At 10:00 AM the crowd was already packed in, the natural beauty of the stadium overwhelmed by the sheer mass of humanity filling every open space. The five rings stood empty, with only flamboyantly dressed announcers in the center, yelling out through microphones to the crowd, welcoming them all to behold the spectacle. Surely there would be a show today, a legendary match of skill and cunning.
The judges sat in floating, pods, ready to flitter about and catch all angles of the match. At the main podium a rather stumpy man, head of the international sports branch of the United Nations of Eden stood up to his mike, and instantly the others were killed. His voice boomed out, surprisingly large as he welcomed the crowd to the games.
“This year we have a host of powerful fighters to Hold your interest. All five matches for each bracket will be held simultaneously, then each will be projected in turn of completion on the screen above so that everyone gets the full image. Place your last bets folks, the first round is about to begin!”