2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament, Qualification
128 athletes from 43 countries took part in the Beijing Wushu Tournament. National federations were not allowed to send more than eight taolu and sanshou athletes to the competition. Since China was the hosting nation, any of its athletes which competed at the 2007 world championships would qualify. Unlike the IOC, the IWUF recognises the Macau Olympic Committee and athletes representing Macau were allowed to compete in the competition.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament, Qualification, Taolu
Besides the typical awarding of medals per each taolu event at the 2007 world championships, all athletes were ranked based on their combined scores from the proposed events at the Beijing Wushu Tournament (ie. daoshu and gunshu; jianshu and qiangshu; etc.). All athletes which ranked within the top six of a combined category or changquan (as ranking was done based only on the singular event) qualified for the Beijing Wushu Tournament. The IWUF then distributed 20 wild cards to various national federations to send more athletes. A national federation could enter only one athlete per each event and all athletes could compete in only one event.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament, Qualification, Taolu
As Chinese athletes at the 2007 world championships would automatically qualify for the Beijing Wushu Tournament, all of them opted not to participate in their second events after winning gold medals in their first events.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament, Qualification, Sanshou
All sanshou athletes who placed in the top eight in the selected events for this competition (men's 56 kg, 70 kg or 80 kg; women's 52 kg or 60 kg) at the 2007 world championships qualified for the tournament. Vacancies due to illness, injury, or nonavailability were not filled, hence the unusual distribution of participants and rounds.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament, Medal summary
Since the Beijing Wushu Tournament was not officially connected to the Olympic Games, medals earned were not added to the official Olympics medal tally.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's changquan
The men's changquan competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held on August 22 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's changquan, Background
The favorite of the competition, Yuan Xiaochao, had been undefeated in changquan in international competitions since 2005 which included gold medal victories at the World Wushu Championships, the Asian Games, and at the East Asian Games. Aung Si Thu and Ang Eng Chong were also projected favorites as they were the silver and bronze medalists respectively at the 2007 World Wushu Championships.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's changquan, Background
At the Beijing Wushu Tournament, Yuan Xiaochao clearly dominated the competition with a wide margin and thus won the gold medal. The silver medalist Semen Udelov and bronze medalist Ehsan Peighambari impressed with their performances as Udelov ranked 7th and Peighambari ranked 24th at the 2007 World Wushu Championships. Both athletes were also selected through the wild card process by Russia and Iran respectively since they did not originally qualify by placing in the top six. Daisuke Ichikizaki, who was another close contender, missed the silver medal due to a 0.1 deduction.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's changquan, Results
The event was judged with the degree of difficulty component.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's daoshu and gunshu
The men's daoshu / gunshu all-around competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held on August 21 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's daoshu and gunshu, Background
Zhao Qingjian and Jia Rui were clearly the favorites ahead of the competition. Zhao was nearing the end of his competitive career, having won multiple times at the World Wushu Championships, East Asian Games, and at the National Games of China. Jia, who was nine years younger, was still starting his international competitive career, but was already a medalist at the 2006 Asian Games, East Asian Games, and the World Wushu Championships. At the 2007 World Wushu Championships, Zhao won the gold medal in daoshu and Jia won the gold medal. Zhao dropped out of the gunshu event and Jia was able to win the gold medal. At the Beijing Wushu Tournament, Zhao Qingjian won both events by a wide margin, obtaining the second-highest combined score in the entire competition.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's daoshu and gunshu, Results
The events were judged without the degree of difficulty component.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's jianshu and qiangshu
The men's jianshu / qiangshu all-around competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held on August 23 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's jianshu and qiangshu, Background
Liu Yang, Lim Yew Lai, and Nguyễn Huy Thành were the projected favorites for the competition, as they were the top-three placing athletes in the combined score ranking at the 2007 World Wushu Championships. Another favorite was Gogi Nebulana as he won the gold medal in jianshu at the 2007 world championships, but was ranked fifth in the combined score rankings. Gold medalist in qiangshu, Hei Zhi Hong, would have been another favorite, but he opted to compete in the men's taijiquan event.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's jianshu and qiangshu, Background
At the Beijing Wushu Tournament, the final rankings were nearly identical to the results at the 2007 world championships.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's jianshu and qiangshu, Results
Both events were judged without the degree of difficulty component.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's nanquan
The men's nanquan / nangun all-around competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from August 21 to 22 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's nanquan, Background
The nanquan, nandao, and nangun events at the 2007 World Wushu Championships were tightly contested. In comparison to other events, none of the nanquan athletes were a multi-medalist at the world championships, but Willy Wang and Pui Fook Chien emerged as potential favorites for the Beijing Wushu Tournament since they were one of the few athletes to place in the top eight across the three standard nanquan events.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's nanquan, Background
At the tournament, the nanquan event was closely contested with the top five scoring within a range of 0.5 points. In the nangun event, Willy Wang and Pui Fook Chien secured their positions, earning the gold and bronze medal respectively. Peng Wei-Chua made a comeback from fifth place during the first round to winning the silver medal. Willy Wang's victory was hailed by the Philippines media, as the team did not receive any medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's nanquan, Results
The nanquan event was judged with the degree of difficulty component while the nangun was judged without it.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's sanshou 56 kg
The men's sanshou 56 kilograms competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from 21 to 24 August at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's sanshou 70 kg
The men's sanshou 70 kilograms competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from 22 to 24 August at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's sanshou 85 kg
The men's sanshou 85 kilograms competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from 21 to 24 August at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's taijiquan
The men's taijiquan / taijijian all-around competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from August 21 to 22 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's taijiquan, Background
At the 2007 World Wushu Championships, China's Wu Yanan and Japan's Yoshihiro Shimoda were the gold medalists in the taijiquan and taijijian events respectively. Two other favorites in this event were Taipei's Chang Ching-Kuei who was the silver medalist in taijiquan and Hong Kong's Hei Zhi Hong who placed third in taijijian.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's taijiquan, Background
At the competition during the first round of taijijian, Wu quickly set himself apart from the rest of the competition with a 9.90, the highest score ever received at the Beijing Wushu Tournament. He was followed by Hei who distanced himself from Chang by another wide margin. In the second round of taijiquan, Wu and Hei secured their medal positions and Chang received a low score, leaving Shimoda to make a comeback to receive the bronze medal.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Men's taijiquan, Results
The taijijian event was judged without the degree of difficulty component while the taijiquan event was judged with it.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's changquan
The women's changquan competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held on August 21 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's changquan, Results
The event was judged with the degree of difficulty component.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's daoshu and gunshu
The women's daoshu / gunshu all-around competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held on August 21 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's daoshu and gunshu, Background
The favorite of the competition was Jade Xu (then known as Xu Huihui). At the 2007 World Wushu Championships, Xu became a three-time world champion. Geng Xiaoling was another projected favorite, as she won a silver medal in daoshu and a bronze medal in changquan at the 2007 world championships which was also her international debut. Another projected favorite could have been Macau's Xi Cheng Qing who won the gunshu and changquan silver medals at the 2007 world championships, but she decided to compete in the changquan event for this competition and won silver.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's daoshu and gunshu, Background
Although Xu was ranked first in the gunshu event, Geng was able to achieve a superior performance for daoshu and won the competition.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's daoshu and gunshu, Results
Both events were judged without the degree of difficulty component.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's jianshu and qiangshu
The women's jianshu / qiangshu all-around competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from August 21 to 22 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's jianshu and qiangshu, Results
Both events were judged without the degree of difficulty component.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's nanquan
The women's nanquan / nangun all-around competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from August 21 to 22 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's nanquan, Results
The nandao event was judged without the degree of difficulty component while the nanquan event was judged with it.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's sanshou 52 kg
The women's sanshou 52 kilograms competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from 21 to 24 August at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's sanshou 52 kg, Background
The top-eight non-Chinese athletes qualified at the 2007 World Wushu Championships. China's Qin Lizi was the 2007 world champion and with her participation in the Beijing Wushu Tournament, the roster ended up with nine competitors. Coincidentally, the results at the tournament were identical with the 2007 world championships, with Qin Lizi being the champion once again.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's sanshou 60 kg
The women's sanshou 52 kilograms competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from 21 to 24 August at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's taijiquan
The women's taijiquan / taijijian all-around competition at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament was held from August 22 to 23 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.


2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament – Women's taijiquan, Results
The taijiquan event was judged with the degree of difficulty component while the taijijian event was judged without it.


2008 Belarusian First League
2008 Belarusian First League was the eighteenth season of 2nd level football championship in Belarus. It started in April and ended in November 2008.


2008 Belarusian First League, Team changes from 2007 season
Three top teams of last season (Savit Mogilev, Granit Mikashevichi and Lokomotiv Minsk) were promoted to Belarusian Premier League. Due to expansion of Premier League, the promoted teams were replaced by only one team that finished at the bottom of 2007 Belarusian Premier League table (Minsk).


2008 Belarusian First League, Team changes from 2007 season
One team that finished at the bottom of 2007 season table (Zvezda-BGU Minsk) relegated to the Second League. To compensate for the Premier League expansion, they were replaced by three best teams of 2007 Second League (PMC Postavy, Lida and Spartak Shklov).


2008 Belarusian First League, Team changes from 2007 season
Mozyr changed their name to Slavia Mozyr prior to the season.


