2003 South Lakeland District Council election, Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats remain the largest party with 23 seats, but without a majority, after gaining 2 seats from the Conservatives in Cartmel and Low Furness & Swarthmoor and 1 seat from an independent in Whinfell. However the Conservatives did take 1 seat back from the Liberal Democrats in Arnside & Beetham to hold 18 seats. Labour remained on 9 seats, while independents dropped to 2 seats. Overall turnout in the election was 44%, with a low of 33.9% in Windermere Applethwaite to a high of 54.2% in Kirkby Lonsdale.


2003 South Lanarkshire Council election
Elections to South Lanarkshire Council (67 seats) were held on 1 May 2003, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections and the Scottish Parliament general election.


2003 South Oxfordshire District Council election
The 2003 South Oxfordshire District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of South Oxfordshire District Council, a non-metropolitan district council in Oxfordshire, England. This was part of the wider 2003 UK local elections. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 1999 reducing the number of seats by 2. The Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.


2003 South Oxfordshire District Council election, Election result
The results saw the Conservatives take control from the Liberal Democrat and Labour coalition that had run the council before the election. This was the first time the Conservatives had controlled the council since 1995 and came after they made 5 gains to hold 27 of the 48 seats on the council. The Liberal Democrats lost eight seats, including the council chairman John Griffin in Crowmarsh ward and the council leader Jan Morgan. Meanwhile, Labour also lost three seats including the cabinet member for finance Nick Hards. However the Henley Residents Group gained seats, picking up all 4 seats for Henley. Overall turnout in the election was 35.13%, after voting hours had been extended in an attempt to increase turnout.


2003 South Pacific Games
The 2003 South Pacific Games were held in Suva, Fiji from 28 June to 12 July 2003. They are also known as the XII South Pacific Games.


2003 South Pacific Games
The Games were the 12th South Pacific Games to be held since the event's inception and were the 40th anniversary of their beginnings in 1963. It was also the third time in the event's history that they had been hosted in Suva. For the first time, the Games included both traditional multi-sport event disciplines such as athletics and swimming together with region-specific and smaller events such as outrigger canoeing, surfing and lawn bowls. Almost 5,000 athletes participated in the Games.


2003 South Pacific Games, Organisation
Fijian government funding aided by a $16 million aid package from the People's Republic of China saw the construction of a new gymnasium and indoor sports center, swimming pool and stadium, field hockey pitch and stands as well as the upgrading of existing facilities for other sports.


2003 South Pacific Games, Organisation
A strong corporate sponsorship package (including some 20 corporate sponsors), a first for the games, enabled the organizers to expand the scope of the event. A colorful media and publicity campaign - including the Games' mascot, a blue lizard named Tau (meaning "friend" in Fijian) - generated interest and enthusiasm amongst the Fijian public. Schools and youth groups were involved in interactive programs such as the adopt-a-country program.


2003 South Pacific Games, Organisation
The 2003 SPG were the biggest Games to date. There were some 300 medal ceremonies with over 860 presentations and 2,300 individual medals.


2003 South Pacific Games, Results
Hosts Fiji won the first gold medals of the games in women's archery and went on to top the athletics medal count to add to their best-ever medal haul at the SPG. Guam retained its place in baseball winning their second SPG gold medal. The cricket final saw Papua New Guinea overcome Fiji by a single run for the gold medal.


2003 South Pacific Games, Results
Fijian athletics dominated the athletics events winning a total of 19 gold medals. Makelesi Bulikiombo, the Fijian flag-bearer in the opening ceremony, won 5 gold medals and broke 4 games records. Fiji also took gold, silver and bronze in each of the men's and women's 100m and 200m and both gold and silver in the 400m.


2003 South Pacific Games, Results
The football competition was one of the sports to be held in venues other than Suva. Fiji won the men's final beating New Caledonia while Papua New Guinea took the first-ever women's football gold medal in a round robin format.


2003 South Pacific Games, Results
Continuing their domination at the games, Fiji won a further gold in the first-ever women's field hockey competition at the SPG.


2003 South Pacific Games, Results
The Pacific region-specific sports of outrigger canoeing were contested between Tahiti and New Caledonia and Tonga and Tahiti surfed to gold at the Tavarua breaks.


2003 South Ribble Borough Council election
Elections to South Ribble Borough Council were held on 1 May 2003. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 1999 increasing the number of seats by one. The council stayed under no overall control. Overall turnout was 31%.


2003 South Sydney Rabbitohs season
The 2003 South Sydney Rabbitohs season was the 94th in the club's history. Coached by Paul Langmack and captained by Bryan Fletcher, Owen Craigie, Paul Stringer and Jason Death, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2003 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 15th out of 15 teams, failing to reach the finals.


2003 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2003 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tyne and Wear, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party kept overall control of the council.


2003 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election, Campaign
59 candidates stood in the election for the 20 seats that were being contested. Labour stood in all 20 seats, while the Conservatives had 14 candidates, Liberal Democrats 12, independents 7, Progressives 5 and the British National Party 1. As well as the postal voting that had been used in the 2002 election, South Tyneside was one of 4 councils which also trialed e-voting, enabling votes to be sent by phone, text message, e-mail and be placed in special electronic voting kiosks.


2003 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election, Campaign
Labour were guaranteed to keep a majority on the council whatever the results, but both the Liberal Democrats and the Progressives hoped to make gains in the election, while the Conservatives aimed to gain a presence on the council. Hebburn Quay was seen as being a key ward as the sitting Liberal Democrat councillor Catherine Tolson stood down at the election, and Labour had only been 20 votes from winning in 1999. Labour defended their record in power including regeneration and improving care for the elderly, however they were attacked for increasing council tax bills and for the closure of leisure facilities.


2003 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election, Election result
At the count the results were delayed for over an hour after there was a problem with the electronic counting system. When the count was done, recounts were needed in both Cleadon and East Boldon and Whiteleas wards.


2003 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election, Election result
The results saw Labour keep a strong majority on the council despite losing 2 seats to independents in Hebburn South and Whiteleas wards. The Liberal Democrats managed to hold on to Hebburn Quay ward, but lost Cleadon and East Boldon to the Conservatives. The Conservative candidate in Cleadon and East Boldon, Donald Wood, won by 3 votes and thus became the first member of the party on the council since 1992. Overall turnout in the election was 46.11%.


2003 Southampton City Council election
The 2003 Southampton Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Southampton Unitary Council in Hampshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.


2003 Southampton City Council election, Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats become the largest party on the council with 18 seats, but without a majority, after making 3 gains. They gained the seats of Coxford and Millbrook from Liberal party councillors who had previously left the Liberal Democrats, and the seat of Woolston from Labour. This was the first time the Liberal Democrats, or their predecessors the Liberal Party, had been the largest party in Southampton for over 90 years.


2003 Southampton City Council election, Election result
Labour were reduced to 16 seats after losing another seat in Sholing to the Conservatives who went up to 12 seats. The Liberal party defeats reduced them to only 1 seat, while 1 independent who was not up for re-election remained. Overall turnout was up by only 0.8% from 2002 at 29%, despite all voters having the option to vote by post.


2003 Southampton City Council election, Election result
Following the election, discussions were held in order to decide who would be to take control of the council, with Labour trying to remain in control and the Liberal Democrats to take over. The Conservatives refused to support either of the other groups, meaning that the Liberal and independent councillors held the balance, as Labour's Parvin Damani had a potential casting vote as mayor. However the full council meeting on 21 May saw Liberal Democrat Adrian Vinson become council leader by 1 vote, after gaining the support of independent and formerly Labour councillor Paul Russell, after Vinson had earlier offered Russell a cabinet post.


2003 Southeast Asian Games
The 2003 Southeast Asian Games (Vietnamese: Đại hội Thể thao Đông Nam Á 2003), officially known as the 22nd Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Hanoi, Vietnam. This was the first time for Vietnam to host the Southeast Asian Games and the first time for East Timor, a non-ASEAN member, participated at the Southeast Asian Games.


2003 Southeast Asian Games
The games was held from 5 to 13 December 2003 although several events had commenced from 29 November 2003. Around 5000 athletes from 11 participating nations participated at the games, which featured 442 events in 32 sports. Vietnam is the eighth nation to host the Southeast Asian Games after Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Brunei. The games was opened by Phan Văn Khải, the Prime Minister of Vietnam at the newly constructed Mỹ Đình National Stadium and was closed by Pham Gia Khiem, the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam.


