2008 Masters (snooker)
Mark Selby won the tournament on his first attempt by defeating Stephen Lee 10–3 in the final. In the final frame, he tied Ken Doherty for the highest break of the tournament, recording a total clearance of 141.


2008 Masters (snooker)
This was the first time since 2003 that Ronnie O'Sullivan had failed to reach the final; the defending champion lost 5–6 to Stephen Maguire in the first round.


2008 Masters (snooker), Field
Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was the number 1 seed with World Champion John Higgins seeded 2. Places were allocated to the top 16 players in the world rankings. Players seeded 15 and 16 played in the wild-card round against the winner of the qualifying event, Barry Hawkins (ranked 19), and wild-card selection Marco Fu (ranked 27). Mark Selby was making his debut in the Masters.


2008 Masters (snooker), Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2008 Masters (snooker), Wild-card round
In the wild-card round, the qualifier and wild-card players played the 15th and 16th seeds:


2008 Masters (snooker), Qualifying
The 2007 Masters Qualifying Event was held between 7 September and 12 September 2007 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. The winner of this series of matches, who qualified for the tournament, was Barry Hawkins.


2008 Masters France
The 2008 Masters France was a non-ATP affiliated exhibition tennis tournament. It was the first edition of the event held in Toulouse, France from December 18 through December 21, 2008. Only a men's singles tournament was held.


2008 Masters France
The tournament was open to the top eight French players who had performed best at ATP Tour events held in France during 2008 (at Metz, Lyon, Marseille and the Masters Series event in Paris). Some players had to pull out and were replaced by the next best French player (see the Masters France article.


2008 Masters France, Players
Nicolas Mahut, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet (as a wildcard) were due to play but they all pulled out before the tournament began, due to lack of preparation after injury on the part of Gasquet and, in Tsonga's case, in order to concentrate on preparing for next season.


2008 Masters France, Players
Josselin Ouanna replaced Mahut two days before the start, while Arnaud Clément took the place of Gasquet and Tsonga was replaced by Michaël Llodra.


2008 Masters France – Draw
Gilles Simon won in the final 5–7, 7–6(9–7), after Michaël Llodra retired due to an arm injury.


2008 Masters France – Draw, Draw, Red Group
Standings are determined by: 1) Number of wins; 2) Number of matches; 3) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5) Steering Committee decision.


2008 Masters France – Draw, Draw, Blue Group
Standings are determined by: 1) Number of wins; 2) Number of matches; 3) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5) Steering Committee decision.


2008 Masters Series Hamburg
The 2008 Masters Series Hamburg was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 102nd edition of the Masters Series Hamburg, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Rothenbaum Tennis Center in Hamburg, Germany, from 10 May through 18 May 2008.


2008 Masters Series Hamburg
The men's field was headlined by World No. 1 and defending champion Roger Federer, Monte Carlo winner and 2007 Hamburg runner-up Rafael Nadal, and Australian Open and Rome winner Novak Djokovic. Other top seeds competing were Miami champion Nikolay Davydenko, Valencia Open winner David Ferrer, James Blake, Richard Gasquet and Tomáš Berdych.


2008 Masters Series Hamburg, Champions, Doubles
Daniel Nestor /  Nenad Zimonjić defeated  Bob Bryan /  Mike Bryan, 6–4, 5–7, [10–8]


2008 Masters Series Hamburg – Doubles
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were the defending champions, but Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić defeated them 6–4, 5–7, [10–8], in the final.


2008 Masters Series Hamburg – Singles
Rafael Nadal defeated the defending champion Roger Federer in the final 7–5, 6–7(3–7), 6–3 to win the title at the 2008 Hamburg Masters.


2008 Masters Series Hamburg – Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo
The 2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo (also known as the Masters Series Monte-Carlo presented by ROLEX for sponsorship reasons) was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 102nd edition of the Monte Carlo Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, near Monte Carlo, Monaco, from 19 April through 27 April 2008.


2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo
The men's field was headlined by World No. 1 and Estoril Open winner Roger Federer, Miami runner-up and defending champion Rafael Nadal, and Australian Open and Indian Wells titlist Novak Djokovic. Other notable names in the field were Miami Masters champion Nikolay Davydenko, Valencia Open winner David Ferrer, David Nalbandian, Richard Gasquet and Mikhail Youzhny.


2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo, Notable stories, Nadal's achievements
Champion Rafael Nadal became the first man since Anthony Wilding in 1914 to win four consecutive titles in Monte Carlo, and was therefore the first man to do so in the Open Era. Nadal also won the doubles event, forming an unseeded team with Tommy Robredo. This made him only the second man in ATP Masters Series history to win both the singles and the doubles events of a tournament, in the same year. The last man to do so was Jim Courier, at the 1991 Indian Wells Super 9.


2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo, Notable stories, All top seeds in final rounds
For the second time only in ATP Masters Series history, the top four seeds (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko) all reached the semifinals of the event. The last occurrence of this had taken place at the 1999 Cincinnati Super 9 event, with Pete Sampras, Patrick Rafter, Andre Agassi and Yevgeny Kafelnikov all reaching the final four.


2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo, Finals, Doubles
Rafael Nadal /  Tommy Robredo defeated  Mahesh Bhupathi /  Mark Knowles, 6–3, 6–3


2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo – Doubles
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were the defending champions, but lost in the quarterfinals to Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie.


2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo – Doubles
Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo won in the final 6–3, 6–3, against Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles.


2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo – Singles
Three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal successfully defended his title, defeating Roger Federer in a rematch of the previous two years' finals, 7–5, 7–5, to win the Singles title at the 2008 Monte-Carlo Masters.


2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo – Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2008 Masters Tournament
The 2008 Masters Tournament was the 72nd Masters Tournament, held April 10–13 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Trevor Immelman won his first major title, three strokes ahead of runner-up Tiger Woods, a four-time champion. Immelman led or tied for the lead after every round.


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
The Masters has the smallest field of the major championships, with 94 players having earned invitations in 2008. Officially the Masters remains an invitation event but there is now a qualification process, although in theory the club could simply decline to invite a 'qualified' player. Here is a list of all players qualified to play in the 2008 Masters Tournament. Each player is classified according to the first category by which he qualified, but other categories are shown in parentheses:


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
1. Past Masters ChampionsFred Couples, Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd, Zach Johnson (10,14,15,16,17,18), Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Phil Mickelson (4,5,14,15,16,17,18), Larry Mize, José María Olazábal, Mark O'Meara, Gary Player, Vijay Singh (4,10,14,16,17,18), Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, Mike Weir (17,18), Tiger Woods (3,4,10,11,13,14,15,16,17,18), Ian Woosnam, Fuzzy Zoeller


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
(Past champions not competing: Tommy Aaron, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Burke Jr., Billy Casper, Charles Coody, Nick Faldo, Doug Ford, Bob Goalby, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer. Palmer served as "honorary starter" and teed off on the first day at the first hole to kick off the tournament.)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
2. Last five U.S. Open ChampionsÁngel Cabrera (11,15,17,18), Michael Campbell, Jim Furyk (10,11,14,15,16,17,18), Retief Goosen (10,17,18), Geoff Ogilvy (14,15,16,17,18)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
3. Last five Open ChampionsBen Curtis, Todd Hamilton, Pádraig Harrington (10,12,14,15,16,17,18)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
Winners of the Players Championship get three years of Masters invitations. With the Players having moved from March to May, beginning 2007, there will be only two such champions who have earned invitations to the Masters in both 2008 and 2009. In 2010 and after, once again three Players champions will have earned invitations to the Masters.


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
6. Top two finishers in the 2007 U.S. AmateurMichael Thompson (a)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
7. Winner of the 2007 The Amateur ChampionshipDrew Weaver (a)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
8. Winner of the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public LinksSee number 6


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
10. The top 16 finishers and ties in the 2007 Masters TournamentStuart Appleby (17,18), Paul Casey (17,18), Tim Clark (14,16,17,18), Luke Donald (14,17,18), Jerry Kelly (11), Ian Poulter (17,18), Justin Rose (14,16,17,18), Rory Sabbatini (14,15,16,17,18), Vaughn Taylor, David Toms (11,17)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
11. Top 8 finishers and ties in the 2007 U.S. OpenNick Dougherty (17), Niclas Fasth (17,18), Scott Verplank (14,15,16,17,18), Bubba Watson


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
12. Top 4 finishers and ties in the 2007 Open ChampionshipErnie Els (13,14,15,16,17,18), Sergio García (14,16,17,18), Richard Green (17), Andrés Romero (15,17,18)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
13. Top 4 finishers and ties in the 2007 PGA ChampionshipWoody Austin (14,15,16,17,18), Arron Oberholser (17,18), John Senden (18)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
14. Top 30 leaders on the 2007 PGA Tour Robert Allenby (16,18), Aaron Baddeley (16,17,18), Mark Calcavecchia (16,17,18), K. J. Choi (15,16,17,18), Stewart Cink (16,17,18), Steve Flesch, Charles Howell III (16,17,18), Hunter Mahan (15,16,17,18), John Rollins (16), Adam Scott (16,17,18), Heath Slocum (16), Brandt Snedeker (15,16,17,18), Steve Stricker (15,16,17,18), Boo Weekley (15,16,17,18), Brett Wetterich (16,17)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
15. Winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship, between the 2007 Masters Tournament and the 2008 Masters TournamentBrian Bateman, Jonathan Byrd (16), Daniel Chopra, J. B. Holmes, Steve Lowery, Sean O'Hair (18), D. J. Trahan, Johnson Wagner, Nick Watney


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
16. All players qualifying for the 2007 rendition of The Tour ChampionshipCamilo Villegas


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
17. Top 50 on the 2007 Official World Golf Rankings listAnders Hansen, Søren Hansen (18), Trevor Immelman (18), Miguel Ángel Jiménez (18), Robert Karlsson (18), Shingo Katayama, Nick O'Hern (18), Henrik Stenson (18), Richard Sterne (18), Toru Taniguchi (18), Lee Westwood (18)


2008 Masters Tournament, Field
18. Top 50 on the Official World Golf Rankings list going into the tournamentMartin Kaymer, Justin Leonard, Peter Lonard


2008 Masters Tournament, Par 3 contest
The annual par 3 contest was held on Wednesday, April 9, and was won by Rory Sabbatini, runner-up in the 2007 Masters Tournament. He scored -5 (22) to finish ahead of Woody Austin and Miguel Ángel Jiménez. Four players hit a hole-in-one. Paul Azinger on the second hole, Charles Coody on the third, Fred Couples on the seventh and Wayne Grady on the ninth.


