Clamlympics

"Yeah, the folks here can be a bit… eccentric. Clam hats, clam drinks, clam everything ‘round here. Still, it’s a good place to make a little money if you’re feeling lucky."
—Anonymous gambler

The Clamlympics, also referred to as the Clamlympic Games, is a large, international sporting event on Haven held once every five years that involve competitors pitting Jumping Clam against each other. The games’ overseers, the Haven Clamlympics Committee, run these events, dictating which nations will hold the games in next and what events will be present at them. Despite numerous controversies and protests from many members of Haven’s populace, the games have achieved worldwide popularity and are followed closely whenever they pop up.

History

A Simple Hobby

The Jumping Clam is a rather unassuming creature at first, passively filtering food from its aquatic environment day in and day out. The only thing that really makes it stand out from other clams is its leaping ability, using water to jet itself forwards at high speeds. This habit inevitably means that they tend to end up in places far from their original homes, meaning that there is a chance to find Jumping Clams almost anywhere where there is fresh water. As such, people from all over Haven have gotten to witness the clam in action, but some would do much more than merely watch.

In the more rural parts of Haven, people would poke the clam with a stick to get it to launch itself as a form of amusement. It didn’t take long for this simple game to be turned into betting on which clam in a group would launch itself the furthest. Some people, desperate to win these bets, started searching for the largest and farthest-jumping clams they could get their hands on, eventually spiraling into full-on competitions that involved dozens of contestants pitting their clams against each other, usually for the amusement of a large crowd.

The Birth of the Games

In the beginning, these games were unorganized and rowdy at best. The simple act of seeing which clam would fly the furthest was usually the only event, the games really just being seen as an excuse to get together and gamble. The clams would be poked, jump and then land, with people on the sidelines watching for which one jumped the furthest. The bets would be collected and the people would leave, some with empty pockets and others with bags full of money.

It wasn’t until around 2890 YM that people would seriously start to consider the potential of the Jumping Clam. A group of people in the Westland Empire would come together and study the clam’s habits intensely, determining what methods would best be used to make it jump. Additionally, they would also test the effects of magic on the clam, finding out that water-based magic could be used to help it travel even further. With these findings in mind, the Haven Clamlympics Committee was born, setting up the first real games in the province of Maidensong.

The First Games

TBA

Modern Day

TBA

Events of the Clamlympics

There have been many events that have been performed at the Clamlympics since its founding. Below is a list of some of the more well-known ones.

Clam Jump

The most iconic and simplest event, the clam jump has one goal: make your clam jump farther than your competitors’. Whenever the games are held, the clam jump is usually the first event to be played out, often as a symbolic move to remind people of the games’ origins.

Clam Slide

The clam slide involves competitors sliding their Jumping Clams across a smooth surface towards a target on the ground. The objective is to hit the center of the target, with the clam in question using its jumping ability to reach it faster.

Clam Joust

One of the stranger events of the Clamlympics, the clam joust is easily one of the most amusing sights one can find at the games. A Jumping Clam is strapped onto the back of a small animal, usually a pig or goat, and given a lance, which itself is strapped to the body of the animal. The two clams then charge into each other, with the goal being to knock the opposing clam off of its mount.

Hoop Jump

The hoop jump involves competitors making their clams jump through a series of hoops, each one being smaller than the last. Timing is everything when it comes to the hoop jump, with luck often being the defining factor in this event.

Clam Race

The clam race involves competitors filling their clams with as much water as possible, giving them unnatural jumping force. The clams use this force to “race” against each other on a narrow track, with the goal being to reach the finish line without getting knocked off by another clam.

Clamlympics Controversies

Unfortunately, the Clamlympics has not come without its own controversies. For instance, there have been many cases of clam trainers feeding their clams a special substance designed to make it jump farther than normal. While cases such as these are rare, especially in the more modern games, even high-level clam trainers have been caught using performance-enhancing substances on their clams. Clam trainers caught in the act often end up humiliated and banned from any future events.

Additionally, many have tried to shut the games down on the grounds that they are simply being used to abuse the clam. These individuals tend to gather near the sites where the games are held, protesting them and trying to get people to leave. However, these protest groups often fail to convince others to join them and often get heckled out of any Clamlympic stadium they decide to protest at.

Notable Clamlympians

TBA