2003 Southeast Asian Games
The final medal tally was led by host Vietnam, followed by Thailand and Indonesia. A number of records in Games and National level were broken during this edition. The games were deemed generally successful with the rising standard of competition amongst the participating nations.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, Organisation, Development and preparation
The 22nd SEA Games organising committee was formed to oversee the staging of the games with Nguyen Danh Thai as its chairman. The Vietnamese government was spending a lot of money upgrading sports facilities and building new ones, including the 40,000-seat My Dinh National Stadium which is the biggest stadium in the country, spending about 60 million to US$70 million for its construction.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, Organisation, Venues
The 2003 Southeast Asian Games used a mix of new, existing and temporary venues with the centrepiece of the activities being the My Dinh Sports Complex which was opened in September 2003. Incorporating the new 40,192-seat national stadium, it hosted most of the events.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, Organisation, Venues
A games village was not built. Instead, a "village in the city" concept saw athletes and officials housed in hotels in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Besides being physically near to the sport venues, it was hoped that they will add vibe to both cities and reduce post-games costs in converting a dedicated games village to other uses.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, Organisation, Venues
The 22nd Southeast Asian Games had 31 venues for the games, 20 in Hanoi (and surrounding provinces) and 11 in Ho Chi Minh City.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, Organisation, Torch relay
The torch relay of the 2003 Southeast Asian Games began with Ho Chi Minh City and passed through several cities in Vietnam before it ended in Hanoi, which is the main venue of the games.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, Marketing, Logo
The logo of the 2003 Southeast Asian Games is a stylisation of a legendary bird named "Chim Lac". Designed by Artist Nguyen Chi Long, it depicts the bird decorated the Ngoc Lu bronze drum, a typical antiquity of the ancient Dong Son Vietnamese culture. The Emblem is composed of harmonious and strong curves that resembles movement and strength upwards represents the Olympic Spirit: "Faster, Higher and Stronger". The 5 lines of colours represents the tough and drastic competition in sports. The 10 intersecting circles, the symbol of the Southeast Asian Games Federation, represents the participating nations of the Southeast Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games itself.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, Marketing, Mascot
Designed by artist Nguyen Thai Hung, the mascot of the 2003 Southeast Asian Games is a golden water buffalo named Trâu Vàng. Described as a gentle, industrious, wise, faithful and harmonious animal in nature, the buffalo resembles the water and rice civilisation in Vietnam, as well as in other Southeast Asian countries. To the Vietnamese people, the Golden Buffalo symbolises a desire for abundant harvest, prosperity, happiness, power and the Vietnamese martial spirit as well as open–heartedness, joy and hospitality of the host country.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, Marketing, Songs
The games' hymn was "For the World of Tomorrow". It was composed by Nguyen Quang Vinh. This song has 2 Versions.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, Marketing, Sponsors
A total of 24 sponsors comprising 2 Official Partners and 22 Official Sponsors sponsored the games.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony took place at the Hanoi My Dinh National Stadium at 19:00 VST. A total of 40,000 audience attended the opening ceremony. Also present at the ceremony were General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, officials from ministries, national agencies, the diplomatic corps, the leaders of the Southeast Asian Sports Federation and heads of regional sporting delegations. A parallel ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Opening ceremony
The ceremony started with the song, "Vietnam – Our Fatherland" followed by the appearance of parachutists, carrying 11 national flags of the competing Southeast Asian countries with them. The procession of Vietnam flag and the 22nd SEA Games' symbol flag then took place as all the lights in the stadium came on at once. After that, eleven regional sporting delegations, including 5,005 coaches and athletes, marched past the reviewing stand in an exciting welcome from the officials and spectators.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Opening ceremony
The sacred torch, which was taken from the Ho Chi Minh Museum was passed by Truong Quoc Thang (cyclist), Bui Thi Nhung (runner), Vu Kim Anh (Karate exponent) and athletes from 10 regional countries to Nguyen Thuy Hien (Wushu exponent). Nguyen Thuy Hien then passed the flame to the Prime Minister who in turn passed it to an athlete dressed like national hero Giong. The athlete who dressed like Giong then lit the flame on the cauldron which burn throughout the course of the Games.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Opening ceremony
Minister-Chairman of the Physical Training and Sports Committee Nguyen Danh Thai, who is also the chairman of the Vietnam National Olympic Committee, president of the 22nd Southeast Asia Sports Council and head of the 22nd SEA Games Organising Board then gave his speech, warmly welcomed Party and State leaders, delegates, domestic and international guests, and 11 sports delegations from Southeast Asian countries to the 22nd SEA Games. After that, on behalf of the host country, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai declared the 22nd SEA Games open.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Opening ceremony
Later, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Chairman of the National Steering Board for the 22nd SEA Games, Minister-Chairman Nguyen Danh Thai, and Ha Noi Mayor Hoang Van Nghien presented flowers and banners to 11 participating sports delegations. After that, on behalf of the referees and athletes, referee Hoang Quoc Vinh and shooter Nguyen Manh Tuong swore an oath of "Solidarity, Honesty and Fair Play".


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Opening ceremony
These are followed by a three part mass performance, which is more than a thousand performers including children. The parts that make up the mass performance are "The Land of the Dragon and Fairy" which depicted the Vietnamese legend of the country's origins, "Message of Peace" and "United ASEAN Looks To The Future" which comprises four performances: "Lands by the Pacific Ocean," "Essential Convergence," "New Tune," and "ASEAN Towards The Future".


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Opening ceremony
After the mass performance, the Games mascot, the golden buffalo and 22 singers were then appear at the center of the stage with the singers singing the Games official song "For the World of Tomorrow". The ceremony concluded with thousands of flying balls released and fireworks displayed in four places in Hanoi.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony was held on 13 December 2003 at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi at 19:00 (VST). Around 40,000 spectators attended the closing ceremony at My Dinh National Stadium including Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, Vice President Truong My Hoa and leaders of the Asian Sport Federation.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Closing ceremony
The ceremony begins with laser beams shooting about in the stadium and colourful parachute gliders pierced through the sky. Athletes later marched into the stadium by order of sports competed at the games.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Closing ceremony
They were then followed by Vietnamese music played by the Vietnamese Symphonic Orchestra and performance by local dancers and singers. Nguyen Danh Thai, Minister-Chairman of the State Committee for Physical Training and Sports, President of the 22nd SEA Games Council and Head of the 22nd SEA Games Organising Committee gave his speech, affirmed that the Games have successfully concluded after boisterous competition days. Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Chairman of the 22nd SEA Games national steering board, on behalf of the host country, declared the regional sporting event closed.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Closing ceremony
Then the blue SEA Games flag was taken down and brought to the Vietnamese representatives by the Vietnamese Army soldiers dressed in white uniform with Vietnamese singer My Linh and a Philippine singer sang the song “For the World of Tomorrow”. At the same time, the flame of the cauldron was extinguished.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Closing ceremony
Prime Minister Nguyen Danh Thai and Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Hoang Van Nghien handed over the SEA Games Flag to the Chairman of the Games Organising Committee Roberto Pagdanganan and the Mayor of Manila, Lito Atienza, symbolises the Southeast Asian Games responsibilities being handed over to Philippines, host of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. The national anthem of the Philippines was played as the National Flag of the Philippines was raised. After that, the Filipino performance troop presented a special folk art performance, representing the host country. The ceremony concluded with a Vietnam farewell segment performance by Vietnamese dancers, showing the culture of Vietnam.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Sports
¹ - not an official Olympic Sport² - sport played only in the SEA Games³ - not a traditional Olympic nor SEA Games Sport and introduced only by the host country.


2003 Southeast Asian Games, The games, Medal table
A total of 1440 medals, comprising 444 gold medals, 441 silver medals and 555 bronze medals were awarded to athletes. The host Vietnam performance was its best ever yet in Southeast Asian Games history, emerged as overall champion of the games.


2003 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2003 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, AL from May 21 through May 25. Alabama won the tournament and earned the Southeastern Conference's automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Tournament.


2003 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council election
The 2003 Southend-on-Sea Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Southend-on-Sea Unitary Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.


2003 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council election, Election result
The results saw the Conservatives keep control of the council with a slightly reduced majority of 13 seats. The only changes saw the Conservatives lose one seat to the Liberal Democrats in St Laurence ward and an independent candidate gain Westborough from the Labour party.


2003 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2003 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in Charleston, SC from May 21 through May 24. Top seeded Western Carolina won the tournament and earned the Southern Conference's automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. It was Western Carolina's ninth tournament win, the most in SoCon history.


2003 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament
The tournament used a double-elimination format. Only the top eight teams participate, so East Tennessee State, Appalachian State and Wofford were not in the field.


2003 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2003 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from March 5–8, 2003 at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina. The East Tennessee State Buccaneers defeated their in-state rival Chattanooga in the championship game to win their fifth title in school history and receive the automatic berth to the 2003 NCAA Tournament. Tim Smith of ETSU was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.


2003 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
All twelve teams were eligible for the tournament. The tournament used a preset bracket consisting of four rounds, the first of which featured four games, with the winners moving on to the quarterfinal round. The top two finishers in each division received first round byes.


2003 Southern District Council election
The 2003 Southern District Council election was held on 23 November 2003 to elect all 17 elected members to the 21-member District Council.


2003 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team
The 2003 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Golden Eagles were led by head coach Jeff Bower and played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium. They were a member of Conference USA.


2003 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2003 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament was held from May 21 through May 23, 2003 to determine the champion of the Southland Conference in the sport of college baseball for the 2003 season. The event pitted the top six finishers from the conference's regular season in a double-elimination tournament held at Warhawk Field, home field of Louisiana–Monroe in Monroe, Louisiana. Sixth-seeded McNeese State won their second overall championship and claimed the automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2003 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The top six finishers from the regular season were seeded one through six. They played a double-elimination tournament.


2003 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player
Rusty Begnaud was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. Begnaud was a pitcher for McNeese State.


2003 Spa 24 Hours
The 2003 Proximus 24 Spa was the 56th running of the Spa 24 Hours and the sixth round the 2003 FIA GT Championship season. This event combined the FIA GT's two classes (GT and N-GT) with cars from national series and one-make series, designated G2 and G3. It took place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on July 25 and 26 2003.


