2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Background
The Constitutional Court approved four candidacies on 27 April: those of Abdel Aziz, Ibrahima Sarr, Kane Hamidou Baba, and Sghair Ould M'Bareck. All of these candidates were sympathetic to the coup. The Union for the Republic (UPR) political party elected Abdel Aziz as its President at the party's constituent assembly on 5 May 2009; the UPR holds a parliamentary majority.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Background
Abdel Aziz met with Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade and envoys from the African Union on 14 May 2009; although they reportedly wanted the election to be delayed in order to encourage the opposition to participate, Abdel Aziz said after the meeting that there would be no delay. Wade also met separately with Abdallahi and Daddah. Daddah said at a press conference on 26 May that there could be no talks unless the junta agreed to release political prisoners and suspend the electoral timetable.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Background
Shortly before the scheduled date of the election, in reconciliation talks on 31 May 2009 it was agreed to postpone the election to 21 July and 4 August; this was later denied by the government, and on 2 June 2009 it was announced that it had been postponed to 18 July and 1 August. A final agreement between the junta and the opposition was signed on 4 June.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Background
The agreement provided for Abdallahi's formal resignation as President, the installation of a national unity government that would serve briefly prior to the election, and set the date of the election as 18 July. As a result of the agreement, all of the major parties were expected to participate in the election.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Background
Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, who headed the 2005–2007 military junta, announced on 6 June 2009 that he would be a presidential candidate, running as an independent. He condemned the 2008 coup, asserting that it was "wrong and there was no reason for it" and that it had "provoked a particularly dangerous situation in our country". He stressed, however, that his candidacy was not directed against any particular individual, and he said that his goal, if elected, was "to build a reconciled country that is politically and economically viable and stable".


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Background
He also said that he would "probably no longer be interested in public affairs" if not for the 2008 coup. The RFD announced on 9 June that Daddah had been designated as the party's presidential candidate by a special party congress. Observers considered Abdel Aziz, Daddah, and Vall to be the key candidates.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Background
The moderate Islamist National Rally for Reform and Development (RNRD), which opposed the coup and participated in the FNDD, designated its President, Mohamed Jemil Ould Mansour, as its candidate on 14 June. Although the party chose to run its own candidate, it said that it would continue coordinating with the FNDD.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Candidates
After the postponement of the elections and the formation of an interim government, ten candidates registered to run in the election and were approved by the Constitutional Council — the four candidates who had already registered to run before the Dakar Agreement:


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Candidates
The main rhetorical theme of the campaign, which was described as "lacklustre" by Agence France-Presse, was the need for change and development. Abdel Aziz, also stressing the importance of change, presented himself as a champion of the poor; he had substantially lowered the prices of basic goods and services, engaged in public works projects, and granted land rights. In light of those efforts, as well as a purported tendency among Mauritanians to favor strong rule, analysts judged that he was the front-runner. The New York Times reported that support for Abdel Aziz in Dar Naim, a "desperately poor" Nouakchott neighborhood, was "universal".


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Candidates
A survey in the newspaper Le Rénovateur had Abdel Aziz, Daddah, and Boulkheir as the top three candidates. Boulkheir, a black descendant of slaves, notably won support from many white Moors (the traditionally dominant ethnic group), marking a significant change from past attitudes; some compared Boulkheir to United States President Barack Obama. Boulkheir was supported by Abdallahi, and Boulkheir and Daddah agreed that each would support the other if either reached a second round against Abdel Aziz.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Conduct
In the hours prior to the beginning of voting, a shootout occurred in Nouakchott between police and suspected Islamist militants. Two of the suspects were arrested, and the government said that they were involved in the death of Christopher Leggett, an American who was killed in Nouakchott on 23 June.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Conduct
The election was monitored by more than 200 elections observers, including those from the African Union and the Arab League. Voting opened at 7:00 a.m. UTC and lasted for twelve hours. Some Mauritanians living outside of the nation who had registered for the election were unable to vote because their names did not appear on voting lists. They say it is because they opposed the 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état. One such Mauritanian, Mohamed Sidatt, said that 300 people, including himself, who had registered to vote did not have their names on the final voting lists. Sidatt said, "I did [register] and I have a valid Mauritanian passport, but my name did not appear on the final list. And I know it's because I was an active voice against the military coup."