2008 Masters Tournament, Round summaries
The Masters Tournament is played over four days with an eighteen-hole round being played each day, for a total of 72 holes plus practice rounds and a par-three contest on the neighboring par-three course. Everyone outside the top 44 and ties or outside ten strokes of the leader will be “cut” after 36 holes.


2008 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, First round
After an hour delay due to fog, Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman shot rounds of 68 (−4) to lead the field. For the players in the final few groups, the last holes were played in near darkness. Ian Poulter hit a hole in one on the 16th on the way to a 70. Defending champion Zach Johnson shot a 70 and four-time champion Tiger Woods shot an even-par 72. In all, 18 players shot sub-par rounds and the scoring average was 74.18.


2008 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Second round
Immelman shot another round of 68 (−4) to lead the field by one stroke at 136 (−8). Steve Flesch had the low round of the day at 67 and tied for third. Defending champion Zach Johnson shot a 76 for a two-round total of 146 (+2), tied for 29th. Woods shot a 71 and tied for 13th. The cut, to the top 44 players and ties, was at 147 (+3) and 45 players made the cut. In all, 28 players shot sub-par rounds for the day and the scoring average was 73.51.


2008 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Second round
For the tournament, 19 players were under par and the scoring average was 73.84. Prayad Marksaeng withdrew after nine holes with a back injury. Fred Couples missed his first cut at the Masters (by one stroke), ending a streak of 23 consecutive cuts made, a record he shares with Gary Player.


2008 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Third round
Immelman shot a three-under 69 to remain in the lead at 205 (−11). Snedeker remained second and Steve Flesch third after rounds of 70 and 69 respectively. Paul Casey was the highest placed European at 209 (−7), with Woods two shots behind him. Woods, Zach Johnson, and Boo Weekley had the low rounds of the day at 68 (−4). For the round, 13 players were under par and the scoring average was 72.58. For the tournament, 18 players were under par and the scoring average was 73.60.


2008 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Final round, Summary
Miguel Ángel Jiménez had the low round of the day at 68 (−4). For the round, four players were under par and the scoring average was 74.67. For the tournament, ten players were under par and the scoring average was 73.77.


2008 Masters Tournament, Media coverage
ESPN broadcast the first two rounds of the tournament for the first time. Previously, USA televised the first two rounds beginning in 1982. ESPN also carried the par-3 contest on Wednesday afternoon, the first time the competition had been televised. BBC broadcast the whole event in the United Kingdom, with coverage being shared among BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC Red Button. In the United States, CBS Sports televised the third and fourth rounds, as they have every year beginning in 1956.


2008 Masters of Curling (January)
The 2008 Masters of Curling was held January 23–27, 2008 at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It was the third Grand Slam event of the 2007-08 curling season.


2008 Masters of Curling (January)
Glenn Howard's rink won their second straight Masters tournament, defeating Kevin Koe's rink in the final. Howard's rink won $C24,000 and the total purse of the event was $100,000.


2008 Masters of Curling (January)
The Masters would be held again in November 2008, in the following season in which the same two teams would play in the final.


2008 Masters of Curling (November)
The 2008 Masters of Curling was held November 12-16, 2008 at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex in Waterloo, Ontario.


2008 Masters of Curling (November)
Glenn Howard's rink won their third straight Masters tournament, defeating Kevin Koe's rink in the final. The event is not to be confused with the January event that happened in the same year, but the previous season. Both events featured Howard defeating Koe in the final.


2008 Masters of Formula 3
The 2008 RTL GP Masters of Formula 3 was the eighteenth Masters of Formula 3 race held at Zolder on 10 August 2008. It was won by Jules Bianchi, for ART Grand Prix.


2008 Maui Invitational Tournament
The 2008 Maui Invitational Tournament, an annual early-season college basketball tournament held in Lahaina, Hawaii, was held November 20-22 at Lahaina Civic Center. The winning team was North Carolina.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état
The 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état was a military coup that took place in Mauritania on August 6, 2008, when President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from power by the Armed Forces of Mauritania, led by a group of high-ranking generals he had dismissed from office earlier that day.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Background
General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was one of the leading figures in the August 2005 coup that ended Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya's 21 years in power. Aziz backed Abdallahi's candidacy in the subsequent March 2007 presidential election, which Abdallahi won. Abdallahi soon angered General Aziz and his supporters, however, by reaching out to Islamic hardliners, by freeing several suspected terrorists, and by using state funds to build a mosque on the grounds of the presidential palace.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Background
In May 2008, Abdallahi appointed 12 ministers who had been part of President Taya's former government, some of whom had been accused of corruption. This, together with the inclusion of members of opposition parties in the government (headed by Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef) and the government's failure to present a programme, led many members of the pro-Abdallahi National Pact for Democracy and Development (PNDD-ADIL) party in the National Assembly to file a censure motion against the government on June 30, 2008.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Background
The government resigned on July 2 before a no-confidence vote was held, and Abdallahi immediately reappointed Waghef to form a new government. The government that was announced on July 15 included no members of the opposition; it also excluded the former associates of Taya whose presence in the previous government had attracted criticism.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Background
On August 4, 2008, 25 of the 49 PNDD-ADIL deputies in the National Assembly, along with 24 of the party's 45 senators, announced that they were leaving the party, thereby depriving it of its parliamentary majority.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Background
The immediate catalyst for the coup was Abdallahi's announcement on the morning of August 6 that he was firing several generals, including Aziz (who had been the head of the presidential guard) and army chief of staff General Mohamed Ould Sheikh Mohamed. Mauritania has experienced more than 10 coups or attempted coups since achieving its independence from France in 1960.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Details of the coup
Early in the morning of August 6, Abdallahi announced that he was firing several senior army officers, and at 9:20 a.m. he was seized from his home by members of the Presidential Security Battalion (BASEP for Bataillon de la sécurité présidentielle) in a military coup. Presidential spokesman Abdoulaye Mamadou Ba said in a statement that President Abdallahi, Prime Minister Waghef, and Interior Minister Mohamed Ould R'zeizim had been arrested by renegade senior army officers, unknown troops, and a group of generals, and were being held under house arrest at the Presidential Palace in Nouakchott. Of the apparently successful and bloodless coup d'état, Abdallahi's daughter, Amal Mint Cheikh Abdallahi said: "The security agents of the BASEP came to our home and took away my father."


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Details of the coup
The coup plotters were recently fired senior officers in the security forces, including General Abdel Aziz, General Muhammad Ould Al-Ghazwani, General Philippe Swikri, and Brigadier General (Aqid) Ahmad Ould Bakri. State television reported that the country was now being led by a new military State Council, which would be run by Abdel Aziz. The State Council said that Abdallahi was now the "former president."


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Details of the coup
General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz issued a statement on the al-Arabiya international television station and issued what he called, "communiqué No. 1" which reversed the "former president's" firing of the military officers. Al-Aziz was also reportedly holding talks with the President of the Mauritanian National Assembly, Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, on the feasibility of holding potential new elections in two months.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Details of the coup
Police reportedly fired tear gas at about 50 people who had gathered near the main market of Nouakchott. Otherwise, the city remained calm.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Details of the coup
All state television and radio stations in Nouakchott reportedly ceased broadcasting as the coup began. The Nouakchott International Airport was also closed.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
According to an official statement released on August 7, Abdallahi's powers were terminated and Mauritania would be governed on a transitional basis by an 11-member High Council of State, with Abdel Aziz as the President of the Council, until a new presidential election was held "in the shortest possible period". The Council promised that this election would be "free and transparent" and that it would consult with the national institutions, the political class, and civil society. Furthermore, the Council gave an assurance that it would "respect all treaties, international agreements and conventions to which Mauritania has subscribed". The members of the Council were listed as:


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
A demonstration in support of the coup was held in Nouakchott on August 7. About 1,000 people participated in this demonstration, chanting Abdel Aziz's name and marching towards the presidential palace, accompanied by vehicles carrying large portraits of Abdel Aziz. At the presidential palace, Abdel Aziz spoke to the demonstrators, saying that he would "work to solve all the problems this country is confronted with". A protest against the coup was also held later on the same day in Nouakchott.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
According to PNDD-ADIL Secretary-General Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Dahmane, this was a peaceful protest in which 200 to 300 people participated, carrying portraits of Abdallahi, and was broken up by police with tear gas. Dahmane also called for Abdallahi's release, saying that he was the legitimate president, and said that the PNDD-ADIL had formed an alliance with three other parties in opposition to the coup: the Popular Progressive Alliance (APP), the Union of the Forces of Progress (UFP), and an Islamic party.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
The High Council of State released a second statement on August 7, saying that the junta wanted to preserve the constitution and democratic institutions, interfering with the functioning of those institutions as little as possible. According to this statement, the Council would collectively exercise the powers of the presidency and a government would be appointed. The Council also said that political parties and legal organizations would be allowed to operate freely, that freedoms, including the freedom of the press, would be respected, and that municipal councils could continue to function normally. Abdel Aziz also gave these assurances regarding freedoms and the continuity of democratic institutions, such as Parliament, in a meeting with Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Ahmed bin Heli.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
The four-party alliance opposing the coup, called the National Front for the Defence of Democracy, held a press conference on August 8, and this developed into a protest rally against the coup in the Tevragh Zeina section of Nouakchott, with several hundred people participating. This rally included calls for the soldiers to return to their barracks and for the international community to pressure the junta. APP spokesman Alkhalil Ould Teyib vowed that they would continue their struggle until Abdallahi was restored to the presidency. The National Front for the Defence of Democracy also announced plans for more demonstrations and activities opposing the coup, while also stating that they would only hold protests with the junta's permission.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Also on August 8, Abdallahi's daughter, Amal Mint Cheikh Abdallahi, said that she had not been informed of Abdallahi's whereabouts, and she expressed concern for Abdallahi's "health and safety". Meanwhile, Abdel Aziz said in an interview with Jeune Afrique that the military had been forced to take power by serious economic and political problems. He accused Abdallahi of attempting a "coup against democracy" through his actions; according to Abdel Aziz, Abdallahi had set members of parliament against one another and his dismissal of the senior officers immediately prior to the coup was intended to "divide the army".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Abdel Aziz also said that Abdallahi was being held at the Palace of the Congress, was "in good conditions", had not complained, and would be released in a matter of days or weeks. According to Abdel Aziz, Abdallahi would probably not be required to leave Mauritania and would probably still be allowed to participate in politics. However, Abdel Aziz was quoted in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat published on August 9 as saying Abdallahi would not be released for "the time being", citing "security reasons"; he said that the junta was trying to establish an atmosphere of calm.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
In an interview with Agence France-Presse on August 10, Abdel Aziz said that the coup was necessary to prevent "a catastrophe"; he said that Abdallahi had "acted irrationally", and in another interview with Al Jazeera he said that he had warned Abdallahi immediately prior to the coup that his decision to dismiss the senior officers could have serious consequences. According to Abdel Aziz, Abdallahi did not heed the warning, and as a result Abdel Aziz ordered the coup.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Abdel Aziz also criticized Abdallahi for releasing Islamic extremists from prison and allowing the Islamist Tawassoul party to join Waghef's government in May; he asserted that this was "irresponsible" and did not reflect Mauritania's identity as a "moderate Muslim country". Furthermore, he expressed his view that the international community would change its negative attitude toward the coup "when it has all the information".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Also on August 10, Abdel Aziz did not exclude the possibility that he or other members of the junta could run for President, although he said that the issue had not been decided and that other things needed to be dealt with first. His acknowledgement of the possibility was in contrast to the decision of the previous junta in 2005 to exclude its members from running for office.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Messoud Ould Boulkheir, the President of the National Assembly, said on August 10 that he still recognized Abdallahi as President and rejected the idea of a new election held under the junta. However, 67 of the 95 deputies in the National Assembly released a statement supporting the coup and describing it as "the logical and indisputable result of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi's behaviour to stall the republic's institutions". Meanwhile, Abdallahi's daughter said that the military had been involving itself in politics for two and a half months, and the PNDD-ADIL announced on August 10 that the junta had allowed it to reopen its offices.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Waghef and three other high-ranking officials (including the Interior Minister) were released by the military on August 11, while Abdallahi remained in custody. A few hours later, Waghef spoke before a rally of thousands of people and expressed defiance toward the junta, saying that Mauritanians did not accept its rule and urging the people to continue struggling to restore Abdallahi to power. He said that Abdallahi thanked them for their "untiring fight ... to restore constitutional order".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Ahmed bin Heli said on August 11, after returning from Mauritania, that he had asked to meet with Abdallahi but was not allowed to do so. In a statement on August 12, the High Council of State outlined its powers, confirming that it would have "the necessary powers to reorganise and manage state affairs during the period needed for the organising of presidential elections ... in the shortest possible time." It also confirmed that the Council would collectively exercise presidential powers and that the Council's President would be able to appoint a Prime Minister.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
The Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD), which was the main opposition party under Abdallahi, supported the coup; its leader, Ahmed Ould Daddah (who was defeated by Abdallahi in the 2007 presidential election), told Al Jazeera on August 12 that the coup was "a movement to rectify the democratic process". Abdel Aziz met with political parties to discuss the formation of a new government. The APP said that it would not participate in this government, but the RFD said that it intended to "study the offer".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
106 of the 151 members of both houses of Parliament (67 out of 95 deputies and 39 out of 56 senators) said in a statement on August 13 that they supported the coup. According to this statement, the coup occurred "in the context of an acute political and institutional crisis" and Abdallahi "only listened to sycophants". The statement also urged international support. Aside from the members of Parliament, 191 out of 216 mayors also supported the coup.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Abdel Aziz appointed Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, a former ambassador, as Prime Minister on August 14, 2008. Laghdaf was already closely associated with Abdel Aziz, and some suggested that he might have been appointed in hopes that doing so would help international relations due to Laghdaf's diplomatic service in the European Union. Waghef said at a news conference on the same day that this appointment was "illegal" and that the government he had headed was still the legitimate government.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
It was reported on August 15 that 71 out of 95 deputies were in favor of holding an extraordinary session of Parliament on August 20, with the intention of appointing members to a special court; this could in turn lead to a trial of Abdallahi and some of the ministers who had served under him for alleged mishandling of state affairs. On August 16, a group of 19 members of Parliament—three senators and 16 deputies—announced that it was seeking the restoration of Abdallahi to the presidency. According to Mohamed Moustapha Ould Bedredine, a deputy who spoke on the group's behalf, the group had more support than their numbers suggested.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Abdel Aziz made his first broadcast to the nation on August 17. He affirmed that a new presidential election would be held "as soon as possible", but he did not give a specific date. In this speech, Abdel Aziz promised to fight hard against terrorism and corruption; he also accused Abdallahi of failing to act against corruption and said that Abdallahi had handled the economy very poorly. On the same day, 26 members of Parliament who supported the coup announced their resignations from the PNDD-ADIL party.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
On August 18, two-thirds of Mauritanian political parties—including major parties such as the RFD, the Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (PRDR), and the Union for Democracy and Progress—grouped together to support the coup. According to PRDR leader Sidi Mohamed Ould Mohamed Vall, this was "dictated by the necessity to preserve the stability of the country and its democratic institutions", and he described the coup as "vital for Mauritania and for the maintenance of its democracy and its pluralism". Also on August 18, a pro-coup gathering, in which an estimated 25,000 people participated, was held in Nouakchott.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
RFD leader Daddah said on August 19 that there was "a good chance" that his party would participate in the government headed by Laghdaf. On August 20, a large anti-coup protest was held in Nouakchott by the National Front for the Defence of Democracy. The special session of Parliament, intended to consider "the reasons for the blockage of democratic institutions" prior to the coup and to appoint the members of a special court, also opened on August 20. 32 members of Parliament boycotted the special session, which was planned to last one month.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Waghef, the former Prime Minister, said in an interview with Abu Dhabi TV on August 20 that President Abdallahi had dismissed the senior officers on August 6 because they had already been planning to seize power on August 9. He subsequently travelled to Nouadhibou in northern Mauritania in order to participate in an anti-coup protest there, but was arrested upon arrival on August 21. He was reportedly arrested because he left Nouakchott without the junta's permission.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
On August 22, it was announced that Waghef was being taken to his home village of Achram, where he would be kept under house arrest. According to Minister of Decentralization Yahya Ould Kebd, the junta sought to "rein in his activism", saying that "his contact with the outside will probably be limited but not banned".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
The special session of Parliament included the creation of a Senate inquiry commission intended to investigate the finances of KB charitable foundation, which was headed by Abdallahi's wife, Khattou Mint Boukhary; Boukhary was a controversial figure who had been criticized by the opposition prior to the coup. On August 24, the foundation's lawyers urged the creation of international commission to investigation its finances, arguing that the Senate commission would not be fair. The lawyers said that the Senate commission's "subjective results will always be contested".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Jean Ping, the Chairman of the Commission of the African Union, met with Abdel Aziz in Nouakchott on August 25. Ping said that he was in Mauritania to discuss restoring a constitutional government, not to discuss the junta's transition, and he expressed optimism after meeting Abdel Aziz. The talks between Abdel Aziz and Ping continued on August 26. A letter from El Khadim Ould Esseman, the imprisoned leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, was publicized on August 25. In this letter, he denounced the junta as an "infidel regime", urging all Mauritanians to "turn to the strict application of Sharia".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
On August 26, the RFD, the Alliance for Justice and Democracy - Movement for Renovation (AJD-MR), and the Movement for Direct Democracy (MDD) announced their decision to not participate in the new government that was being formed under the junta because the junta had not clarified whether or not someone serving in the military would be allowed to stand as a presidential candidate and had not specified how long it intended to remain in power. The new government led by Laghdaf was appointed on August 31 and announced on television early on September 1.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
This government was composed of 28 members, aside from Laghdaf, and its members were considered to be politically obscure technocrats. The government included several members of the RFD, despite that party's refusal to participate; the RFD responded by saying that the RFD members who had accepted posts in the government had "automatically resigned" from the party by doing so.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, August
Former Head of State Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla expressed his support for the coup on August 29 and criticized the negative reactions of Western governments to the coup, alleging that they were interfering in Mauritanian affairs. In a statement on August 30, the African Union Commission said that Abdel Aziz had committed to releasing Abdallahi during his talks with Ping.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, September
On September 2, the National Assembly chose four deputies to sit on a High Court that would try Abdallahi on allegations such as corruption and obstruction of Parliament. This vote was conducted by secret ballot, and a single list of candidates was approved, with 31 votes in favor, none opposed, and one abstention.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, September
After a meeting on September 4, Ping, Said Djinnit (the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa), and Ahmed Benhelli of the Arab League released a statement reiterating Abdel Aziz's commitment to release Abdallahi, as well as calling for resolution of the situation, restoration of democratic institutions, and Waghef's release.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, September
Laghdaf announced on September 6 that an "open and constructive debate" would be held, in which members of parliament, political parties, and other organizations would be invited to participate. The purpose of this debate, according to Laghdaf, was to determine a timetable for holding a new election and consider various matters related to that election, including proposals for constitutional amendments and improved delineation of executive and legislative powers. On September 10, the Senate chose four senators to serve on the High Court along with the four deputies that were elected eight days earlier.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, September
On September 14, deputies present in the National Assembly unanimously approved a resolution that called for a presidential election to be held in 12 to 14 months. The length of the period was deemed necessary "to reestablish normal constitutional order and legitimacy". The resolution also called for an independent electoral commission and for the exclusion of candidacies by military officers and those who "exercised executive responsibilities susceptible of influencing voters". The possibility was nevertheless suggested that Abdel Aziz could retire from the army and stand in the election as a civilian.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, September
In an ambush carried out by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb on September 14, 11 soldiers and a civilian were captured; a week later, their decapitated bodies were found. The brutality of this attack was considered shocking in Mauritania. Although it was observed that it could be considered a humiliation for the military, it was also suggested that the threat of Islamist terrorism might help to bring the junta out of isolation. Supportive statements from France and the European Union, referring to the struggle against terrorism, followed the attack, although they were not specifically supportive of the junta (France referred simply to "the nation and the army").