2003 Spa 24 Hours
This race marked the only time in the history of the FIA GT Championship that the slower of the two classes (N-GT in this case) managed to win a race overall.


2003 Spa 24 Hours, Half-point leaders
For the FIA GT Championship, the top eight cars in the GT and N-GT classes are awarded half points for their positions after six hours and twelve hours into the race. Points to the top eight were awarded in the order of 4.0 – 3.0 – 2.5 – 2.0 – 1.5 – 1.0 – 0.5.


2003 Spa 24 Hours, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2003 Spanish Figure Skating Championships
The 2003 Spanish Figure Skating Championships (Spanish: Campeonato De España De Patinaje Sobre Hielo 2002-03) took place between 13 and 15 December 2002 in Jaca. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles and ladies' singles on the senior and junior levels.


2003 Spanish Formula Three Championship
The 2003 Spanish Formula Three Championship was the third Spanish Formula Three season. It began on 27 April at Albacete and ended on 9 November at Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló after thirteen races. Ricardo Mauricio was crowned series champion.


2003 Spanish Formula Three Championship, Standings, Drivers' standings
† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.


2003 Spanish Grand Prix
The 2003 Spanish Grand Prix (formally the XLV Gran Premio Marlboro de España) was a Formula One motor race held on 4 May 2003 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. It was the fifth round of the 2003 Formula One season and the forty-fifth Spanish Grand Prix, and also the last held on this layout. The 65-lap race was won by Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari car after starting from pole position. Ferrari debuted their new car, the F2003-GA at this race. GA was added to the cars name as a tribute to Gianni Agnelli, head of Fiat, who died shortly before the car's unveiling. Fernando Alonso finished second driving for the Renault team with Rubens Barrichello third in the other Ferrari.


2003 Spanish Grand Prix, Classification, Qualifying
The slowest time across both sessions indicated the time used to determine the qualifying order. These times are shown in bold.


2003 Spanish International Badminton Tournament
The 2003 Spanish International Badminton Tournament was held in Paracuellos de Jarama, Madrid, from May 29 to June 1, 2003.


2003 Spanish International Badminton Tournament
A total 170 players of 32 nations entered at the 16th edition.


2003 Spanish local elections
The 2003 Spanish local elections were held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect all 65,510 councillors in the 8,108 municipalities of Spain and all 1,036 seats in 38 provincial deputations. The elections were held simultaneously with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities, as well as local elections in the three foral deputations of the Basque Country and the ten island councils in the Balearic and Canary Islands.


2003 Spanish local elections, Electoral system
Municipalities in Spain were local corporations with independent legal personality. They had a governing body, the municipal council or corporation, composed of a mayor, deputy mayors and a plenary assembly of councillors. Voting for the local assemblies was on the basis of universal suffrage, with all nationals over eighteen, registered in the corresponding municipality and in full enjoyment of all political rights entitled to vote. The mayor was in turn elected by the plenary assembly, with a legal clause providing for the candidate of the most-voted party to be automatically elected to the post in the event no other candidate was to gather an absolute majority of votes.


2003 Spanish local elections, Electoral system
Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council. Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:


2003 Spanish local elections, Electoral system
Councillors of municipalities with populations between 100 and 250 inhabitants were elected under an open list partial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties and for up to four candidates. Additionally, municipalities below 100 inhabitants, as well as those whose geographical location or the best management of municipal interests or other circumstances made it advisable, were to be organized through the open council system (Spanish: régimen de concejo abierto), in which voters would directly elect the local major.


2003 Spanish local elections, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election:


2003 Spanish local elections, Electoral system
Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2003 Spanish local elections, Electoral system
Provincial deputations were the governing bodies of provinces in Spain, having an administration role of municipal activities and composed of a provincial president, an administrative body, and a plenary. Basque provinces had foral deputations instead—called Juntas Generales—, whereas deputations for single-province autonomous communities were abolished: their functions transferred to the corresponding regional parliaments. For insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, deputations were replaced by island councils in each of the islands or group of islands. For Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza–Formentera this figure was referred to in Spanish as consejo insular (Catalan: consell insular), whereas for Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma its name was cabildo insular.


2003 Spanish local elections, Electoral system
Most deputations were indirectly elected by local councillors from municipalities in each judicial district. Seats were allocated to provincial deputations based on the following scale:


2003 Spanish local elections, Electoral system
Island councils and foral deputations were elected directly by electors under their own, specific electoral regulations.


2003 Spanish local elections, Municipal elections, City control
The following table lists party control in provincial capitals, as well as in municipalities above or around 75,000. Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.


2003 Spanish local elections, Provincial deputations, Deputation control
The following table lists party control in provincial deputations. Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.


2003 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2003 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix was the third round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 9–11 May 2003 at the Circuito de Jerez.


2003 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (motoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round three has concluded.


2003 Spanish regional elections
The 2003 Spanish regional elections were held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the regional parliaments of thirteen of the seventeen autonomous communities—Aragon, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castile and León, Castilla–La Mancha, Extremadura, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarre and the Valencian Community—, not including Andalusia, the Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia, which had separate electoral cycles. 792 of 1,186 seats in the regional parliaments were up for election, as well as the 50 seats in the regional assemblies of Ceuta and Melilla. The elections were held simultaneously with local elections all throughout Spain.


2003 Spanish regional elections, Election date
Determination of election day varied depending on the autonomous community, with each one having competency to establish its own regulations. Typically, thirteen out of the seventeen autonomous communities—all but Andalusia, the Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia—had their elections fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years, to be held together with nationwide local elections.


2003 Spanish regional elections, Election date
In some cases, regional presidents had the prerogative to dissolve the regional parliament and call for extra elections at a different time, but newly elected assemblies were restricted to serving out what remained of their previous four year-terms without altering the period to their next ordinary election.


2003 Spanish regional elections, Regional governments
The following table lists party control in autonomous communities. Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.


2003 Sparkassen Cup (tennis)
The 2003 Sparkassen Cup (tennis) was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts in Leipzig, Germany. It was part of the Tier II category of the 2003 WTA Tour. It was the 14th and last edition of the tournament and was held from 22 September until 28 September 2003.


2003 Sparkassen Cup (tennis), Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2003 Sparkassen Cup (tennis), Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry from the singles qualifying draw:


2003 Sparkassen Cup (tennis), Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2003 Sparkassen Cup (tennis), Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry from the singles qualifying draw:


2003 Sparkassen Cup – Doubles
The 2003 Sparkassen Cup – Doubles was the tennis doubles event of the thirteenth and final edition of the Sparkassen Cup; a WTA Tier II tournament held in Leipzig, Germany.


2003 Sparkassen Cup – Doubles
Alexandra Stevenson and Serena Williams were the defending champions, but Williams elected not to compete this year. Stevenson instead partnered Anastasia Myskina, but lost in the quarterfinals to Elena Likhovtseva and Nadia Petrova.


2003 Sparkassen Cup – Doubles
Top seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova and Martina Navratilova won the title, defeating Likhovtseva and Petrova in the final, 3–6, 6–1, 6–3.


2003 Sparkassen Cup – Singles
Serena Williams was the defending champion but chose not to compete this year.


2003 Sparkassen Cup – Singles
Anastasia Myskina won the title, defeating Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final 3–6, 6–3, 6–3.


2003 Sparkassen Cup – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye to the second round.


2003 Special Honours (Australia)
The Special Honours Lists for Australia are announced by the Sovereign and Governor-General at any time. In 2003, a list of people received recognition for their parts in the response to the 2002 Bali Bombings.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Bravery decorations, Cross of Valour
The Cross of Valour is awarded for acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Bravery decorations, Star of Courage
The Star of Courage is awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Bravery decorations, Bravery Medal
The Bravery Medal is awarded for acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Bravery decorations, Commendation for Brave Conduct
The Commendation for Brave Conduct is awarded for acts of bravery considered worthy of recognition.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is awarded to recognise achievement or meritorious service.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Order of Australia, Honorary Officer (AO) in the General Division
Honorary awards are made to people who are not Australian citizens.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Public Service Medal (PSM)
The Public Service Medal is awarded to Australian public servants for outstanding service.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
The Conspicuous Service Cross is awarded for outstanding devotion to duty or outstanding achievement in the application of exceptional skills, judgement or dedication, in non-warlike situations.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Nursing Service Cross (NSC)
The Nursing Service Cross was a decoration (medal) of the Australian Honours System. The NSC was awarded for outstanding performance of nursing duties in both operational and non-operational situations.


2003 Special Honours (Australia), Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM)
The Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM) is awarded for meritorious achievement or dedication to duty in non-war like situations.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games
The 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games (Irish: Cluichí Samhraidh Oilimpeacha Speisialta 2003) were hosted in Dublin Ireland, with participants staying in various host towns around the island in the lead up to the games before moving to Dublin for the events. Events were held from 21–29 June 2003 at many venues including Morton Stadium, the Royal Dublin Society, the National Basketball Arena, all in Dublin. Croke Park served as the central stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies, even though no competitions took place there. Belfast, Northern Ireland was the venue for roller skating events (at the Kings Hall), as well as the Special Olympics Scientific Symposium (held from 19–20 June).