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Conduct
Observers from the African Union, La Francophonie, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, African Arab Maghreb Union, and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States jointly endorsed the conduct of the election as "satisfactory". Meanwhile, FNDD spokesman Mohamed Ould Mouloud alleged "massive fraud"; he said that the coalition would gather evidence and take the matter to the Constitutional Court.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Conduct
Abdel Aziz, voting in Nouakchott, expressed confidence that he would win in the first round, although observers expected that a second round would be necessary. He also said that if he won the election it would mean "the victory of change for a prosperous Mauritania, worthy of its independence". Also on election day, Vall alleged fraud, saying that in some cases the votes of whole villages had been bought. Boulkheir, voting in Nouakchott, stressed that the country would "never turn back" to dictatorship.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Results
Partial results on 19 July, with 61.17% of votes counted, showed Abdel Aziz with a narrow first-round majority of 52.2%; his supporters celebrated in the streets of Nouakchott. Boulkheir and Daddah, the main opposition candidates, trailed distantly with 16.63% and 13.89% respectively. Mansour had 4.66% and Vall had 3.78%. Also on 19 July, Boulkheir, Daddah, Vall, and Meimou jointly denounced the results as fraudulent. Later in the day, the results remained essentially unchanged with 92% of the votes counted.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Results
Boulkheir said, "We refuse to recognize these results and call on the international community to create a commission to investigate to expose this manipulation." At a press conference, Abdel Aziz dismissed the claims of fraud, saying that the opposition had not presented any proof. Interior Minister Mohamed Ould Rzeizim then declared Abdel Aziz the winner on the same day, crediting him with 52.58%; Rzeizim placed turnout at 64.58%.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Aftermath
Independent candidate Kane Hamidou Baba promptly accepted the results and congratulated Abdel Aziz, as did Mansour, the Tawassoul candidate, and Hanenna, the HATEM candidate.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Aftermath
Sid'Ahmed Ould Deye, the President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), announced on 21 July that Boulkheir, Daddah, Vall, and Meimou had filed complaints regarding the election; on the same day, it was reported that Boulkheir, Daddah, and Vall had appealed to the Constitutional Court regarding the results. Ould Deye resigned on 23 July 2009, stating that he now had doubts about the reliability of the election results. A few hours later, the Constitutional Court confirmed Abdel Aziz's victory. Daddah then called for "a recount of the votes and a chemical analysis of the ballot papers", while urging the people "to reject this new coup d'etat" and "use all forms of democratic struggle". He also expressed praise for Deye's "refusal to assent to this electoral masquerade".


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Aftermath
At a press conference on 30 July, Vall said that the election was merely a means of legitimizing the 2008 coup and that it had effectively reverted the country to the authoritarianism it had experienced under President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, who Vall and Abdel Aziz ousted in 2005. He also said that he would continue to struggle against Abdel Aziz's regime.


2009 Mauritanian presidential election, Aftermath
Abdel Aziz was sworn in at a ceremony in Nouakchott on 5 August 2009, one day prior to the first anniversary of the coup that initially brought him to power. About 20,000 people were in attendance, along with several regional leaders: Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure, Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, and Gambian Vice-President Isatou Njie-Saidy. Representatives of the African Union were also present.


2009 Mauritian Cup final
The 2009 Mauritian Cup final took place on 17 May 2009 at the Sir Gaëtan Duval Stadium in Mauritius. The match was contested by Etoile de l'Ouest and Pamplemousses SC. Pamplemousses SC won the final 6-1 with a hat-trick from Hubert Robson.


2009 May Day protests
The 2009 May Day protests were a series of international protests that took place across Europe, Asia and in the other parts of the world due to the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and the resulting Great Recession. Several May Day marches, which are traditional events, had turned violent in Germany, Turkey and Venezuela as riot police battled protesters in their respective countries. Banks and shops had been attacked in Turkey.