2008 Belarusian Premier League
The 2008 Belarusian Premier League was the 18th season of top-tier football in Belarus. It started on April 6 and ended on November 16, 2008. BATE Borisov were the defending champions.


2008 Belarusian Premier League, Team changes from 2007 season
Due to league expansion from 14 to 16 teams the only relegated team Minsk, who finished last in 2007, was replaced by three best teams of 2007 First League: Savit Mogilev, Granit Mikashevichi and Lokomotiv Minsk.


2008 Belarusian Premier League, Overview
BATE Borisov won their 5th champions title and qualified for the next season's Champions League. The championship runners-up Dinamo Minsk, bronze medalists MTZ-RIPO Minsk and 2008–09 Cup winners Naftan Novopolotsk qualified for the inaugural tournament of Europa League. Due to decision to gradually reduce Premiere League to 12 clubs (14 in 2009, 12 in 2010) three lowest placed teams (Lokomotiv Minsk, Savit Mogilev and Darida Minsk Raion) relegated to the First League. The two latter teams disbanded prior to 2009 season.


2008 Belarusian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Belarus on 28 September 2008. The 110 seats in the House of Representatives were at stake.


2008 Belarusian parliamentary election
Lidia Yermoshina, the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, announced on 29 August that 276 candidates were registered for the election; 365 people initially sought to run, but five withdrew and candidate registration for 84 others was rejected. Just prior to the election, the number of the registered candidates was reduced to 263; 82 of the candidates were members of political parties, the others were non-partisans loyal to the government. They included chief executives of local authorities and medical institutions, and top managers of large enterprises.


2008 Belarusian parliamentary election
The election was attempted to be monitored by 925 international and more than 17,000 local observers, including an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission consisting of some 450 members from 43 countries. Belarusian citizens abroad were able to cast their votes at 40 polling stations located in 31 countries. Advance voting occurred on September 23 through September 26 and was characterized by active participation: more than 26% of registered voters cast their ballots. Voter turnout was reported to be 76.7%.


2008 Belarusian parliamentary election
According to the OSCE, the elections were undemocratic and the work of international observers was seriously hindered as the observers were refused access to the facilities where the votes were counted. But according to a CIS election observation mission, the elections in Belarus conformed to international standards.


2008 Belarusian parliamentary election, Results
According to the official results the oppositional parties failed to gain any of the 110 available seats, all of which were given to parties and non-partisan candidates loyal to president Alexander Lukashenko. The Central Election Commission declared this to be due to the overwhelming popular fear of mass demonstrations and of the "radical political changes" demanded by the opposition. This declaration was met with immediate anti-governmental demonstrations in the centre of Minsk protesting against electoral fraud. President Lukashenko commented that the opposition in Belarus is financed by foreign countries and is not needed.


2008 Belgian Cup Final
The 2008 Belgian Cup Final, named Cofidis Cup after the sponsor, was played on Sunday, 18 May 2008 between Gent and Anderlecht, won by Anderlecht. It is the 53rd Belgian Cup Final.


2008 Belgian Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 Belgian Figure Skating Championships (Dutch: Belgisch Kampioenschap 2008; French: Championnat de Belgique 2008) took place between 23 and 24 November 2007 in Hasselt. Skaters competed in the discipline of ladies' singles.


2008 Belgian Figure Skating Championships
Skaters from United Kingdom and Slovakia competed as guest skaters and their results were discounted from the final results.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2008 Belgian Grand Prix (officially the 2008 Formula 1 ING Belgian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 7 September 2008 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps near the town of Spa, Belgium. It was the 13th race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team won the 44-lap race, after the initial winner, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton, was penalised for cutting a chicane and gaining an advantage over Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix
Hamilton started from pole position alongside title rival Massa. Hamilton's McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen started from third next to the 2007 winner Kimi Räikkönen. Following a spin by Hamilton on the second lap, Räikkönen led most of the race, until rain fell on lap 41 and Hamilton performed the penalised pass. Räikkönen crashed on the following lap as the rain became heavier. Massa finished second on the road after Hamilton, followed by Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix
Hamilton received a 25-second penalty, which demoted him to third place and advanced Massa and Heidfeld to first and second positions. McLaren appealed the decision at the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) International Court of Appeal. Their case, however, was declared inadmissible, with the Court ruling that 25-second penalties cannot be challenged. The penalty prompted global press discussion, primarily from the United Kingdom and Italy, with several former drivers questioning the decision. Massa's retroactive victory, with Hamilton, demoted to third, narrowed the gap in the Championship from six points to just two.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Background
Heading into the 13th race of the season, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton was leading the Drivers' Championship with 70 points; Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was in second place with 64 points. With 57 points, Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen was third, followed by Robert Kubica with 55 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari led 121 points to McLaren's 113.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Background
Following the European Grand Prix on 24 August, mid-season testing took place at Italy's Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Ferrari concentrated on their aerodynamic set-up during tests on Monza's long straights. Massa set the quickest times on the first day, ahead of McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen. BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld was quickest on the second day. Massa spun off into the gravel at the Ascari chicane, bringing a brief halt to testing. Hamilton was fastest on the third day. Kubica lost control of his car and drove off the track, limiting BMW's testing time as minor repairs were performed on the underside of his car.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Practice
Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race – two on Friday, and one on Saturday. The Friday morning and afternoon sessions each lasted 90 minutes; the third session, on Saturday morning, lasted for an hour. The first session was held on a dry track under cloudy skies; Massa was fastest with a time of 1:47.284, just quicker than his Ferrari teammate Räikkönen. The McLarens of Hamilton and Kovalainen, Alonso, Webber, Bourdais and Vettel completed the top eight.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Practice
Light rain during the second session grew momentarily heavier halfway through, forcing the teams to switch to their wet set-ups. Hamilton led for most of the running, before Alonso, Massa and Kovalainen set faster times late in the session on a drying track. Räikkönen, Piquet, Coulthard, Bourdais and Webber all had off-track excursions with little damage done; a Fisichella spin at Stavelot forced the session to be halted for ten minutes while the debris was removed and water was cleared from the track. Conditions had not improved by the following morning for the start of the final period of practice, but a drying track late in the session allowed Heidfeld to record the best time, a 1:47.876, ahead of Kovalainen, Alonso, Hamilton, Massa, Vettel and Räikkönen.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Qualifying
Saturday afternoon's qualifying session was divided into three  parts. In the first 20-minute period, cars finishing 16th or lower were eliminated. The second qualifying period lasted for 15  minutes, at the end of which the fastest ten cars went into the final period, to determine their grid positions for the race. Cars failing to make the final period were allowed to be refuelled before the race but those competing in it were not, and so carried more fuel than they had done in the earlier qualifying sessions.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Qualifying
I did a great lap, but it was not enough to be on pole position. Today, we lacked a bit of speed compared to our main rivals but the race is very long and, over a distance, we know we can be very competitive and therefore we are capable of fighting for the win ... Then, we will have to see what the various strategy choices are and obviously, how the weather evolves. If it was to rain, the race could be turned into a lottery.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Qualifying
Hamilton clinched his fifth pole position of the season with a time of 1:47.338, ahead of Felipe Massa, who qualified second 0.34 seconds behind his McLaren rival. A mistake-free run allowed Kovalainen to take third place on the grid, alongside Räikkönen in fourth. Heidfeld took fifth, ahead of Alonso, Webber and Kubica. Bourdais – after setting the quickest time in the first session – took ninth, one place ahead of his Toro Rosso teammate Vettel.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Qualifying
Toyota driver Jarno Trulli qualified 11th after he experienced problems generating heat into his tyres; his teammate Timo Glock experienced similar problems and lined up from 13th behind Piquet. Coulthard and Rosberg took the next two grid spots, ahead of the Honda pair of Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button, who both believed they had maximised the performance of their cars. Force India driver Adrian Sutil, Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima and Fisichella took the final three positions.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Nelson Piquet was the only driver not to start with the softer compound dry-weather tyres on a track which was still drying from morning rain, with the Brazilian opting for the harder tyre available. There was a strong chance of showers predicted during the race. Several cars were slow away on the slippery track, most notably Kovalainen. The main beneficiaries off the line were Piquet and Trulli, who each gained five places. Trulli was hit from behind at the first corner by Bourdais, who also had a quick start.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
The Toyota suffered diffuser and gearbox damage from the incident, spinning later in the lap. Kovalainen and Heidfeld also collided at the start. This allowed Alonso to gain several places. Sebastian Vettel locked his brakes and ran wide, losing two places. Fisichella collided with Nakajima on the first lap and had to pit to fix a broken front wing and punctures. Hamilton led from Räikkönen who managed to pass his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa on the Kemmel straight.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
On the second lap, Hamilton spun at La Source and lost his lead to Räikkönen on the next straight. Glock lost several places over the first few laps due to a lack of grip from his tyres. On lap ten, Heikki Kovalainen attempted to pass Webber at the Bus Stop chicane, but hit Webber on the side, causing the Australian to spin. Although the McLaren driver later dismissed the contact as "a racing accident", he was given a drive-through penalty, which he took on lap 14, dropping him to 15th place.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
By the ten-lap mark, Räikkönen had opened a three-second lead over Hamilton. Hamilton was the first of the leaders to pit, on lap 11, followed by Räikkönen a lap later. Massa and Alonso pitted on lap 13, with Heidfeld a lap after them. Heidfeld's BMW teammate Robert Kubica pitted on lap 15, along with Bourdais. Räikkönen maintained his lead over Hamilton after the round of pit stops, followed by Massa, Alonso and Bourdais.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Piquet retired on lap 13, after spinning off and colliding with a wall. Following the race, the Renault driver blamed damp patches on the track for the incident, adding that "It's a shame because I'm sure we could have done something today." On lap 17, Rubens Barrichello retired with a gearbox problem, suffering from a failing sixth gear and engine over-revving.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
The first nine runners continued in the same order until Räikkönen and Hamilton both took their second pit stops on lap 25, with Alonso pitting on lap 27, Massa on lap 28, and Heidfeld on lap 31. Bourdais and Kubica pitted on laps 32 and 33, respectively.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Following the second round of pit stops, Räikkönen was five seconds ahead of Hamilton, but Hamilton began to close in on Räikkönen during the last stint as a result of the tyres better suiting his McLaren Mercedes. Heavy rain began to fall on lap 41. Hamilton closed the gap on Räikkönen to under a second, still six seconds ahead of Massa. Hamilton attempted to pass Räikkönen at the Bus Stop chicane, but he cut across the corner. Consequently, Hamilton led out of the chicane but allowed Räikkönen to re-pass him halfway down the straight.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Hamilton then passed him again at the La Source hairpin under braking. Räikkönen tried to double-back on Hamilton to regain the position but the line was defended, resulting in Räikkönen touching his front wing on Hamilton's rear tyre. The rain started coming down more heavily and Nico Rosberg spun at Fagnes corner, rejoining in front of the two frontrunners and causing Hamilton to run onto the grass. At the next corner, Räikkönen spun and gave the lead back to Hamilton. Räikkönen then lost control of his Ferrari through the Blanchimont corner and collided with the barrier, ending his race.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Hamilton was first to finish the race, having cautiously driven his car to the line in very wet conditions, followed by Massa and Heidfeld. Heidfeld rose from ninth position during the final laps due to the superior grip of the intermediate tyres put on during a pit stop two laps prior to the end of the race. Fernando Alonso and Timo Glock similarly benefited from intermediate tyres, Alonso finishing fourth and Glock eighth, having passed Webber on the final corner. Conversely, Toro Rosso drivers Bourdais and Vettel, who were third and fourth with one lap to go, were pushed down to seventh and fifth positions due to the lack of grip of their dry-weather tyres.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Timo Glock was handed a 25-second penalty for overtaking Mark Webber under yellow flags during the final lap of the race. The penalty pushed Glock from eighth to ninth place.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Hamilton appeared on the podium and subsequent press conference in the winner's position. When questioned on the incident at the press conference, Hamilton defended his actions:


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
[ Räikkönen] pushed me to the point where I would either have been on the kerb and crashed into him or have to go on the escape route, so I went on the escape route. I understood I had to let him past, so I did. I got in his tow and he was ducking and diving left and right and I did the same and managed to get back to the inside of him. But then he hit me at the apex of the corner but I think I was pretty much gone from there.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Two hours after the race, the FIA stewards for the race issued a statement announcing that Hamilton was guilty of contravening Article 30.3 (a) of the 2008 FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations and Appendix L, Chapter 4, Article 2 (g) of the International Sporting Code, which both state that cutting a chicane and gaining an advantage is subject to a drive-through penalty. As the race had finished, a 25-second penalty was added to Hamilton's time instead. As a result of this penalty, Massa was promoted to winner of the Grand Prix, and Hamilton was dropped down to third position.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
On 9 September, McLaren lodged an official complaint with the FIA about the incident. In the appeal hearing on 22 September, McLaren alleged that they had twice been advised by race director Charlie Whiting that Hamilton had correctly returned the position to Räikkönen. Furthermore, they presented telemetry evidence suggesting that Hamilton had not only crossed the finish line after Räikkönen, but that he was travelling 6.7 km/h slower at the time. McLaren's lawyer Mark Phillips QC attempted to convince the court that since the penalty was in the form of time added on, the case was valid.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
They presented the previous case of Vitantonio Liuzzi at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix, specifically the FIA's claim that the presiding chief steward at the race, Tony Scott Andrews, had admitted fault in awarding the penalty to Liuzzi. Andrews denied the FIA's allegation. McLaren went on to use the case as a precedent for the Spa incident. The Court stated that this analogy was invalid, since in Liuzzi's case the admissibility of his appeal was not contested.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
On 23 September, the Court of Appeal issued its decision, ruling that the appeal was inadmissible.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Reaction
From the position where [Hamilton] was, because he cut the chicane, he was [able to pass into turn one]. But if he had would have been behind me through the chicane then it may have been a different story.


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Reaction
Some Formula One drivers believed that Hamilton had gained an advantage. Sébastien Bourdais of Toro Rosso said that "the penalty is really rough but in the end it's up to you to give the position back or not. Pretty straightforward". The view was reiterated by his fellow drivers Nico Rosberg and Jarno Trulli. Trulli believed that "Hamilton got an advantage by cutting the chicane", saying, "Had he stayed on the road, he wouldn't have had the speed to overtake the Ferrari. In the same way at Monza someone could cut the first chicane, catch a rival's draft, and overtake him under braking at Roggia".


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Reaction
Former world champion Niki Lauda said that he did "not understand this completely wrong decision", adding "It's unbelievable how the best driver in yesterday's race makes no mistakes and only gets six points". He called for the formation of permanent race stewards, instead of the temporary steward system currently in place. He called it "the worst judgement in the history of F1", saying, "It's absolutely unacceptable when three [stewards] influence the championship like this". Three-time world champion Jackie Stewart said that "F1 attracts the largest capital investment in sport, but it's being overseen by people who are not doing it full-time and we get inconsistent decisions".


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Reaction
The original penalty received mixed reactions in the world press. Byron Young in Britain's Daily Mirror said that it was the stewards' decision "that mars sport and turns fans away, that ruins the efforts of even the best competitors, taints the day and leaves fans wondering what exactly they are 'fans' of". The Finnish daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat noted that though the Grand Prix had "crushed" Räikkönen's championship dreams, Hamilton had adhered "with the rules of racing" in giving the position back. The newspaper put Räikkönen's disappointment down to his crash, rather than the chicane incident. In Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport declared that the decision was justified, stating that Hamilton "should have waited at least another turn rather than attacking so soon".


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Reaction
The incident and subsequent court hearing led to a clarification by the FIA, saying that drivers must wait one further corner after cutting a chicane before attempting another overtaking manoeuvre. Formula One driver and a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association Mark Webber said that the clarification had made the issue much clearer:


2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Reaction
Lewis would probably never ever have had a crack at Kimi around the outside at the first part of the Bus Stop without knowing he had the option of going onto the asphalt part. I think we've got to get on top of the chicanes going forward, and we're not too far away from that at the moment, where drivers know that if you gain a position or gain an advantage, you have to give it back a bit more.


2008 Belgian Super Cup
The 2008 Belgian Super Cup is a football match that was played on 9 August 2008, between league winners Standard Liège and cup winners Anderlecht. Standard won 3–1.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum
A national referendum, the nation's first, was held in Belize on February 7, 2008, coinciding with the 2008 general elections.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum
The question asked was: "Should the Senate of Belize be elected?"


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum
While approved by 61% of voters with a 46% turnout, the referendum was only consultative, and the government chose not to implement the result, considering the low turnout.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Background
Ever since independence from Great Britain in 1981, Belize has had its upper house appointed. Currently, there are 12 senators and a President.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Background
An elected Senate, according to its proponents, would return the decision over control of the nation's resources and development to the Belizean people.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Discussion
Earlier in the year, Prime Minister Said Musa had given tacit support to the idea of an elected Senate, and eventually brought up the matter in session of the House of Representatives on December 19, 2007.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Discussion
Musa introduced a bill to allow for a referendum, to be held in 2008 likely alongside the general elections, to determine Belizeans' thoughts on the issue. The Opposition, led by Dean Barrow, argued against going to a referendum on the basis that Belizeans had not been given enough time for discussion of the issue and charged that the governing People's United Party was trying to hijack the issue to gain votes at the general elections due in the first half of 2008. The PUP countered that the opposition United Democratic Party were on "the wrong side of history".


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Announcement of referendum and reaction
Prime Minister of Belize Said Musa, on Monday January 7, 2008, announced that he had asked the Governor General, Sir Colville Young, to issue a writ of referendum to be held the same day as the general election. There is precedent for multiple voting in Belize: the 2003 elections for general and municipal were held on the same day. In anticipation of the announcement the PUP had released ads condemning the UDP position and encouraging Belizeans to vote for them as well as to vote in favour of an elected Senate, linking the two together. The PUP released its proposal for an elected Senate on January 17.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Announcement of referendum and reaction
The Opposition UDP announced on January 8 that it had asked its supporters to either boycott the poll or vote "no". It trumpeted its alternate plan as a solution. Party leader Barrow amended the position later on by simply asking supporters to vote "no."