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, Host town programme
177 towns, cities and villages and the Aran Islands hosted national delegations in the run up to the games. Each town ran programmes to educate the local community about the customs of the country they would host and provided facilities for the teams to acclimatise. Newbridge, County Kildare, host to the Japan delegation won the award for best host town.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, Volunteer programme
30,000 volunteer officials and support staff assisted in the running of the games, including 900 staff of the Bank of Ireland who coordinated the host town programme and 800 members of the Irish Defence Forces who maintained the radio communication network, and provided support for bridge building, security duties, VIP drivers, standard bearers for ceremonial events. The Irish Red Cross, Order of Malta and St. Johns Ambulance Brigade Ireland provided emergency medical teams at the event sites. Approximately 1,300 members of both Scouting Ireland (CSI) and Scouting Ireland SAI staffed the Awards Teams for all the disciplines throughout the games. 165 volunteers from the then 15 countries of the EU took part in a European Volunteer Project (EVS), the first ever to be organized in event-related mode. The volunteers are commemorated by having their names on a series of plaques situated in Dublin Castle, just outside the Chester Beatty Library.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, The Games
The 2003 World Games were the first to be held outside of the United States. Approximately 7000 athletes from 150 countries competed in the games in 18 official disciplines, and three exhibition sports. The participants from Kosovo were the region's first team at an international sporting event. A 12-member team from Iraq received special permission to attend the games, despite ongoing war in their home nation. This was the largest sporting event held in 2003.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, The Games
The opening ceremony was held in Croke Park featured an array of stars and was hosted by Patrick Kielty. The band U2 were a major feature, and Nelson Mandela officially opened the games. Other performances included The Corrs and the largest Riverdance troupe ever assembled on one stage. 75,000 athletes and spectators were in attendance at the opening ceremonies. Irish and international celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jon Bon Jovi walked with the athletes, with Muhammad Ali as a special guest and Manchester United and Republic of Ireland football player Roy Keane taking the athletes oath with one of the Special Olympians.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, The Games
The Games Flame was lit at the culmination of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which more than 2,000 members of the Garda Síochána (Irish Police) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland took part in. This was a series of relays carrying the Special Olympics Torch, the "Flame of Hope", from Europe to the Games' official opening.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, The Games
The ceremony was officially opened by President of Ireland Mary McAleese and attended by Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland) Bertie Ahern.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, The Games
The 2003 games were the first to have their opening and closing schemes broadcast on live television, and Radio Telefís Éireann provided extensive coverage of the events through their 'Voice of the Games' radio station which replaced RTÉ Radio 1 on Medium Wave for the duration of the event. There was also a nightly television highlight programme.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, The Games
Among the activities carried out during the Games were thorough medical checks on the athletes, some of whom had previously undiagnosed conditions uncovered, as some of the athletes came from countries with limited medical facilities or had difficulty communicating their symptoms.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, The Games
A daily newspaper, the Games Gazette was published for each day of the games.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, The Games
Among the contributors to the Games was the Irish Prison Service. Prisoners in Mountjoy Prison, Midlands Prison, Wheatfield Prison and Arbour Hill Prison who constructed podiums and made flags, towels, signs, benches and other equipment.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, Organising committee
The organising committee, which was formed in 1999 following the success of the bid, was chaired by entrepreneur Denis O'Brien. The chief executive was Mary Davis.


2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, Events
Athletes and coaches such as Lleyton Hewitt and his coach Roger Rasheed (tennis); Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle and Andrew Marshall (golf), Mick O'Dwyer (Gaelic football) and Brian Kerr (soccer) met and encouraged athletes at events during the games.


2003 Speed World Challenge
The 2003 Speed World Challenge season was the fourteenth season of the Sports Car Club of America's World Challenge series. The series' title sponsor was television network Speed Channel, who televised all the races. Championships were awarded for grand touring and touring cars. It began on March 14 and ran for ten rounds. Randy Pobst and Audi won the championships in GT, and Bill Auberlen and BMW won in Touring Car. The series would head to Puerto Rico for 2003, their first race outside of North America (i.e. the United States and Canada) since 1991 when they went to Mexico.


2003 Speedway Conference League
The 2003 Speedway Conference League was the third tier/division of British speedway.


2003 Speedway Conference League, Conference League Knockout Cup
The 2003 Conference League Knockout Cup was the sixth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier three teams. Mildenhall Fen Tigers were the winners.


2003 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2003 Speedway Grand Prix was the 58th edition of the official World Championship and the ninth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era used to determine the Speedway World Champion.


2003 Speedway Grand Prix, Event format
The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes. The eight best would be directly qualified for the "Main Event", while the sixteen others would be knocked out if they finished out of the top two in 4-man heats on two occasions - while they would go through if they finished inside the top two on two occasions. This resulted in 10 heats, where eight proceeded to the Main Event, where exactly the same system was applied to give eight riders to a semi-final.


2003 Speedway Grand Prix, Event format
The semi-finals were then two heats of four, where the top two qualified for a final - there was no consolation final. The 4 finalists scored 25, 20, 18 and 16 points, with 5th and 6th place getting 13, 7th and 8th 11, and after that 8, 8, 7, 7, etc. Places after 8th place were awarded according to the time a rider was knocked out and, secondly, according to position in the last heat he rode in.


2003 Speedway Grand Prix, Qualification for Grand Prix
The 2003 season had 22 permanent riders and two wild cards at each event. The permanent riders are highlighted in the results table below.


2003 Speedway World Cup
The 2003 Speedway World Cup (SWC) was the 3rd FIM Speedway World Cup season. The Final took place on 9 August 2003 in Vojens, Denmark. The tournament was won by Sweden (62 pts) and they beat Australia (57 points), host team Denmark (53 pts) and Poland (49 pts), Great Britain (44 pts) in the Final.


2003 Speedway World Cup Event 1
The 2003 Speedway World Cup Event 1 was the first race of the 2003 Speedway World Cup season. It took place on August 3, 2003 in Holsted, Denmark.


2003 Speedway World Cup Event 1, Heat details
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2003 Speedway World Cup Event 2
The 2003 Speedway World Cup Event 2 was the second race of the 2003 Speedway World Cup season. It took place on August 4, 2003 in Outrup, Denmark.


2003 Speedway World Cup Event 2, Heat details
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2003 Speedway World Cup Event 3
The 2003 Speedway World Cup Event 3 was the third race of the 2003 Speedway World Cup season. It took place on August 5, 2003 in Holsted, Denmark.


2003 Speedway World Cup Event 3, Heat details
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2003 Speedway World Cup Final
The 2002 Speedway World Cup Final was the fifth and last race of the 2002 Speedway World Cup season. It took place on August 9, 2003, in the Speedway Center in Vojens, Denmark.


2003 Speedway World Cup Final, Heat details
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2003 Speedway World Cup Qualification
The 2003 Speedway World Cup Qualification (SWC) was a  series of motorcycle speedway meetings used to determine the three national teams to qualify for the 2003 Speedway World Cup. According to the FIM rules the top nine nations from the 2002 Speedway World Cup were automatically qualified.


2003 Speedway World Cup Qualification, Heat details
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2003 Speedway World Cup Race-off
The 2003 Speedway World Cup Race-off was the fourth race of the 2003 Speedway World Cup season. It took place on August 7, 2003 in Outrup, Denmark.


2003 Speedway World Cup Race-off, Heat details
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2003 Spengler Cup
The 2003 Spengler Cup was held in Davos, Switzerland between December 26, 2003 and December 31, 2003. All matches were played at host HC Davos's home Eisstadion Davos. The final was won 7-4 by Team Canada over host HC Davos.