2009 May Day protests
Further marches had taken place in Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Japan and Hong Kong, Cuba, Italy and Spain.


2009 May Day protests, Americas, Canada
Approximately 1,000 radicals and anti-capitalists demonstrated peacefully in front of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec building in Montreal. In 2009, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal didn't intervene with riot police to disperse violently the demonstration like it did in 2008.


2009 May Day protests, Americas, United States
In San Francisco, more than 50 people rioted through Union Square and the financial district, attacking upper-class storefronts.


2009 May Day protests, Americas, Venezuela
Parallel marches consisting pro- and anti-government unions and organizations took place around the country. An opposition protest of a few thousand in the capital was dispersed with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons, after organizers expressed their intentions to pass through the barricades, set up several blocks away from the National Assembly -the opposition's intended destination- to deliver a document denouncing supposed actions against labor unions by the Chávez government. Once dispersed, marchers damaged a Pdval food distribution point.


2009 May Day protests, Asia, Cambodia
Over 1,000 textile and hotel workers marched through Phnom Penh to the location of Chea Vichea's 2004 assassination. Vichea led Cambodia's biggest labour union before he was killed in January that year.


2009 May Day protests, Asia, Hong Kong
Several hundred workers marched peacefully through Hong Kong in protest against job cuts and reduced working hours. Two protests were organised by pro-government and opposition labour unions.


2009 May Day protests, Asia, Japan
In Japan, approximately 36,000 people demonstrated about social welfare benefits in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park. Some people also protested high military spending, about US$48.8 billion in 2008.


2009 May Day protests, Asia, Macao
Protesters (500 according to organizers, 400 according to police) marched to the Government House on issues such as illegal workers and public housing. With the election of the Chief Executive approaching, some protesters raised the banner "Against Businessmen Ruling Macao".


2009 May Day protests, Asia, South Korea
8,000 workers and students participated in a rally in a park in Seoul, calling for an end to layoffs and wage cuts.


2009 May Day protests, Asia, Taiwan
Despite clashes between protesters and police in Taipei, no arrests were reported. In one of the largest May Day protests there in recent times, 10,000 people marched against record high levels of unemployment nearing 6%.


2009 May Day protests, Europe, Austria
A large crowd gathered at Vienna's city hall. According to the Social Democratic Party of Austria, 100,000 people attended the rally. On the Ringstraße, a march organized by the KPÖ (the Communist Party of Austria) took place. Some three to five hundred people showed up. The final rally was held in front of the parliament. There were also other minor marches in Vienna. At a march in Linz, also organized by the KPÖ, police and protesters clashed. On both sides, people were injured. Five people were arrested.


2009 May Day protests, Europe, France
France's eight major trade unions decided to unite in their May Day rallies for the first time since the end of World War II. Several tens of thousands of people marched in three hundred protests through cities such as Bordeaux, Grenoble, Marseille and Paris. One of Grenoble's Schaeffler worker banners said, "Work, not death". Fishermen, hospital and university staff engaged in strike action.


2009 May Day protests, Europe, Germany
Violence was expected among far right and far left demonstrators and police. German police arrested twelve people after twenty-nine police were injured by two hundred protesters shouting anti-capitalist slogans in Berlin. Forty-nine demonstrators were arrested after several incidents involving bottle-throwing, rock-throwing, and setting fires. Between Berlin and Hamburg, over fifty riot police were injured.


2009 May Day protests, Europe, Iceland
The turnout at the May Day rally in Reykjavík was double the number seen the many last years. Activists from the January uprising, along with anarchists brandishing anarcho-communist flags, booed at Gylfi Arnbjörnsson, the leader of the main trade union in Iceland, as he suggested  in his speech that Iceland enter the EU.


2009 May Day protests, Europe, Italy
L'Aquila was the central meeting point of a rally held by union leaders following a deadly earthquake.