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Announcement of referendum and reaction
Reaction from the third parties was mixed. Even as many welcome the referendum, they are cautious about mixing it with the general election. Senator Godwin Hulse, Kevin Herrera and Henry Gordon of SPEAR have presented an alternate plan for the elected Senate as part of a list of reforms, to widespread discussion.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Procedure
The referendum was held to the same procedures as a general election. All registered voters over 18 were eligible to participate. Separate places in the polling stations were provided for the referendum.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Procedure
The voting for the referendum began at 7:00 AM CST (1300 UTC) on election day and finished at 6:00 PM CST (0000 UTC Friday). Counting of votes began at the various counting stations beginning after the counting of votes for the general elections and continuing until a simple majority was reached which declared support or dissent for the question.


2008 Belizean constitutional referendum, Results
The referendum passed with over 61 percent of the vote nationwide and won in 30 out of 31 constituencies. Only the Queen's Square constituency in Belize City voted against it.


2008 Belizean general election
General elections were held in Belize on 7 February 2008. Beginning with this election, Belizeans elected 31 members to the House of Representatives of Belize instead of 29. In what was considered an upset, the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) won the election with 25 out of 31 seats; the ruling People's United Party won six.


2008 Belizean general election
The elections were held alongside a constitutional referendum had also been called to determine the views of Belizeans on an elected Senate.


2008 Belizean general election, Background
In August 2003 Cayo South Area Rep. Agripino Cawich of the PUP died, triggering a by-election in the constituency, only the second held in Belize since independence. The by-election was won by the UDP's John Saldivar, who had lost to Cawich in the general election earlier in 2003. Saldivar's win flipped the constituency to the UDP column and increased the party's caucus to eight for the remainder of the term.


2008 Belizean general election, Background
Beginning in March 2007 and continuing through April 22, Belize's 193 villages held council elections on Sundays of every weekend except for Easter. While the Village Council elections are supposed to be non-partisan, the major parties and independents considered them a litmus test for the general elections. From the very beginning, back and forth charges of inaccurate statistics and party favoritism have stained the elections, with both the blue and the red claiming victory in the majority of contested seats. Press releases from both parties claim victory. The results are detailed below.


2008 Belizean general election, Background
Prime Minister Said Musa twice had chances to dissolve the House of Representatives in session, on November 16, 2007 and December 19, 2007; both times he passed. However, Musa committed to calling elections before March 2008, the date when they were last held. With the announcement on Monday, January 7, 2008, the House was dissolved from that date. 93 candidates from six parties were nominated Monday, January 21, 2008 and elections were held on Thursday, February 7, 2008. The date chosen was one day behind Ash Wednesday, February 6; according to local media three elections have been called on an Ash Wednesday during Musa's term, of which he has won two.


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, People's United Party
Campaigning kicked off in earnest from as early as summer 2007. The ruling PUP have rolled out a number of programs designed to woo the electorate, including the promise of free textbooks for primary school students, improved infrastructure on the deep southside of Belize City and a planned rollout of a health insurance scheme in early 2008. Prime Minister Said Musa spent much of the early summer touring the South and West and continued his tour of the country in September and October. The PUP held a press conference on January 7, 2008 and announced pay increases for soldiers, teachers and public officers to take place after the general election. They released their manifesto "Believe in Belize-The BLUEprint" on January 22.


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, United Democratic Party
The United Democratic Party, for its part, concentrated on shoring up support in the districts and fighting fires in the various municipal governments they have controlled since March 2006. Party Leader Dean Barrow has likewise toured much of the country since June. Both parties' journalism machinery have dug up various scandals on either side. The Elections and Boundaries Department have noted an increase in the number of voter transfers between divisions, usually done in July and August.


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, United Democratic Party
The UDP released its election manifesto, Imagine the Possibilities: 2008-13, to a cheering crowd of supporters at its party headquarters in Belize City on January 16, 2008.


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, Third party announcements
Several third parties participated. Among them are established parties Vision Inspired by the People out of Belmopan and We the People Reform Movement from the North, Cornelius Dueck's National Reform Party and Wil Maheia's People's National Party


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, Third party announcements
Attempts by third parties to unify have largely proven unsuccessful. The Amandala of March 18, 2007 indicated that the PNP and WTP had formed an alliance (later named the National Belizean Alliance (NBA)) and were expected to announce their combined slate soon. The parties wrote joint letters to the Amandala in pre-election issues.


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, Third party announcements
Each party separately nominated candidates: VIP nominated 11 candidates, as did the NRP, and the NBA nominated four.


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, Third party announcements
In the Amandala of Sunday, March 11, former party the National Reality Truth Creation Party returned to the political scene with a full page ad endorsing one Ebony Babb for Queen's Square; the ad also extolled the Christian virtues of the party, led by musician Jorge Ernesto Babb. The ad appealed to all "natural Creole born Belizeans" to support the NRTCP in 2008. Subsequent announcements by the NRTCP in the Amandala include Babb himself as a candidate in Freetown.


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, Third party announcements
In November 2007, the major parties confronted each other over an inflammatory political sign in Belize City; a number of individuals were either arrested or threatened with arrest, including Mayor Zenaida Moya. The incident drew the ire of third parties such as the NBA and VIP and led to the signing of a "gentleman's agreement between all major political parties at the request of the Police Department. Despite the signing of this agreement, reports of continued vandalism of signs and inflammatory television commercials continue to circulate.


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, Candidates
This list represents the nominations received by the Elections and Boundaries Department on Nomination Day, January 21.Bold indicates incumbent.


2008 Belizean general election, Campaign, Candidates
Max Samuels in Belize Rural North, Florencio Marin Senior in Corozal South East, Dave Burgos in Orange Walk East, Ismael Cal in Orange Walk South, Ainslie Leslie in Cayo North and Sylvia Flores in Dangriga are not seeking reelection. All represented the People's United Party in their constituencies.


2008 Belizean general election, Opinion polls
The Society for the Promotion of Education and Research (SPEAR) released the results of an opinion poll conducted in conjunction with SJC's Belizean Studies Centre in October 2005. In an election 49% of voters would consider voting for a third party; between the current parties 34.5% said they would vote for the PUP and the rest for the UDP.


2008 Belizean general election, Opinion polls
As a followup, SPEAR conducted a second poll released on October 31, 2006 (). When asked who they would vote for, 32% said UDP, 11.8% PUP and 22% a third party. Smaller numbers either said they would not vote at all or declined to say who they would vote for.


2008 Belizean general election, Opinion polls
The nation's largest newspaper, the Amandala, headlined that more than half of Belizeans had rejected the PUP and UDP by either supporting a third party or declining to vote; this notion was soundly rejected by the UDP in particular and resulted in back and forth editorial responses in the Amandala and the UDP's Guardian in November, with the UDP charging that publisher Evan X Hyde was playing into the PUP's hands by supporting third parties openly instead of the UDP, and Amandala reiterating that its policy was of Belizeans First and that neither party had  thoroughly considered the welfare of "roots" Belizeans since Independence.


2008 Belizean general election, Opinion polls
In March 2007, the University of Belize and Saint John's College Junior College's Belizean Studies Centre conducted a one-weekend poll of 430 randomly selected persons seeking opinions on the 2008 elections. The poll was supervised by UB Registrar Dr. Roy Young and BSC's Yasmine Andrews. On the question of approval of party leaders, the UDP's Dean Barrow led all contestants with 55.7% approval; sitting Prime Minister Said Musa scored 14.9%, while independent leaders rated below that. Results by party were similar, with the UDP scoring 55.5%, the PUP 16% and independents scores ranging from 2 to 9%.


2008 Belmont Stakes
The 2008 Belmont Stakes was the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes. The race was won by Da'Tara, who led the race wire to wire. Da'Tara went off at 38–1 odds, making the win a monumental upset.


2008 Belmont Stakes
Entrants included the favorite, winner of both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Big Brown, but he eased on last place, a first for any Triple Crown hopeful. A win by Big Brown would have marked the first Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. Other entrants were Derby runners Denis of Cork, Tale of Ekati, and Anak Nakal; Preakness runner up Macho Again and third-place finisher Icabad Crane; and Peter Pan runner, Ready's Echo. The sire of Anak Nakal, Victory Gallop, is a Belmont winner, while Casino Drive has two Belmont-winning siblings.


2008 Belmont Stakes
Casino Drive was scratched from the race the morning of the race with an injured hoof. He was the Peter Pan Stakes winner, and the half brother of 2007 Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches and 2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil. A win by Casino Drive would have been the first time that siblings have won the same Triple Crown race in three consecutive years. Kent Desormeaux, the regular jockey for both Big Brown and Casino Drive, rode Big Brown while two-time Belmont winner Edgar Prado had been scheduled to ride Casino Drive.


2008 Beni Amrane bombings
The 2008 Beni Amrane bombings were two bombings on June 9, 2008 that killed 13 people in the town of Beni Amrane in the Boumerdès Province, 50 km (31 mi) from Algiers, the capital of Algeria. The first bomb killed a French citizen and his Algerian driver as they were leaving the town's railway station. The second device exploded about five minutes later as rescue workers arrived. Eight soldiers and three firefighters died in the second blast while an unconfirmed number of people suffered injuries. Both devices appeared to have been detonated remotely. No group has claimed the bombings, which follow attacks blamed on the al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb group. The Frenchman was an engineer working for a French firm on a renovation project at the station.


