2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Cameroon
Cameroon, the world's fourth largest cocoa producer, saw large scale rioting in late February 2008 in Douala, the country's commercial capital. Protesters were against inflating food and fuel prices, as well as the attempt by President Paul Biya to extend his 25-year rule. Protesters set up barricades, burned tires, and targeted businesses that they believed belonged to the Biya family, high members of the ruling party, the government, or France. It became the first protest in the nation's history in which minute- by-minute events were covered by social media.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Cameroon
By 27 February, a strike was taking place in thirty-one cities, including Yaoundé, Douala, Bamenda, Bafoussam, Buea, Limbe, Tiko, Muea, Mutengene, and Kumba. At least seven people were killed in the worst unrest seen in the country in over fifteen years. This figure was later increased to 24. Youths were mobilized in ways that had not been seen since the days of the villes mortes. Part of the government response to the protests was a reduction in import taxes on foods including rice, flour, and fish. The government reached an agreement with retailers by which prices would be lowered in exchange for the reduced import taxes. As of late April 2008, however, reports suggested that prices had not eased and in some cases had even increased.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Cameroon
On 24 April 2008, the government of Cameroon announced a two-year emergency program designed to double Cameroon's food production and achieve food self-sufficiency.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Côte d'Ivoire
On 31 March, Côte d'Ivoire's capital Abidjan saw police use tear gas and a dozen protesters injured following food riots that gripped the city. The riots followed dramatic hikes in the price of food and fuel, with the price of beef rising from US$1.68 to $2.16 per kilogram, and the price of gasoline rising from $1.44 to $2.04 per liter, in only three days.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Egypt
In Egypt, a boy was killed from a gunshot to the head after Egyptian police intervened in violent demonstrations over rising food prices that gripped the industrial city of Mahalla on 8 April 2008. Large swathes of the population have been hit as food prices, and particularly the price of bread, have doubled over the last several months as a result of producers exploiting a shortage that has existed since 2006 · .


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Ethiopia
Drought and the food price crisis threatened thousands in Ethiopia.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Haiti
On 12 April 2008, the Haitian Senate voted to dismiss Prime Minister Jacques-Édouard Alexis after violent food riots hit the country. The food riots caused the death of five people. Prices for food items such as rice, beans, fruit and condensed milk have gone up 50 percent in Haiti since late 2007 while the price of fuel has tripled in only two months. Riots broke out in April due to the high prices, and the government had been attempting to restore order by subsidizing a 15 percent reduction in the price of rice. As of February 2010, post-earthquake Port-au-Prince is almost entirely reliant on foreign food aid, some of which ends up in the black markets.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, India
India has banned the export of rice except for basmati which attracts a premium price.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, India
The ban has since been removed, and India now exports a variety of rice.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Indonesia
Street protests over the price of food took place in Indonesia where food staples and gasoline have nearly doubled in price since January 2008.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Latin America
In April 2008, the Latin American members of the United Nations' FAO met in Brasília to confront the issues of high food prices, scarcities and violence that affect the region.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Mexico
The President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, with industry representatives and members of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin), agreed to freeze prices of more than 150 consumer staples, such as coffee, sardines, tuna, oil, soup or tea, among others, until the end of December 2008. The measure was carried out in an attempt to control inflation, which stood at an annual rate of 4.95%, the highest increase since December 2004.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Mexico
Mexican baking company Grupo Bimbo's CEO, Daniel Servitje, announced in the 19th Plenary Meeting of the Mexico–China Business Committee that Bimbo agreed to freeze their product prices, despite a 20% rise in production costs. Bimbo is one of the most important baking companies worldwide, having recently expanded to China. Bimbo has also acquired five bakeries in the United States and Canada.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Mozambique
In mid February, rioting that started in the Mozambican rural town of Chokwe and then spread to the capital, Maputo, has resulted in at least four deaths. The riots were reported in the media to have been, at least in part, over food prices and were termed "food riots". A biofuel advocacy publication, however, claimed that these were, in fact, "fuel riots", limited to the rise in the cost of diesel, and argued that the "food riot" characterization worked to fan "anti-biofuels sentiment".


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Pakistan
The Pakistan Army has been deployed to avoid the seizure of food from fields and warehouses. This hasn't stopped the food prices from increasing. The new government has been blamed for not managing the countries food stockpiles properly.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Myanmar
Once the world's top rice producer, has produced enough rice to feed itself until now. Rice exports dropped over four decades from nearly 4 million tons to only about 40,000 tons last year, mostly due to neglect by Myanmar's ruling generals of infrastructure, including irrigation and warehousing. On 3 May 2008 Cyclone Nargis stripped Myanmar's rice-growing districts, ruining large areas with salt water. U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that these areas produce 65 percent of Myanmar's rice. Worries of long-term food shortages and rationing are rife.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Myanmar
The military regime says nothing about the rice crisis, but continues to export rice at the same rate. "...at least the next two harvests are going to be greatly affected and there'll be virtually no output from those areas during that time. So we're likely to see considerable food and rice shortages for the next couple of years. The damage to the economy is going to be profound." said economist and Myanmar expert Sean Turnell, of Australia's Macquarie University. (interviewed in "The Irriwaddy", Tuesday, 27 May 2008)


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Panama
In Panama, in response to higher rice prices the government began buying rice at the high market price and selling rice to the public at a lower subsidized price at food kiosks.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Philippines
In the Philippines, the Arroyo government insisted on 13 April that there would be no food riots in the country and that there could be no comparison with Haiti's situation. Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, Sergio Apostol stated that: "Haiti is not trying to solve the problem, while we are doing something to address the issue. We don't have a food shortage. So, no comparison..." Comments by the Justice Secretary, Raul Gonzalez, the following day, that food riots are not far fetched, were quickly rebuked by the rest of the government.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Philippines
On 15 April, the Philippines, the world's largest rice importer, urged China, Japan, and other key Asian nations, to convene an emergency meeting, especially taking issue with those countries' rice export bans. "Free trade should be flowing", Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap stated. In late April 2008, the Philippines government requested that the World Bank exert pressure on rice exporting countries to end export restrictions.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Russia
The Russian government pressured retailers to freeze food prices before key elections for fear of a public backlash against the rising cost of food in October 2007. The freeze ended on 1 May 2008.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Senegal
On 31 March 2008, Senegal had riots in response to the rise in the price of food and fuel. Twenty-four people were arrested and detained in a response that one local human rights group claimed included "torture" and other "unspeakable acts" on the part of the security forces. Further protests took place in Dakar on 26 April 2008.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Somalia
Riots in Somalia occurred on 5 May 2008 over the price of food, in which five protesters were killed. The protests occurred amid a serious humanitarian emergency due to the Ethiopian war in Somalia.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Tajikistan
In 2008, The Christian Science Monitor, neweurasia, and other media observers predicted that a nascent hunger crisis would erupt into a full famine as a consequence of energy shortages at the time. UN experts announced on 10 October that almost one-third of Tajikistan's 6.7 million inhabitants were at risk of running out of food during the winter of 2008–09.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Unrest and government actions in individual countries and regions, Yemen
Food riots in southern Yemen that began in late March and continued through early April, saw police stations torched, and roadblocks were set up by armed protesters. The army has deployed tanks and other military vehicles. Although the riots involved thousands of demonstrators over several days and over 100 arrests, officials claimed no fatalities; residents, however, claimed that at least one of the fourteen wounded people has died.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Projections and early mitigation efforts
The FAO released a study in December 2007 projecting a 49 percent increase in African cereal prices, and 53 percent in European prices, through July 2008. In April 2008, the World Bank, in combination with the International Monetary Fund, announced a series of measures aimed at mitigating the crisis, including increased loans to African farmers and emergency monetary aid to badly affected areas such as Haiti. According to FAO director Jacques Diouf, however, the World Food Programme needed an immediate cash injection of at least $1700 million, far more than the tens of million-worth in measures already pledged.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Projections and early mitigation efforts
On 28 April 2008, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon established a Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis  under his chairmanship and composed of the heads of the United Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes, Bretton Woods institutions and relevant parts of the UN Secretariat to co-ordinate efforts to alleviate the crisis.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, After the crisis
2013 research concluded that the spike was the result of an unusual combination of circumstances and prices in the future will be higher than before the spike, depending on oil prices, climate change, and future diets. WDM noted in 2010 that after the spike in prices in 2008, prices of wheat, maize and rice lowered but were still higher than before the crisis. The impacts of the spike on poor people were concentrated in low-income countries and may have been less severe than once thought, thanks to rising rural wages in some countries. The researchers called on developing countries to ensure good data on the key indicators of distress and to strengthen social protection, and on those involved in international development to continue increasing focus on reducing child malnutrition and stimulating agricultural development.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Actions by governments
IFAD is making up to US$200 million available to support poor farmers boost food production in face of the global food crisis.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Actions by governments
On 2 May 2008, US President George W. Bush said he was asking Congress to approve an extra $770 million funding for international food aid. On 16 October 2008, in a speech at a United Nations gathering on World Food Day, former US president Bill Clinton criticized the bipartisan coalition in Congress that blocked efforts to make some aid donations in cash rather than in food. Referring in part to policies that had pressured African governments to reduce subsidies for fertilizer and other agricultural inputs, Clinton also said:


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Actions by governments
We need the World Bank, the IMF, all the big foundations, and all the governments to admit that, for 30 years, we all blew it, including me when I was President. We were wrong to believe that food was like some other product in international trade, and we all have to go back to a more responsible and sustainable form of agriculture.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Actions by governments
The release of Japan's rice reserves onto the market may bring the rice price down significantly. As of 16 May, anticipation of the move had already lowered prices by 14% in a single week.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Actions by governments
On 30 April 2008 Thailand announced the creation of the Organization of Rice Exporting Countries (OREC) with the potential to develop a price-fixing cartel for rice.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Actions by governments
In June 2008 the FAO hosted a High-Level Conference on World Food Security, in which $1.2 billion in food aid was committed for the 75 million people in 60 countries hardest hit by rising food prices.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Actions by governments
In June 2008, a sustained commitment from the G8 was called for by some humanitarian organizations.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Food price decreases
In December 2008, the global economic slowdown, decreasing oil prices, and speculation of decreased demand for commodities worldwide brought about sharp decreases in the price of staple crops from their earlier highs. Corn prices on the Chicago Board of Trade dropped from US$7.99 per bushel in June to US$3.74 per bushel in mid-December; wheat and rice prices experienced similar decreases. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, however, warned against "a false sense of security", noting that the credit crisis could cause farmers to reduce plantings. FAO convened a World Summit on Food Security at its headquarters in Rome in November 2008, noting that food prices remained high in developing countries and that the global food security situation has worsened.