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, September
On September 23, the African Union Peace and Security Council released a statement demanding Abdallahi's "unconditional restoration" by October 6. According to the statement, "the perpetrators of the coup and their civilian supporters" would face "sanctions and isolation" if the demand was not met. The members of Parliament supportive of the coup announced on September 26 that they rejected the African Union's demand "because it simply ignores the reality in the country where two-thirds of the parliament, almost all of the elected mayors and the majority of people support the changes of August 6". Abdel Aziz, in a statement on September 27, also rejected the African Union demand. Ping said on September 29 that he was surprised by the junta's reaction to the ultimatum and that he had expected the junta to react by seeking talks with the African Union.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, September
Speaking on Al Jazeera on September 28, former Abdallahi spokesman Abdoulaye Mamadou Ba called for popular protests to be held on October 5 as part of "a day of democracy". Sidi Mohamed Ould Maham, a deputy, was elected as President of the High Court on September 28.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, September
In an interview with Reuters on September 29, Laghdaf said that the government would seek aid from Arab countries and institutions if aid from the West was cut off. He also asserted that, following the coup, "freedoms are preserved, parliament has never been so free." Speaking to Radio France Internationale on September 30, Laghdaf said that all demonstrations, whether they opposed the junta or supported it, would be banned, emphasizing that "what we need now is calm".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, October
Although the government banned protests, the National Front for the Defence of Democracy went ahead with its planned protest in Nouakchott on October 5. The protest began with a small group numbering a few dozen; the police asked the group to disperse, but it grew larger, with participants chanting anti-junta slogans and carrying pictures of Abdallahi. The police then responded with tear gas, breaking up the protest. Subsequently the protesters attempted smaller gatherings at various places in Nouakchott, and the police worked to disperse these as well.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, October
According to UFP President Mohamed Ould Mouloud, the "protests constitute a scathing denial of the junta's pretence that the situation in Mauritania is calm, that everybody accepts the coup and that people here have freedom of expression and live in a democracy". State media ignored the protests, as it also ignored the passing of the AU's October 6 deadline. A spokesman for the pro-junta parliamentary majority said that the AU ultimatum "doesn't scare anybody". Mouloud, acting as spokesman for the National Front for the Defence of Democracy, called for "the immediate implementation of sanctions against the junta". Ping said that the junta sent a delegation on October 6 to hold talks with the AU.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, October
The eight-member Mauritanian delegation, led by Justice Minister Tidjane Bal, met with Ping in Addis Ababa on October 7. Following the meeting, the AU released a statement saying that Ping "reiterate[d] the African Union's standpoint" and that the AU Peace and Security Council would propose a way of handling the situation. On the same day, another protest in Nouakchott was held. Immediately prior to the protest, six unions said that "instead of a peaceful march we will seek a confrontation". The police used tear gas against the protesters, and protesters threw rocks at the police.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, October
Mouloud said on October 8 that the AU should react to the rejection of its ultimatum by "declar[ing] the military leadership illegal". The Mauritanian Information Agency (AMI) reported on the same day that the AU appeared to be taking a less hostile position since its deadline passed. Meanwhile, Boulkheir, the President of the National Assembly and the APP, called for a solution to the situation that would involve Abdallahi returning to the presidency for only the limited period necessary to organize an early presidential election. Boulkheir's proposal would also involve the formation of a government of national unity during that period.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, October
On October 20, the EU held talks with the junta in Paris. Seeking Abdallahi's "immediate and unconditional release" and the restoration of constitutional rule, the European Union said in an October 20 statement that it was giving the junta a period of one month, after which "consultations will be terminated and appropriate measures will be proposed". Speaking for the National Front for the Defence of Democracy, Maouloud expressed satisfaction with the EU's ultimatum and remarked that "the junta has not managed to deceive the European Union".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, November–December
The first regular session of Parliament since the coup began on November 10; the main purpose of this session was to pass the budget for 2009. About 30 deputies who opposed the coup, including Boulkheir, the President of the National Assembly, boycotted the session. Elarbi Ould Jedeine, the Vice-President of the National Assembly, presided over the session, while expressing regret regarding Boulkheir's boycott. Senators opposing the coup participated in the session. Ousted President Abdallahi was taken from Nouakchott to his home village of Lemden on November 13. According to the government, Abdallahi agreed to leave politics, but Abdallahi held a news conference on November 13 in which he said that he "did not make any promises with them". He also said that being moved to Lemden was meaningless because he "remain[ed] a president under house arrest".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, November–December
Upon the expiration of the EU's one-month deadline on November 20, the EU announced that, because "the junta's proposals have been deemed insufficient by the international community, EU member states will examine, based on the proposals of the European Commission, appropriate measures". It viewed Abdallahi's transfer to Lemden was a positive step, but said that it was inadequate because Abdallahi remained under house arrest.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, November–December
Mauritanian Minister of Communication Mohammed Ould Moine said that the situation was "a purely Mauritanian matter" which "won't be solved in Washington, Paris or Addis Ababa", and he stressed that "no-one, and I mean no-one, has the right to make decisions for my country". Also on November 20, Abdallahi said in an interview that "once the coup is thwarted" he would "be open to all dialogue to discuss the future of the democratic institutions of the country in the framework of the constitution and the laws of the country".


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, November–December
After it was reported on December 12 that the junta planned to release Abdallahi from house arrest by December 24, the FNDD said on December 14 that anything less than Abdallahi's restoration to the presidency was insufficient. In an interview published on December 20, Abdallahi said that he would not take part in the national consultation meeting planned for December 27, despite being invited by the junta, as he felt his participation would "legitimise the coup d'etat". Abdallahi was taken out of Lemden by security forces in the early hours of December 21, driven to Nouakchott, and then released on the same day.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, November–December
The national consultative meeting began on December 27. Abdul Aziz said that this would be an entirely free and open process. The meeting was planned to consider an election date, constitutional amendments, and the role of the army. Diplomats from 70 countries were present. Abdallahi and the FNDD boycotted the meeting, although FNDD President Boijel Ould Houmeid said on December 26 that his coalition had received no invitation.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, 2009
At the conclusion of the national consultative meeting on January 5, 2009, it proposed holding an election on May 30, 2009, with a second round (if necessary) on June 13. The FNDD derided the proposal as a "non-event" and alleged that the junta intended for the election to be won by "one of its members or a puppet ... who will do their bidding." The official media announced on January 23 that the new presidential election would be held on June 6, 2009.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, 2009
On February 4, 2009, while still expressing support for the coup and saying that Abdallahi should not be restored to the Presidency, Daddah proposed that the army give up power and that anyone who was serving in the military at the time of the coup should not be allowed to participate in the 2009 presidential election. He expressed concern that continued military rule would negatively affect Mauritania's relations with the rest of the world, potentially including economic sanctions.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, 2009
The AU imposed sanctions on the junta in early February, restricting the travel of junta members and freezing any possible bank assets. Abdel Aziz dismissed the sanctions as meaningless on February 10, saying that no one on the High Council of State had a bank account outside of Mauritania.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, 2009
On March 6, 2009, the government decided to sever diplomatic relations with Israel to protest the Gaza War.


2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Aftermath of the coup, 2009
Libyan leader and AU Chairman Muammar Gaddafi attempted to mediate the situation during a visit to Mauritania that concluded on March 12. During this visit he met with Abdallahi, who argued that Gaddafi was biased in favor of the junta. At the end of his visit, Gaddafi said that he thought the AU's sanctions should be lifted. In Niamey on March 14, Gaddafi said that Abdallahi could not return to power because the military would not allow it, and therefore Abdallahi had no choice but to "accept a fait accompli".


2008 Mauritian presidential election
An indirect presidential election was held in Mauritius on 19 September 2008. Anerood Jugnauth, who was first elected as president in 2003, was re-elected by the National Assembly in a unanimous vote, supported by both the government and the opposition.