2009 May Day protests, Europe, Russia
In Moscow, approximately 2,000 Communists gathered at a statue of Karl Marx. Police arrested around one hundred members of far right and anti-immigrant demonstrators counter-protesting in Saint Petersburg.


2009 May Day protests, Europe, Spain
In protests organized by UGT and CCOO, some of Spain's largest unions, more than 10 thousand demonstrators collected in the centre of Madrid.


2009 May Day protests, Europe, Turkey
At least eight people, including two police, were injured as police in Istanbul attempted to disperse hundreds of demonstrators with tear gas and water cannons. Several hundred protesters dispersed authorities with rocks in the Şişli central district. The demonstrators chanted slogans such as "hand in hand against fascism", "repression won't stop us" and "long live the revolution and socialism". The Turkish government bowed to trade union pressure and declared May Day a public holiday.


2009 May Day protests, Africa, Kenya
A government official was forced to cut short his speech and abandon the May Day rally as angry workers hurled stones at dignitaries in protest over the government's refusal to deal with difficult living conditions


2009 Mayo County Council election
An election to Mayo County Council took place on 5 June 2009 as part of that year's Irish local elections. 31 councillors were elected from six electoral divisions by PR-STV voting for a five-year term of office.


2009 Maysan governorate election
The Maysan governorate election of 2009 was held on 31 January 2009 alongside elections for all other governorates outside Iraqi Kurdistan and Kirkuk.


2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida, home of the University of Miami Hurricanes. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2009. The game was the 32nd annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.


2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 48 players were selected from 2,500 nominees by a committee of basketball experts. They were chosen not only for their on-court skills, but for their performances off the court as well. Coach Morgan Wootten, who had more than 1,200 wins as head basketball coach at DeMatha High School, was chairman of the selection committee. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, who has been involved in the McDonald's All American Games since its inception, served as chairman of the Games and as an advisor to the selection committee.


2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
Proceeds from the 2009 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Games went to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of South Florida and its Ronald McDonald House program.


2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, 2009 Game
The 2009 game was held at the BankUnited Center on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus. The game was played on April 1, 2009 and was nationally televised on ESPN. The All American Boys treated nearly6,000 fans to one of the best All American Games in recent history. The high scoring, back-and-forth game kept everyone on the edge of their seats. It wasn’t until Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech) slammed home an alley ooppass from Lance Stephenson, with just 40 seconds remaining, that the East Team felt in control.


2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, 2009 Game
Top contributors to the East victory were John R. Wooden MVP Award winner Derrick Favors, with 19 points and eight rebounds, and Dante Taylor (Pittsburgh), with 15 points and six rebounds. Lance Stephenson added a solid performance that consisted of 12 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals. Peyton Siva (Louisville) put his name in the record books, as he compiled nine assists.


2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, 2009 Game
The West Team used a balanced offensive attack that resulted with six players scoring in double figures. Keith Gallon (Oklahoma) was the top performer for the West Squad in both points (20) and rebounds (7), while Naismith Sportsmanship Award winner Avery Bradley, Jr. (Texas) tallied 15 points and six rebounds. John Henson (North Carolina) shot an incredible 70% from the field, which led to 14 points.


2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, 2009 Game
The East Team came back from an eight-point halftime deficit, due in large part to strong second half shooting (60%) and a 19-pointadvantage from their bench players. The 113-110 victory increases the East’s lead to 18-14 in the overall series.


2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, All-American Week, Schedule
The Powerade JamFest is a skills-competition evening featuring basketball players who demonstrate their skills in three crowd-entertaining ways. The slam dunk contest was first held in 1987, and a 3-point shooting challenge was added in 1989. This year, for the first time, a timed basketball skills competition was added to the schedule of events.


2009 McDonald's All-American Girls Game
The 2009 McDonald's All-American Girls Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at the BankUnited Center in Miami, Florida, home of the University of Miami Hurricanes. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school girls graduating in 2009. The game was the 8th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 2002.