2003 Sports Network Cup
The 2003 Sports Network Cup was a college football postseason NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major Championship Series. The Duquesne Dukes finished ahead of San Diego Toreros 12-6 in first places votes to be named the NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major Football National Champions.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone
In May 2003, a tropical cyclone officially called Very Severe Cyclonic Storm BOB 01 produced the worst flooding in Sri Lanka in 56 years. The first storm of the 2003 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed over the Bay of Bengal on May 10. Favorable environmental conditions allowed the system to intensify steadily while moving northwestward. The storm reached peak maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) on May 13, making it a very severe cyclonic storm according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which is the official Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for the basin.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone
The cyclone drifted north over the central Bay of Bengal, gradually weakening due to heightened wind shear. Turning eastward, the storm deteriorated to a deep depression on May 16 before it curved northeastward and re-intensified into a cyclonic storm. It came ashore in western Myanmar and dissipated over land the following day.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone
In the wake of prolonged precipitation during the first half of May, the cyclone produced torrential rains across southwest Sri Lanka while stationary in the central Bay of Bengal. The storm drew extensive moisture that coalesced in the mountainous portion of the island. A station at Ratnapura recorded 366.1 mm (14.41 in) of rainfall in 18 hours on May 17, including 99.8 mm (3.93 in) in one hour. In southwestern Sri Lanka, the rainfall caused flooding and landslides that destroyed 24,750 homes and damaged 32,426 others, displacing about 800,000 people.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone
Overall damage totaled about $135 million (2003 USD), and there were 260 deaths. The cyclone also produced some rainfall in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and along the country's eastern coast. The storm funneled moisture away from the mainland, which possibly contributed to a heat wave that killed 1,900 people, and dropped heavy rainfall in Myanmar.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Meteorological history
Around May 6, the monsoon trough extended across the southern Bay of Bengal, producing a vast field of thunderstorm activity. A broad low-pressure area formed by the next day and remained nearly stationary. Over the next few days, the convection varied in intensity until becoming more organized around the nascent surface low on May 10. At 03:00 UTC on May 10, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported the formation of a depression about 535 km (330 mi) west of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Within nine hours, the depression further intensified into a deep depression. Around the same time, the system was classified as Tropical Cyclone 01B by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Meteorological history
With warm sea surface temperatures, a formidable anticyclone aloft, and low wind shear, the system continued to mature as it tracked northwestward. Early on May 11, the deep depression strengthened into a cyclonic storm – marked by maximum sustained winds of at least 65 km/h (40 mph) – and later in the day into a severe cyclonic storm. Simultaneously, the system was driven toward the north by a ridge of high pressure to the northeast. At the time, the cyclone was located about 700 km (430 mi) east of Sri Lanka.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Meteorological history
The storm continued to intensify, becoming a very severe cyclonic storm on May 12. That day, the JTWC upgraded Tropical Cyclone 01B to the equivalence of a minimal hurricane with winds of 120 km/h (75 mph). In post-season analysis, however, the agency revised the storm's maximum winds to 110 km/h (70 mph). At 06:00 UTC on May 13, the IMD estimated that the storm attained peak winds of 140 km/h (85 mph). The intensity estimate was based on a satellite-derived Dvorak number of 4.5, limited chiefly by the lack of an eye feature.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Meteorological history
After peaking in intensity, the storm began weakening due to increasing easterly wind shear from the ridge to the north, displacing the center of circulation from the deepest convection. Early on May 14, the IMD downgraded the storm to a severe cyclonic storm. Around this time, steering currents slackened, and the cyclone meandered northward over the central Bay of Bengal. By late on May 14, convection had largely dissipated, with the exception of a small area near the center, and the system weakened to minimal cyclonic storm status.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Meteorological history
Thunderstorm activity continued to wax and wane as the storm turned to the southeastward, though persistent hostile conditions caused the storm to weaken further to a deep depression on May 16. As the nearby ridge translated eastward, the depression was able to move more steadily to the east and later to the northeast, passing northwest of the Andaman Islands on May 18. On the next day, the deep depression re-intensified into a cyclonic storm, reaching a secondary peak with winds of 85 km/h (55 mph). At about 10:00 UTC on May 19, the storm made landfall close to Kyaukpyu, Ramree Island, in western Myanmar. The storm rapidly weakened into a depression and later degenerated into a low-pressure area on May 20, and was no longer discernible on satellite imagery by the next day.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Preparations and impact, Sri Lanka
Due to the significant distance between Sri Lanka and the Bay of Bengal storm, no cyclone warnings were posted. The India-based National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting anticipated the flood event three days in advance. However, the Sri Lankan government did not issue the first flood warnings until May 17, the same day that the flooding began. Many residents learned about the impending floods through loudspeakers and word of mouth, although some were alerted by television or radio. About 8,000 people evacuated on May 18, utilizing schools and public buildings as emergency shelters. The precipitation occurred in the wake of an already rainy period; a station near the Kalu River reported over 600 mm (24 in) of rainfall in the first 15 days of May.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Preparations and impact, Sri Lanka
While the storm was nearly stationary in the central Bay of Bengal, the southwesterly flow drew abundant moisture over Sri Lanka to produce severe flooding. In the island's mountainous southwestern portion, the winds across the island produced heavy rainfall rates through a process known as orographic lift, mostly occurring on May 17–18. Throughout May 2003, the highest rainfall in the country was 899 mm (35.4 in) at Gonapenigala Iranganie Estate.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Preparations and impact, Sri Lanka
A station at Ratnapura recorded 718 mm (28.3 in) of precipitation in the month, of which 366.1 mm (14.41 in) fell over an 18‑hour period on May 17; at the same station, there was a peak hourly rainfall total of 99.8 mm (3.93 in). These were the heaviest rains on the island since 1947. Rainfall was primarily concentrated in southwestern Sri Lanka, with a rain shadow farther inland that resulted in minimal precipitation in and Matale.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Preparations and impact, Sri Lanka
After the Kalu River overflowed, floodwaters reached 3 m (9.8 ft) deep in Ratnapura City, submerging the first floors of most homes and persisting for about three days. Landslides created a temporary natural dam on the river that washed away a bridge when it broke. Along the Gin River, flood waters inundated the surrounding terrain up to 2 m (6.6 ft) deep, covered roadways, and complicated evacuations. In Hambantota District, the inundation occurred after an ongoing drought, which amplified flood-related damage. Although the flooding was severe in the southwestern portion of Sri Lanka, effects were minimal in the central and north-central regions, and there was no severe flooding in the capital city of Colombo.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Preparations and impact, Sri Lanka
Since the previously wet conditions had saturated soils, the rains related to the cyclone caused severe flooding and landslides, mostly in Ratnapura and Nuwara Eliya districts. A landslide in Batugoda killed 81 people, and at least 125 people died in Ratnapura. The floods increased river levels in Hambantota, Matara, Galle, and Kalutara districts, persisting until May 30 in Matara. Many roads were damaged, including the one that links Ratnapura to Colombo. About 100 schools were destroyed and another 200 were damaged, and some health facilities lost their equipment.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Preparations and impact, Sri Lanka
Flooding from the cyclone destroyed 53,300 hectares (132,000 acres) of tea crops, representing an estimated 20–30% loss for the year in the low country. Farmers in the affected areas also lost some of their rice paddies to the high waters, although only about 3% of the rice crop in the region was damaged, so no impact on the rice harvest was expected. Many areas lost electricity and telephone service, and there were disruptions to food and water supplies.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Preparations and impact, Sri Lanka
Throughout Sri Lanka, the floods destroyed at least 24,750 homes and damaged 32,426 others, displacing about 800,000 people, many of whom lost everything they owned. Total damage was estimated at $135 million (2003 USD), primarily to homes and roads. Across the island, floods related to the cyclone killed 260 people. Most of the deaths were along the nation's southern coast where the floods occurred, primarily along the Kalu River, and were mainly farmers. Levees helped drain floodwaters where systems were already in place.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Preparations and impact, Elsewhere
In its formative stages, the storm produced moderate rainfall in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, totaling 70 mm (2.8 in) at Mayabunder. Later, as the storm was approaching Myanmar, it dropped 89 mm (3.5 in) of rainfall on Hut Bay. Several stations in Tamil Nadu reported light precipitation, including a total of 98 mm (3.9 in) at Adirampattinam. Along the coast of Odisha, the fringes of the cyclonic storm dropped light rainfall, reaching 53 mm (2.1 in) at Swampatna. As the storm made landfall in Myanmar, it produced heavy rainfall in Rakhine State, signalling an early start to the monsoon season.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Preparations and impact, Elsewhere
The slow movement of the storm altered the atmospheric flow over southeastern India. It replaced the easterly maritime winds over southeast coast of India(TN and AP) and brought dry northwesterly winds from the North India which brought heatwave like conditions along North TN and South AP. Due to this, Chennai recorded 45C on May 31 breaking a record of 44.1C set in 1998. According to the IMD, the cyclone "might have caused the severe heat wave conditions prevailing over the coastal Andhra Pradesh" from May into early June, killing up to 1,400 people, and increasing air temperatures to 50 °C (122 °F).


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Aftermath
In the immediate aftermath of the flooding in Sri Lanka, the country's air force, army, and navy, as well as police forces, operated search and rescue missions. The navy and air force collected residents stranded in trees and on roofs, and were later assisted by the Indian military. However, the lack of electricity and the damaged infrastructure hampered relief work. In the hardest hit area of Ratnapura, there was a shortage of doctors, prompting officials to request help from adjacent towns. There were increased reports of diarrhea, viral flu, and typhoid in the aftermath of the floods.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Aftermath
Mobile health crews treated over 44,000 residents, which helped reduce the spread of disease. Residents in one village went without food for three days, and in the storm's aftermath, many were also without access to clean water. By May 19, flooding had begun to recede in the worst affected areas, allowing workers to repair roads. The government released RS6 million (LKR, US$62,500) for immediate relief, and also provided RS15,000 (LKR, US$156) toward funeral expenses for each death. From May 22–25, the country's legislature had reduced sessions so members could return to their districts.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Aftermath
By the end of May 2003, the government had allocated RS17.29 million (LKR, US$180,000) for relief measures, including RS27,000 (LKR US$280) for each family to rebuild houses. The Sri Lankan government also set up a four-person task force to manage flood relief. The local Red Cross chapter utilized emergency supplies to distribute 10,000 food packages while also deploying trained volunteers to assist in the disaster areas. The Red Cross ultimately distributed about 26,000 loaves of bread, 862 kg (1,900 lb) of sugar, and 1,775 kg (3,913 lb) of rice, among other supplies.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Aftermath
By May 20, the Sri Lankan air force had distributed 35 tons of food, using eight helicopters to airdrop parcels. Red Cross workers cleaned hundreds of contaminated wells in the region, thereby restoring clean water access; this task was finished by August. By May 16, or nine days after the floods began, power was restored to about 95% of areas, and roads were gradually rebuilt. Road access to most villages was restored by May 26, with the exception of Matara. There, the ongoing floods prompted officials to close schools to reduce the spread of disease.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Aftermath
After the floods largely subsided, the World Socialist Web Site criticized the Sri Lankan government for not having better disaster management in place, as well as noting that deforestation and gem mining contributed to the landslides. A Red Cross report in August 2003 noted the swift work to bring relief to the affected citizens, while also commenting that the floods displayed the country's problems with disaster mitigation.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Aftermath
On May 19, the Red Cross launched an appeal to the international community for assistance. A day prior, the Red Cross allocated CHF50,000 to buy relief supplies, while the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs provided a $50,000 grant. In the days after the floods, the government of India sent a ship with inflatable dinghies and medical supplies. A total of 18 countries or local Red Crosses sent Fr.2.3 million CHF worth of cash to Sri Lanka. Sweden sent kr800,000 (2003 SEK) toward relief transport and distribution.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Aftermath
The government of Japan sent ¥19.8 million yen worth of tents, sheets, and other supplies to the country, The Iranian Red Cross sent $65,625 (USD) worth of blankets and tents to Sri Lanka, which helped about 240 families. Australia's government sent about $400,000 (AUD) to UNICEF to help rebuild the damaged schools and other social services. The European Community Humanitarian Aid Office donated about €800,000 (US$944,000) to the country. The World Food Programme distributed meals to about 10,000 families, while the World Health Organization provided water purification tablets, typhoid vaccines, and health kits to about 100,000 people.