2008 Mayo by-election
The 2008 Mayo by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Mayo, located in Adelaide, South Australia, on 6 September 2008, following the retirement of Liberal Party MP and former Liberal leader Alexander Downer. The by-election was held on the same day as the Lyne by-election, and the Western Australian state election.


2008 Mayo by-election
The writ for the by-election was issued 4 August, with the rolls closing on 8 August. Candidate nominations closed on 14 August. The by-election was contested on the same boundaries drawn for Mayo at the 2007 federal election. The seat was won by Jamie Briggs of the Liberal Party on a two-candidate preferred vote of 53 per cent against the Greens.


2008 Mayo by-election, Background
Downer first won the seat of Mayo at its creation at the 1984 federal election. He retained the seat at each subsequent election. The 2007 Liberal two-party-preferred vote of 57.1 percent was at the time the narrowest in the seat's history. Except for 1998, the seat was won at each election by the Liberals on primary votes alone. Despite this, the Australian Democrats and independents have traditionally polled well, including two elections where the Democrats and independent Brian Deegan came second. At the 1998 election the Democrats reduced the Mayo Liberal margin to just 1.7 percent.


2008 Mayo by-election, Background
At the 2007 federal election, Downer retained his seat against his main Labor Party competitor by a two-party preferred vote of 57.06 percent to 42.94 percent. However, the opposition Labor Party defeated the incumbent Liberal-National coalition government, the first change of government in over 11 years. Downer had served as Foreign Minister throughout the duration of the previous government. He was also Liberal leader and leader of the opposition for several months in 1994.


2008 Mayo by-election, Background
On 3 July 2008, Downer announced his intention to resign his seat. He officially resigned from parliament on 14 July. He, with Mark Vaile in Lyne, became the next former Howard government ministers returned at the 2007 election to resign their seats. Peter McGauran had done likewise earlier in 2008.


2008 Mayo by-election, Candidates
Eleven candidates contested the by-election. They are listed below in ballot order.


2008 Mayo by-election, Liberal preselection
The candidature of Liberal Jamie Briggs was criticised because of his role in controversial industrial-relations policies and reports that some Liberal Party colleagues were unhappy with his preselection. Bob Day, who had held membership of the Liberal Party for 20 years and was the endorsed Liberal candidate for Makin in 2007, quit the party after failing to win Mayo preselection with 10 out of 271 votes, claiming a "manipulated" preselection process. Iain Evans, who came second to Briggs, agreed to some extent.


2008 Mayo by-election, Results
The Liberals retained the seat despite a reduced 41.3 percent primary vote after suffering a 9.8 percent primary swing. Some commentators drew comparisons between this and the 2002 Cunningham by-election. The Liberal two-candidate vote of 53 percent against Greens candidate Lynton Vonow compared to the previous election vote of 57.1 percent against Labor, which turned Mayo from a fairly safe seat in to a marginal two-candidate seat. The reduction of 4 percent cannot be considered a "two-party/candidate preferred swing" − when a major party is absent, preference flows to both major parties does not take place, resulting in asymmetric preference flows.


2008 Mayo by-election, 2016 outcome
Eight years later, Rebekha Sharkie of the Nick Xenophon Team was successful in defeating Liberal incumbent Jamie Briggs in Mayo at the 2016 federal election with a 55 percent two-candidate vote to the Liberals' 45 percent two-candidate vote, a reduction of 17.2 percent. Additionally, Mayo became a marginal two-party seat for the first time with the Liberal two-party vote reduced to 55.4 percent, a two-party swing of 7.2 percent.


2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2008. The game was the 31st annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.


2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 48 players were selected from 2,500 nominees by a committee of basketball experts. They were chosen not only for their on-court skills, but for their performances off the court as well. Coach Morgan Wootten, who had more than 1,200 wins as head basketball coach at DeMatha High School, waschairman of the selection committee. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, who has been involved in the McDonald's All American Games since its inception, served as chairman of the Games and as an advisor to the selection committee.


2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
Proceeds from the 2008 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Games went to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Eastern Wisconsin and its Ronald McDonald House program.


2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, 2008 Game
The game was telecast live by ESPN. Nearly 11,000 fans filled the Bradley Center and witnessed a closely contested 107-102 victory by the visiting East Team. The victory widened the East’s lead in the overall series to 17-14 and stopped a two-game winning streak by the West Team.


2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, 2008 Game
The John R. Wooden MVP Award was given to Tyreke Evans (Memphis), as he led the East squad in both points (21) and rebounds (10). Mike Rosario (Rutgers) contributed 18 points and five steals. That steal total earned Rasario a tie for fifth place all-time in the record books.


2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, 2008 Game
Willie Warren (Oklahoma) led the West Team with 23 points on 65% shooting from the field. Brandon Jennings had a solid game with 12 points, five rebounds and nine assists, which placed him in the 10th spot all-time. Both teams featured a balanced attack where twelve players total scored in double figures (Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, DeMar DeRozan, B.J. Mullens, Willie Warren and Anthony Smith for the West) and (Tyreke Evans, Kemba Walker, Mike Rosario, Elliot Williams, Ed Davis and JaMychal Green for the East). The West Team also featured this year's Morgan Wootten Player of the Year and the Naismith Sportsmanship Award winners, Greg Monroe (Georgetown) and Luke Babbitt (Nevada) respectively.


2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, 2008 Game
This game looked to be a great match-up from the tip. The teams traded buckets and had three ties and four lead changes within the first threeminutes of the game. However, the East Team grabbed the lead at 8-6 and kept it the remainder of the game. The West Squad fought hard to keep the lead to single digits and had it down to a two-point game late in the second period, but they couldn’t overcome a 14 rebound deficit and 52% shooting from the East Team.


2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, All-American Week, Schedule
The Powerade JamFest is a skills-competition evening featuring basketball players who demonstrate their skills in three crowd-entertaining ways. The slam dunk contest was first held in 1987, and a 3-point shooting challenge was added in 1989. This year, for the first time, a timed basketball skills competition was added to the schedule of events.


2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game
The 2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school girls graduating in 2008. The game was the 7th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 2002.


2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game
The 48 players were selected from 2,500 nominees by a committee of basketball experts. They were chosen not only for their on-court skills, but for their performances off the court as well. Coach Morgan Wootten, who had more than 1,200 wins as head basketball coach at DeMatha High School, was chairman of the selection committee. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, who has been involved in the McDonald's All American Games since its inception, served as chairman of the Games and as an advisor to the selection committee.


2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game
Proceeds from the 2008 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Games went to a local Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) and its Ronald McDonald House program.


2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, 2008 Game
The game was telecast live by ESPN. The All American Girls got the action started on a cold night in Milwaukee. The Bradley Center crowd seemed poised to watch an East Team, filled with an array of big name talent, dominate a smaller, lesser-known West Team. However, it was the West Team’s shooting and team play that prevailed in the 80-64 victory and a commanding 5-2 series lead.


2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, 2008 Game
Brooklyn Pope (Rutgers) led a balanced attack for the West Team, as she tallied a team high 13 points. Teammates Tiffany Hayes (Connecticut), Nikki Speed (Rutgers) and Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Stanford) added 9 points each. Ashley Gayle (Texas) showcased her jumping ability, as she swatted an incredible six shots, which places her second all-time.


2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, 2008 Game
The East Squad’s offensive attack was headed by Shekinna Stricklen (Tennessee) with a game high 17 points. The 2008 Morgan Wootten Player of the Year, Elena Delle Donne, contributed a double-double, as she netted 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. That rebound total places her in a tie for fifth place overall.


2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, 2008 Game
The 2008 John R. Wooden MVP Award went to co-recipients Nikki Speed and Brooklyn Pope, while LaSondra Barrett (LSU) took home the Naismith Award for Sportsmanship during the week’s events.


2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, All-American Week, Schedule
The Powerade JamFest is a skills-competition evening featuring basketball players who demonstrate their skills in two crowd-entertaining ways. Since the first All-American game in 2002, players have competed in a 3-point shooting challenge and a timed basketball skills competition.


2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
The 2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship is the 82nd edition of the Meath GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for intermediate graded teams in County Meath, Ireland. The tournament consists of 16 teams, with the winner going on to represent Meath in the Leinster Intermediate Club Football Championship. The championship starts with a group stage and then progresses to a knock out stage.


2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
This was Ballinlough's first year in this grade since 1991, after 16 years in the Senior grade since being relegated in 2007.


2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
On 5 October 2008, St. Ultan's claimed their 1st Intermediate championship title when they defeated fellow parishioners Cortown 1-12 to 1-9, succeeding Donaghmore/Ashbourne as Intermediate champions.


2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
Ballivor were relegated from this grade, after 5 years as an Intermediate club.


2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2007 championship season.


2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Group stage
There are 3 groups called Group A, B and C. The 3 top finishers in Group A and the top 2 finishers in Group B and C will qualify for the quarter finals. Third place in Group B will play third place in Group C for a quarter finals place. The 3 teams that finish last in their groups will play in a round-robin relegation play off.


2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Knock Out Stage, Relegation Play Off
The teams that finished bottom of each group play in the relegation play off.


2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Knock Out Stage, Finals
The teams in the quarter-finals are the second placed teams from each group and one group winner. The teams in the semi finals are two group winners and the quarter final winners.


2008 Meath Senior Football Championship
The 2008 Meath Senior Football Championship was the 116th edition of the Meath GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for senior graded teams in County Meath, Ireland. The tournament consists of 16 teams, with the winner going on to represent Meath in the Leinster Senior Club Football Championship. The championship starts with a group stage and then progresses to a knock out stage.


2008 Meath Senior Football Championship
Seneschalstown were the defending champions after they defeated Navan O'Mahonys after a replay in the previous years final.