2007–2008 world food price crisis, Food price decreases
By early 2011, food prices had risen again to surpass the record highs of 2008. Some commentators saw this as the resumption of the price spike seen in 2007–08. Prices had dropped after good weather helped increase grain yields while demand had dropped due to the recession.


2007–2009 ICC World Cricket League
A series of six ICC World Cricket League (WCL) tournaments, as well as a series of pre-qualifying regional tournaments, and the 2009 Cricket World Cup Qualifier were played between January 2007 and April 2009. It was the first use of the World Cricket League structure. Through the WCL tournaments, teams could advance to the World Cup Qualifier, which could lead to qualification for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. 30 Associate and Affiliate members of the ICC participated in the events.


2007–2009 ICC World Cricket League
The Afghanistan national cricket team ascended from Division Five to Division One by winning three of these tournaments and performing well in the World Cup Qualifier.


2007–2009 ICC World Cricket League, Structure
The league structure was organised with the five global divisions. The regional tournaments were administered by the five Development Regions of the International Cricket Council: Africa, Americas, Asia, East Asia-Pacific, and Europe.


2007–2009 ICC World Cricket League, Structure, Summary
The following is the summary of World Cricket League and its structure. This was followed by the International Cricket Council.


2007–2009 ICC World Cricket League, Structure, Summary
The above diagram shows the chronological order and structure of the divisions within the World Cricket League. From left to right the chronology of the divisions is indicated; from top to bottom the hierarchy within the competition. The arrows indicate the number of teams promoted and relegated between leagues


2007–2009 International Challenge Trophy
The 2007–09 International Challenge Trophy was the second edition of the International Challenge Trophy. It was contested by eight teams which were divided into two groups of four. The two group winners  - Belgium U-21 and England C qualified for the final. Belgium U-21 won the competition after beating England C 2-0 in the final.


2007–2009 university protests in France
This article is about the university strike movement in France during 2007 and 2009. Since Valérie Pécresse was appointed Minister for Higher Education and Research, the mood had been tense in the French university system. Several reform projects had led to protest movements, including that of 2009, the longest-lasting yet since 1968, still on-going after several months. It had put a heavy strain on France's political environment, even within the leading UMP party, and led to a reconsideration of the Bologna process within intellectual circles. A similar movement has simultaneously taken place in Spain.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, The LRU law
Shortly after Valérie Pécresse was appointed Minister for Higher Education and Research, she announced the launch of a reform that President Nicolas Sarkozy had evoked in his election program: the so-called Law for the Freedom and Responsibility of Universities ("Liberté et Responsabilité des Universités") – shortened as "LRU law" – aimed at  radically renewing French universities.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, The LRU law
Under this legislation, budgets would no longer be allocated to individual university departments directly by the Ministry. Instead, universities would receive a lump sum, and the academic committee would then choose how to allocate funding to different departments and projects. This would also lead to an alteration in the rules regulating the committee's decisions, and the establishment of a majority voting system in both teacher categories (lecturers and professors). The Chancellor of the university would take personal responsibility for overseeing this new structure.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, The LRU law
The purpose of the LRU law is to bring universities into line with European and Anglo-Saxon standards, in accordance with the Bologna process. With reduced bureaucracy, universities would be allowed more personal initiative. Furthermore, the draft law would enable Chancellors to enter into partnerships with private companies, thereby mobilising further funding for research.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, The LRU law
However, given that President Sarkozy has drastically reduced public spending and official posts in the public sector as part of the fundamental basis for his financial policy, enemies of the draft law consider it would lead to the neglect of universities by the State and ultimately possible privatization. The contempt displayed by Nicolas Sarkozy during his election campaign speeches when referring to humanities courses, in particular, appeared to confirm this impression, and the opposition found strong support within the Arts and Humanities faculties, whose fear of extensive neglect is equal to their lack of profitability. This is why opponents of the draft law have spoken of a "mix of feudalism (with the increase power of university management) and neoliberalism". The government, however, has argued that this is a "necessary modernization".


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, The LRU law
Initially, however, the opposition suffered a severe setback when the social-democratic student's union UNEF expressed its approval of the proposed law, once the idea of a Numerus Clausus for the Master's course had been abandoned. The law was passed by parliament during a special sitting in July, and signed into law by Nicolas Sarkozy in August (i.e. during the parliamentary recess). In October, a protest movement began in several universities, mostly in the Humanities Departments, and UNEF briefly became involved, but following the promise of the introduction of a support plan ("Plan Campus") this came to an end.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Spring and Summer 2008
Disapproval increased when Valérie Pécresse presented her plan for restructuring research. In France, the National Centre for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS) plays an essential role in research. The CNRS has its own budget, but also collaborates with lecturers and professors working in the Mixed Research Units (Unités Mixtes de Recherche UMR). Despite relatively low levels of State investment, this system ranks sixth in the world according to the Shanghai Ranking (universities receive much lower marks, which has led to sharp criticism within the university community of the Ranking's impartiality and methods).


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Spring and Summer 2008
The creation of the National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche ANR), the introduction of funding for individual projects, and the restructuring of the CNRS into several specialized institutes has led to suggestions of a potential fragmentation of public means, and all the more so since Minister Valérie Pécresse suggested promoting partnerships with private sector companies, and creating special lecturer and professor posts ("Chaires d'excellence"). Research funding which is not dependent on the ANR would also be included in each university's lump sum allocation, thereby strengthening the power of both Chancellors and the Mandarins.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Spring and Summer 2008
All this generated widespread support for anti-LRU lists at university committee elections held at the beginning of 2008. The defeat of Jean-Robert Pitte, the incumbent Sorbonne-university (Paris IV) Chancellor, thought of as a liberal-conservative, was a symbol of this dissatisfaction. A geography scholar and UMP sympathizer, he was beaten by a left-wing coalition, led by his predecessor, the Romance studies scholar Georges Molinié. In the course of 2008, anti-LRU lists became increasingly successful.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Autumn 2008: the reform draft laws on teacher training and the status of doctoral candidates and university lecturers
Within the space of a few weeks, three reforms were introduced, all of which helped to spark off a brewing crisis. None of these projects had involved negotiations or discussions with any representatives of the academic community. Education Minister Xavier Darcos, who was already caught in an impasse following the failed introduction of a reform for secondary schools (ultimately shelved), presented a plan in October that would affect the training of primary and secondary school teachers. Until that point, teachers had enjoyed the status of public servants.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Autumn 2008: the reform draft laws on teacher training and the status of doctoral candidates and university lecturers
They first had to successfully pass a national exam with entry quotas (numerus clauses), after which they spent a year in a university teacher training institute (Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres IUFM) with numerous work placements, and finally became fully qualified teachers. There were two such exams: the CAPES (following a bachelor's degree, or more often a Master's) and the Agrégation, following a master's degree and an additional preparatory year. Those who passed the Agrégation had a direct route into Higher Education teaching. Most university lecturers, especially in humanities departments, are former Agrégés who have been awarded a doctorate.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Autumn 2008: the reform draft laws on teacher training and the status of doctoral candidates and university lecturers
Following the reform, they would have to take a master's degree in theory of education (Master Enseignement). Preparation for the exam would then become part of the second year's syllabus, during which there would also be work placements, in order for teachers to access teaching posts immediately after qualifying. However, the technical implementation of this plan has proved to be extremely complex, and opponents have stressed the fact that there would be many more candidates than work placements on offer.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Autumn 2008: the reform draft laws on teacher training and the status of doctoral candidates and university lecturers
Moreover, the training they would receive in their original area of interest would suffer, since the hours of educational theory and exam preparation would leave less time available time for the coursework for the master's degree. Union members denounced the draft law as an attack against teachers' status as public servants and stated that Graduate students who failed the numerus clausus would then become "crowds of precariously employed teachers without any status". The academic community had already begun fighting this proposal, which they saw as threatening the status of French teachers. Meanwhile, Valérie Pécresse unveiled her own proposals.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Autumn 2008: the reform draft laws on teacher training and the status of doctoral candidates and university lecturers
The Minister for Higher Education's two proposals relate to the status of university lecturers and doctoral candidates. For doctoral candidates, a "general doctoral contract" ("Contrat doctoral unique") would be introduced. Without this, it would become impossible to obtain a doctorate at a French university. It would therefore become much more difficult for secondary school teachers to become university lecturers. Moreover, the draft law also included a possible obligation for doctoral candidates to perform additional duties (mostly administrative tasks), without further gain, while new contracts would facilitate the introduction of trial periods, thereby allowing university chancellors to dismiss doctoral candidates more easily.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Autumn 2008: the reform draft laws on teacher training and the status of doctoral candidates and university lecturers
The draft law on university lecturers amended the distinction between research and teaching hours. Until now, they had been viewed as equivalent, but following the reform it would become easier for university chancellors to allocate more teaching hours to poorly rated lecturers and less time for research. The evaluation of lecturers' performance would depend on the Committee. The reform of teacher training would therefore introduce another level of exclusion for teaching and research.