2008 Benin floods
The 2008 Benin floods struck the nation of Benin between July and October 2008, and affected the other West African nations of  Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Togo. According to the Red Cross of Benin, the flooding in Benin initially affected almost 7,000 people, including the displacement of 1,560 children. and by August 19, 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that the flooding had displaced at least 150,000 people. Some 500,000 people in total were at risk of additional flooding.


2008 Benin floods, Flooding
The Mono River and Ouémé River which flows down through central Benin into the economic capital of Cotonou on the coast in particular was a problem. Weeks after the initial flooding in July 2008, many areas of  Cotonou were still not drained, posing a serious risk to health given that the flooding affected many densely populated areas and some 10% of the nation's population live in the city. Representatives from the municipal council of Cotonou, WHO’s Cotonou office and the Benin’s Ministry of Hygiene, Public Health and Social Affairs, urged on 15 August 2008 that an evacuation and relocation plan was required given that heavier storms were expected in September and October.


2008 Benin floods, Flooding
On September 15, 2008 reports broke out that the commune of Adjohoun had been seriously affected by the flooding of the Ouémé River. The area, which is a fertile agricultural valley, threatened the livelihoods of some 57,000 people. The flooding had begun as in other places in late July but storms in early September struck the region worse. More than 25,000 hectares of crop land was inundated, killing some 30,000 animals and flooding 18,000 homes in the commune.


2008 Benin floods, Flooding
Approximately  2,000 people were displaced in the communities of  Azowlissé, Dèmè, Gangban, Kogé and Togbota with the exception of Awonou, located further away from the river. According to one council official, while Benin often experiences flooding, notably in 1995 and 2007, the floods of 2008 were particularly devastating on the livelihoods of the Beninois people, "People cannot even eat three times a day now. Even to find food once a day is a headache. Normally, agricultural products are bought and sold here at decent prices. But now things have changed."


2008 Benin floods, Flooding
The regional mayor of Adjohoun, Gerard Adounsiba, requested a national funding appeal to provide food and medical in what was according to him,  "the largest humanitarian crisis in the region to date." The situation was made worse by the fact that the hospitals in the area were affected by flooding. Livelihoods of local fisherman which depend upon the river were also severely affected.


2008 Benin floods, Response
Part of the problem with the flooding was that few who succumbed to the flooding were unwilling to evacuate their homes in Cotonou. The district of Vossa was completely inundated in flood water and a disaster relief team from WHO had to be sent into Ayelawadje district of the city whilst UN agencies collaborated with the Cotonou government to pump out water and clear roads in the capital. Since July 30, 2008, the World Health Organization reported 192 cases of cholera in Cotonou and helped fund US$20,000 towards the government’s cholera treatment efforts.


2008 Benin floods, Response
According to Dr. Eric Laroche,  Assistant Director-General of WHO, "West Africa's annual floods bring with them not only the threat of vector-borne and communicable diseases, but it further endangers the lives of people already malnourished by the food price crisis." The flooding increased the risk of Meningitis and yellow fever as well as posing a threat to an estimated 5 million people living with HIV/AIDS in West Africa. Malaria, diarrhoeal and respiratory infections, and malnutrition  posed a threat to the population living along the river basins.


2008 Berlin Marathon
The 2008 Berlin Marathon was the 35th edition of the Berlin Marathon. The marathon took place in Berlin, Germany, on 28 September 2008 and was the fourth World Marathon Majors race of the year.


2008 Berlin Marathon
The men's race was won by Haile Gebrselassie in 2:03:59 hours and the women's race was won by Irina Mikitenko in a time of 2:19:19 hours.


2008 Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks
The 2008 Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks was the thirteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule which was run on Sunday, June 1 at Dover International Speedway in Delaware's state capital, and serves as a fundraiser for Autism Speaks, with $5 from each ticket sold benefitting the charity. The race was the final NASCAR telecast on Fox for the 2008 season starting at 1:30 PM US EDT and on radio via MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio at 1:15 PM US EDT.


2008 Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks, Qualifying
Greg Biffle earned his 5th Cup Career pole by qualifying first for the Best Buy 400, with a time of 23.193 and a speed of 155.219. Starting alongside him was Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Champion, with a time of 23.381.


2008 Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks, Qualifying
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes:   Jason Leffler (#70), Chad McCumbee (#45), Matt Crafton (#7-DC), Tony Raines (#08-WD)


2008 Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks, Race recap
There was a major wreck on lap 17 that claimed many of the front runners for the lead. This occurred when David Gilliland and Elliott Sadler touched, putting Sadler in the middle of the backstretch. Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart, Bill Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte, Scott Riggs, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were all caught up in the wreck. When the smoke cleared, Kyle Busch won his fourth race of 2008.


2008 Bhutan A-Division
The 2008 season of the Bhutanese A-Division was the fourteenth recorded season of top-flight football in Bhutan. The league was won by Yeedzin FC, their first ever title, and the first time a team other than Transport United had won the league in five years. Yeedzin qualified as Bhutan's representative in the 2009 AFC President's Cup.


2008 Bhutan A-Division, League table
Teams played each other on a home and away basis, there was no relegation or promotion.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election
National Assembly elections were held in Bhutan for the first time on 24 March 2008. Two parties were registered by the Election Commission of Bhutan to contest the elections; Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, led by Jigme Y. Thinley, which was formed by the  merger of the Bhutan People's United Party and All People's Party, and the People's Democratic Party (PDP). A third political party, the Bhutan National Party (BNP), had its application for the registration refused.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Electoral system
The elections for the 47 seats of the National Assembly were planned to be held in two rounds: In the first round, voters would have voted for a party. The two parties with the largest share of the national vote would then have been able to field candidates in the 47 constituencies. However, as only two parties successfully registered for the election, the election was held in one round.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Background
On 21 April 2007, a mock election was held to prepare the population of Bhutan for the imminent change to democracy. These elections were held in all 47 National Assembly constituencies and at 869 polling stations with around 1,000 voters at each one of them.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Background
The parties "contesting" the election were the Druk Blue Party, the Druk Green Party, the Druk Red Party and the Druk Yellow Party (with Druk being Dzongkha for "thunder dragon"), each of them representing certain values as their "party manifesto": yellow for traditional values, red for industrial development, blue for fairness and accountability, and green for the environment. The two parties winning the most votes were to proceed to a run-off election scheduled for 28 May. Election observers were present from the United Nations and from India.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Background
The results of the first round saw the Druk Yellow Party receive a plurality of the vote.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Background
The two leading parties, Druk Yellow Party and Druk Red Party, put up randomly chosen high school students as candidates in the 47 constituencies in the second round on 28 May 2007. The Druk Yellow Party swept the vote and won 46 of the 47 constituencies. Turnout in the second round was 66%.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Background
283,506 people had registered to vote, though it is considered likely that a total of 400,000 would have been eligible to register as voters.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Schedule
The election procedure began with the submission of the letters of intent, lists of candidates, copies of election manifestos and audited financial statements by the two political parties contesting the elections to the election commission followed by the release of the party manifestos by them on 22 January 2008.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Schedule
From 31 January to 7 February 2008 both political parties submitted the nomination papers for their candidates for the 47 constituencies. The candidates, whose nominations were accepted, started campaigning in their constituencies from 7 February. The election campaign ended at 9:00 on 22 March. The last date for receiving the postal ballots was 18 February. The elections were held on 24 March from 09:00 to 17:00 followed by the counting of ballots on the same day. The results were declared on 25 March.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Schedule
All eligible voters were allowed to register with the election commission until 20 February 2008 for the inclusion of their names in the voters list which was updated to include those eligible voters who were eighteen years old on or before 1 January 2008. The final electoral roll was published on 5 March 2008.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Campaign
There were few differences between the platforms of the two parties and both pledged to follow the king's guidelines of "pursuing Gross National Happiness". Both party leaders had also previously served in governments.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Results
Voter turnout reached nearly 80% by the time the polls closed, and the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party reportedly won 44 seats, with the People's Democratic Party winning only three seats (Phuentsholing in Chhukha, Goenkhatoe-Laya in Gasa and Sombeykha in Haa). The PDP's leader, Sangay Ngedup, who was also the ruling king's uncle, lost his own constituency by 380 votes. However, due to a mistake in tallying the votes in Phuntsholing, the BPPP had actually won 45 seats and the PDP only 2.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Results
The BPPP's large-scale victory may have been due to it being perceived as the more royalist of the two parties.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Aftermath
The two PDP members who were elected refused to take up their seats and resigned their mandates, claiming that the civil servants informally campaigned for the DPT and influenced the result.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Aftermath
The DPT officially approved its leader as candidate for Prime Minister on 5 April 2008. He took office on 9 April.


2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election, Aftermath
Although analysts were worried that the small representation of the opposition might obstruct the functioning of the newly founded democratic system, the next elections in 2013 were won by the PDP.


2008 Biante Touring Car Masters
The 2008 Biante Touring Car Masters was an Australian motor racing series  for pre-1974 Touring Cars. It was the second annual Touring Car Masters.


2008 Biante Touring Car Masters
Division 1 was won by Gavin Bullas driving a Ford Mustang and Division 2 by Greg East driving a Holden HQ.


2008 Biante Touring Car Masters, Points system
Cars competed in two classes designated as Division 1 & Division 2.


2008 Biante Touring Car Masters, Points system
Series points were awarded on the following basis in each Division in each race:


2008 Biante Touring Car Masters, Points system
Where four races were run in a round, the points were awarded for Races 2, 3 & 4.