2008 Meath Senior Football Championship
Donaghmore/Ashbourne were promoted after claiming the 2007 Meath Intermediate Football Championship title, their first ever year in the senior grade.


2008 Meath Senior Football Championship
This was also Duleek/Bellewstown's first year as a senior club as the clubs Duleek and Bellewstown amalgamated before the start of the championship. Duleek were a senior club while Bellewstown played in the Junior 'B' Championship.


2008 Meath Senior Football Championship
On 11 October 2008, Navan O'Mahonys claimed their 17th Senior Championship title when they defeated Summerhill 2-12 to 0-7. Paddy Smyth lifted the Keegan Cup for O'Mahonys while former All-Star Stephen Bray claimed the 'Man of the Match' award.


2008 Meath Senior Football Championship
Kilmainhamwood were relegated after 14 years in the senior grade.


2008 Meath Senior Football Championship, Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2007 championship season.


2008 Meath Senior Football Championship, Group stage
There are 3 groups called Group A, B and C. The 3 top finishers in Group A and the top 2 finishers in Group B and C will qualify for the quarter finals. Third place in Group B will play third place in Group C for a quarter finals place. The 3 teams that finish last in their groups will play in a round-robin relegation play off.


2008 Medibank International
The 2008 Medibank International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 116th edition of the event known that year as the Medibank International, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier II Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. Both the men's and the women's events took place at the NSW Tennis Centre in Sydney, Australia, from 6 through 12 January 2008.


2008 Medibank International
The men's draw was led by ATP No. 8 and 2007 Mumbai champion Richard Gasquet, 2007 Metz winner Tommy Robredo, and defending champion and recent 2007 Davis Cup titlist James Blake. Other top seeds competing were 2007 Tokyo semifinalist Tomáš Berdych, Chennai semifinalist Carlos Moyá, Lleyton Hewitt, Paul-Henri Mathieu and Fernando Verdasco.


2008 Medibank International
The women's field featured World No. 1 and 2007 WTA Tour Championships titlist Justine Henin, WTA No. 2 and 2007 U.S. Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova, and WTA No. 3 and Beijing finalist Jelena Janković. Also present were 2007 Luxembourg Tier II champion Ana Ivanovic, 2007 U.S. Open semifinalist Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela Hantuchová, Marion Bartoli and Elena Dementieva.


2008 Medibank International, Finals, Men's Doubles
Richard Gasquet /  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated  Bob Bryan /  Mike Bryan, 4–6, 6–4, [11–9]


2008 Medibank International, Finals, Women's Doubles
Zi Yan /  Jie Zheng defeated  Tatiana Perebiynis /  Tatiana Poutchek,  6–4, 7–6(7–5)


2008 Medibank International – Men's Doubles
Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyett were the defending champions. They were both present but did not compete together. Hanley partnered with Leander Paes, but lost in the first round to Martin Damm and Pavel Vízner. Ullyett partnered with Eric Butorac, but lost in the first round to Alun Jones and Joseph Sirianni.


2008 Medibank International – Men's Doubles
Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won in the final 4–6, 6–4, [11–9], against Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.


2008 Medibank International – Men's Singles
James Blake was the defending champion, but lost in the first round to Fabrice Santoro.


2008 Medibank International – Men's Singles
Dmitry Tursunov won in the final 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–4), against Chris Guccione.


2008 Medibank International – Women's Doubles
Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Meghann Shaughnessy were the defending champions, but chose not to participate that year.


2008 Medibank International – Women's Doubles
Yan Zi and Zheng Jie won in the final 6–4, 7–6(5), against Tatiana Perebiynis and Tatiana Poutchek.


2008 Medibank International – Women's Singles
Kim Clijsters was the defending champion, but retired from the sport on 6 May 2007.


2008 Medibank International – Women's Singles
Justine Henin won in the final 4–6, 6–2, 6–4, against Svetlana Kuznetsova.


2008 Medibank International – Women's Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election
The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election of 2008 took place in a single phase on 3 March 2008 to elect the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from each of the 60 Assembly Constituencies (ACs) in Meghalaya, India. Counting of votes happened on 7 March 2008 and because of the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in this election, the results were ready within the day.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election
The ruling coalition Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) had broken apart in the lead-up to this election, forcing the main partner Indian National Congress (INC) to take on their erstwhile partners including United Democratic Party (UDP) and Meghalaya Democratic Party (MDP) who had decided to fight against the INC on the basis on corruption charges against the incumbent Government.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election
The election provided a hung verdict and both the incumbent INC and the post-election coalition of NCP-UDP (who called themselves the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) staked claim with the Governor of Meghalaya M.M. Jacob to form the next Government of Meghalaya. By virtue of being the single largest party in this election, winning 25 of the total 60 seats, the incumbent Chief Minister D. D. Lapang of the INC was invited by the Governor to form the new Government on 10 March 2008.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election
However, the Lapang Government was unable to get enough support in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and the Chief Minister resigned 9 days later ahead of the vote of confidence scheduled for 20 March 2008. The Governor then invited the head of the UDP Donkupar Roy to form the Government with the support of the MPA coalition who claimed support of 31 of the 60 seats in the Assembly. This included 14 seats from NCP, 11 from UDP, 2 from Hill State People's Democratic Party(HPDP), 1 from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 1 from Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) and 2 independents


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, Background
The previous elections to the 7th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly was held in 2003 and the term for this Assembly was set to expire on 10 March 2008. Hence, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced fresh elections to the 8th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on 14 January 2008. Of the 60 ACs in Tripura, 55 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. Elections in all polling stations were held using EVMs.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, Background
After the 2003 elections to the 7th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, the INC led MDA formed the Government under the leadership of INC's D. D. Lapang. The members of the MDA were INC (22 seats), UDP (9 seats), Meghalaya Democratic Party (MDP) (4 seats) and 3 independents. By 2006, Lapang faced revolt within the INC and the party took the decision to replace him as the Chief Minister.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, Background
On 15 June 2006, Lapang resigned and his protégé J. D. Rymbai was sworn in as the new Chief Minister by the Governor of Manipur S. S. Sidhu, who administered the oath of office on behalf of Governor M. M. Jacob who was on leave. However, the conflict within the INC did not end there and both Lapang and Rymbai continued to claim majority support among the Congress Legislative Party (CLP). After 8 months in control of the Government, Rymbai was asked by the Congress high command to resign. Lapang was reelected as the leader of the Meghalaya CLP and was reinstated as Chief Minister by Governor M. M. Jacob on 10 March 2007. This time Lapang held onto the post until the completion of the term of the 7th Meghalaya Assembly.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, Campaign
In this election the INC was battling not just the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but also its former MDA partners UDP and MDP. In addition, the NCP, a United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partner at the Centre, was also contesting against the INC in Meghalaya. Under the leadership of P. A. Sangma (who gave up national politics in favour of state politics before the elections), the NCP was expected to provide the most stiff competition to the INC.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, Campaign
Elections in the constituency of Baghmara were postponed to 22 March 2008 on count of the death of the sitting INC MLA S. Sangma.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, Campaign
A total of 331 candidates contested the remaining 59 seats up for election. Romgram had the toughest fight with 11 contestants, while Jaiaw had only 2 contestants.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, Election Day
Election Day (3 March 2008) was largely peaceful across the state. However, there was one incident of violence that claimed the life of an INC worker when clashes broke out between supporters of INC & NCP at Selsella in the Garo Hills area of the state.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, Election Day
Voter turnout of 89.05% was a record for the state. High voter turnout was reported from almost all rural constituencies. Voter turnout for the Baghmara seat on 22 Mar 2008 was 88.50%. Combined voter turnout across the state was 89.44%.


2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, Results
Note: The above results are only for 59 seats. The results of Baghmara constituency is not included as elections in Baghmara were postponed.


2008 Meguro mayoral election
Meguro, Tokyo held a mayoral election on April 20, 2008. Incumbent Eiji Aoki won.


2008 Meguro mayoral election, Issues
Both opposition candidates published manifestos focused on welfare, Miyoko Ankyu promised expanded health care schemes for elderly while Mariko Nozawa made poverty reduction a prioritized issue.


2008 Meijer Indy 300
The 2008 Meijer Indy 300 was the fourteenth round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season. It took place on August 9, 2008. This was the eighth time that IndyCar went to Kentucky Speedway.


2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl
The 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl was the seventh edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game started at 1:00 PM US EST on Saturday, December 27, 2008. The game, telecast on ESPN, pitted the North Carolina Tar Heels against the West Virginia Mountaineers, with the Mountaineers winning over the Heels 31–30. The crowd of 73,712 was the largest in the bowl's seven-year history and the largest ever to see a college football game in the state of North Carolina. It was also the fourth-largest crowd of the 2008 bowl season, and the second-largest for a non-BCS bowl.


2008 Meistriliiga
The 2008 season of Meistriliiga, the first level in the Estonian football system, was the 18th season in the league's history. It began on 8 March 2008 and ended on 15 November 2008. The defending champions were Levadia.


2008 Meistriliiga, Promotion and relegation
10th placed Ajax were directly relegated after the end of the previous season. Since reserve squads are not allowed to be promoted to Meistriliiga, third placed Esiliiga team Sillamäe Kalev were directly promoted to 2008 Meistriliiga.


2008 Meistriliiga, Promotion and relegation
Kuressaare (9th placed Meistriliiga team) and Kalju (6th placed Esiliiga team) competed in promotion/relegation play-offs for one spot in 2008 Meistriliiga. The aggregate score was 2–2 and Nõmme Kalju were promoted due to scoring more away goals.