2007–2009 university protests in France, What instigated the strike movement?, Autumn 2008: the reform draft laws on teacher training and the status of doctoral candidates and university lecturers
Added to this was the experience of the few universities who did adopt the LRU-status on 1 January 2009, and suffered cuts in posts and funding which caused them severe problems.


2007–2009 university protests in France, Nicolas Sarkozy's 22 January 2009 speech & the outbreak of the strike, The Speech
On the 22 January, Nicolas Sarkozy gave a speech in the presence of the youngest Nobel laureate, physics researcher Albert Fert. He referred to him as exceptional in France's scientific landscape, and expressed his disapproval of most researchers, who despite not inconsiderable means, failed to achieve any significant results. He also made several mocking references to researchers.


2007–2009 university protests in France, Nicolas Sarkozy's 22 January 2009 speech & the outbreak of the strike, The Speech
This speech was seen as a provocation, and the refusal of Minister Valérie Pécresse to revise her proposals increased tensions yet further: academic unions and many associations all called for a strike and requested that their colleagues not prepare a syllabus for the master's degree in Theory of Education before a meeting was held with the Ministry on 15 March.


2007–2009 university protests in France, Nicolas Sarkozy's 22 January 2009 speech & the outbreak of the strike, The Speech
On 2 February, many General Assemblies were held and the decision was made to strike. On 9 February, the date of the start of the summer semester at the Sorbonne, a General Assembly was held. This was unexpectedly successful and led to the opening of three lecture halls for the debates. Ultimately, Chancellors from eight universities made numerous speeches in the famous Richelieu Amphitheatre and called for a strike until the withdrawal of all the proposed changes and the opening of joint negotiations on the future of the universities. In his address, Georges Molinié spoke of the "most dangerous threat to the French educational system since the end of the Vichy-regime".


2007–2009 university protests in France, Nicolas Sarkozy's 22 January 2009 speech & the outbreak of the strike, Forms of action
Since 10 February, there has been a demonstration day every week. Although the numbers reported by police and union supporters have been very different, journalists have unanimously reported the presence of several tens of thousands of demonstrators. On 29 January and 19 March, researchers, lecturers and students played a massive part in the demonstrations held during both general strikes, that brought over 3 million people into the streets.


2007–2009 university protests in France, Nicolas Sarkozy's 22 January 2009 speech & the outbreak of the strike, Forms of action
Lectures have been severely affected by the strike movement: some teachers hold lectures in public places as a form of demonstration, others are on total strike, while some continue to work normally, apart from those days when demonstrations are held. Here and there, there have been blockades which have occasionally lasted for several weeks. There have been several attempts to occupy premises like the Sorbonne, but these have so far failed, the demonstrators having been surrounded by the Police. Another form of action is the multiplication of festivals, conferences, alternative lessons and public events. A typical form of action was the symbolic burial of research in a symbolic place, the Ecole Normale Supérieure, for instance. This type of action is very prevalent in Parisian universities, especially Paris III and Paris IV (a Sorbonne-Festival took place at the end of March over several days).


2007–2009 university protests in France, Nicolas Sarkozy's 22 January 2009 speech & the outbreak of the strike, Forms of action
The movement's symbol is the novel "The Princess of Cleves" by Madame de La Fayette, a French 17th century novel, considered a masterpiece of gallantry and classicism, and one that Sarkozy has often mocked, saying that this kind of book had nothing to offer a clerk for instance, and that only "sadists and idiots"  would recommend this book. On 16 February, teachers and students read the book aloud in turn in front of the Panthéon. The reading lasted for 6 hours.


2007–2009 university protests in France, Nicolas Sarkozy's 22 January 2009 speech & the outbreak of the strike, Political developments
After a week, several UMP members of parliament, including university chancellor Daniel Fasquelle and Pécresse's predecessor François Goulard, began criticising the ministry's position. They wanted to rewrite the draft law on lecturers' status, in order to bring the strike to an end. Pécesse started by appointing a mediator, and then gave way. But her decision came too late: only a few of the smaller unions took part in the negotiations, were unhappy with the compromise, and confirmed their protest against the other draft laws.


2007–2009 university protests in France, Nicolas Sarkozy's 22 January 2009 speech & the outbreak of the strike, Political developments
In the meantime, the link became clear between the draft laws on the status of lecturers and doctoral candidates and the LRU law, and the strike movement, despite its only moderate power, now demanded the abrogation of the law. No part of the draft law concerning doctoral candidates has been changed to this day.


2007–2009 university protests in France, Nicolas Sarkozy's 22 January 2009 speech & the outbreak of the strike, Political developments
As far as Xavier Darcos is concerned, he has refused to change his plan. His brusque statements have contributed to the intensification of the opposition, and this led him to delay implementation for a year. The new exams will now only begin in July 2011. But this decision and his other resolutions on the exams or the work placements have only answered problems of a technical nature, while the opposition rejects the principle of a separation between research and the Master's training course, as well as the destruction of the IUFMs.


2007–2009 university protests in France, Participants of the opposition movement
The movement has been led by an assembly of delegates from different universities, the Coordination Nationale des Universités. They constitute a front of two left-wing forces, together with groups from the centre and right-wing. This broad consensus is one strength of the movement. Its major strength is its duration. The supporters of the strike movement are:


2007–2011
2007–2011 is an compilation album by P.S. Eliot released in 2016 on Don Giovanni Records. It compiles every song recorded and released by the band during their time together along with previously unreleased demo versions.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis
The 2007–2011 Belgian political crisis was a period of tense communal relations and political instability in Belgium, which was rooted in the differing opinions on state reform, and in the continued existence of the controversial electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde (BHV). Parties from the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community are in general strongly in favour for a devolution of powers to the communities and regions, and the splitting of the unconstitutional BHV district, while French-speaking French Community of Belgium is generally in favour of retaining the status quo.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis
After the 2010 elections, the topics of public debt, deficit cuts and socio-economic reform were added to the debate, with most Flemish parties in favour of finding money by strongly reducing spending, whilst the proposals supported by most French-speaking parties also included a significant raise in taxes. The crisis came to an end in December 2011 with the inauguration of a new federal government which agreed on partition of the BHV district and on policies aimed at tackling the economic downturn. The country's continuing linguistic divide played a large part in the crisis. Several times during the period Belgium was threatened to be split up amid rising Flemish separatism.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis
The crisis broke out in the summer of 2007, following the electoral victory of the alliance of the Flemish Christian Democrats and the New Flemish Alliance, who supported a wide-reaching state reform and the immediate split of BHV. After 194 days of often heated negotiations, parties finally succeeded in forming a new government. In December 2008, another crisis related to the Fortis case, erupted, again destabilising the country and resulting in the resignation of Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme. The new Herman Van Rompuy-led government brought a brief period of fragile stability, but ended when Van Rompuy left his office to become the first full-term President of the European Council. The succeeding Leterme II Government fell in April 2010 over the lack of progress on resolving the BHV issue.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis
New elections were held in June 2010, where the separatist and conservative New Flemish Alliance won a landslide victory in Flanders, while the pro-unity Socialist Party won the elections in French-speaking Belgium. Due to the major differences between the two winning parties on a community and social-economic level, government negotiations and formation took a total of 541 days, breaking the world government formation record of 249 days, previously set by Iraq in 2010 as well as the ten months record set by Lebanon in 2014.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis
On 13 September 2011 it was reported that Leterme aimed to take up a new job as deputy secretary general of the OECD in 2012, although that it seemed to be unlikely at that time that he'd leave the post as the head of the caretaker government before the end of the year. However, a new government was sworn in on 6 December 2011 with Elio Di Rupo as Prime Minister.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Federal elections
Of the Flemish parties, the alliance of Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) and the New-Flemish Alliance (N-VA) received an increased share of the vote from the previous election, held in 2003. The CD&V/N-VA list was headed by Yves Leterme, and became the largest political formation in Belgium, thus leading the coalition talks for a new government. The list campaigned heavily on the need for a far-reaching reform of the Belgian state.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Federal elections
In French-speaking Belgium, the liberal Reformist Movement managed to defeat the long-dominant Socialist Party (PS), although the PS remained strong.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Formation negotiations
After the election, a Christian democratic and liberal coalition was proposed. Because of the differing views on the need for a state reform on both sides of the language border, it took the parties 196 days, i.e. over 6 months, following the election, to form an interim government. That set a record as the longest Belgian government formation, one that has since been broken by the 2010 formation.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Verhofstadt III
On 17 December 2007, incumbent Prime Minister of Belgium Guy Verhofstadt was asked by the King of the Belgians Albert II to start the formation of an interim government that would last until 23 March 2008, when Leterme would take over. Belgium's political uncertainty intensified when Yves Leterme was hospitalised in February 2008. He remained in the hospital for several days but it was soon made clear that his health would not prevent him from assuming premiership.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Verhofstadt III
A first preliminary deal was reached on 25 February 2008. It was agreed that some powers over industrial policy and housing would be transferred from the federal government to the regions. Measures would also be taken to strengthen inter-region cooperation; a second package of devolution changes would then be passed before the summer recess.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Leterme I
An official coalition agreement was signed on 18 March 2008. Yves Leterme was sworn in on 20 March 2008. In the late hours of 14 July 2008, after months of negotiations regarding the constitutional reform and electoral arrondissement Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde failed and with the deadline of 15 July 2008 within reach, Leterme offered the resignation of his cabinet to King Albert II. After a series of consultations, King Albert II decided to reject Prime Minister Leterme's resignation on 17 July.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Leterme I
The royal palace said that the King had asked two senior French-speaking politicians, Ministers of State François-Xavier de Donnea (MR) and Raymond Langendries (CdH), and the Minister-President of the German-speaking Community, Karl-Heinz Lambertz (SP), to establish how to start talks about institutional reform. They reported back to the King on 19 September 2008 with a one-page report so that neither of the communities would back out of the negotiations. Only a few hours later, Didier Reynders angered the Dutch-speaking politicians with controversial statements and so sparked a crisis within the Flemish government.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Leterme I
On 21 September 2008, the N-VA withdrew its parliamentary support for the federal government, saying that the 15-month-long negotiations had failed to result in state reform. The withdrawal of support plunged the country into another crisis. Under pressure of the socialist and liberal coalition partners, the only N-VA minister in the Flemish government (Geert Bourgeois) resigned his post.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Leterme I
On 19 December 2008, Leterme again offered the resignation of the government to the king, who accepted the offer on 22 December. The resignation was offered after news broke out that the government had tried to intervene in the verdict of the Fortis case.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Van Rompuy I
After the resignation of Leterme and his cabinet, the King consulted various dignitaries and party leaders. He then appointed Wilfried Martens, a former prime minister and president of the European People's Party, to consult the various political parties and pave the way to a new "emergency" cabinet. The general consensus is that a government should run until the regional and European Parliament elections in June 2009 or, if possible, until the next federal election in 2011. On 28 December, King Albert II gave Herman Van Rompuy the task of forming a new government, which would include the current ruling parties. Van Rompuy and his government were sworn in on 30 December 2008.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2007 federal elections and aftermath, Leterme II
On 24 April 2010, the government of Yves Leterme (who had replaced Van Rompuy again when Van Rompuy became President of the European Council) fell over the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde issue.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2010 federal elections and aftermath, Federal elections
An early election was held on 13 June 2010, resulting in the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) winning most votes in the Flemish-speaking areas and the Socialist Party (PS) in French-speaking Belgium. Nationally the two parties were almost even with 27 seats for the N-VA and 26 for the PS, the remaining seats being split between ten other parties. Until 541 days after the elections, no agreement could be reached among the parties on a coalition to form a new government and during that period the country continued to be governed by an interim government. On 6 December 2011 the Di Rupo I Government was sworn in.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2010 federal elections and aftermath, Formation negotiators
The various political parties had not succeeded in forming a new government for 541 days, which broke the 2007 record of the longest period without a government. During that period several people had made failed attempts to create an agreement, until Elio Di Rupo finally succeeded (in chronological order and all appointed by the King):


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2010 federal elections and aftermath, Provisions and speculation on the possible partition of Belgium
Towards the end of July 2011, as government formation had been dragging on for over a year, party leaders of the separatist Walloon Rally (which does not have any seats in parliament) have had talks with the Union for a Popular Movement party of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the French Socialists. These talks resulted in that, in the event of the split with Flanders, Wallonia could become the 28th region of France. A poll of the French daily newspaper Le Figaro suggests that around half of Walloons and around 66% of French Republic citizens favour this plan.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2010 federal elections and aftermath, Provisions and speculation on the possible partition of Belgium
The Belgian minister for Climate and Energy, Paul Magnette, also suggested to incorporate Wallonia into Germany instead of France if the crisis in Belgium were to escalate. Although over 71,000 people on the Walloon-German border speak German as their first language, the vast majority of Walloons are French speakers. Thus arises the possibility that, if Wallonia had become part of France, the German-speaking towns might have been absorbed by Germany.


2007–2011 Belgian political crisis, 2010 federal elections and aftermath, Impact
A 2019 study found that the government formation deadlock did not harm economic growth in Belgium.


2008
2008 (MMVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2008th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 8th  year of the 3rd millennium, the 8th  year of the 21st century, and the  9th   year of the 2000s decade.


2008 1. deild karla
The 2008 season of 1. deild karla was the 54th season of second-tier football in Iceland.


2008 10,000 Lakes Festival
The 2008 10,000 Lakes Festival was held July 23 through July 26.


2008 1000 Guineas
The 2008 1000 Guineas Stakes was a horse race held at Newmarket Racecourse on Sunday 4 May 2008. It was the 195th running of the 1000 Guineas.


2008 1000 Guineas
The winner was Stefan Friborg's Natagora, a French-bred grey filly trained at Chantilly by Pascal Bary and ridden by Christophe Lemaire. Natagora's victory was the first in the race for her owner, trainer and jockey.


2008 1000 Guineas, The contenders
The race attracted a field of fifteen runners, ten trained in the United Kingdom, four in Ireland and one in France. The favourite was the French challenger Natagora who had been named European Champion Two-year old Filly in 2007 when she had won the Prix Robert Papin in France and the Cheveley Park Stakes in England.


2008 1000 Guineas, The contenders
The Ballydoyle stable had two representatives in Kitty Matcham, the winner of the Rockfel Stakes and Savethisdanceforme, whilst the other two Irish runners were the dual Group One winner Saoirse Abu (Phoenix Stakes, Moyglare Stud Stakes) and the Curragh maiden race winner Lush Lashes, neither of whom were fancied in the betting. The leading British-trained runners appeared to be two fillies bred and owned by the Cheveley Park Stud: the Nell Gwyn Stakes winner Infallible, and Spacious, the winner of the May Hill Stakes. The most fancied of the other fillies was the John Dunlop-trained Muthabara, the undefeated winner of the Fred Darling Stakes. Natagora headed the betting at odds of 11/4 ahead of Infallible (7/2) and Spacious (11/2) with Muthabara and Kitty Matcham on 8/1.


2008 1000 Guineas, The race
The 80/1 outsider Francesca d'Gorgio, who had been unruly in the starting stalls broke quickly and led two furlongs but was overtaken by Natagora. Most of the fillies raced up the stands side (the left of the course from the jockeys' viewpoint) with Natagora racing along the stands rail. The favourite set the pace from Muthabara with Infallible, Saoirse Abu, Lady Deauville and Laureldene Gale close behind. Natagora began to come under pressure a furlong from the finish, at which point several fillies, including Spacious, Nahoodh and Lush Lashes began to make progress. In the closing stages Natagora ran on to win by half a length from Spacious, with Saoirse Abu a further half length away in third. Infallible, Nahoodh, Lush Lashes, Royal Confidence and Muthabara came next, with less than three and a half lengths separating the first eight finishers.


2008 1000 km of Catalunya
The 2008 1000 km of Catalunya was the opening round of the 2008 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain, on 6 April 2008.


2008 1000 km of Catalunya, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2008 1000 km of Monza
The 2008 1000 km of Monza was the second round of the 2008 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy, on 27 April 2008. This event was the last.


2008 1000 km of Monza
Monégasque driver Stéphane Ortelli was injured in an incident during the race in which his Oreca-Courage Le Mans prototype became airborne in the first chicane. The car flipped several times, and Ortelli suffered a broken ankle. Ortelli's car narrowly missed hitting the #1 Audi R10 driven by Allan McNish. McNish had to weave his way through the debris of the crash.


2008 1000 km of Monza, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2008 1000 km of Monza, Race results
† - #76 IMSA Performance Matmut was disqualified after failing post-race technical inspection. The car's airbox was found to be outside the regulations.


2008 1000 km of Nürburgring
The 2008 1000 km of Nürburgring was the fourth round of the 2008 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Nürburgring, Germany, on 17 August 2008.


2008 1000 km of Nürburgring, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2008 1000 km of Nürburgring, Race results
† - Both #6 Team Oreca-Matmut and #21 Epsilon Euskadi failed to complete the final lap of the race, therefore they are not classified in the final results.


2008 1000 km of Silverstone
The 2008 Autosport 1000 km of Silverstone was the fifth and final round of the 2008 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Silverstone Circuit, Great Britain, on 14 September 2008. The race was attended by a record crowd of 53,000 spectators.


2008 1000 km of Silverstone
Although Audi scored their first and only win of the season, an accident involving the then championship-leading Peugeots allowed Audi to win the Teams, Constructors, and Drivers Championships in the LMP1 category. Luc Alphand's team won the GT1 championship by merely finishing the event, and Virgo Motorsports and driver Rob Bell secured their second consecutive GT2 championship with a class victory.