2008 Biante Touring Car Masters, Points system
Each driver was permitted to count his/her best seven round results.


2008 Big 12 Championship Game
The 2008 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game was held on December 6, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, and pitted two of the divisional winners from the Big 12 Conference: the Missouri Tigers, winner of the North division against the Oklahoma Sooners, co-champion of the South division. Kickoff was scheduled for 8PM EST/5pm PST, and was televised by ABC as part of its Saturday Night Football package.


2008 Big 12 Championship Game
Per Big 12 policy, the Big 12 South Champion was declared the home team because the game took place in a home state of a Big 12 North team. Entering the game, designated "home" teams were 8–4 in Big 12 Championship Games.


2008 Big 12 Championship Game, Selection process
The Big 12 Championship Game matched up the winners of the North and South divisions of the Big 12 Conference. The game was first played in 1996, when the conference was formed from the previous Big 8 plus four teams from the disbanded Southwest Conference. The championship game was somewhat modeled on the SEC format, which was the first conference in college football to have a conference championship game.


2008 Big 12 Championship Game, Selection process
Seven Division I FBS conferences currently have championship games—the AAC, ACC, Big Ten, C-USA, MAC, Pac-12, and SEC. However, the Big 12 title game ended after the 2010 edition. A major conference realignment that started in 2010 and carried over into 2011 saw the Big 12 drop to 10 members, below the 12 required by NCAA rules for a conference championship game. The same realignment saw the Big Ten and former Pac-10 expand to 12 teams each; both conferences held their first championship games in 2011. The Big 12 Championship Game has since returned in the 2017 season, with the top two teams playing in the game.


2008 Big 12 Championship Game, Regular season
The Big 12 South representative in the game was the Oklahoma Sooners. This was the 114th year of season play for the Sooners who were led by head coach Bob Stoops, a two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year award winner. The team was led on offense by quarterback Sam Bradford. The Sooners played their homes games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. The team finished their regular season 11-1 (7-1, Big 12), with the only loss coming to the Texas Longhorns. (see "South Division 3-way-tie controversy" section below) They entered the game ranked No. 2 in the BCS and Coaches poll, and No. 4 in the AP poll.


2008 Big 12 Championship Game, Regular season
The Big 12 North representative in the championship game was the Missouri Tigers. The team was coached by Gary Pinkel, who returned in his eighth season with Mizzou. The Tigers played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Quarterback Chase Daniel returned for his final year of eligibility and led the Tigers to a second appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Tigers ended the regular season with a record of 9-3 (5-3, Big 12), with losses coming to Oklahoma State, Texas, and Kansas. They entered the game ranked No. 20 in the BCS, No. 17 in the Coaches poll, and No. 19 in the AP poll.


2008 Big 12 Championship Game, Regular season, South Division 3-way-tie controversy
Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech all finished the season with identical 7–1 conference records, creating a three-way tie for the South division championship. Under Big 12 tiebreaker rules, ties are normally broken by head-to-head matchups, but this case was unique as Texas beat Oklahoma 45–35, Oklahoma beat Texas Tech 65–21, and Texas Tech beat Texas 39–33, which made breaking the three-way tie impossible using head-to-head results.


2008 Big 12 Championship Game, Regular season, South Division 3-way-tie controversy
Because the first four tie-breakers did not dictate a winner, Big 12 rules dictated that the fifth tie-breaker was that the team with the highest BCS Ranking, based on the standings released on November 30 of that year, would represent the South Division. This in turn meant that coaches, journalists and computer rankings, which are the components of the BCS ranking formula, decided the South Division representative. Texas Tech, Texas, and Oklahoma were all presented Big 12 South Champion trophies from the Big 12. During the final week of the Big 12 regular season, Oklahoma defeated a tough Oklahoma State, and Texas defeated a much softer Texas A&M delivering a sufficiently higher computer rating to Oklahoma.


2008 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2008 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament was held at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, OK from May 21 to May 25, 2008. This was the third year the conference uses the round robin tournament setup. The winners of each group at the end of the round robin face each other in a one-game match for the championship.


2008 Big 12 Conference Softball Tournament
The 2008 Big 12 Conference Softball tournament was held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, OK from May 9 through May 11, 2008. Texas A&M won their first conference tournament and earned the Big 12 Conference's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.


2008 Big 12 Conference Softball Tournament
Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas received bids to the NCAA tournament. Texas A&M would go on to play in the 2008 Women's College World Series.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy
The final standings of the 2008 Big 12 Conference's South Division football regular season resulted in the first 3-way division tie in the Big 12. The decision of which team would be selected to represent the division in the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game was controversial. Ultimately, the Oklahoma Sooners were chosen by their higher ranking in the polls, over the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Texas–Oklahoma
The game against the 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team marked the 103rd meeting of the Red River Rivalry, which has been called one of the greatest sports rivalries. It is the longest running rivalry for the Longhorns. Since 1929 the game has been held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas typically in mid-October with the State Fair of Texas occurring adjacent to the stadium. Prior to 2008, Texas led the series 57–40–5.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Texas–Oklahoma
Texas won this meeting, 45–35. It was the highest scoring event in the history of the rivalry, and it was seen by the most fans ever to attend the Red River Rivalry—a record 92,182.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Texas–Texas Tech
The series with the Texas Tech Red Raiders began in 1928 and the Longhorns' record through 2007 was 43–14–0. In the 2006 contest, #5 ranked Texas barely came away with a 35–31 win over an unranked Texas Tech team. In the 2007 game #14 Texas won 59–43. During his post-game press conference, Texas Tech's Mike Leach used most of his time to rail against the officiating crew for incompetence and bias.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Texas–Texas Tech
He speculated that the officials may have favored Texas because the head official lives in Austin, because they are incompetent, or possibly because the conference wants Texas to appear in a BCS bowl because of the increased appearance fees that such a bowl generates for the conference. Jim Vertuno of the Associated Press wrote "Leach was upset officials disallowed two Tech touchdowns in the third quarter. The first was overruled when video replay clearly showed the receiver let the ball hit the ground. On the next play, a touchdown pass was negated by a holding penalty.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Texas–Texas Tech
Leach also wanted, but didn't get, a flag for roughing the quarterback." The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported, "Big 12 policy prohibits coaches from commenting publicly about game officials, so Leach’s actions leave him open to reprimand, fine or worse." ESPN reported, "Leach's rant will likely draw a fine from the league and possibly a suspension." The Big 12 fined Leach $10,000, the largest fine in conference history.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Texas–Texas Tech
The morning of the game, Las Vegas casinos favored Texas by 3½ points. The weather forecast called for a temperature of 72 °F (22 °C) and clear skies at kick-off. Students camped for a week to secure seating, and ESPN's College GameDay broadcast from Lubbock, Texas for the first time in the program's history.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Texas–Texas Tech
Texas Tech won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. The Longhorns forced a stop and the ensuing punt rolled inside the Texas 2-yard line. Offensive coordinator Greg Davis opted to line up in the I formation, an unusual formation for a team having trouble establishing a strong running game. The Texas running back was stopped in the end-zone for a two-point safety. Tech led the Horns for most of the game, by as much as nineteen points. Texas rallied to take a one-point lead with less than 1½ minutes remaining in the game.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Texas–Texas Tech
On the Red Raiders drive,  a Texas defensive back missed an interception that would have sealed a Texas victory, letting the ball slide through his hands. In the final minute, down 33–32 with one timeout remaining, Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell engineered a drive down the field by throwing for first downs which repeatedly stopped the clock in order to move the chains, and almost threw an interception that fell through the hands of Texas defensive back Blake Gideon that almost certainly would have ended the comeback attempt.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Texas–Texas Tech
Harrell's final play was a pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree who caught the ball near the sideline and somehow miraculously broke away from two Longhorn defenders to scamper in for the winning score with one second left to play. The extra point gave the Red Raiders a 39–33 lead with one second remaining. The Tech fans had rushed the field after the touchdown, and again after the extra point. Tech was penalized accordingly and had to kick off from the 7½-yard line. Texas took the squib kick and lateraled twice in an attempt to score on the kickoff, but Tech caught one of the laterals to end the game. Subsequent to the loss, Texas fell from #1 to #4 in the BCS Poll, and Texas Tech rose to #2, behind Alabama.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
Texas Tech and Oklahoma first played in 1992. Coming into the game, the Sooners led the series 11–4–0 though the Red Raiders had won 2 of the last 3 with the last loss coming in Norman in 2006. The only road game Tech had won in the series was during the inaugural season of the Big 12 in 1996. Under head coach Bob Stoops, the Sooners had lost only two games at home. The Sooners were 7-point favorites.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
The Red Raiders opened the game with a kickoff return to their 32-yard line. The Sooners forced a punt, and fielded their offense at their 27. The Sooners scored a touchdown with 8:59 left in the first. DeMarco Murray contributed 48 rushing yards in the drive. Tech returned the ensuing kickoff to their 22, and a Sooner personal foul after the return gave the Red Raiders 15 yards. Texas Tech lost 10 of those yards due to a delay of game and a false start.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
Starting at their 27, the Red Raiders were stopped at the Oklahoma 48, where they punted again. The Sooners got the ball on their 20. On the second play of the drive, Oklahoma was punished again with a 15-yard penalty. After three failed attempts to pass the ball for a first down, the Sooners elected to make their first punt. On the next Tech possession, Graham Harrell was sacked on two consecutive plays, once by Adrian Taylor and the other by Gerald McCoy. Coming into the game, the Red Raiders ranked second in the nation in sacks allowed, with only 5. The Sooners ended the first quarter with a 42-yard reception by tight end Jermaine Gresham and two rushes by Chris Brown for a combined 12 yards.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
Once the second quarter commenced, both Brown and Gresham moved the ball for a touchdown on three different plays. Tech started their next drive at their own 38 and advanced the ball through the air to eventually get to the Oklahoma 15. Two incompletions caused the Red Raiders to face a 4th-and-3. Tech decided to go for it. Woods was unable to catch a pass by Harrell to convert and Tech turned the ball over on downs. Murray rushed the ball for 23 yards on Oklahoma's first play of the drive.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
Murray followed with a 31-yard reception, which put the ball on the Tech 30. After two rushes by Brown, Gresham scored a touchdown on a 19-yard catch, and the subsequent extra point extended the Sooners lead to 21–0. Oklahoma's defense forced Tech to four plays on the next drive, with the fourth play being a 4th-and-4, Tech's second 4th down conversion attempt. With 9:31 remaining, Oklahoma completed a 1:44 scoring drive, which was capped by Juaquin Iglesias' 28-yard scoring reception. On the following possession, the Red Raiders reached the end zone, thanks to Harrell's 25-yard throw to Tramain Swindall.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
Matt Williams' extra point brought the score to 28–7. With 6:28 left in the half, Oklahoma began to drain the clock using their running game. The Sooners eventually scored on the 12th play of the drive. Once Tech got the ball, about a minute was left on the clock. On the second play, Harrell threw an interception to Travis Lewis, who returned the ball 47 yards. Tech offensive guard Brandon Carter, who stopped Lewis at the Tech 1, received a personal foul. Murray scored on a 1-yard rush to increase the Sooners' lead to 42–7.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
Tech got the ball again after the Sooner touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the game. Harrell threw a shovel pass to Baron Batch, who ran 21 yards to the Tech 28. The half ended with Tech receiving a 16-yard personal foul. The Red Raiders left the field facing their biggest deficit of the season (35 points).


