Big thanks to 'brookletp' who reviewed the last chapter! You're amazing! Hope you enjoy this one too! :)


Chapter Nine – February 2012

"Welcome back everyone, to the Olympic Test Event." The BBC commentator James Duncan announced. "Yesterday the British Men's team led the way to a team gold that guaranteed them qualification to the games, and several individual medals."

"That is right. And today, it is all about the woman." Katherine Day, the female announcer stated. "Today we will know the last four teams that will qualify for the Olympic games, and also the last thirty-four individuals."

"Please don't forget that no more than two gymnasts from a single country are allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, unless off course they're part of a team."

"Precisely." James said, nodding off camera. "The event finals will take place in a few days, but today is the day."

"And as the gymnasts warm up, let us take a look at the teams and individual athletes participating." The camera zoomed out to show the arena where various women where warming up in the four different apparatus. "The teams fighting for the last four spots on the Olympic Games are: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, South Korea, and The Netherlands."

"And here we can see the list of all individual participants by country. As you can see, we have two athletes competing under the Olympic Banner, and they are Payson and Rebecca Keeler."

"Indeed. It was quite a shock when the US federation, the NGO, banned and suspended these sisters. They have tried several, unsuccessful, times to appeal that decision, but considering all the refusals they received they decided to simply go to the FIG and the IOC, who correctly, in my opinion, allowed them to try to qualify as individuals."

"Now they, and all the other athletes here, have a last chance to make it to the greatest stage in the world, the Olympic Games."

"Let the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Olympic Test Event begin!"


"And that's it everyone! Italy, Canada, France and Brazil will advance to the Olympic Games!"

"And Payson and Rebecca Keeler came one-two in the All-Around, with Payson qualifying number one for every single event final, and Rebecca Keeler also coming in the top five in every apparatus."

"What an incredible day, and what a momentous start for this test event in the woman's category!"


'Controversy in Gymnastics! Banned US Athletes Conquer the Olympic Test Event!

Payson and Rebecca Keeler (19 and 15 years old) were banned and suspended from the National Gymnastics Organization earlier the previous year, under accusations of unpatriotic behavior.

After petitioning to the FIG, the head of international Gymnastics, they were given two options: Get UK citizenship, or apply to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for a chance to compete as an Olympic Athlete.

Well, apparently the two unpatriotic gymnasts decided that they could not, under good conscience change nationalities, as they felt themselves as US citizens.

That meant that the sisters would petition for the IOC to represent the Olympic flag in the next Olympic Games in July. Take into account that not anyone can be considered an Olympic Athlete. The IOC only accepts petitions from athletes that are under very strict situations. A few examples of cases in the last few Olympics were situations where athletes were exiled from their countries due to war or political prosecution, where the federation for a particular sport or a national Olympic Committee did not exist, or an athlete did not identify with his country new nationality policy (in this case, after an independence referendum).

According to the IOC report released last month about the case of the Keeler sisters, the IOC accepted their petition to compete under the Olympic Flag due to what they have termed "bias and clear breach of protocol and internal rules" as well as "misrepresentation of evidence". The IOC and the FIG both agree that the NGO went over their duties and used fake and twisted evidence as an excuse to keep the two sisters out of the sport.

Well, it is safe to say that the same organization that kicked them out, will now have to do a lot of work in order to keep them out of the podium. Payson Keeler topped the scores on every single apparatus, and her all-around score would have been enough to guarantee her the gold medal at the last World Championships.

Rebecca Keeler was not too far behind her older sister, placing second in the all-around, the uneven bars and floor, third on beam and fourth on Vault.

One thing is certain, we at Sky Sports will be rooting for this two quarter-brits.'


'US gymnasts go rogue after banishment! Who betrayed who in this Olympic scandal?

Check it out on TMZ!'


'Ellen Beals tells all on this week's edition of The Face of Sports Magazine!'


"Those sisters are something else. God must truly work in mysterious ways, for them to just fall out of the sky and into Nicolai's gym." Dimitri grumbled. "How you can risk the career of possibly the greatest athlete to go through your hands by dating her, I don't understand! What are you thinking?"

Sasha shook his head, leaning against the outside wall of the gym. His father had come to seek him out the day after the test event had ended, and while the gymnasts who had competed had been given the day off, as a coach he was still working.