2008 1000 km of Silverstone
This was the first time in Le Mans Series history that none of the Peugeot 908s finished in the podium spots as well as in the top eight points positions (#8 finished 19th overall and 11th in LMP1; #7 did not finish at 44th overall and 15th (last) in class), which helped Audi to take the championship. The only other time that the Peugeot 908 did not finish in the podium was in the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier this year, when the lone 908 finished 11th overall and almost finished in the podium at 4th behind the two Audis and an Intersport Lola-AER.


2008 1000 km of Silverstone, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2008 1000 km of Spa
The 2008 1000 km of Spa was the third round of the 2008 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on 11 May 2008.


2008 1000 km of Spa
This race marked the first international victory for Canadian Jacques Villeneuve since the Formula One Luxembourg Grand Prix in 1997.


2008 1000 km of Spa, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of their Class winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2008 1000 km of Spa, Race results
Both the #17 Pescarolo and #33 Speedy Sebah entries failed to complete the final lap of the race. Both cars were therefore not classified in the final results even though they had covered sufficient distance.


2008 12 Hours of Sebring
The 2008 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida was the 56th running of this event and the opening round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at Sebring International Raceway, Florida on March 15, 2008. Porsche was able to defeat Audi, marking the first loss for Audi at Sebring since 1999, while Porsche marks its first overall win at Sebring since 1988, the 20th anniversary since its last win.


2008 12 Hours of Sebring
The Porsche's win was also the first time in 14 years that the non-premier class of the race won the 12 Hours of Sebring overall, and the third time in history; it was also the first time an LMP2 car won the 12 Hours of Sebring since the race has become a part of the ALMS. The last time that the non-premier class won overall in Sebring was 1994, when Clayton Cunningham Racing, participating in the 1994 IMSA GT Championship season as a GTS-class entry, defeated the flagship World Sports Cars in a Nissan 300ZX.


2008 12 Hours of Sebring, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2008 12 Hours of Sebring, Race results
† - #15 Fernández Racing was disqualified from the race results after the car failed post-race inspection. The car's airbox was found to have been broken, allowing an excess of air into the engine.


2008 2. deild karla
The 2008 season of 2. deild karla was the 43rd season of third-tier football in Iceland.


2008 2. divisjon
The 2008 2. divisjon season was the third highest association football league for men in Norway.


2008 2. divisjon
26 games were played in 4 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Mjøndalen, Skeid, Stavanger and Tromsdalen were promoted to the First Division. Number twelve, thirteen and fourteen were relegated to the 3. divisjon, except for the two number twelve teams with the most points. The winning teams from each of the 24 groups in the 3. divisjon each faced a winning team from another group in a playoff match, resulting in 12 playoff winners which were promoted to the 2. divisjon.


2008 24 Hours of Daytona
The 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona was the first round of the 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series season and the 46th running of the 24 Hours of Daytona. It took place at Daytona International Speedway between January 26–27, 2008.


2008 24 Hours of Daytona, Qualifying
In the Daytona Prototype class, pole position was taken by Oswaldo Negri Jr. in the #60 Michael Shank Racing Ford powered Riley Mk. XI with a laptime of 1:40.793. Teammate A. J. Allmendinger locked out the front row for Michael Shank Racing. In the Grand Touring class, the #70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 GT with Sylvain Tremblay was fastest with a laptime of 1:50.788. The #56 Mastercar Ferrari F430 Challenge qualified 2nd in the team's debut at Daytona.


2008 24 Hours of Daytona, Race
The #01 Telmex Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus-powered Riley of Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Dario Franchitti, and Juan Pablo Montoya led 252 laps and gave Chip Ganassi racing their 3rd successive win at the Daytona 24 Hours. The #01 team took the overall victory by a margin of 2 laps over the #99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac-powered Riley entry. At the start, many cars (including the eventual race winner) had to start from pitlane after changing their tires from wets to slicks. The #70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 GT of Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham, David Haskell, and Raphael Matos were the winners in GT, completing 664 laps and finishing 9th overall. The overall pace of the race was slowed due to wet weather during the night.


2008 24 Hours of Daytona, Race
A total of 22 safety car periods neutralized the race for 112 laps.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The test day was on June 1. The race was attended by 258,000 spectators. The Audi team's progress and victory was documented in the 2008 film Truth in 24.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rule changes
On 20 December 2007, the ACO confirmed the previously announced rule changes for the 2008 race and 2008 Le Mans Series season. Petrol engined Le Mans Prototype cars received a 3% larger air restrictor to increase power output and to balance performance between petrol and diesel engines. The performance difference between the LMP1 and LMP2 classes will be increased by decreasing LMP1 class' minimum weight 900 kg, the LMP2 class' minimum weight increased to 825 kg, and a reduction in the fuel capacity of LMP2 cars from 90 litres to 80 litres.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rule changes
The ACO also added rules regarding the types of engines and fuels which can be used. Production engines which meet the GT1 and GT2 class regulations can now be installed in LMP1 and LMP2 class cars respectively. The use of biofuels will also be allowed in the prototype categories, with petrol engines allowed to run 10% ethanol, and diesel teams allowed to use biodiesel. The GT1 and GT2 categories remained unchanged in the new rules.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rule changes
Prior to the Le Mans Test Day, Audi announced that they would be the first team to adapt their cars to use 10% biodiesel as allowed by the new rules, with partner Shell developing a biomass to liquid fuel.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Automatic invitations
Automatic entry to the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was granted to teams that had performed well in the previous year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the 2007 seasons of the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, FIA GT Championship, and the Petit Le Mans. The official list of automatic invites was published by the ACO on 16 November 2007, with confirmation of entries accepted by teams published on 18 January 2008.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Official entry list
On 19 February, the ACO published their full list of fifty-five entries plus eight reserves, chosen from a total of 88 applications. The fifty-five main entries were required to appear at the Le Mans test day in order to compete.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Official entry list, Reserve entries
Eight cars were granted reserve entries. If any selected team from the main entry list withdrew, a reserve entry would take their place. On April 10, the #81 Tafel Racing Ferrari withdrew and was replaced by the #4 Saulnier Pescarolo-Judd. Although several teams withdrew their reserve entries, none of the remaining reserve entries were promoted to the primary entry list. On Tuesday, June 10, Racing Box's Lucchini-Judd failed official scrutineering and was withdrawn. The first remaining reserve, Epsilon Euskadi's second entry, was allowed to take its place at the start of Wednesday qualifying.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Test session
Drivers, team, and equipment for fifty-five cars arrived at the Circuit de la Sarthe on June 1 to participate in a mandatory test session. Drivers who had not been to the circuit in the past three runnings of the 24 Hours, or had never participated before, were required to complete ten laps of the circuit during the session, while other drivers were allowed to concentrate on setting their cars up for the race two weeks away. Two sessions were held running four hours each, with an hour break for lunch.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Test session
Rain dominated the weather during the two sessions, with the track drying out only for brief periods of time before heavy rains dampened the circuit once more. Stéphane Sarrazin, in the #8 Peugeot, was able to set the fastest lap during a brief dry period in the second session, recording a time of 3:22.222. By the end of the test day, Sarrazin's time remained unbeaten, and was in fact nearly four and a half seconds ahead of the second fastest lap, set by the #9 Peugeot. Several hundredths of a second slower still was the #1 Audi, third fastest overall.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Test session
The fastest car not running a diesel engine was the #17 Pescarolo, recording a time of 3:33.939, over eleven seconds behind the overall leader. In the LMP2 class, the five cars set lap times within three seconds of one another, the Van Merksteijn Motorsport Porsche setting a 3:42.191 lap time to lead the class and place fourteenth overall in the standings. The other Porsche RS Spyder of Team Essex was second fastest, followed by the Barazi-Epsion Zytek in third.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Test session
The Grand Touring categories were led by the previous year's winner in GT1 class, the factory Aston Martin squad. The #009 DBR9 set a lap time of 3:53.531, fast enough for 25th place overall. Larbre Compétition's Saleen set the second fastest lap in the class, nearly two seconds behind. The two factory Corvettes were third and fourth, with the #64 team a few tenths faster than the #63. For the GT2 class, American teams lead the session. Risi Competizione's #82 Ferrari set a 4:05.561 lap time, only three one thousandths of a second ahead of the Flying Lizard Porsche. BMS Scuderia Italia's Ferrari completed the top three in the class, a second slower than the top two.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Test session
During the eight hours of testing, practice had to be halted four times for accidents around the circuit. During the first session, the JMB Ferrari spun and hit a wall at Arnage, requiring it to be towed from the track. The Ferrari did however return to the track several hours later after repairs. Shortly after the beginning of the second test session, the Risi-Krohn Ferrari also had a spin, impacting the wall at the Ford Chicane, leading to driver Tracy Krohn being briefly hospitalized.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Test session
Less than an hour later, Marc Gené in the #7 Peugeot spun in the Karting curve and his 908 became airborne, impacting the wall heavily. Gené was hospitalized with an injured toe, and the car had to be replaced by a new chassis. The final stoppage of practice occurred in the final hour when Joey Foster impacting the wall at the Dunlop Chicane with his Embassy-Zytek.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
Qualifying was held on 11–12 June, with two individual two-hour sessions being held each day. The first sessions were held at early dusk, while following an hour break, the second sessions ran into the darkness of night. All drivers were once again required to set a minimum of laps to prepare themselves for the circuit; three laps required in the first session, and another three laps in the night session. The best lap time from all four combined determined the starting grid.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying, Wednesday
Following a wet test day, qualifying began under dry conditions. The Peugeot lapped under 3:20 min, lap times reminding of that of the Porsche 917 records set in 1971, when the track had almost no chicanes, and was 120m shorter. Stéphane Sarrazin on Peugeot Nr 8 grabbed pole-position in 3:18.513, shortly followed by Franck Montagny on Peugeot Nr 9 with 3:18.862.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying, Thursday
The second day of qualifying will determine the final grid.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying, Qualifying times
Class leaders and the fastest lap time in each class on each day are in bold. The fastest lap for each car is in gray.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
The race began at 3:00 pm local time (GMT+2). The three Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs led the field into the first chicane, but Allan McNish overtook the #7 Peugeot of Nicolas Minassian at the exit of the Dunlop Chicane. Minassian retook the position on the Mulsanne Straight, and the Peugeots maintained the top three positions at the end of the first lap. The Peugeots were running consistently 3 seconds a lap faster than McNish, and over 5 seconds faster than the other 2 Audis.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
In the early hours, the Peugeot #8, Pole setter and only car to set a fast race lap under 3:20, by black flag had been ordered into the pits to repair the headlights. This car trailed the other Diesels by several laps. The GT2 class saw drama for the two Porsches which had been battling for the class lead, as #80 collided with the Pole setting Porsche #76. Only #77 could continue after lengthy repairs.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
The situation after 12 hours was as follows: Peugeot #7 was leading, with the first five being within 2 laps, with Audi #2 in 2nd, followed by Peugeot #9, and the Audi #3 and #1. Due to the fast pace and close competition, and despite a 34-minute safety car period, the leaders had completed 200 laps after 12 hours, a pace that might have topped the laps and distances covered in 1971 and 1988 despite the track now having chicanes.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
In the LMP2 class, the leader was 10th overall, the two Porsches being within a lap, leading the next car by nine laps. In GT1, the leader was 15th overall, the Aston Martins and Corvettes racing head to head less than a minute apart, with six cars being within six laps. In the GT2 class, the leading Ferrari was 26th overall, with no less than five Ferraris battling for the class win which was to be expected after the two class leading Porsches had collided, and five other GT2 cars were already out.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
The second half of the race was under wet conditions. Lap times of the whole field went above the 4:00 mark, with GT1 cars actually as fast as the leading diesels. The Audis were able to cope with the rain much better than the Peugeots. Kristensen was able to reel in Minassian at 8 seconds per lap. In a desperate attempt to adapt the Peugeots to the wet conditions all 3 cars were fitted with high-downforce nose and tail sections. At 5am the #2 Audi grabbed the lead and McNish was able to build the advantage to a full lap.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
The rain stopped and the #7 started to reel in the #2. With less than 2 hours to go the rain returned. Minassian decided to stick with slicks and as a result spun in front of the Lizard Porsche just before the Dunlop Esses. In the end, Audi and Kristensen won once again, with the highest placing Peugeot being in the same lap, but not in reach for overtaking. The six factory-entered diesels dominated the LMP1 class, having no major problems. The Porsche RS Spyders dominated the LMP2 class, posting faster lap times than several LMP1 cars.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
In the GT1 class, Aston Martin Racing edged Corvette Racing for the win, placed 13th overall, both covering 344 laps with three more GT1 entrants chasing them. It was AMR's second win against stiff competition from Corvette in as many years. Of the five Ferraris which had led the GT2 class, three made it to the finish ahead of the remaining Porsches which had been lapping slightly faster.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
Of the 35 cars still running after 24 hours, only one failed to cover 70% of the 381 laps of the winner. Despite the conditions, the distance record on the current track layout, 380 laps, set in 2006, was beaten by one lap by both the #2 Audi and the #7 Peugeot.


