NikolaB

POLAND
 
 

Serbia 12
Malta 11
Kazakhstan 10 Canada 9 Romania 8 Slovakia 7 Czech Republic 6 Argentina 5 China 4 Indonesia 3 India 2 Spain 1  
Concluding Comment:
Raz jeszcze bardzo dziękuję i do widzenia! Do zobaczenia następnym razem!
Thank You very much and goodbye! See You next time!
 

Apeldoorn's biggest musical star
 
Apeldoorn is not a very big city and so there are not a whole lot of good artists coming out of this area. However, one singer has definitely made a rather good name for himself: Willem Bijkerk, better known as Waylon. In 2014 he got as close to winning the Eurovision Song Contest as a Dutch entry had been in a very long time, but together with Ilse DeLange he was beaten by a more....spectacular entry. A couple of years later Waylon finished in 18th position by himself, without a doubt the highest ranking ever for an Apeldoorn solo artist at the ESC!
 

Facts, important......

Not much of a surprise that IHF go for the money, but that should have been Greenland's spot!

Delegation location 6 - Garderen
Starting back in Apeldoorn, we travel down the road westwards and reach the town of Garderen, home to a little over two thousand people. It's a real fest, because nearly all of them are as famous as their neighbours: not at all. Like so many of these places on the Veluwe, it's old and in this case was already mentioned nearly a thousand years ago - which is not too special for a major city, but is old for a small town.

Garderen never really gained too much significance, it didn't help that a third of the town burned down in 1811: eight out of 25 houses. It does serve as sort of a central hub for a few smaller towns around, whose people generally work in or around Garderen. There's a mid-19th century windmill and there's a centuries old church, the fun in Garderen never ends! American cyclist Tejay van Garderen, nowadays mostly making sure the peloton has enough people in it, might have his roots here, although his father is from Amsterdam, so who knows.
 

There's even some light hills in the forests around Garderen

Leave Garderen by bike, mostly towards the north, and you'll find yourselves in the Speulderbos and Sprielderbos, two local and old forests that are combined together and originated somewhere during the last ice age. Cycling or walking through it is an interesting experience by itself, the shape of the trees makes the locals call the forest the 'dancing forest' and even though it might not be that special, it's just a really nice ride/walk.
 

Autumn in the forests near Garderen

As has been mentioned here before, one of the main reasons to go to Garderen is the Zandsculpturenfestival: the Sand Sculptures Festival. The president of the Dutch TOISC delegation used to think this was for old people only, but a visit proved to be very much worth it. The theme changes every year, builders and artists are brought in from all over the world and the result is a huge show where one can easily find themselves walking around for three or four hours enjoying the lifelike sand sculptures.
 

Operation Market Garden, but in sand sculptures

Last, but certainly not least, a reason for one of the delegations to be stationed in Garderen: in April 1919, the municipality raised a Serbian war monument. A big group of Serbian soldiers were stationed at a Dutch army camp nearby, 29 of them died due to the Spanish flu right after the First World War. Garderen gave them a monument to be remembered, and in 1938 the victims were brought together and transported to the mausoleum in Jindrichovice, where they were finally laid to rest. The monument in Garderen is still taken care of, meanwhile.
 

The Serbian monument in Garderen
 
Delegations in Garderen
 Serbia
 Bulgaria
Kazakhstan
China

I guess in some hostel ?

This was very good edition, with a few very good songs I really like. Our host is great, as usual. Host country is amazing and our delegation really enjoy to spend all of our free times in Amsterdam  De Wallen district, so we decide to stay there for a few months. 
 
BTW I just voted. Good luck to all participants, let the best song win, so see you next time in Belgrade (just joking). Hugs and kisses from Balkans 

This was very good edition, with a few very good songs I really like. Our host is great, as usual. Host country is amazing and our delegation really enjoy to spend all of our free times in Amsterdam  De Wallen district, so we decide to stay there for a few months. 
 
BTW I just voted. Good luck to all participants, let the best song win, so see you next time in Belgrade (just joking). Hugs and kisses from Balkans 

What about pizza with pineapples?

Alright, the voting window will close on Friday October 30th at the end of the day. Everything from there has moved up by one week, meaning the Grand Final will be held on Saturday November 14th.

I am worried about dolphins  

is in!

I can try to play this game for the first time
So  is in

Cuban star Melissa Vargas, one of the best opposite hitters in the world, become Serbian citizen. She will get the right to play for Serbian women's national team from 2022. 

Cuban star Melissa Vargas, one of the best opposite hitters in the world, become Serbian citizen. She will get the right to play for Serbian women's national team from 2022. 

Right after the Pan American Winter Games 

I lost my mother last week Tuesday. It is literally the most devastating thing to happen to me and tbh I am still in shock/sad. 
 

Since it's not Russia, the so-called Western World will do everything to cover up that something was iffy about London 2012. We all know IOC won't open the LA 1984 Games can of worms especially when it comes to Carl Lewis who admitted to using doping on record ca. 20 years ago already. UK would probably like everyone to forget about Wiggins and Froome but cycling is Top 3 of the dirtiest sports in the world where even the TUE excuse looks suspicious. However I'm still waiitng on the Mo Farah/NOP deal. That threat is still real even though British Athletics has fired just about everyone in charge of the federation at the time. Let's see if that works!

Honestly, this is the first time I've heard of this

Deaths of Olympians in June.
 