2009 McDonald's All-American Girls Game
The 48 players were selected from 2,500 nominees by a committee of basketball experts. They were chosen not only for their on-court skills, but for their performances off the court as well. Coach Morgan Wootten, who had more than 1,200 wins as head basketball coach at DeMatha High School, was chairman of the selection committee. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, who has been involved in the McDonald's All American Games since its inception, served as chairman of the Games and as an advisor to the selection committee.


2009 McDonald's All-American Girls Game
Proceeds from the 2009 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Games went to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of South Florida and its Ronald McDonald House program.


2009 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, 2009 Game
The game was telecast live by ESPN. The West Team grabbed a hard-fought 69-68 victory in the opener at the BankUnited Center. The contest was close throughout and came down to a missed free throw withseconds remaining. Kelly Faris (Connecticut) was fouled as she was forced to take a desperation 3-pointer with two seconds to go. After nailing the first two shots, the third came up short and so did the frantic comeback of the East Team.


2009 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, 2009 Game
In a game that was dominated by defense, the West Squad managed to get double figure scoring from only five players. Taber Spani (Tennessee), Christina Marinacci (USC) and DeNesha Stallworth (California) led the offensive attack with 11 points each, while Gennifer Brandon (California) added 10. Tierra Ruffin-Pratt (North Carolina) poured in 10 points and grabbed a team high 10 rebounds.


2009 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, 2009 Game
The East Team was led by Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame), who scored 18 points, grabbed five rebounds and nabbed three steals. Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Kelsey Bone (South Carolina) and TaShauna Rodgers (Georgetown) contributed with 10 points and five rebounds each. Kelly Faris provided an all-around solid performance, as she paced the East in rebounds with seven, added four points, three steals, three assists and two blocks in just 15 minutes of play.


2009 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, 2009 Game
For their efforts, Skylar Diggins and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt were selected as the John R.  Wooden MVP’s of the game. Unable to play due to injury, Stephanie Holzer (Vanderbilt) was given the Naismith Sportsmanship Award for her involvement in the week’s events and for the support she displayed towards her fellow All Americans.


2009 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, All-American Week, Schedule
The Powerade JamFest is a skills-competition evening featuring basketball players who demonstrate their skills in two crowd-entertaining ways. Since the first All-American game in 2002, players have competed in a 3-point shooting challenge and a timed basketball skills competition.


2009 McDonald's Burnie International
The 2009 McDonald's Burnie International was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 7th edition of the tournament, and part of the 2009 ATP Challenger Tour. For the first time the tournament also hosted Women's Singles and Women's Doubles events as part of the 2009 ITF Women's Circuit. It took place in Burnie, Australia, between 2 and 8 February 2009.


2009 McDonald's Burnie International, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2009 McDonald's Burnie International, Champions, Men's Doubles
Miles Armstrong /  Sadik Kadir def. Peter Luczak /  Robert Smeets, 6–3, 3–6, [10–7]


2009 McDonald's Burnie International, Champions, Women's Doubles
Abigail Spears /  Monique Adamczak def. Xu Yifan /  Zhou Yimiao 6–2 6–4


2009 McDonald's Burnie International – Men's Doubles
Samuel Groth and Joseph Sirianni were the defending champions, but Groth chose to not participate this year. Sirianni partnered up with Andrew Coelho, but they lost 6–7(6–8), 4–6 against Miles Armstrong and Sadik Kadir in the quarterfinals. Miles Armstrong and Sadik Kadir won in the final 6–3, 3–6, [10–7] against Peter Luczak and Robert Smeets.


2009 McDonald's Burnie International – Men's Singles
Alun Jones was the defending champion, but he chose to not participate this year. Brydan Klein won in the final 6–3, 6–3, against Grega Žemlja.


2009 McNeese State Cowboys football team
The 2009 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference in the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cowboys were led by fourth-year head coach Matt Viator and played their home games at Cowboy Stadium. They finished the season with an overall record of 9–3 and a conference mark of 6–1, sharing the Southland title with Stephen F. Austin and losing in the first round of the FCS playoffs to New Hampshire, 49–13.