2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Results
Class winners are marked in bold. Cars finishing the race but not completing 70% of the winner's distance or cars not finishing the race at the end of 24 hours (marked as DNF; regardless of distance) are listed as NC (Not Classified).


2008 24 Hours of Nürburgring
The 2008 ADAC-Zurich 24h-Rennen Nürburgring was the 36th running of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. It took place on 25 May 2008.


2008 24 Hours of Nürburgring
The #1 Manthey Racing team won the race in a Porsche 911 GT3 R.


2008 24 Hours of Spa
The 2008 Total 24 Hours of Spa was the fifth round of the 2008 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on 2  – 3 August 2008.


2008 24 Hours of Spa, Half-point Leaders
In the FIA GT Championship (using the GT1 and GT2 classes), the top eight teams at the six-hour mark as well as the midway point of the race are awarded points towards the championship. Points for the top eight go in the order of 5 – 4 – 3 – 2.5 – 2 – 1.5 – 1 – 0.5.


2008 24 Hours of Spa, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 75% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2008 3. divisjon
The 2008 season of the 3. divisjon, the fourth highest association football league for men in Norway.


2008 3. divisjon
Between 18 and 26 games (depending on group size) were played in 24 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Twelve teams were promoted to the 2. divisjon through playoff.


2008 3M Performance 400
The 2008 3M Performance 400 Presented by Bondo was the twenty-third race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup seasonheld on August 17 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. ESPN carried the 400 miles (640 km) race beginning at 1 PM US EDT and MRN along with Sirius Satellite Radio had radio coverage starting at 1:15 PM US EDT.


2008 3M Performance 400, Qualifying
Brian Vickers won the first pole for Team Red Bull on August 15. Jimmie Johnson would join him on the front row.


2008 3M Performance 400, Race Recap
Roush Fenway Racing took four of the top five places, and all five RFR cars were in the top ten as Carl Edwards won the race. Only the Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota driven by points leader Kyle Busch spoiled the parade, finishing second.


2008 4 Nations Cup
The 2008 4 Nations Cup was the 13th playing of the annual women's ice hockey tournament. It was held in Lake Placid, New York, from November 4–9, 2008.


2008 A Championship
The 2008 A Championship was the inaugural season of the A Championship in Ireland. The league featured 16 teams. UCD A were the inaugural champions, Cork City A won the Shield competition and Mervue United were promoted to the First Division after a play off.


2008 A Championship, A Championship Shield
Between March and June the twelve League of Ireland Premier Division reserve teams competed in the A Championship Shield. Mervue United, Salthill Devon and Tullamore Town did not play in the Shield as they were still playing in their previous junior/intermediate leagues which operated as winter leagues. This resulted in an overlap with the A Championship which operated as a summer league. The twelve teams were divided into four regionalised groups with the group winners then qualifying for the semi-finals.


2008 A Championship, Regular season
The regular season saw the twelve League of Ireland Premier Division reserve teams joined by Limerick 37 A plus the first teams of Mervue United, Salthill Devon and Tullamore Town. The format saw the sixteen teams split into two groups of eight, divided roughly into southern and northern  groups. The two groups used a traditional round-robin format. The two group winners, UCD A and Bohemians A, then played off in a final. UCD won the inaugural title. As the highest placed non-reserve team, Mervue United qualified for a promotion/relegation play-off and after defeating Kildare County, they were promoted to the League of Ireland First Division.


2008 A Championship, Play-Offs, A Championship Final
Bohemians A and UCD A competed in a playoff to decide the  overall A Championship title. UCD A won 2–1.


2008 A Championship, Play-Offs, Promotion/Relegation
Kildare County and Mervue United, the highest ranked non-reserve team from the A Championship, played off to see who would play in the 2009 First Division.


2008 A Championship, Play-Offs, Promotion/Relegation
Mervue United won 5–2 on aggregate and were promoted to the First Division.


2008 A Lyga
The Lithuanian A Lyga 2008 was the 19th season of top-tier football in Lithuania. The season started on 29 March 2008 and ended on 16 November 2008.


2008 A Lyga
The league had to reduce the number of its teams from ten to nine prior to this season due to lacking of team able to earn promotion (see below). Shortly before the start of the season, Vilnius withdrew from participating in the league because of unknown reasons, leaving the league with 8 competing teams.


2008 A Lyga, Promotion and relegation
Interas-AE Visaginas were relegated to the Lithuanian First League after finishing the 2007 season in last place with only 8 points. Šilutė were originally scheduled to play the 2nd placed team of the First League, Rodiklis Kaunas, in a relegation play-off, but Rodiklis declined promotion due to lacking financial capabilities.


2008 A Lyga, Promotion and relegation
First League champions Alytis Alytus also had to forfeit their place in this year's league because their ground was not suitable for top-tier football, so no team was promoted.


2008 A Lyga, Results
Every team played each other four times, twice at home and twice on the road, for a total of 28 games.


2008 A-League Grand Final
The 2008 A-League Grand Final took place at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia on 24 February 2008. It was the first A-League Grand Final played at a neutral home ground, due to Bluetongue Stadium being deemed by FFA to not have a sufficient capacity to hold the centrepiece of the A-League season. This move created a stir of controversy and was protested by the Central Coast Mariners, who won the right to host the match, but to no avail.