2003 Sri Lanka cyclone, Aftermath
During a peace agreement amid the ongoing civil war, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka sent trucks with clothing and food to the affected areas. In July 2004, the Asian Development Bank provided $12.5 million of the $17.5 million needed to repair the damaged infrastructure, while the Sri Lankan government provided the remaining $5 million.


2003 St Albans City and District Council election
The 2003 St Albans City and District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of St Albans District Council in Hertfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.


2003 St Albans City and District Council election, Background
Following the last election in 2002 the Conservatives were the largest party with 21 seats, compared to 20 for the Liberal Democrats, 15 for Labour, 1 independent and 1 seat was vacant. However the Liberal Democrats gained a seat from the Conservatives at a by-election in Verulam, which meant that going into the 2003 election both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats needed to gain 8 seats to win a majority.


2003 St Albans City and District Council election, Voting trial
The election saw a trial of various voting methods. Voters could choose between e-voting, either by computer or on a touchscreen at a polling booth, voting by phone or by post, or on a traditional ballot paper. The period for voting was also increased to allow voting from the 28 April to the 1 May 2003.


2003 St Albans City and District Council election, Voting trial
However problems occurred at 15 polling stations where the system did not recognise voters pin numbers, which meant that traditional paper ballots had to be used in those polling stations. The issues meant the election nearly had to be voided, with the count only able to start over 3 hours after polls had closed.


2003 St Albans City and District Council election, Voting trial
However turnout was up by 5% on the previous election in 2002 at 43%.


2003 St Albans City and District Council election, Election result
The Liberal Democrats gained 2 seats from Labour to become the largest party on the council with 23 councillors. The Conservatives remained on 21 seats and there was still 1 independent, while the losses for Labour in Ashley and St Peter's wards reduced them to 13 seats.


2003 St Albans City and District Council election, Election result
Following the election the Liberal Democrat group on the council chose Robert Donald as their new leader taking over from Brian Peyton.


2003 St Albans City and District Council election, By-elections between 2003 and 2004
A by-election was held in Verulam ward on 5 April 2004 after the resignation of Conservative councillor Pauline Buffham, who was moving abroad. The seat was gained for the Liberal Democrats by Susan Campbell with a majority of 265 votes over the Conservatives.


2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election, Background
Four councillors stood down at the election, Michael Blaney, Patricia Martinez-Williams, John Mealor and Bill Noctor, from Marshalls Cross, Windle, Haydock and West Sutton wards respectively. In Marshalls Cross two seats were contested in 2003, after the death of councillor Valerie Beirne in 2002.


2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election, Background
Both the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties contested all 19 seats that were up for election, while the Conservatives had 18 candidates and there was 1 Socialist Alliance and 1 independent candidate. The Conservatives targeted gaining a seat in Windle, where the party had taken a seat from Labour for the last two election, while the Liberal Democrats aimed to make progress in Grange Park and Haydock wards.


2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election, Background
For the 2003 election St Helens had a trial of all postal voting across the whole council in an attempt to double the 26% turnout at the last election in 2002. By the 29 April 2003 turnout had reached an average of 42% across the council, with the final turnout being 48% and with a high of 57% in Eccleston.


2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election, Election result
Labour retained control of the council with 33 councillors after gaining one seat from Socialist Labour, but losing one to the Conservatives. The Labour gain came in Grange Park ward, while the Conservatives took an extra seat in Windle. This meant the Liberal Democrats remained on 15 seats, while the Conservative gain took them to 6 councillors.


2003 St Sampson by-election
The 2003 St Sampson by-election was held in the States of Guernsey district of St Sampson on 12 November 2003, following the death of deputy Peter Falla in August 2003. Sam Maindonald was elected as the new deputy.


2003 St. Catharines municipal election
The St. Catharines municipal election of 2003 was held on 10 November 2003 to determine a mayor, regional and city councillors and school trustees in the city of St. Catharines, Ontario.


2003 St. Catharines municipal election, Niagara Regional Council
Electors could vote for six candidates. Percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes.


2003 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
The 2003 St. George Illawarra Dragons season was the fifth in the joint venture club's history. The Dragons competed in the NRL's 2003 premiership season. The team finished tenth in the regular season, missing out on finals for the second time in their history.


2003 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals 2003 season was the team's 122nd season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 112th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 85-77 during the season and finished 3rd in the National League Central division, three games behind the Chicago Cubs, who won the NL Central at 88-74, and two behind the NL Central runners-up, the Houston Astros (87-75).


2003 St. Louis Cardinals season
Catcher Mike Matheny, shortstop Édgar Rentería, third baseman Scott Rolen, and outfielder Jim Edmonds won Gold Gloves this year.


2003 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Batting, Batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2003 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2003 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2003 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2003 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2003 St. Louis Rams season
The 2003 season was the St. Louis Rams' 66th in the National Football League, their ninth season in St. Louis and their fourth under head coach Mike Martz. The Rams were coming off a disappointing 7–9 season and former MVP Kurt Warner was demoted to backup quarterback; Marc Bulger earned the starting job after replacing Warner in 2002 and winning six of his seven starts. Though many agree that The Greatest Show on Turf ended after the 2001 season, the Rams nonetheless finished 12–4, winning the NFC West, only to lose to the eventual NFC champions Carolina Panthers. This would be the last time the Rams won the NFC West until the 2017 NFL season.


2003 St. Louis Rams season
For the first time in 19 years, the Rams lost a playoff game at home. 2003 was also the last winning season that the Rams would achieve in St. Louis and was their last winning season anywhere until 2017 in Los Angeles. They did make the playoffs the following season despite a mediocre 8-8 record and are considered one of the worst teams to make the playoffs, along with the 2010 Seahawks (7-9) and the 1998 Cardinals (9-7).


