United Kingdom.... Anything you can do..... The United Kingdom were being represented by John Lennon with his powerful entry "Imagine". Having endured a slow but steady start to the contest, the United Kingdom were stirred into life and three consecutive sets of 12 points of their own saw them establish themselves as the one to catch at the head of the standings. By the end of the second of three voting sessions, the United Kingdom had opened up a healthy 30-point advantage over their nearest rivals, the healthiest advantage of the day. And with just 11 more juries left to cast votes in the evening session, many juries were already toasting the United Kingdom and John Lennon on their success. However, what was to follow in the evening session was nothing short of astonishing. "Alfred Hitchcock could not write such drama", one jury member from Egypt exclaimed. But, for the United Kingdom, it was a tale more apt for a Stephen King classic.... a horror in the making. All the while, silently biding their time, the third big player was about to make their move and time their killer punch to perfection. Here is how the scoreboard looked going into the final session...... Totallympics Song Contest 2013 Grand Final Scoreboard Juries Voted So Far 23/34 GREECE VOTING Lebanon 0 Latvia 32 Brazil 60 Sweden 135 Poland 28 Russia 23 Czech Republic 28 Vietnam 80 Croatia 52 Argentina 13 India 30 Serbia 65 Greece 17 Kazakhstan 38 Egypt 34 Slovenia 11 Lithuania 39 Denmark 45 United States 79 Guyana 114 Mexico 109 Italy 139 United Kingdom 169 Turkey 18 Canada 102 Romania 22 Morocco 41 Slovakia 6 France 58 Azerbaijan 11 Germany 71 Ireland 57 Malta 42 Ukraine 19 Bulgaria 7 Current Top 5 Positions: 1 UNITED KINGDOM 169 2 ITALY 139 3 SWEDEN 135 4 GUYANA 114 5 MEXICO 109 The Final Session.... As already stated, there was no telling what was to come. Sure, a couple of juries went by without United Kingdom scoring points, but nothing to worry about, they had been scoring healthily all along, the points would start coming soon, or so we thought. And sooner became later, and later, and juries came and went and still the United Kingdom were superglued to their 169 points. 9 straight juries voted without a single point for the United Kingdom. By the end of that horror run, the United Kingdom's chance of lifting the trophy had vanished. Incredibly they only scored 9 points in that final session. 9 points from 11 juries when they had been scoring so heavily in the previous sessions. How it all went so wrong for John Lennon in the final session is still a mystery many TISC fans have been asking ever since. And it was a lesson for all future editions that it never is over until it's over. Meanwhile, Italy resumed their position at the top of the standings, all the while, Sweden stalking their every move, keeping a distance but never to far away to strike. With 5 juries to vote, the contest was as tight as ever..... Current Top 5 Positions after 29/34 Juries Voted: 1 ITALY 174 1 SWEDEN 174 3 UNITED KINGDOM 169 4 GUYANA 150 5 CANADA 121 A further 12 point score and a 10 pointer to boot seemingly set Italy on the road to victory. With just the juries from Malta and Bulgaria left to deliver their verdicts, Italy had totalled 196 points to Sweden's 187. Next up came the votes from Glen, the spokesperson of the Maltese National Jury. The preliminary votes were announced... no Italy, no Sweden to be seen. Then came a powerful blow.....the next vote revealed..... "Italy 10 points". Italy now sat pretty on 206 points vs Sweden's 187. Malta's 11 points came, Sweden were nowhere to be seen..... it looked a desperate cause for Roxette and the Swedes. And then...... "Sweden 12 points". The neutral crowd cheered as Malta delivered on all the suspense and TISC fans would be treated to a final vote shoot-out. Step up Bulgaria and batbobi. Seatbelts were fastened.... TISC would go to a one-by-one vote for the very first time! Current Top 5 Positions after 33/34 Juries voted: 1 ITALY 206 2 SWEDEN 199 3 UNITED KINGDOM 178 4 GUYANA 161 5 CANADA 150 The National Jury of Bulgaria were in the privileged position of crowning TISC's first ever winner. Gasps all around as it was revealed that Bulgaria were not in the mood for a quick finish and instead would deliver the hyper-suspenseful one-by-one vote. Italy knew that 6 points were all that was required to claim the title or alternatively for Sweden to appear anywhere in the first 6 reveals. The odds seemed stacked in the Italian's favour. 1 point came, 2 points, 3 points...... the tension rising with every reveal. 4 points, 5, points, 6 points go by.... no sign of the two contenders. By now, Italy knew the title would be their's if they would show up anywhere in the remaining 6 reveals - in effect, it was 6 more chances to claim the title. The reveals came and went, slower each time, the tension bubbling and boiling over! Bulgaria has used up all their reveals but one... the crucial 12 point reveal. Italy or Sweden? Or neither? "Lebanon 12 points" some users called out amusingly. Others called for a doctor, the strain of the suspense proving too much for some. And then it came, after what seemed an eternity, the refresh buttons battered to oblivion on many a keyboard across the TISC land...... and finally...... "Sweden 12 points!!!". Gasps, roars, cheers, heartbreak..... all the emotions you could think of conveyed in the floods of posts that followed. Heartache for Italy. Rapture for fabwin and Sweden. An incredible and unforgettable finale that will live long in the memory of all TISC fans. Roxette would become the first ever winner of TISC. Sweden who had not led on their own for the entire contest, delivering the killer blow when it mattered. As did TISC, such drama and excitement proved to be too good to resist and we just wanted more and more! And so here we are today, celebrating our 10th Jubilee edition and let us never forget the importance of this great first edition. So to conclude our trip down memory lane, let us pay tribute to our first ever TISC winner...... Long Live TISC !

Loved this song, still listening to "Hear Me Now" quite often

Please don't puke on the red carpet after running around crazy having had your feast of meat

Séamus is very photogenic

Did @hckosice and Slovakia arrive in Brazil yet?

Eve Snowflake and Tristan Icecapade looking magnificent!!!

I am wearing a hoodie and a pair of trainers.... I didn't receive the dresscode telegram

Hello..... Is it me you're looking for?

When I hear Gala, I think of this

You're Beyoncé, not Adele