2008 A-League Grand Final, Match, Summary
The first half of the game ended in a draw with neither side scoring a goal, though each had good scoring opportunities. Gary van Egmond made a risky change to his side's starting formation, playing with a back three. In the 64th minute Mark Bridge scored the only goal after Tony Vidmar slipped, giving the ball to Bridge in the last quarter.


2008 A-League Grand Final, Match, Summary
The game ended in controversy after Central Coast earned a corner late into extra time in the second half. As the ball was crossed into Newcastle's penalty area, it appeared to hit Newcastle player James Holland on the right arm, before it was cleared away. Mariners players immediately demanded a penalty, yet referee Mark Shield decided not to award one. The Mariners players, enraged, continued to scream at Shield, pressuring him for a penalty. Mariners keeper Danny Vukovic as a result of this frustration, hit Shields' arm away when the referee was penalizing one of Vukovic's teammates with a yellowcard.


2008 A-League Grand Final, Match, Summary
Shield then immediately awarded Vukovic with a red card. Vukovic would later be charged with striking a match official by the FFA, and was subsequently banned for 9 months, 3 of those months suspended. Due to this, Vukovic missed a significant portion of the next A-League season as well as the Olympic Games.


2008 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
The 2008 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup competition was held in July and August 2008, in the lead up to the start of the Australian A-League football 2008–09 season.


2008 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
All eight A-League clubs competed and were drawn into two groups of four teams. The format of the cup was modified from previous editions, reducing the number of matches. A group stage with three regular rounds saw team play each other in their group once, with the winner of each group advancing to the final. The final was played on 6 August, the first mid-week final in the competition history. The shortened format allowed clubs to schedule other matches in the lead up to the start of the A-League, and was completed before the 2008 Summer Olympics in which Australia competed.


2008 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
Continuing from previous years, most Pre-Season Cup matches were played at venues in regional centres to expand the profile of the clubs and the league. Bunbury, Caloundra, Cessnock, Mandurah and Mount Gambier all hosted matches for the first time, while Launceston, Campbelltown, Port Macquarie and Wollongong hosted matches again.


2008 AA-Drink Cycling Team season
The 2008 women's road cycling season was the fourth season for the 2008 UCI Women's Cycling Team: AA-Drink Cycling Team (UCI code: AAD), which began as Van Bemmelen–AA Drink in 2005.


2008 AA-Drink Cycling Team season, Other achievements, Dutch national records, team pursuit
The women's 3000 m team pursuit track cycling discipline was introduced at the 2007–08 track cycling season. The Dutch team including Ellen van Dijk and Yvonne Hijgenaar rode the team pursuit for the first time at Round 4 at the 2007–08 UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Copenhagen in a time of 3:36.901 (49.792 km/h). They broke the record later that day. At the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships the Dutch team including Van Dijk broke the record again in the qualifying round. This is not the current record anymore.


2008 AAFL Draft
The 2008 All American Football League Draft took place in Atlanta, Georgia on January 26, 2008. It was used to stock the six teams that were to play the league's 2008 season, which was ultimately canceled. The draft was effectively voided when the league announced it would pick new host markets for its inaugural season, which was scheduled for spring 2011.


2008 AAFL Draft, Draft rules, Time allowed
For rounds 1 and 2, each team is allowed 4 minutes per selection. For rounds 3 and 4, each team is allowed 3 minutes per selection. For round 5, each team is allowed 2 minutes per selection.


2008 AAFL Draft, Draft rules, Draft order
In odd-numbered rounds (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13), teams will go by in the regular draft order. For even-numbered rounds (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12), teams will go by the reverse order of the odd-numbered rounds.


2008 AAFL Draft, Draft rules, "Protected" players
Each team was permitted to designate a number of "protected" players from schools within their area. These players counted towards the middle rounds of the 50-round draft.


2008 AAMI Classic – Draw
Andy Roddick was the defending champion, and won in the final 7–5, 6–3, against Marcos Baghdatis.


2008 ABA All-Star Game
The 2008 American Basketball Association All-Star Game was held at the 1,856 seat Barre Auditorium in Barre, Vermont on March 21–22, 2008, where East defeated West in style, 161–140 in front of 1,500 basketball fans. Anthony Anderson of the Manchester Millrats won the MVP award. Senegalese player Issa Konare and Chinese Sun Yue were the only foreigners of the All-Star Game.


2008 ABA All-Star Game, The 2008 ABA All-Star Game events, The Three-Point contest
The night before the All-Star Game on March, in the opening event of the 2008 ABA All-Star Weekend, Robin Kennedy of the Orange County Gladiators, an And1 Tour veteran, nosed out guard Sean Dixon of the Atlanta Vision to win the Simply Subs ABA Three-Point crown. Antonio Burks, Kenny Wright also participated in the contest but failed to qualify to the final.


2008 ABA All-Star Game, The 2008 ABA All-Star Game events, The Slam-Dunk contest
Chris Cayole of the Vermont Frost Heaves playing in front of his home crowd, won the M&M Beverage Centers Slam-Dunk title, thanks to a 360-degree windmill jam which ultimately earned him the dunk title over Cardell Butler of the San Diego Wildcats and Mario Kinsey of the Texas Tycoons at the Barre Auditorium on Friday, March 21.


2008 ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225
The 2008 ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225 was the sixth round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season and took place on June 1, 2008 at the 1.015-mile (1.633 km) Milwaukee Mile, in West Allis, Wisconsin. Marco Andretti took the lead from the pole position, and led the first 40 laps. He was chased early by Scott Dixon and teammate Tony Kanaan. Graham Rahal, who started on the outside of the front row, shuffled back, but remained in the top 5 for the first half of the race. The first half was mostly green, with only a minor caution involving Oriol Servià and another for debris. Later in the first fuel segment, Andretti's handling started to suffer, and Dixon took over the lead. Hélio Castroneves took over second, and Andretti fell back as deep as tenth.


2008 ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225
On lap 130, Rahal went high in turn three to pass Darren Manning. He got into the marbles, and brushed along the wall in turn four. After holding the lead for 136 laps, Dixon was finally challenged by Ryan Briscoe. Briscoe took over the lead on lap 177, and held it until a green flag pit stop on lap 194. After a sequence of pit stops, Castroneves, Andretti and Dan Wheldon all cycled near the front. When all pit stops were complete, Briscoe held a half-second lead over Dixon. The two battled for the lead over the final 21 laps.


2008 ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225
With less than three laps to go, Andretti dove underneath Ed Carpenter in turn one. The cars touched, and both cars spun into the wall. Vítor Meira became caught up in the smoke, and rode up over Andretti, becoming airborne. He landed upright, and all drivers were uninjured. The race finished under caution with Briscoe picking up his first career IndyCar victory, and 300th overall win for the Mooresville, North Carolina-based Penske Racing in all motorsports series.


2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The 2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the event known that year as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and was part of the ATP International Series Gold of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Rotterdam Ahoy indoor sporting arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from 18 February through 24 February 2008. Michaël Llodra won the singles title.


2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The field featured ATP No. 2, reigning French Open champion and recent Australian Open semifinalist Rafael Nadal, Moscow winner Nikolay Davydenko, and Tennis Masters Cup runner-up and Australian Open quarterfinalist David Ferrer. Also present competing were Chennai titlist Mikhail Youzhny, Tokyo semifinalist Tomáš Berdych, Andy Murray, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Marcos Baghdatis.


2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
This tournament was notable in which none of the seeds reached the quarter-finals, with defending champion Youzhny, Murray, Ferrero and Baghdatis, as well as 2004 champion Lleyton Hewitt, all losing in the first round. Nadal, Davydenko, Ferrer and Berdych were the second round casualties – with Italian Andreas Seppi causing an upset by virtue of his defeat of the top-seeded Nadal, to follow on from his first round defeat of Hewitt. This was only the third ATP tournament since 2000 in which no seeds reached the quarter-finals.


2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Finals, Doubles
Tomáš Berdych /  Dmitry Tursunov defeated  Philipp Kohlschreiber /  Mikhail Youzhny, 7–5, 3–6, [10–7]


2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Doubles
Martin Damm and Leander Paes were the defending champions, but Paes chose not to participate, and only Damm competed that year. Damm partnered with Pavel Vízner, but lost in the first round to Philipp Kohlschreiber and Mikhail Youzhny.


2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Doubles
Tomáš Berdych and Dmitry Tursunov won in the final 7–5, 3–6, 10–7, against Philipp Kohlschreiber and Mikhail Youzhny.


2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Singles
Mikhail Youzhny was the defending champion, but lost in the first round to Janko Tipsarević.


2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Singles
None of the 8 seeded players reached quarter-finals. Michaël Llodra won his only ATP 500 singles final 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 7–6(7–4), against Robin Söderling.


2008 ACB Playoffs
The 2008 ACB Playoffs was the final phase of the 2007-2008 ACB season. It started on Thursday, May 15, 2008 and ran until Tuesday, June 3, 2008.


2008 ACB Playoffs
A change in the schedule was introduced in this season: Quarterfinals and Semifinals series were 3-match rounds instead of the 5-match rounds used in the previous years. This modification had apparently revealed to be quite significant, since the first (Real Madrid) and the second (DKV Joventut) classifieds of the Regular Season were surprisingly out earlier than it was expected.


2008 ACB Playoffs
Final series brought face to face TAU Cerámica and AXA FC Barcelona for the first time in ACB history (although, curiously, there has always been one of these two teams separately in a Final since the 1993-94 season).