2009 Meath County Council election
An election to Meath County Council took place on 5 June 2009 as part of that year's Irish local elections. 29 councillors were elected from five electoral divisions by PR-STV voting for a five-year term of office.


2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
The 2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship is the 83rd edition of the Meath GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for intermediate graded teams in County Meath, Ireland. The tournament consists of 15 teams, with the winner going on to represent Meath in the Leinster Intermediate Club Football Championship. The championship starts with a group stage and then progresses to a knock out stage.


2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
This was Kilmainhamwood's first year in this grade since 1994, after 14 years in the Senior grade since being relegated in 2008.


2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
On 26 October 2009, Oldcastle claimed their 2nd Intermediate championship title when they defeated Kilmainhamwood 2-11 to 0-6, succeeding St. Ultan's as Intermediate champions.


2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
Drumconrath were relegated from this grade, after 13 years as an Intermediate club.


2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2008 championship season.


2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Group stage
In the group stage, there are three groups called Group A, B and C. Two teams from each group go through to finals of the tournament. The three teams that finish last in each group go to the relegation play off.


2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Knock Out Stage, Relegation Play Off
The teams that finished bottom of each group play in the relegation play off.


2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Knock Out Stage, Relegation Play Off
Game 1: Clann na nGael 1-10 , 0-8 Castletown, Kilberry, 17/10/2009,


2009 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Knock Out Stage, Finals
The teams in the quarter-finals are the second placed teams from each group and one group winner. The teams in the semi finals are two group winners and the quarter final winners.


2009 Meath Senior Football Championship
The 2009 Meath Senior Football Championship was the 117th edition of the Meath GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for senior graded teams in County Meath, Ireland. The tournament consists of 16 teams, with the winner going on to represent Meath in the Leinster Senior Club Football Championship. The championship starts with a group stage and then progresses to a knock out stage.


2009 Meath Senior Football Championship
Navan O'Mahonys were the defending champions after they defeated Summerhillin the previous years final.


2009 Meath Senior Football Championship
St. Ultan's were promoted after claiming the 2008 Meath Intermediate Football Championship title, their first ever year in the senior grade.


2009 Meath Senior Football Championship
On 26 September 2009, Seneschalstown claimed their 4th Senior Championship title when they defeated Wolfe Tones 2-8 to 1-8 after a replay. Ciaran Macken lifted the Keegan Cup for the Yellow Furze outfit while Damien Sheridan claimed the 'Man of the Match' award.


2009 Meath Senior Football Championship
After much controversy no team was relegated from the senior grade. Walterstown lost their relegation tie after extra time to Rathkenny, but appealed for a re-fixture on the basis that extra time wasn't agreed beforehand. When Rathkenny refused to fulfill a re-fixture no team was relegated and the Intermediate Champions Oldcastle became the 17th team in the Senior Football Championship.


2009 Meath Senior Football Championship, Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2008 championship season.


2009 Meath Senior Football Championship, Participating teams
The teams taking part in the 2009 Meath Senior Football Championship are:


2009 Meath Senior Football Championship, Group stage
There are 3 groups called Group A, B and C. The 3 top finishers in Group A and the top 2 finishers in Group B and C will qualify for the quarter finals. Third place in Group B will play third place in Group C for a quarter finals place. The 3 teams that finish last in their groups will play in a round-robin relegation play off. Dunshaughlin defeated Blackhall Gaels in the preliminary quarter finals to qualify in 2009.