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
Tech attempted an onside kick to start off the second half, though the Sooners grabbed the ball at the Tech 34. OU ended the drive on a 33-yard field goal. Tech fumbled on their next possession, Oklahoma's Keenan Clayton recovered the fumble and return it 53 yards to the Tech 3. The Sooners added another 7 points to extend their lead to 52–7. Tech cranked up its passing game on its next possession, eventually scoring a touchdown and extra point with 5:39 remaining in the third quarter.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
On the subsequent drive, the Red Raider defense forced their first sack on Bradford, and also forced the Sooners to punt. The Sooner defense countered in the next drive by forcing a three-and-out. The Sooner offense then added another score on a 66-yard reception by Manuel Johnson. The Tech defense blocked the extra point, and the score remained at 58–14.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
In the fourth quarter, Tech failed to convert another fourth down, producing another turnover. Oklahoma scored immediately afterwards, improving their lead to 65–14. On the next possession, Tech was able to make three pass completions of at least 12 yards, though on the final play of the drive, Harrell lost the ball to the Sooners on a sack. With 10:50 left in the game, the Sooners started to run out the clock. The Red Raiders stopped them from scoring on a 4th down from the 1. Tech got the ball back with 4:48 on the clock.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
After a few plays, Tech faced another 4th down, and this time was able to convert it with a 13-yard throw to Crabtree. Tech later score their third touchdown with 11 seconds left, and Williams tacked on the extra point to change the score to 65–21. Tech attempted an onside kick and recovered the ball. The final play was a short-yard catch by Woods.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Games, Oklahoma–Texas Tech
Since the Sooners won, Tech, Texas, and OU all tied for first in the division at 6–1. If all three teams win their regular season finales to tie again at 7–1, the highest ranked team in the BCS standings will earn a spot in the Big 12 Championship game. Sports columnists have also stated that the quarterback of the winning team would be the front runner for the Heisman Trophy.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Controversy
Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech all finished the season with identical 7–1 conference records, creating a three-way tie for the South division championship. Under Big 12 tiebreaker rules, ties are normally broken by head-to-head matchups but this case was unique as Texas beat Oklahoma 45–35, Oklahoma beat Texas Tech 65–21, and Texas Tech beat Texas 39–33 which made breaking the three-way tie impossible using head-to-head games.


2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy, Controversy
Because the first four tie-breakers did not dictate a winner, Big 12 rules dictate that the fifth tie-breaker is the team with the highest BCS Ranking, based on the standings released on November 30 of that year, would represent the South Division. This rule meant that coaches, journalists, and computer rankings effectively determined the Big 12 South division representative, because they are the major components of the BCS ranking formula. Texas Tech, Texas, and Oklahoma were all presented Big 12 South Champion trophies from the Big 12. During the final week of the Big 12 regular season, Oklahoma defeated a tough Oklahoma State and Texas defeated a much softer Texas A&M delivering a sufficiently higher computer rating to Oklahoma.


2008 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2008 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship, is the 2008 edition of the Big 12 Conference's championship tournament. The tournament was held at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri between March 11–13 and on March 15, 2008. Texas A&M University won their first Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament championship beating Oklahoma State University, 64–59.


2008 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
Kansas City-based Metro Sports televised the first round of the tournament while Fox Sports Net televised the second, semifinal, and final round of the tournament.


2008 Big 12 Conference Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2008 Big 12 Conference Women's Soccer Tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Big 12 Conference held from November 5 to 9, 2008. The 7-match tournament was held at the Blossom Athletic Center in San Antonio, TX with a combined attendance of 5,216. The 8-team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Missouri Tigers defeated the Colorado Buffaloes in the championship match to win their 1st conference tournament.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament was the 2008 edition of the Big 12 Conference's championship tournament held at the Sprint Center in Kansas City from March 13 until March 16, 2008. It was the 12th Big 12 tournament in the series. Texas and Kansas shared the regular season title, with Texas receiving the top seed in the tournament due to its win over Kansas earlier in the season. The top four seeds, including the two regular season champs, Oklahoma, and Kansas State automatically advanced to the quarterfinal round.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament
The first round featured several close games, with a combined 29-point margin of victory for the four matchups. Oklahoma State upset Texas Tech in a game that flip-flopped throughout, and the 12-seed Colorado Buffaloes defeated the 5-seed Baylor Bears in double overtime. This was both the first double-overtime game in tournament history and the first 12-seed win in tournament history. Texas A&M and Nebraska both won their games against Iowa State and Missouri, respectively.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Regular season and tournament seeding
To kick off the beginning of the 2007–2008 Big 12 men's basketball season a poll of the head coaches of the Big 12 men's basketball programs found that Kansas was the preseason favorite to win the conference for a second consecutive year and receiving 10 of 12 first place votes. In second place was Texas, the 2006–2007 season's runner-up for both the regular season title and tournament title. Texas A&M was dubbed for third place and received the remaining 2 first place votes.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Regular season and tournament seeding
Aggies head coach Billy Gillespie left at the end of the previous season to take up the head coaching position at Kentucky. Another important coaching change came when Bob Huggins left Kansas State after one season to return to his alma mater, West Virginia. Nonetheless, KSU was selected for fourth place in the poll, the school's highest ever selection in the conference pre-season poll. Missouri and Oklahoma tied for fifth place while Oklahoma State and Texas Tech came in seventh and eighth place, respectively. Baylor, Nebraska, Iowa State, and Colorado took the final four spots, respectively. With identical conference records of 13–3, the Texas Longhorns and the Kansas Jayhawks share the 2008 regular season title. Because Texas won the head-to-head game with Kansas, they claim the No. 1 seed for the tournament.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Regular season and tournament seeding
† – Denotes Tournament Champion. *  – Denotes Regular Season Champion1 – Texas Tech and Missouri were invited to the 2008 College Basketball Invitational but declined the offer.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, First round, Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State
James Anderson led the Cowboys with 18 points and eight rebounds, including a crucial 12-foot jump shot with 45 seconds left to increase his team's lead to 73–70. The game was close throughout, with each team holding the lead for a good share of the game. Texas Tech's Alan Voskuil led his team in scoring with 19 points, but as Red Raider's coach Pat Knight said, "We missed eight lay-ups in the second half, missed four out of five free throws. We made a lot of dumb mistakes. It comes from being casual...