2008 ACB Playoffs
TAU Cerámica won the Final series by 3-0 and obtained their second ACB championship.


2008 ACC Championship Game
The 2008 ACC Championship Game was a college football game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Boston College Eagles. The game, sponsored by Dr Pepper, was the final regular-season contest of the 2008 college football season for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia Tech defeated Boston College, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship, 30–12. As of 2019, this is the last ACC Championship Game to not feature Clemson or Florida State from the Atlantic Division.


2008 ACC Championship Game
The Virginia Tech Hokies were selected to represent the Coastal Division by virtue of a tie-breaking head-to-head victory against division rival Georgia Tech and came into the game with an 8–4 record (5–3 in ACC play). Representing the Atlantic Division was Boston College, which had a 9–3 record (5–3 ACC). The two teams were the victors of a closely contested season in the ACC. Neither team clinched a spot in the game until the final week before the championship, and both had to rely on conference tie-breaking rules to earn a spot. The game was a rematch of the previous year's contest, which Virginia Tech won, 30–16.


2008 ACC Championship Game
The game was held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on December 6, 2008. Tampa had been chosen after poor attendance at the game's previous spot (Jacksonville, Florida) led conference officials to move the game. The 2008 championship was the first to be played in Tampa. The game began slowly, as both teams punted after their opening possessions failed to gain a first down. Later in the quarter, Virginia Tech took a 7–0 lead with a five-yard touchdown run by Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The Hokies never relinquished the lead after that point.


2008 ACC Championship Game
Tech extended its lead to 14–0 in the second quarter, but Boston College managed to narrow Tech's lead to 14–7 by halftime. In the second half, Virginia Tech scored 17 points to the Eagles' five, and the Hokies won the game. In recognition of his game-winning performance, Taylor was named the game's most valuable player.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process
The ACC Championship Game matches the winners of the Coastal and Atlantic divisions of the Atlantic Coast Conference. In the first decade of the 21st century, the league underwent an expansion to add three former Big East members: Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004, and Boston College in 2005. With the addition of a twelfth team, the ACC was allowed to hold a conference championship game under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process
The inaugural 2005 game featured a Florida State win over Virginia Tech, 27–22. In 2006, two different teams made their first appearances in the game, which was held in Jacksonville, Florida. Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech, 9–6. In 2007, one team new to the championship game and championship-game veteran featured in the contest as Virginia Tech faced off against Boston College. The game resulted in a 30–16 Virginia Tech victory.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Site selection
Before the 2007 game, cities other than Jacksonville (site of the 2007 ACC Championship Game) presented their plans to be the site of the 2008 ACC Championship Game. After poor attendance in the ACC Championship Game at Jacksonville for the second straight year, ACC officials and representatives of the conference's member schools elected not to extend the Gator Bowl Association's contract to host the game for another year. On December 12, less than two weeks after Jacksonville had hosted the 2007 ACC Championship Game, the ACC announced that Tampa, Florida would host the game in 2008 and 2009 and Charlotte, North Carolina would host the game in 2010 and 2011.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Site selection
The cities were chosen based on bids presented to the ACC and its member schools. Each city requested and was granted a two-year contract, locking the ACC into the locations well in advance. Tampa was chosen as the site of the 2008 game because Charlotte was scheduled to hold the annual convention of the Association for Career and Technical Education at the same time as the game, and adequate hotel space would not be ready in time for the two events. Because of this, Charlotte's two-year span of hosting the game was pushed back to 2010.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection
Before the beginning of the 2008 college football season, the annual poll by media members who cover ACC football predicted Clemson to win the Atlantic Division and Virginia Tech to win the Coastal Division. Clemson received 59 of a possible 65 first-place votes in its division, while Virginia Tech received 58.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection
From the first game of the season, however, those preseason predictions were cast into doubt. Virginia Tech lost its season opener to lightly regarded East Carolina, while Clemson lost to Alabama. Though neither loss factored into either team's conference standings, it reflected the early stages of a conference schedule that was regarded as crazy, wacky, "a mess", and "confusing" by members of the media and college football fans.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection
So closely matched were the 12 teams of the conference that as late as the second-to-last week of the regular season, nine teams were still in the running for a place in the championship game. Heading into the final week of the regular season, four teams were still in position to potentially participate in the game: Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech from the Coastal Division, and Boston College and Florida State from the Atlantic Division. In that final week, Virginia Tech clinched the Coastal Division co-championship with a 17–14 win over Virginia, while Boston College became co-champions of the Atlantic Division with a 28–21 win against Maryland.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Boston College
The Boston College Eagles entered the 2008 college football season having gone 11–3 during the 2007 season, ending that season with a loss to Virginia Tech in the 2007 ACC Championship Game and a 24–21 victory over Michigan State in the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl. In the annual preseason poll of media covering the ACC, Boston College was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Boston College
The Eagles opened the season by traveling to Kent State, whom the Eagles defeated, 21–0. The Eagles' home opener was their second game of the season and was also their first conference game of the year. Against Georgia Tech, the Eagles eked out a 9–7 halftime lead, but fell behind in the second half, eventually losing, 19–16, on a Georgia Tech touchdown that came with 8:26 remaining in the game. Despite the loss, the Eagles recovered quickly, beating Central Florida, 34–7, two weeks after the Georgia Tech game. The victory was the first in an eventual four-game win streak that culminated with a 28–23 defeat of then-No. 17 Virginia Tech.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Boston College
The win over Virginia Tech gave the Eagles a 2–1 conference record, and they appeared to be destined for a bid to the ACC Championship Game. But Boston College lost its next two games, both against conference opponents, dropping its record to 2–3. Despite the losses, Boston College still had a chance to win the Atlantic Division—but only if other teams lost as well. This happened on November 6, when fellow Atlantic Division team Maryland lost to Virginia Tech, and the Eagles recovered from their losing streak with an out-of-conference win against Notre Dame.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Boston College
Notre Dame was the last out-of-conference opponent on Boston College's schedule, as the Eagles finished the season with three consecutive ACC games. The first of these was against Florida State which led the Atlantic Division at the time, but had had five players suspended the day before the game. The Eagles secured a victory, 27–17. The second of Boston College's final opponents was Wake Forest, which had played in the 2006 ACC Championship Game. While Boston College won, 24–21, starting quarterback Chris Crane suffered a season-ending injury, leaving backup Dominique Davis in charge of the Eagles' offense.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Boston College
Boston College's final game of the regular season was against Maryland and a victory against the Terrapins would push the Eagles to a tie with Florida State atop the Atlantic Division. Since Boston College had won the head-to-head game against Florida State, according to the ACC's tie-breaking rules, the Eagles would win the division. A 28–21 victory over Maryland brought Boston College to a 5–3 ACC record, giving it a co-division championship with Florida State and a trip to the ACC Championship Game.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Hokies entered the 2008 season having won the 2007 ACC Championship Game, finishing with an 11–3 overall record that included a postseason loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2008 Orange Bowl. Despite winning the ACC for the second time in less than four years, Virginia Tech was anticipated to spend 2008 rebuilding a team that saw 12 starters graduate or enter the NFL Draft. Though picked in a preseason poll to win the Coastal Division, the Hokies were defeated in their season opener by underdog East Carolina.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Virginia Tech
Following that loss, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer announced that backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who had previously been expected to sit out the season on redshirt status, would play in the Hokies' second game, against Furman. Both Taylor and starting quarterback Sean Glennon performed well against the Paladins, and Tech won, 24–7. Tech's third game came against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who were employing a new offensive system, the option offense, under first-year head coach Paul Johnson.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Virginia Tech
Unlike the game against Furman, Taylor started the game and remained at quarterback throughout, guiding the Hokies to their first ACC victory of the season, a 20–17 win that later gave Tech a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker against the Yellow Jackets, fellow members of the Coastal Division. The Hokies' fourth game of the season came against the North Carolina Tar Heels, who were defeated by the same margin of victory as Tech's win against Georgia Tech, 20–17.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Virginia Tech
The twin conference victories were followed by two out-of-conference wins: at Big 12 opponent Nebraska and against independent Western Kentucky. At the end of the four-game winning streak, the Hokies had a 4–1 record, 2–0 in conference, and were ranked No. 17 in the country. On October 18, however, the Hokies lost to unranked Boston College in Boston, 28–23. The game was a rematch of the previous year's ACC Championship Game and was a preview of the 2008 Championship Game matchup.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Virginia Tech
The loss was the start of a four-game skid for the Hokies that saw Tech lose three of four games, only managing a victory against Maryland, 23–13. The final game of that four-game drop was a 16–13 loss to Coastal Division rival Miami, which then held a crucial tiebreaking win over the Hokies in the event of any head-to-head tie.


2008 ACC Championship Game, Selection process, Team selection, Virginia Tech
During the last two games of the regular season, the Hokies managed two victories: a 14–3 win against last-place ACC team Duke, and a 17–14 triumph over traditional rival Virginia. Miami, meanwhile, lost its final two games of the season: against Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. These losses dropped Miami to a 4–4 record in the ACC, one game behind the Hokies, who were tied with Georgia Tech at 5–3 following the end of the regular season. By virtue of the Hokies' head-to-head win against the Yellow Jackets, Virginia Tech earned a spot in the ACC Championship Game.