2003 St. Louis Rams season
Bulger was voted to play in the Pro Bowl following the season and was the game's MVP. As for Kurt Warner, he was released after the season in order to clear up cap space, and Bulger would spend the next six seasons as the Rams' starting quarterback.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Offseason
Departures: Wide receiver Ricky Proehl went to the Panthers. Full back James Hodgins went to the Cardinals. Tight end Ernie Conwell went to the Saints. Wide receiver Troy Edwards went to the Jaguars. Cornerback Dre Bly went to the Lions.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Offseason
Acquisitions: Acquired offensive tackle Kyle Turley from the Saints in a trade.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
Kurt Warner was given one more shot as starter for the Rams and passed for 353 yards and one touchdown to Torry Holt. However, Warner was sacked six times and fumbled on five of them, losing three. The Giants, still smarting from their chaotic playoff loss to the 49ers the previous season, bullied the Rams by recovering the three fumbles and wracking up 146 rushing yards by Tiki Barber en route to a 23–13 win. Warner was briefly hospitalized with a concussion and Rams coach Mike Martz would start Marc Bulger at QB for the remainder of the season.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The Rams and Niners squared off in a tight contest where the game lead tied or changed seven times. Tai Streets and Torry Holt traded touchdown catches in the first quarter, and after a Jeff Chandler field goal put the Niners up 10–7 at the half the game kicked up a gear as Marshall Faulk and Kevan Barlow traded rushing scores in the third, then after two Marc Bulger drives produced ten Rams points and a 24–17 lead Jeff Garcia drove the Niners down field and Terrell Owens' 13-yard catch with 19 seconds to go forced overtime. A missed 43-yard field goal try by Chandler wound up dooming the Niners as the Rams whipped down field in the opening two minutes of overtime and former Niner Jeff Wilkins sank his old team from 28 yards out, and a 27–24 Rams win.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The Rams butted their way to a 23–10 lead in the third quarter, but in the fourth it all went away as Matt Hasselbeck found Darrell Jackson in the opening minute of the fourth, then finished off the Rams on Koren Robinson's three yard catch in the closing minute of the fourth and a 24–23 Seahawks win.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
Already without Kurt Warner, star running back Marshall Faulk left the game with a fractured left hand, which would sideline him for the next five weeks.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The Rams limited the Cardinals to 161 total yards of offense and put up 401 yards themselves even though Marshall Faulk did not play. Lamar Gordon picked up the slack with 81 rushing yards and a touchdown while Marc Bulger ran in one score and threw touchdowns to Torry Holt and Dane Looker in a 37–13 rout.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
Coming out of their bye week, the Rams hosted the Falcons in the two clubs' first meeting since 2002 divisional realignment put the Falcons into the now-second year NFC South. With Michael Vick sidelined with injury, the Falcons' season was essentially over at 1–4 entering the game, and the Rams merely added more punishment; they downed T. J. Duckett in the Falcons endzone for a safety and put up 496 yards of offense and 36 points in a 36–0 shutout; the last touchdown came when Travis Fisher picked off Kurt Kittner and ran back a 74-yard touchdown.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The Rams faced the Packers for the first time since their 45–17 embarrassment of Green Bay in the 2001 playoffs. Marc Bulger's two first-half scores to Torry Holt kept Green Bay from making any serious run as St. Louis stormed to a 34–17 lead, and not even a 76-yard Najeh Davenport touchdown run in the fourth could stop a 34–24 Rams win.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
In a rematch of Super Bowl XIV the Rams faced their former backup quarterback Tommy Maddox. The game lead tied or changed six times as Maddox tossed a pair of scores to Hines Ward but was intercepted three times. Bulger threw for 375 yards and a 36-yard score to Torry Holt. With Marshall Faulk still sidelined, Arlen Harris ran for three touchdowns as the Rams won 33–21.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The Rams' four-game win streak ended in a 30–10 thumping at Candlestick Park. Cedrick Wilson opened up scoring with a 95-yard kickoff return score, and it never got better for the Rams. Tim Rattay unloaded three touchdowns to Brandon Lloyd, Terrell Owens, and Tai Streets while Bulger was sacked five times and picked off twice. The Rams run game was limited to nine total yards, all by Arlen Harris.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The Rams faced the Ravens four years after Week One of 1999, and the Rams got back on track. Marshall Faulk returned and despite only 48 rushing yards and three catches for six yards, he managed two touchdowns. The game was a spree of turnovers; the Rams fumbled twice while Marc Bulger was picked off twice (by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed), but the Ravens were even worse; they fumbled four times (Adam Archuleta ran back one fumble 45 yards for the score) while Baltimore quarterbacks (Chris Redman and Kyle Boller) were intercepted three times. The end result was a 33–22 Rams win.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
Marshall Faulk exploded to his first 100-yard rushing day of the season as he reached 103 yards. The Bears behind Chris Chandler led 14–3 before the Rams rallied to a 20–14 lead in the fourth. Chandler drove the Bears down and found Dez White for an 11-yard touchdown with 6:03 to go. Bulger was intercepted on the next possession, but the Bears had to punt with 2:55 to go. Bulger completed five passes to the Bears 19, and after a Faulk run Jeff Wilkins booted the winning field goal from 31 yards out and a 23–21 Rams win.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The Arizona portion of the Rams' annual New St. Louis vs. Old St. Louis rivalry turned into a wild affair after Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce put them up 14–3 in the second quarter. Marc Bulger was picked off by Renaldo Hill and Hill ran back a 70-yard touchdown. In the third Travis Fisher picked off Jeff Blake and stormed 57 yards for a Rams score. Blake found rookie Anquan Boldin, who bounced off two defenders and carried a 54-yard touchdown throw, then early in the fourth another Renaldo Hill pick set up a three-yard Blake score to Boldin.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
Bulger was then strip-sacked by Ronald McKinnon and the subsequent Neil Rackers field goal put the Cardinals up 27–24. But Bulger completed a key fourth-down throw and Jeff Wilkins drilled a 24-yarder as time expired. In overtime Bulger then ran 18 yards for a key first down, and Wilkins finished off the Cardinals from 49 yards out, ending a 30–27 win, the third overtime game (after the Seahawks-Ravens and Patriots-Houston overtime shootouts earlier that day) of the league weekend.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
Despite ten catches for 160 yards and a fifteen-yard touchdown catch, Randy Moss could not help the Vikings stop a 48–17 rout by the Rams. The Rams sacked Daunte Culpepper eight times and forced three Minnesota turnovers. Marc Bulger threw for 222 yards but the longest pass play came when Isaac Bruce completed a 41-yarder to Dane Looker in the third quarter.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The 4–8 Browns fell to 4–9 after two interceptions (one a pick-six by Aeneas Williams) and two fumbles aided the Rams to a 26–20 win. Marshall Faulk broke 100 yards for the fourth straight game. They defeated all AFC North opponents for the season.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
Entering the game at 10–3, the Rams slammed the door on any Seattle hope for the NFC West title. After Marc Bulger was sacked for a safety, the Rams erupted with 21 first half points, including two Bulger touchdowns, one a 40-yard strike to Torry Holt. Two additional field goals stiff-armed the Seahawks as Matt Hasselbeck led the Seahawks to 20 additional points, insufficient as the Rams salted away a 27–22 win and the division, leaving the Seahawks at 8–6.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The Rams were now in a tight race with the Eagles for the top seed in the NFC playoffs, and the 49ers gave the Rams some help by winning in overtime at Philly that same day. The Rams for their part picked off Jon Kitna three times and Marshall Faulk had his highest rushing game of the year (121 yards and a score). The 27–10 win put the Rams at 12–3 with the Eagles falling to 11–4.


2003 St. Louis Rams season, Notable Games
The NFL held three games on Saturday, and the Eagles routed the Washington Redskins 31–7 to finish 12–4. The Rams needed to defeat the 4–11 Lions to secure the NFC top seed; they were already guaranteed a playoff bye as a top-two seed. Marc Bulger threw for 170 yards and a touchdown as the Rams scored 20 points in the second quarter. But in the second half the Lions erupted; former Ram Az-Zahir Hakim caught a 13-yard touchdown from Joey Harrington as the Lions scored 20 unanswered points. Kurt Warner replaced Bulger in the final ten minutes of the game and completed only four passes for 23 yards; they were the final plays by Warner in a Rams uniform. The 30–20 loss put the Eagles as the NFC's top playoff seed.


2003 St. Petersburg Open
The 2003 St. Petersburg Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in Saint Petersburg in Russia and was part of the International Series of the 2003 ATP Tour. The tournament ran from October 20 through October 26, 2003.


2003 St. Petersburg Open, Finals, Men's Doubles
Julian Knowle /  Nenad Zimonjić defeated  Michael Kohlmann /  Rainer Schüttler 7–6(7–1), 6–3


2003 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles
David Adams and Jared Palmer were the defending champions but did not compete that year.


2003 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles
Julian Knowle and Nenad Zimonjić won in the final 7–6(7–1), 6–3 against Michael Kohlmann and Rainer Schüttler.


2003 St. Petersburg Open – Singles
Sébastien Grosjean was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Àlex Corretja.


2003 St. Petersburg Open – Singles
Gustavo Kuerten won in the final 6–4, 6–3 against Sargis Sargsian.


2003 Sta. Lucia Realtors season
The 2003 Sta. Lucia Realtors season was the 11th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2003 Sta. Lucia Realtors season, Occurrences
Assistant coach Alfrancis Chua was appointed as the new head coach of Sta.Lucia at the start of the season, Chua replaces Norman Black, whose contract wasn't renewed.


2003 Sta. Lucia Realtors season, Occurrences
In the Reinforced Conference, import Nate James led the Realtors to five wins in eight games he played until an injury forces Sta.Lucia to bring back Damian Owens. Starting the best-of-three quarterfinal series against Alaska, the Realtors tapped former Red Bull import Ray Tutt as Owens' replacement when Owens himself is nursing a leg injury.


2003 Stafford Borough Council election
Elections to Stafford Borough Council were held on 1 May 2003. All 59 seats on the council were up for election, with boundary changes meaning the number was reduced from 60. There were elections held in 24 wards, with a further 2 wards (Church Eaton and Milwich) uncontested. The Conservative Party gained majority control of the council after the council was under no overall control prior to the election. Overall turnout was 37.51%, with the lowest turnout (24.08%) in Coton ward and the highest (55.77%) in Seighford. As a result of the election, the new council leader was Cllr. Judith Dalgarno.


2003 Stafford Borough Council election, Election result
The total number of seats on the Council after the election was:


2003 Stanford Cardinal baseball team
The 2003 Stanford Cardinal baseball team represented Stanford University in the 2003 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Cardinal played their home games at Sunken Diamond in Palo Alto, California. The team was coached by Mark Marquess in his twenty-seventh season as head coach at Stanford.


