If he can't, I can: Everything else in the game is linear, like life. You travel somewhere and do something, then have to travel somewhere else to do something else. CQC is a separate universe. A minigame. An actual pilot in an actual ship can't simply "appear" somewhere else without traveling there. While I don't have the visceral issue with it that he apparently does, I think it would be less immersion breaking if you actually went somewhere to participate, like the Olympic Games, since you referenced it.
<snip>
Despite the CQC training video's reference to "loaned ships", I'm perfectly comfortable with CQC being a VR environment in terms of Elite lore...
16 MAY 3301 - Sol Unplugged?
For the first time in almost a decade, Utopixx Entertainment, the subsidiary of Reynhardt Intellisys responsible for some of the top virtual reality experiences in the galaxy, has posted an operating loss of almost 5,000,000,000,000 credits.
Investors were shocked by the news, which saw Reynhardt Intellisys shares drop by almost 14%.
Reynhardt Intellisys has issued the following statement in an attempt to explain the drastic change in profits:
“Overall, uptake of Utopixx products in Independent, Alliance and Imperial markets remains strong. We continue to see a yearly growth rate of between 1 and 2% per sector, which in many cases means that we are exceeding our targets.”
“The losses posted for this year are partly due to the construction of a completely new and extremely exciting line of VR-Streams, which includes the latest instalment in the popular CQC franchise.”
“In-sim purchases within Federal markets have fallen below expected levels, but an analysis of the market suggests that such losses are part of a general downward trend that appears to be affecting a wide range of media companies operating in Federal systems. The cause of this drop-off in purchases remains unclear at this time.”
There was also mention in GalNet of CQC being used as a training tool for the Federation Navy, which also fits the whole VR thang...
30 JUL 3301 - Meet the Powers – Zachary Hudson
Continuing this GalNet exclusive series, political commentator Marcus Macmillan writes his opinion of some of the movers and shakers in 3301. In this fifth article he analyses Federal President Zachary Hudson.
Republican President Zachary Hudson became President after the disappearance of President Halsey and a vote of no confidence in the Senate. He has always been supportive of the military, and has
recently announced his support for CQC Championship as a training and recruitment tool for the Federal Navy. He is also approving additional funds to begin upgrading and expanding the fleet to counter the threats he sees beyond the Federation’s borders.
...
Fact is, FD realised that more people would play CQC mode if they could "just play it", instead of having to fly somewhere and dock to play it.
If a physical location is important for any individual player's in-game lore,
pick one. Make a point of always flying to a particular station in Sol for your CQC participation.