"This is not the eighties, father. There are several different contraceptive methods available in the market, and I assure you that both Payson and I are very knowledgeable in their use."

He barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes when his father huffed and frowned.

"Should I call you a cab to take you to the airport?" Sasha asked, smiling lightly at the thought.

The older man in front of him snorted. "You can call me a cab to take me to see the apartment I might be renting. I expect you to bring my Nora and her family to dinner as soon as I move in."

Sasha was sure he was gaping like a fish. "Wait, what?"

His father, the bastard, just chuckled at him.

"You can't expect to start talking about children and expect me to stay in Romania!" He shook his head. "No, no. I'm too old to coach, but I will definitely be around when you finally put a ring on her finger. And I wouldn't lose the chance to watch that Beals woman's face when my nora wins next July."

And with that, he patted him on the shoulder, before turning around to go back inside, probably to wait for the cab somewhere warmer.

Sasha finally closed his mouth, wondering what the hell had just happened.


"I would like to know, Miss Beals, how the two athletes we put aside under your advisement, are now qualified to the Olympic Games!" Marcus Kane asked, slamming his fist on the meeting table.

Ellen Beals smiled calmly, trying to show a relax posture.

"It just goes to show how right we were to banish them. If they were truly patriotic, they would have never gone over the NGO in the first place."

Marcus shook his head, and so did several other NGO members present.

"This is not the nineties anymore Ellen! We can't make closed doors decisions and hope that no one will question them anymore! The public is not on our side, especially with the reports from the FIG and IOC!"

Ellen frowned slightly, but recovered her smile. "That might be true, but it will all blow away as soon as the Olympics are over. The Keelers might have won the test event, but the depth of competition there is pitiful, and the judges give scores accordingly. She will never make it against the world top athletes."

Mariah Lane sitting in front of her huffed. "Where we are watching the same meet?" The woman rolled her eyes, her patience clearly gone. "For your sake, Ellen, I hope you are right. Because when the USOC and the FIG stop sending polite enquires and finally come knocking, you will be the one answering their questions"


"Hey Becca! MJ just called!" Payson called her sister entering the eating area in the gym.

"What's up?" Becca asked, waving her fork from over her lunch box.

"New interviews this weekend and a possible sponsor contract with a shoe company."

Becca nodded. "As long as it doesn't affect training"

"What I told her, exactly." Payson chuckled.

Becca smirked. "How did MJ take it when you told her that you are now blissfully living in sin with your boyfriend'"

"Very professionally, as I expected" She glared at her sister, who rolled her eyes. "She will take it into account when reviewing the journalist's questions."

Becca took another bite of her lunch and smiled up at her. "But seriously Pay, screw MJ. You're happy right? That's all that matters!"

Payson smiled back. "I'm definitely happy!" she said, her voice turning soft.

"Good. As long as I don't get any details about your sex life, I'm happy for you." She stuck out her tongue, prompting Payson to chuckle at her antics.

They were interrupted by Payson's phone beeping with a message. She looked down to check the senders name and grimaced at seeing Kaylie's name.

"What is it?" Becca asked, receiving her sisters phone as an answer. She quickly read the text and felt her mouth hanging open at the contents. "Seriously? She is really calling you a backstabbing jealous bitch? Kaylie? What the hell!"

Payson sighed. Kaylie had not reacted well to her return to the gymnastics world. "She is insecure. I'm just ignoring her."

Her sister shook her head, returning her phone. "That's a no brainer. But you don't have Lauren pulling this stunt, do you?" At Payson's negative answer, Becca snorted. "Who would have though Lauren Tanner would be the most level headed between the two of them?"

"You said it girl."


The next months passed in a flash. Before she knew it they, Payson, Becca and Sasha, were being measured for their Olympic outfits.

Sasha, as their coach, had the right to a couple of white uniforms with the rings stitched on it, so it was a fairly easy process for him.

The girls didn't have the same luck, however. Warm-ups, leotards and other IOA paraphernalia were needed, as well as photos for their Olympic ID's.

In the end, they had come out with three slightly different white leotards, with stylized Olympic rings.

On the way home, Becca was grimacing. "We're gonna have to practice different make ups, or we'll look like ghosts!