2008 Meistriliiga, League table, Relegation play-off
Vaprus and Esiliiga side Paide Linnameeskond competed in a two-legged relegation play-off for one spot in 2009 Meistriliiga. Aggregate score was 5–5 and Paide Linnameeskond secured their place in 2009 Meistriliiga because they scored more away goals (3–1).


2008 Meistriliiga, Results
Each team played every opponent four times, twice at home and twice on the road, for a total of 36 games.


2008 Melbourne Cup
Viewed dashed to the front now, Viewed raced away from them, from Moatize, here's Profound Beauty running home, Bauer coming down the outside and C'est La Guerre. Viewed is clear though, 200 meters to go, Bauer ran to second, C'est La Guerre coming home hard. Viewed in front, Bauer's a big danger, Viewed by a neck, Bauer's getting there, Viewed holding on, Bauer dives... Viewed a nose to Bauer, I think!


2008 Melbourne Cup
The 2008 Melbourne Cup, the 148th running of Australia's most prestigious Thoroughbred horse race, was run on Tuesday, 4 November 2008, starting at 3:00 pm local time (0400 UTC). It was won by Viewed.


2008 Melbourne Cup
On 3 December 2008, Luca Cumani, trainer of second-place Bauer, announced that an inquiry was underway into treatment Bauer received on the Thursday prior to the race. The treatment was a form of physio therapy that is illegal to administer within 7 days of a race; as a result of the treatment, Bauer could have been stripped of his second place. However, Racing Victoria announced on 4 December that Bauer would not be disqualified.


2008 Melbourne Cup, Field
The official field for the cup including horses scratched after the field was finalised.


2008 Melbourne Cup, Results
The race was won by the Bart Cummings trained horse Viewed, with Honolulu officially last as Gallopin did not finish the race.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season
The 2008 Melbourne Football Club season was the club's 109th year in the VFL/AFL.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season
In conjunction with the AFL celebrating 150 years since the sport of Australian rules football was first created, the Melbourne Football Club also celebrated its 150th anniversary since its foundation in 1858. This included the celebration of their "150 Heroes", which commemorated the 150 greatest contributing players to ever play for Melbourne. Despite the celebrations, the Demons were tarnished by major on and off field disasters that led to the resignation of Paul Gardiner as chairman of the club and installation of Jim Stynes midway through the season. During August, Jim Stynes attempted to eliminate Melbourne of its major debt with a program called "Debt Demolition".


2008 Melbourne Football Club season
Melbourne hosted 10 of its 11 games at the MCG, which included its first "home game" against the Brisbane Lions outside of the Gabba since 2000. They also played a home game at Manuka Oval in the nation's capital Canberra against the Sydney Swans during Round 13. Dean Bailey coached his first year as senior coach at Melbourne. David Neitz captained his ninth year for the Demons, however after aggravating a disc in his neck during the Round 5 clash against Carlton, he announced his retirement on 19 May. For the remainder of the year, the captaincy was shared between Cameron Bruce and James McDonald.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season
Melbourne's horrid year on-field form caused them to win only three matches and ensured they received their 11th wooden spoon.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 1
Debut(s): Cale Morton, Isaac WeetraBrownlow Votes: 1. Chance Bateman (Hawthorn), 2. Lance Franklin (Hawthorn), 3. Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)Record: 0 Wins, 1 Loss, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 2
Milestone(s): James McDonald (200th AFL game)Brownlow Votes: 1. Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), 2. Daniel Cross (Western Bulldogs), 3. Scott West (Western Bulldogs)Record: 0 Wins, 2 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 3
Debut(s): Austin WonaeamirriBrownlow Votes: 1. Joel Corey (Geelong), 2. Tom Hawkins (Geelong), 3. Paul Chapman (Geelong)Record: 0 Wins, 3 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 4
Brownlow Votes: 1. Daniel Wells (North Melbourne), 2. Nathan Thompson (North Melbourne), 3. Brent Harvey (North Melbourne)Record: 0 Wins, 4 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 5
Milestone(s): Daniel Bell (50th AFL game)Brownlow Votes: 1. Brendan Fevola (Carlton), 2. Jarrad Waite (Carlton), 3. Chris Judd (Carlton)Record: 0 Wins, 5 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 6
Brownlow Votes: 1. Daniel Bradshaw (Brisbane Lions), 2. Anthony Corrie (Brisbane Lions), 3. Simon Black (Brisbane Lions)Record: 0 Wins, 6 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 7
Brownlow Votes: 1. Jeff White (Melbourne), 2. Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle), 3. Brock McLean (Melbourne)Record: 1 Win, 6 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 8
Debut(s):Shane ValentiBrownlow Votes: 1. Brett Burton (Adelaide), 2. Bernie Vince (Adelaide), 3. Jason Porplyzia (Adelaide)Record: 1 Win, 7 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 9
Brownlow Votes: 1. Brock McLean (Melbourne), 2. Brad Sewell (Hawthorn), 3. Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)Record: 1 Win, 8 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 10
Milestone(s): Brad Miller (100th AFL game)Brownlow Votes: 1. Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda), 2. Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda), 3. Luke Ball (St Kilda)Record: 1 Win, 9 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 11
Brownlow Votes: 1. Adem Yze (Melbourne), 2. Scott Burns (Collingwood), 3. Tarkyn Lockyer (Collingwood)Record: 1 win, 10 losses, 0 drawsLadder position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 12
Brownlow Votes: 1. Brock McLean (Melbourne), 2. Brett Deledio (Richmond), 3. Matthew Richardson (Richmond)Record: 1 Win, 11 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 13
Brownlow Votes: 1. Matthew Bate (Melbourne), 2. Barry Hall (Sydney), 3. Brett Kirk (Sydney)Record: 1 Win, 12 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 14
Debut(s): Stefan MartinBrownlow Votes: 1. Chris Johnson (Melbourne), 2. Paul Wheatley (Melbourne), 3. Brad Green (Melbourne)Record: 2 Wins, 12 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 15
Brownlow Votes: 1. Lindsay Gilbee (Western Bulldogs), 2. Cameron Bruce (Melbourne), 3. Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs)Record: 2 Wins, 13 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 16
Brownlow Votes: 1. Michael Johnson (Fremantle), 2. Antoni Grover (Fremantle), 3. Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle)Record: 2 Wins, 14 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 17
Debut(s): Addam MaricBrownlow Votes: 1. Simon Buckley (Melbourne), 2. Adam Simpson (North Melbourne), 3. Brent Harvey (North Melbourne)Record: 2 Wins, 15 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 18
Brownlow Votes: 1. Adam McPhee (Essendon), 2. Cale Morton (Melbourne), 3. Matthew Lloyd (Essendon)Record: 2 Wins, 16 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 19
Brownlow Votes: 1. Joel Corey (Geelong), 2. Joel Selwood (Geelong), 3. Andrew Mackie (Geelong)Record: 2 Wins, 17 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 20
Brownlow Votes: 1. Dean Cox (West Coast), 2. Cale Morton (Melbourne), 3. Paul Wheatley (Melbourne)Record: 3 Wins, 17 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 21
Brownlow Votes: 1. Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide), 2. Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide), 3. Domenic Cassisi (Port Adelaide)Record: 3 Wins, 18 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 2008 season, Home and away season, Round 22
Debut(s): Jack GrimesMilestone(s): Nathan Jones (50th AFL game)Brownlow Votes: 1. Shane Tuck (Richmond), 2. Brett Deledio (Richmond), 3. Joel Bowden (Richmond)Record: 3 Wins, 19 Losses, 0 DrawsLadder Position: 16th


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Sid Anderson Memorial Trophy (Second in the Best and Fairest) – Brock McLean


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Ron Barassi Snr Memorial Trophy (Third in the Best and Fairest) – Brad Green


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Ivor Warne-Smith Memorial Trophy (Fourth in the Best and Fairest) – Matthew Warnock


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy (Fifth in the Best and Fairest) – James McDonald


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Harold Ball Memorial Trophy (Best First Year Player) – Cale Morton


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Troy Broadbridge Trophy (highest polling MFC player in the Casey Best and Fairest) – Adem Yze


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 150 Heroes
Melbourne FC announced its "150 Heroes" to celebrate its 150th birthday at Crown Casino on 7 June 2008. These were also presented during the Queen's Birthday Clash against Collingwood in Round 11. Each player, or their closest relative, were presented with an official 150 heroes medallion.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 150 Heroes
The criteria for inclusion was games played (minimum of 100), best-and-fairest awards, premierships, Brownlow Medals, contribution to the club and State representation. Those who died in the war were judged based on their achievements before their death. The heroes named were:


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, 150 Heroes
Jim Abernethy,Frank Adams,Bill Allen,Stan Alves,Syd Anderson,Tony Anderson,Lance Arnold,Ron Baggott,Garry Baker,Harold Ball,Ron Barassi,Percy Beames,John Beckwith,George Bickford,Ray Biffin,Barry Bourke,Harry Brereton,Cameron Bruce,Keith Carroll,Geoff Case,Albert Chadwick,Noel Clarke,Geoff Collins,Jack Collins,Chris Connolly,Bob Corbett,Denis Cordner,Don Cordner,Ted Cordner,Vin Coutie,Harry Coy,Jim Davidson,Frank Davis,Ross Dillon,Carl Ditterich,Brian Dixon,Len Dockett,Adrian Dullard,Hugh Dunbar,Richie Emselle,Fred Fanning,Jeff Farmer,Matthew Febey,Steven Febey,Dick Fenton-Smith,Rowley Fischer,Robert Flower,Laurie Fowler,Maurice Gibb,Peter Giles,Terry Gleeson,Brad Green,Rod Grinter,George Haines,Gary Hardeman,Henry Harrison,Gerard Healy,Greg Healy,Dick Hingston,Paul Hopgood,Danny Hughes,Anthony Ingerson,Eddie Jackson,Alan Johnson,Bob Johnson,Tassie Johnson,Trevor Johnson,Travis Johnstone,Gordon Jones,Les Jones,Bryan Kenneally,Allan La Fontaine,Clyde Laidlaw,Frank Langley,Jack Leith,Andrew Leoncelli,Charlie Lilley,Wally Lock,Harry Long,John Lord,Andy Lovell,Brett Lovett,Glenn Lovett,Garry Lyon,Hassa Mann,George Margitich,Peter Marquis,Bernie Massey,Anthony McDonald,James McDonald,Fred McGinis,Shane McGrath,Bob McKenzie,Col McLean,Ian McLean,Noel McMahen,Ken Melville,Laurie Mithen,Peter Moore,Jack Mueller,David Neitz,Stephen Newport,Jack O'Keefe,Andrew Obst,Gordon Ogden,Greg Parke,Joe Pearce,Jack Purse,Ian Ridley,Guy Rigoni,Frank Roberts,Russell Robertson,Alby Rodda,Brian Roet,Peter Rohde,Alan Rowarth,David Schwarz,Norm Smith,Steven Smith,Earl Spalding,Stuart Spencer,Charlie Streeter,Steven Stretch,Jim Stynes,Tony Sullivan,Dick Taylor,Ted Thomas,Ian Thorogood,Stephen Tingay,John Townsend,Keith Truscott,Geoff Tunbridge,Bill Tymms,Barrie Vagg,Francis Vine,Todd Viney,Ivor Warne-Smith,Ray Wartman,Athol Webb,Greg Wells,Jeff White,Sean Wight,Don Williams,Brian Wilson,Stan Wittman,Shane Woewodin,Graeme Yeats,Charlie Young,Adem Yze


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
Aside from Melbourne's on-field struggles throughout the year, they were also placed into financial turmoil and the possibility of filing for bankruptcy.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
On 4 February, CEO Steve Harris announced his resignation after reportedly cutting Melbourne's pre-existing debt by 50% and increasing membership sales by 40% since 2003. He was later replaced by former Wimbledon tennis champion Paul McNamee on 18 March, despite the fact that McNamee did not originally apply for the job.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
With no cash, no solidified training or administration base and decreased membership count from 2007, the Demons found themselves winning only one game in the first half of the season. On 23 May, Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett suggested that Melbourne should relocate to the Gold Coast if they were to have a financially stable future. Melbourne was expected to lose $1–2 million during the year and put their near future as an existing football club in doubt.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
Melbourne had little to celebrate heading into their 150 Heroes dinner on 7 June, during which Jim Stynes announced his intention to challenge Paul Gardiner's role as Melbourne's president. Two days later, before the Queen's Birthday clash, Gardiner announced his resignation as Melbourne's president, and endorsed Stynes to take over. On 12 June, Stynes was announced as the new president of the Melbourne Football Club and announced his primary intention to wipe off Melbourne's debt.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
Three days later he announced that Melbourne was $4.5 million in debt and that he would create a campaign called Debt Demolition to wipe off the debt. The campaign took place during August, beginning on 5 August during the 150 Foundation Heroes dinner. Guests and supporters were asked to dig deep and donate at least $5,000 dollars to be considered a 150 Foundation Hero.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
During June, Melbourne had a late surge in membership purchases for 2008. On 30 June, Melbourne successfully increased their membership count from 2007 gaining a record high 29,619 members at the time and falling just short of their goal of 30,000.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
On 23 July, Stynes sacked Paul McNamee as CEO of the club. During his time as CEO, NcNamee was criticised for taking a mid-season holiday to England to play in a Wimbledon doubles match. He was also criticised for trying to lure Brisbane Lions' forward Jonathan Brown to Melbourne. Stynes stated, however, that the main reason he was sacked was his lack of a football background.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
Melbourne held its 150 Foundation Heroes dinner on 5 August where they launched their Debt Demolition campaign. Melbourne raised $1.3 million from former players and supporters that night. At the end of the month the club had raised up to $3 million. Despite all the donations Melbourne received, their major sponsor Primus Telecom announced that it would not continue its $1 million per year arrangements with the club in 2009.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
On 26 August, Melbourne announced Cameron Schwab as their new CEO. Schwab left his role of CEO at Fremantle and re-joined Melbourne for the third time since 1982.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
On 18 December, the AFL agreed to increase Melbourne's 2009 from $250,000 to $1 million, with the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) contracted to match the AFL's offer. However, financial disagreements between the MCC and AFL prevented them from co-funding all Victorian clubs temporarily until an agreement was worked out on 20 December.


2008 Melbourne Football Club season, Off-field crises and debt demolition
Melbourne finished the year $2.5 million in debt. They continued with the Debt Demolition campaign in August 2009, finishing the year with a debt of $1.5 million, and in August 2010. On 5 August 2010 Melbourne clear all of its $4.5 million debt as Jim Stynes announced the club to be debt free for the first time in 30 years.


2008 Melbourne Storm season
The 2008 Melbourne Storm season was the 11th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season as minor premiers before reaching the grand final in which they were beaten by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 40-0, the largest margin in grand final history. The minor premiership won by the Storm in 2008 was later stripped by the NRL in 2010 when it was revealed the club had been in breach of salary cap rules.


2008 Melbourne Storm season
Despite losing seven games, Storm managed to finish in top spot on the NRL ladder for a third successive season. They had to wait until the final game to do it though, defeating South Sydney 42-4. A loss to the Warriors in the Qualifying final meant Storm had to do it the hard way and they did just that, defeating the Broncos and Sharks on the road. That tough road eventually caught up with Melbourne in the decider, which they lost to Manly.


2008 Melbourne Storm season
Matt Geyer became the first Storm player to reach 250 games while Billy Slater followed on from Cameron Smith the previous year, earning the Golden boot award as the best player in the world.


2008 Memorial Cup
The 2008 Memorial Cup was played in May 2008 in Kitchener, Ontario at the Memorial Auditorium. It was the 90th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Kitchener defeated competing bids from Oshawa, Saginaw, London, Sarnia and Kingston to host the Memorial Cup, with the official announcement being made on May 10, 2007.


2008 Memorial Cup
The tournament was competed between the WHL champion Spokane Chiefs, the QMJHL champion Gatineau Olympiques, the Kitchener Rangers as host of the tournament and OHL champions, and the OHL representative Belleville Bulls, who earned their place by reaching the OHL finals against Kitchener. The Memorial Cup tournament is a four team tournament with a round-robin format.


2008 Memorial Cup
The tournament began on May 16, 2008, with a round-robin game between Gatineau and Kitchener and ended on May 25, 2008, with the Spokane Chiefs defeating the Kitchener Rangers 4–1 in the championship game to win the Memorial Cup.


2008 Memorial Cup
The most memorable moment of the tournament occurred immediately following the championship game. As Spokane Chiefs captain Chris Bruton was about to hand the trophy to Trevor Glass, the cup detached from the base and fell to the ice. This was not the original Memorial Cup, which resides at the Hockey Hall of Fame, but a replica.


2008 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner
The VI Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner was held in Poland from 16 to 18 May 2008. 4 teams participated in the tournament. It was also qualification tournament to European Championship 2009 held in Turkey.


2008 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner, Qualification
All teams except the host must receive an invitation from the organizers.


2008 Memphis Tigers football team
The 2008 Memphis Tigers football team represented the University of Memphis in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Memphis competed as a member of the Conference USA. The team was led by head coach Tommy West. The Tigers played their home games at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The Tigers finished the regular season with a 6–6 record, which was enough to attain bowl eligibility. Memphis accepted a bid to play against South Florida in the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Tigers lost, 41–14.


2008 Men's Arab Volleyball Championship
The 2008 Men's Arab Volleyball Championship was held in Manama, Bahrain, from December 18 to December 23, 2008.


2008 Men's Arab Volleyball Championship, Competition system
The competition system of the 2008 Men's Arab Volleyball Championship is the single Round-Robin system. Each team plays once against each of the 5 remaining teams. Points are accumulated during the whole tournament, and the final ranking is determined by the total points gained.


2008 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships
The 2008 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships are the fifth such championships in men's floorball. It was held from August 25 to August 29, 2008 in the suburb of Leederville in Perth, Australia. All matches were held at the Loftus Recreation Centre. Singapore captured the 2008 Asia Pacific Floorball Championship by defeating Australia in the finals.


2008 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships
The 2008 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships were the first to be held outside of Singapore City.


2008 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships
The tournament is organised by the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC).


2008 Men's Australian Hockey League
The 2008 Men's Australian Hockey League was the 18th edition of the men's field hockey tournament. The tournament was held in Australia's capital city, Canberra.


2008 Men's Australian Hockey League
The WA Thundersticks won the gold medal for the seventh time by defeating the QLD Blades 4–2 in the final.


2008 Men's Australian Hockey League, Competition Format
The tournament comprised a single round-robin format in the preliminary round. At the conclusion of the preliminary round, teams ranked first to fourth progressed to the medal round, while teams ranked fifth to eighth progressed to the classification round.


2008 Men's Australian Hockey League, Statistics, Goalscorers
There were 176 goals scored in 36 matches, for an average of 4.89 goals per match.


2008 Men's British Open Squash Championship
The 2008 Dunlop British Open Championships was held at the Echo Arena Liverpool from 6–12 May 2008. David Palmer won his fourth British Open career title by defeating James Willstrop in the final.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals
The 2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals were held in Winterthur, Switzerland from 8 to 12 October 2008.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals
It was the 16th running of the tournament known earlier as the European Cup. In 2008 the tournament returned to an annual format rather than every two years.