 Rod Larrieu, 83 - Athletics
 Josef Smolka, 81 - Volleyball (1×B)
 John Cuneo, 91 - Sailing (1×G)
 Veli Lehtala, 84 - Rowing (2×B)
 Istvan Kausz, 87 - Fencing (1×G)
 Donald Macgregor, 81 - Athletics
 Pieter van der Kruk, 78 - Weightlifting 
 Jean Link, 80 - Fencing
 Pete Rademacher, 91 - Boxing (1×G)
 Kurt Thomas, 64 - Gymnastics
 Zambrose Abdul Rahman, 76 - Athletics
 Peter Marot, 75 - Fencing (1×S, 1xB)
 Odon Foldessy, 90 - Athletics (1×B)
 Cy Strulovitch, 74 - Basketball
 Hermann Salomon, 82 - Athletics
 Jim Grelle, 83 - Athletics
 Phil Takahashi, 63 - Judo
 Seife Makonnen, 68 - Boxing
 Juan Diaz, 84 - Boxing
 Marinho (aka Mario Jose dos Reis Emiliano), 63 - Football
 Ronny Van Sweevelt, 57 - Cycling
 Marlene Ahrens, 86 - Athletics (1×S)
 Gyorgy Karpati, 84 - Water Polo (3×G, 1×B)
 Tibor Benedek, 47 - Water Polo (3×G)
 Milo Sarens, 82 - Boxing
 Endre Lepold, 64 - Athletics
 Noel Vandernotte, 96 - Rowing (2×B)
 Pedro Lima, 47 - Swimming
 Bobana Velickovic, 30 - Shooting
 Manny Santos, 85 - Weightlifting
 Ahmed Radhi, 56 - Football
 Richard Bicskey, 83 - Cycling
 Dick Buerkle, 72 - Athletics
 Witold Baran, 80 - Athletics
 Yebhi Akdag, 71 - Wrestling (1×S)
 Mohammed Yaseen Mohammed, 57 - Weightlifting
 Juan Ostoic, 89 - Basketball
 Ivan Utrobin, 86 - Cross-country Skiing (1×B)
 Marian Cisovsky, 40 - Football
 Aleksandr Kabanov, 72 - Water Polo (2×G)
 
And three late reported deaths from May.
 
 Sidney Cross, 94 - Athletics
 Jozef Grzesiak, 79 - Boxing (1×B)
 Karoly Wieland, 86 - Canoeing (1×B)
 
The total number of former Olympians who passed away in June was 40, just short of this year's high of 42 seen in April.
 
This included six Olympic champions with the sport of water polo hit particularly hard. Two triple gold medallists from Hungary Gyorgy Karpati and Tibor Benedek died within a day of each other. They were from two different generations but both contributed hugely to their country's domination of this sport since the 1930s. Aleksandr Kabanov of the former Soviet Union had an equally distinguished career in the sport winning two gold medals as a competitor before coaching Russia to consecutive titles in Sydney and Athens.
 
In a sad month for Hungary they lost a third Olympic champion with the death of fencer Istvan Kausz who won a gold in the team epee in Tokyo in 1964. Pete Rademacher of the USA was the Olympic heavyweight boxing champion in Melbourne in 1956. Finally, at Munich in 1972 John Cuneo of Australia won a gold medal in sailing's three man Dragon class.
 
Noel Vandernotte of France was one of the few remaining pre-WW11 Olympians at the time of his death. As a 12 year old he coxed both the pair and the four to bronze medals at the 1936 rowing regatta. Marlene Ahrens won a silver medal in the javelin in Melbourne in 1956 and remains the only Chilean woman to win an Olympic medal.
 
Pieter van der Kruk of the Netherlands was a national champion in both weightlifting and shot putting. In an unusual occurrence he qualified for the 1968 Olympics in both sports but ultimately decided that he would concentrate on weightlifting.
 
Lastly it it is particularly sad to note the death of Bobana Velickovic of Serbia who becomes the fourth competitor from Rio to leave us this year.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Serbian sport shooter Bobana Veličković passed away today at age of 30
She was part of Serbian Olympic Team at London 2012 and Rio 2016, former 8th times European champion and world champion in air pistol
 
I cant believe it happened. She is younger than me. Life really sucks 
Rest in Peace our angel 
 

 
She become mother for the first time only 20 days ago 

Serbian sport shooter Bobana Veličković passed away today at age of 30
She was part of Serbian Olympic Team at London 2012 and Rio 2016, former 8th times European champion and world champion in air pistol
 
I cant believe it happened. She is younger than me. Life really sucks 
Rest in Peace our angel 
 

 
She become mother for the first time only 20 days ago 

Serbian sport shooter Bobana Veličković passed away today at age of 30
She was part of Serbian Olympic Team at London 2012 and Rio 2016, former 8th times European champion and world champion in air pistol
 
I cant believe it happened. She is younger than me. Life really sucks 
Rest in Peace our angel 
 

 
She become mother for the first time only 20 days ago 

Serbian sport shooter Bobana Veličković passed away today at age of 30
She was part of Serbian Olympic Team at London 2012 and Rio 2016, former 8th times European champion and world champion in air pistol
 
I cant believe it happened. She is younger than me. Life really sucks 
Rest in Peace our angel 
 

 
She become mother for the first time only 20 days ago