An athlete at an international competition wins his event, but during the event there has been an invasion and his country no longer exists. He founds the State of Denial and is awarded the medal in the name of his new, fictional country. More people flock to join his new 'country', all people who have been denied success in something and won't let it go. Now their unconventional skills are going to be needed to make this new country work.
A movie or TV show, I think