2010 Winter Olympics (1983: Doomsday)

The XIV Winter Olympic Games are taking place in 2010 in Zürich and other cities of the (AC). They are the first Olympic Games since 1980's Summer Games in Moscow and the first Winter Games since the ones in Lake Placid, USA, held earlier that year.

Background
The was re-founded in Santiago,  in 2001, but the new IOC found it impossible to make concrete plans for a new Games for several years. In 2006, the Alpine Confederation approached the IOC, now based in Auckland, New Zealand, with a bid to host a Winter Games on a limited scale, as a forerunner to a full-fledged Olympics to be held at a later date. The IOC was wary at first, since any Games held in the AC would attract a limited pool of teams, mainly European. Nevertheless, there was a clear need to move forward, and the IOC accepted the Alpine bid. It made the announcement at the same time it announced that Auckland would host the first postwar Summer Games in September 2010; these Auckland Games would later be postponed to 2012.

The Alpine Confederation's concept - a limited Olympic event basically regional in scope - helped to inspire the plan, announced in 2009, for small-scale Summer Games to be held in several cities in September 2010.

The AC took four years to prepare for its celebration of the Games. While Zürich is the official host city and the site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, events are held at venues throughout the Confederation, befitting the decentralized nature of the AC.

Events
Competitions are taking place in the eleven sports, the same ones as in 1980:
 * Alpine Skiing (Downhill, Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Combined)
 * Biathlon (20 km and 4x7.5 km relay)
 * Bobsleigh (2-man and 4-man)
 * Figure Skating (Single, Pairs, and Ice Dancing)
 * Ice Hockey
 * Luge (Singles and Doubles)
 * Cross-Country Skiing (15 km, 50 km, and 4x10 km relay)
 * Nordic Combined
 * Ski Jumping (Normal Hill)
 * Speed Skating (500, 1500, 5000, and 10000 meters)

In addition, two Demonstration Sports are taking place alongside the official competitions. Ice stock (Eisstockschießen) is being demonstrated for the third time, while the has sponsored a Curling demonstration on a roofed outdoor sheet prepared in Bern, the sport's second Olympic appearance.

Participants
Nineteen nations have sent competitors to the Zürich Games. They are listed in their official order in French.
 * Greek Saltire.PNG Grèce
 * NorthGermanFlag.png Allemagne du Nord
 * Celtic alliance flag.gif L'Alliance Celtique
 * ANZ-flag-HCF-small.png Australie-et-Nouvelle-Zélande
 * Belarus Flag with COA.png Biélorussie
 * 1983DDbetfc.jpg Bourgogne-et-Franche-Comté
 * CanadasFlag.png Canada
 * Flag of Denmark.png Danemark
 * Finland.flag.png Finlande
 * Flag Frisia (VegWorld).svg.png Frise
 * Flag of Iceland.png Islande
 * Monaco flag WS.gif Monaco
 * Flag of Norway.png Norvège
 * Poland.flag.png Pologne de l'Est
 * Prussian flag.png Prusse
 * 600px-Flag of the Soviet Union svg.png Sibérie Socialiste
 * Flag of Sweden.png Suède
 * American Republic Union Flag.PNG République-Unie d'Amérique
 * Alps flag.jpg La Confédération Alpine

In addition, the has sent a rink of four men to compete in the Curling demonstration, but the country is not an official Olympic competitor. Its athletes marched with the Celtic Alliance in the opening ceremony. Notable absentees from the Games include any competitors (except Siberia) from east Asia:, , and were not able to send competitors, citing the distance and expense and, in Japan's case, the unstable political climate in Europe, doubtless referring to ongoing troubles between the Alpine Confederation and Sicily.

Opening
The Olympic Torch was lit in Olympia in Moreos on October 22, 2009, for the first time in almost three decades. The Lighting Ceremony, performed by actressess dressed as ancient priestesses, began the celebration of the Games. Greek runners, including former Olympians and other athletes, politicians and dignitaries, and community notables, carried the torch through every state of the Greek Confederation, except for Mount Athos and the Suez Mandate. At several points in the Greek relay, the torch was carried by ship, including a Greek Naval patrol boat from Crete to Greek Libya and then to the Ionian Islands, and, in the climax of the relay, from the Ionian Islands to the shore of the Peloponesse in a replica of an ancient trireme, before the final leg of the Greek relay to Patras. Along the way, the revival of the Olympic Movement was celebrated as a reawakening of Greek nationhood, even though the country did not expect to win any medals in the Winter Games themselves.

From Patras, the Torch was taken via military transport helicopter to Rijeka in Croatian-speaking. That nation, an Alpine protectorate, sent no athletes to the Games but was priveleged to be one of only three nations to host the Torch Relay. From Rijeka, the Torch was passed in a loop around the Istrian peninsula and through Slovenian Venice to Trieste, Venice's seat of government. Skirting the Adriatic coast, the Torch was finally carried to the ceremonial capital, the city of Venice itself. From there, it made a U-turn so that its overland route into Austria could pass through the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region of northern Italy, the shortest route into Alpine territory. The choice to carry it over land sent a powerful political message: after years of Alpine occupation, northern Italy was once again calm and secure enough that runners could pass safely through. The Torch entered the Confederation itself on December 7 and began to tour the country. The route was planned to include every Alpine canton in Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

The Olympics were formally opened on Friday, February 12, in Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich, which had been refurbished for the Games. The opening ceremony was first and foremost a celebration of the revived Olympic movement. Artistic performances showcased the culture of the different regions of the Confederation. Confederation President Charles Remond opened the Games at 8:11pm local time. The Olympic Flame was lit by the final Torchbearer, Austrian ski jumper Andreas Felder, whose Olympic ambitions for the 1984 Games had been halted by the Third World War.