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, First round, Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State
It was a hard-fought game offensively and defensively. We just made too many dumb mistakes." Texas Tech had recently suffered a 109–51 loss to Kansas, which set a school record for largest loss deficit. Knight, however, said, "This is probably the most disappointed I've been because this was a game we were in." The Red Raiders briefly took the lead in the second half, but a Byron Eaton three put the Cowboys back in the lead.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, First round, Baylor vs. Colorado
After gaining the lead early, Colorado managed to hold off a 2nd-half Baylor rally, taking the game into overtime twice. With the win, the Buffaloes became the first 12-seed to win a game in the tournament's eleven-year history. The game was also the first double-overtime game in tournament history. Colorado had a 15-point lead in the second half, only to see Baylor go on a 14–1 run to get back in it. With several botched possessions and failed chances to win on both sides, the game went into overtime twice.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, First round, Baylor vs. Colorado
Baylor came within two during the second OT, but Kevin Rogers missed two free throws and Colorado quickly scored. A few late free throws added to the lead and gave CU the win. Baylor (21–10) had just completed one of the best seasons in the school's history, with hopes to gain an invite to the national tournament, but the loss to Colorado placed these hopes in doubt. Colorado shot 72% from the field in the first half, setting another tournament record for field goal percentage in a half.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, First round, Nebraska vs. Missouri
Aleks Maric led Nebraska with 17 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Missouri. Missouri came to within one point with under two minutes left, but series of Nebraska free throws, along with a blocked shot by Maric in the final minute, took Nebraska to the next round. Missouri (16–16) suffered this season after a Columbia fight left one of its star players with a broken jaw. They were ahead near the end of the first half, but the Cornhuskers went on a 10–3 run late and scored at the buzzer to carry the halftime lead, 28–30.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, First round, Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
In a physical game dominated by defensive play, Texas A&M scored their second-ever Big 12 tournament win in history. The Cyclones were held to 27% shooting from the field throughout, and their high-scorer Craig Brackins' 20 points and 12 rebounds were not enough to carry the team. The Aggies made 43% of their field goals, and were led by Donald Sloan, whose mother had died earlier that day, and Dominique Kirk with 12 points each. A&M was sitting on the bubble this year, needing some tournament wins to secure a spot in the NCAA championship tournament.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, First round, Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
With a combined 42 points in the first half, this game had the lowest scoring half in tournament history since 2003. Also, the combined margin of victory for all the tournament's first-round game was 29, the second lowest in history. The only Big 12 tournament with a lower combined margin of victory in the first round was 2006 with 28 points.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, Quarterfinals, Oklahoma State vs. Texas
A late three put the Cowboys ahead at the half, but D. J. Augustin led the Longhorns on a 14–0 run to start the second half, putting OSU far behind. Damion James held the lead in stats for Texas with 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Cowboys, with Ibrahima Thomas' 19 points, had rallied from 7 points behind to gain the lead at halftime, but went the first eight minutes of the second half without a field goal. A late rally pulled them to within three, but Texas managed to hold them off and win by seven.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, Quarterfinals, Colorado vs. Oklahoma
After going scoreless for the first five minutes, Colorado fought back, holding star Sooner forward Blake Griffin to four points and keeping the game close. Other Sooners, such as Tony Crocker, Longar Longar, and Taylor Griffin, managed to make up the difference, scoring a combined 33 points in what was a largely defensive game. Both teams made only about a third of their shots from the field. Colorado's Richard Roby lead both teams in scoring with 18 points, and in rebounds with 10, and he broke a school point record with 2,001 total for his career. However, this along with Colorado's slow play, waiting the shot clock out for each possession, was not enough to keep the Sooners from advancing to meet Texas in the semifinals.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, Quarterfinals, Kansas State vs. Texas A&M
Dominique Kirk hit five 3-pointers and had 19 points, and Josh Carter hit two free throws with 7 seconds left to help Texas A&M hold off third-seeded Kansas State 63–60.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, Quarterfinals, Kansas State vs. Texas A&M
Texas A&M (24–9) shot 50 percent—a huge improvement from its first-round game against Iowa State—and didn’t let anyone besides Michael Beasley do much of anything, winning its second straight conference tournament game after going 1–11 the previous 11 years.


2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Game summaries, Quarterfinals, Kansas State vs. Texas A&M
Beasley had 25 points and nine rebounds, but Bill Walker (10 points) was the only other double-figures scorer for Kansas State (20–11), which still got into the NCAA tournament despite the loss.


2008 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2008 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Bright House Field in Clearwater, FL. This was the twenty fourth annual Big East Conference Baseball Tournament, and second to be held at Bright House Field. The Louisville Cardinals won their first tournament championship and claimed the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. Louisville joined the league prior to the 2006 season.


2008 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The Big East baseball tournament was an 8 team double elimination tournament in 2008. The top eight regular season finishers were seeded one through eight based on conference winning percentage only. The field was divided into two brackets, with the winners of each bracket meeting in a single championship game.


2008 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament, Tournament
† - Indicates game was suspended after seven innings due to 10 run mercy rule. ‡ - Indicates game was suspended after 8 innings due to 10 run mercy rule.


2008 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament, Jack Kaiser Award
Chris Dominguez was the winner of the 2008 Jack Kaiser Award. Dominguez was a sophomore third baseman for Louisville.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, a part of the 2007-08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, took place from March 12–March 15, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Its winner received the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Tournament. It is a single-elimination tournament with four rounds and the four highest seeds received byes in the first round. The 12 Big East teams with the best conference records were invited to participate. Georgetown, the Big East regular season winner, received the number one seed in the tournament.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The first round of the tournament saw no upsets, as each of the higher seeds won their games. However, the second round had three of the four lower seeds winning their games. In the semi-finals, number one seed, Georgetown, easily won, while the seventh seed, Pittsburgh, won in a close game. The two teams played each other for the tournament championship and Pittsburgh was victorious, winning the conference's automatic bid. After the tournament, eight of the teams that participated were invited to the NCAA Tournament. It was Pittsburgh's second Big East Tournament championship.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Before the tournament
Before the beginning of the season the league's coaches voted Georgetown, the 2006-07 Big East regular season and tournament winner, and Louisville to share the conference title. Additionally, it was decided that each team's conference schedule would expand from 16 to 18 games so all of the teams would play each other. Fifteen Big East teams reached the beginning of their conference schedules with winning records, with four teams having only one loss and three others with only two losses.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Before the tournament
The out of conference schedule for the league included four teams playing in the inaugural Big East/SEC Invitational, where they went 3–1, and two teams beating top–10 ranked teams. At the end of conference play, Georgetown, who was ranked tenth in the Coaches Poll, won the regular season title. Six teams ended the season ranked, while eight ended with over 20 wins. The top–12 teams in the standings were invited to the tournament.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament, Seeding
The twelve teams that were invited to the tournament were seeded according to their records:


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament, First round
The first round of the tournament was played on March 12 with each of the higher seeds winning. The day started with Villanova playing Syracuse, in what was called an elimination game for the NCAA Tournament. Although Syracuse held a one-point lead at half-time, Villanova took an early lead in the second half and never trailed again, winning 82–63. In the second game of the day, Providence played West Virginia. The teams both struggled throughout the game with both having scoreless streaks, but West Virginia prevailed in the end to win 58–53.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament, First round
In the third game of the day Cincinnati played Pittsburgh. Although the teams stayed close throughout, Pittsburgh won the game 70–64. In the final game of the day Marquette played Seton Hall. Marquette won the game by holding Seton Hall scoreless through the last five minutes of the game to finish 67–54.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament, Second round
The second round of the tournament was played on March 13, and three of the four lower seeds won their games. The first game of the day featured Villanova facing the number one seed, Georgetown. Despite top-scorer Roy Hibbert not scoring the entire game, Georgetown won the game, 82–63, tying a tournament record with 17 three-point field goals. In the second game West Virginia played Connecticut. Although it was close for the majority of the game, West Virginia's six point half-time lead was enough to win the game, 78–72, the first upset of the tournament.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament, Second round
In the third game Pittsburgh faced Louisville, a team they had knocked out of the tournament the previous two years. Although Pittsburgh had the largest lead in regulation at eight points, the game was tied at the end of the second half and it continued to overtime. Pittsburgh finally pulled away in the overtime period, and won 76–69. In the final game of the round, Marquette played Notre Dame. Notre Dame had a six-point lead at half-time even though conference Player of the Year, Luke Harangody, had only played for seven minutes. However, Marquette's Jerel McNeal, who had 21 points in the team's first win, scored 28 to lead Marquette to an 89–79 victory.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament, Semi-finals
The semi-finals began with top-seed Georgetown facing West Virginia. The game was close early, but five minutes before half-time, Georgetown went on a scoring run and led 33–21 at the half. West Virginia came back and brought their deficit to six points halfway through the second period, however Georgetown never relinquished their lead. Led by Hibbert's 25 points in his double-double, Georgetown won 72–55 to return to the championship game for the second consecutive year. In the second game of the day, Marquette faced Pittsburgh.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament, Semi-finals
Early in the game Pittsburgh took a 12-point lead and kept a double-digit lead throughout the half. Marquette cut their deficit during the second period and had the score within three points with a minute remaining in the game. However, Pittsburgh kept their lead with free throw shooting and won the game 68–61, advancing to the championship game for the seventh time in eight years.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament, Championship game
Pittsburgh faced Georgetown in a repeat of the championship game of the 2007 tournament. Throughout the first half the lead changed hands six times, with Georgetown having the largest lead of six points. Pittsburgh, however, led at half-time by three. Although Georgetown would bring their deficit to two early in the second half, Pittsburgh never relinquished the lead after half-time. Pittsburgh's Sam Young led the team with a double-double to help secure their win, the school's second overall and first for coach Jamie Dixon.


2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament, Awards
After the championship game Sam Young, who led Pittsburgh to the win and led the tournament in scoring with 80 points, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Young was joined by his teammate Levance Fields, Georgetown's Jessie Sapp and Roy Hibbert, West Virginia's Joe Alexander, and Marquette's Jerel McNeal to the All-Tournament Team.