(Advance notice. This is mainly a record of ideas; when I'll actually start writing it is anyone's guess.)
At the Yingzhou Olympics, China's women's gymnastics team, once a powerhouse in the sport, suffered a massive defeat. They failed to qualify for the team event, and the two athletes who competed as individuals made mistake after mistake, earning no points. After the competition, members of the national team rushed to expose one another on public platforms, attacking each other until the team's reputation was in tatters and it was disbanded.
Chang Fei, the women's vaulting star of the Beijing Olympic cycle, stepped forward to lead the team, shouldering the immense pressure of reviving Chinese gymnastics. The local Winter Olympics were set to take place six years later, and one promising young gymnast after another from the Huacheng cycle had switched teams. Only five mediocre young athletes remained for the training camp and selection trials. Things looked bleak.
Chang Fei never gave up on them. Together with the five girls, who were just as determined not to abandon their gymnastics careers, she led them through three years of steady progress: reclaiming the Asian Championships team title, qualifying for the World Championships team final, sending athletes to event finals, returning to the World Championships team podium, and reclaiming the top spot in every event at the World Championships. At last, they stood at the center of the grand stage of the Huacheng Olympics, creating an incredible comeback miracle.
They said they were like the five Olympic rings: each shining in its own way, yet linked together, the best partners for one another and each indispensable to the others.
- The main story is artistic gymnastics. The setting is fictional, but the rules will follow those used during the Paris Olympic cycle as closely as possible. Any deviations will be noted.
- This story is entirely fictional. Please respect competitive sports and read in good faith. Do not compare it to real life or make connections to real people and events.
Theme: Unity is strength. Build a strong sporting nation. Life holds infinite possibilities