2003 Stanford Cardinal baseball team
The Cardinal reached the College World Series, finishing as the runner up to Rice.


2003 Stanford Cardinal football team
The 2003 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by head coach Buddy Teevens.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2003 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2002–03 season, and the culmination of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. The second-seeded Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils defeated the seventh-seeded Western Conference champion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games and were awarded the Stanley Cup. It was New Jersey's first appearance since 2001 and third in four years. It was Anaheim's first-ever appearance. The Devils defeated the Mighty Ducks in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup in less than a decade.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals
The Devils' win was the last in a series of wins they, along with the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings, established in the era from 1995 to 2003. The three teams won a combined eight of nine Stanley Cups during that time. The Devils won in 1995, followed by the Avalanche in 1996, then the Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. The Dallas Stars win in 1999 would be superseded by the Devils in 2000, Colorado in 2001 and Detroit in 2002.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
The New Jersey Devils were in the Stanley Cup Finals for their fourth time in franchise history, as well as their third appearance in four years. En route to the finals, New Jersey defeated the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, and the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Finals in a seven game series. Strong goaltending from future Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur, and strong defense from future Hockey Hall of Fame captain Scott Stevens and future Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer led the Devils to the finals. Niedermayer and forward Jamie Langenbrunner led all NHL players in points during the entire playoffs. Forwards John Madden and Jeff Friesen, the latter of whom had been traded to New Jersey from Anaheim during the off-season, also finished among the top scorers in the league during the playoffs.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim entered their first Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history after upsetting two heavily favored teams: sweeping the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and defeating the Dallas Stars in six games. Anaheim also swept the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference Finals, largely due to the stellar goaltending of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who only allowed one goal during the entire series. Supporting Giguere were future Hockey Hall of Fame members Paul Kariya and Adam Oates as well as forwards Petr Sykora and Rob Niedermayer, brother of then-Devils star defenseman Scott Niedermayer.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
This series was considered memorable as two brothers on different teams competed against one another for the Stanley Cup.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries
The 2003 Stanley Cup Finals pitted the second-seeded Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils against the seventh-seeded Western Conference champion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Devils, who finished the season with 108 points, defeated the Mighty Ducks in seven games to win the Stanley Cup. The series opened at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game one
In game one Martin Brodeur kept the Ducks off the scoreboard while the Devils players continually dominated the Ducks. Sergei Brylin scored the winning goal in the second period and the Devils went on to shut out the Mighty Ducks 3–0.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game two
In a virtual repeat of game one, Patrik Elias scored the winning goal in the second period and the Devils shut out Anaheim 3–0 again.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game three
Down 2–0 after two games, the series shifted to the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Southern California. Game three was remembered for the clumsy mistake from Martin Brodeur when he accidentally dropped his stick when the puck came to him; the puck deflected off his fallen stick and into the net to give the Ducks a lucky break and a 2–1 lead. The Devils would later tie the game, only to lose in overtime. Over the mistake with his stick, Brodeur later claimed, "It was just one of those once in a lifetime things."


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game four
Game four had no scoring throughout regulation and was a battle between goaltenders Brodeur and Giguere. But Anaheim again came out on top in overtime, winning 1–0 and tying the series 2–2.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game five
Game five, returning to the Meadowlands, saw a continual battle for the first half of the game. With the game tied 3–3 in the second period, the Devils took the lead with a deflection goal by Jay Pandolfo that was initially waved off by referees due to an apparent kicking motion with the skates. Video replays, however, showed that there was no distinct kicking motion from the skates, and thus the referees' call was reversed, resulting in a goal. This would prove to deflate the Ducks for the rest of the game, as Jamie Langenbrunner scored two more goals for the Devils to give New Jersey a 6–3 win and a three games to two series lead.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game six
With New Jersey looking to clinch the series, game six in Anaheim saw the Mighty Ducks return the favor of game five to the Devils with complete dominance throughout the game. Quite possibly the most remembered moment of the entire series came when the Ducks were winning 3–1 in the second period.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game six
Ducks captain Paul Kariya failed to see Devils captain Scott Stevens approaching after he passed the puck, and he was subsequently checked by the defensemen in a hit similar to the check that knocked out Eric Lindros during the 2000 playoffs and caused Lindros to miss the next season. Kariya was lying motionless for a few minutes, where he was then escorted to the locker room. Kariya, however, unexpectedly returned to the bench minutes later. About 11 minutes after the hit, Kariya fired a slap shot that found the back of the net. This helped the Ducks win the game 5–2 and sent the series to a seventh and final game.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game seven
Game seven in New Jersey saw the Devils once more completely dominate the Ducks. The game-winning goal was scored by Michael Rupp. Rupp became the first player in Stanley Cup history to have his first playoff goal be the Stanley Cup winner. Additionally, Jeff Friesen dominated his former Mighty Duck teammates, scoring the game's final two goals to solidify the victory. The 3–0 win gave the Devils their third Stanley Cup victory, as Anaheim cannot complete their Cinderella run.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game seven
The Mighty Ducks, however, didn't leave empty-handed; for his stellar play throughout the playoffs and Finals, goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player (MVP) of the playoffs. He became only the fifth player, and fourth goaltender, in NHL history to have won the trophy as a member of the losing team, joining Detroit's Roger Crozier (1966), the St. Louis Blues' Glenn Hall (1968), and the Philadelphia Flyers' Reggie Leach (1976, a right winger) and Ron Hextall (1987). He is also the most recent such Smythe winner to date.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game seven
This was only the third time in NHL history, after 1955 and 1965, that the home team won every Finals game.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Team rosters
Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The 2003 Stanley Cup was presented to Devils captain Scott Stevens by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Devils 3–0 win over the Mighty Ducks in game seven


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The following Devils players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving, Three Stanley Cups with New Jersey
New Jersey won three Stanley Cups in short succession: 1995, 2000 and 2003. These players and staff were members of all three Stanley Cup Championships.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving, Three Stanley Cups with New Jersey
Martin Brodeur, Sergei Brylin, Ken Daneyko, Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens, Bobby Carpenter Jr. (one as a player, two as an assistant coach), Lou Lamoriello, Larry Robinson, Jacques Caron, Claude Carrier, David Conte, Milt Fisher, Dan Labraaten, Marcel Provonost, Mike Vasalani, Peter McMullen (left Cup in 2003).


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Broadcasting
In the United States, the Disney-owned networks ESPN and ABC aired the Finals. Gary Thorne, and Bill Clement called the entire series, with John Davidson joining them for the ABC games. ESPN aired the first two games while ABC broadcast the rest of the series.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Broadcasting
In Canada, Bob Cole and Harry Neale were in the broadcast booth for CBC. One of the CBC's owned and operated Station's in New Brunswick (CBAT-TV) decided to preempt game seven of the Final in order to broadcast the New Brunswick general election returns. This would also be the first finals televised by RDS, replacing SRC as the Canadian French-language broadcaster.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Broadcasting
For the radio coverage, Devils team broadcaster John Hennessy called the series on WABC–AM 770 in New York City.


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Quotes
Into the zone Sykora kicked in out, got it back, near side Kariya. Kariya the fans want one. SCORE! OFF THE FLOOR, ON THE BOARD! PAUL KARIYA!


2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Quotes
The celebration starts, the New Jersey Devils! For the third time in their history, have won the Stanley Cup! The Devils 3, the Ducks, nothing! Devils, Stanley Cup Champions!


2003 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL), began on April 9, 2003, following the 2002–03 regular season. The playoffs concluded on June 9, 2003, with the New Jersey Devils defeating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games.


2003 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 16 qualifying teams played best-of-seven series in the conference quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. Each conference champion proceeded to the Stanley Cup Finals. These playoffs marked the first time the Minnesota Wild qualified, in only their third season in the NHL. The Minnesota Wild, a sixth-seed, made an unlikely advance to the Western Conference Final as underdogs after being down three games to one in two consecutive rounds. This, along with the Canucks' comeback against the Blues, made for three 3-1 series comebacks in the playoffs, the second time this had happened in NHL playoff history.


2003 Stanley Cup playoffs
Despite losing to the Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals, Mighty Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player during the playoffs, marking only the fifth time that the Trophy had ever been awarded to a player on the losing team.


2003 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Ottawa Senators vs. (8) New York Islanders
The Ottawa Senators finished as the first overall seed in the Eastern Conference with 113 points. The New York Islanders earned 83 points during the regular season to finish eighth overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Ottawa won the four game regular season series by earning five of eight points in their matchup.


2003 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Ottawa Senators vs. (8) New York Islanders
The Senators defeated the Islanders in five games. In game one, Roman Hamrlik assisted on two of the three goals and Islanders goalie Garth Snow shut out the Senators stopping all 25 shots he faced in a 3–0 victory. The Senators responded in game two by shutting out the Islanders 3–0; goalie Patrick Lalime stopped all 16 shots he faced. Overtime was required in game three with both teams tied at two at the end of the third period.


2003 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Ottawa Senators vs. (8) New York Islanders
At 2:25 of the second overtime, Todd White scored his second goal of the game to give the Senators a 3–2 victory. In game four, Marian Hossa had a goal and an assist to help the Senators take a 3–1 series lead in a 3–1 win. In game five, Todd White's goal at 11:05 of the second period proved to be the game-winner and series-winner for the Senators with Radek Bonk providing two insurance goals in a 4–1 victory.


2003 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Boston Bruins
The New Jersey Devils entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference and won the Atlantic Division title with 108 points. The Boston Bruins finished seventh overall in the Eastern Conference with 87 points. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with New Jersey winning two of three previous series. They last met in the 1995 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals which New Jersey won in five games. New Jersey won this year's four game regular season series earning five of eight points.