2009 Meath Senior Football Championship, Knock-out Stages, Relegation Play Off
In the relegation match between Rathkenny and Walterstown, Rathkenny won the original match (1-13 to 0-13 AET in Seneschalstown), but Walterstown appealed the result on the basis that the playing of extra-time had not been agreed beforehand. The Leinster Council ruled in their favour at a subsequent appeal, throwing the championship into chaos. Rathkenny wouldn't fulfill a re-fixture so that meant no teams were relegated in 2009, but instead an extra team was added to the Senior Football Championship, bringing the total number of teams from 16 to 17.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash
A Bell 206L-4 LongRanger helicopter, tail number TC-HEK, operated by Medair while on a charter flight en route from Çağlayancerit in Kahramanmaraş Province to Yerköy in Yozgat Province, crashed on March 25, 2009 at around 16:00 EET (14:00 UTC) when it struck Mount Keş in central Turkey. The pilot and four passengers, including the leader of the Great Union Party (BBP) Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, were killed in the accident. Only one passenger survived the crash with injuries and made an emergency call. Due to harsh weather conditions at the crash site, the victims and the wreckage could be recovered only after two days, and the injured passenger was found dead five days later under snow.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Flight history
The helicopter was chartered by the local leaders of a minor political party, the Great Unity Party (Turkish: Büyük Birlik Partisi), to enable their party leader Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu to attend political rallies held on the same day in neighboring provinces as part of the campaign for the 2009 local elections. Accompanied by his party's three local leaders from Sivas Province and a news agency reporter, Yazıcıoğlu arrived in Çağlayancerit on March 25, 2009 at 13:00 EET (11:00 UCT) by helicopter, to make a speech. He told the crowd of 1,500 people gathered in the town square that it was the first time his party had chartered a helicopter, and this without any financial support from the state treasury.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Flight history
As the rally in Çağlayancerit was going on, the helicopter was refueled at 13:30 local time at the Kahramanmaraş Airport. Piloted by Kaya İstektepe and carrying five passengers, it then lifted off at 14:42 to head for Yerköy, where Yazıcıoğle had his next speech scheduled at 17:00. The helicopter did not arrive, and the crowd of 3,000 people gathered in the Station Square (Turkish: İstasyon Meydanı) in Yerköy became worried. A short time later, the deputy leader of the BBP made the sad announcement that the helicopter carrying Yazıcıoğlu and his party members was missing.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Aircraft
The helicopter, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger with tail number TC-HEK, was produced in 1999. In 2008, it joined the fleet of Medair, a subsidiary company of Esas Holding based in Istanbul. The aircraft had seven-seat capacity for five passengers in addition to two pilots. Powered by one Allison 250-C30P engine, it could remain airborne for two-and-half hours with a maximum range of 508 km (274 nmi) and a maximum speed of 234 km/h (145 mph).


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Crash and rescue operation
As no direct contact with the helicopter could be established, search activities were initiated. At 16:10 local time one of the passengers, İsmail Güneş, a reporter for the Ihlas News Agency from Sivas, called the 112 emergency service from his mobile phone and said that "the helicopter he was onboard had crashed, he was injured with a broken leg and no one else, as he could see, had survived". After he added that "the battery of his mobile was running out, and he was about to die", his phone went silent. He was unable to give any further information about the location of the crash site.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Crash and rescue operation
In order to locate the crash site, the GSM operator providing Güneş's mobile phone service was contacted. The calculated geographical coordinates determined the crash site was Mount Berit in the vicinity of Hacıömer and Sisne villages, around 20 km (12 mi) northeast of the town of Göksun in Kahramanmaraş Province. At 17:00 hours, search and rescue (SAR) teams were deployed on land and by air. Minister of Transport Binali Yıldırım said that "the rescuers were receiving signals from the mobile phones in the accident area, and they are trying to locate whereabouts of the crash".


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Crash and rescue operation
State emergency management officials reported that two military special operations teams of the natural disaster rescue battalion (12 personnel each), civil defense SAR teams from Kahramanmaraş (129 personnel, 17 vehicles) and Adana (27 personnel, 8 vehicles and a SAR dog), a gendarmerie unit consisting of 345 personnel, 897 village guards and 60 volunteers of a disaster assistance and rescue team (Turkish: AKUT) headed for the crash site on land, while two military Sikorsky helicopters equipped with night vision devices, one  CASA aircraft of the Turkish Air Force, one police H-60 and one air ambulance helicopter joined the search efforts by air.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Crash and rescue operation
Teams of the gendarmerie and the Turkish Road Administration were engaged in opening roadways in the mountainous area under harsh weather conditions, where the temperature fell to −5 °C (23 °F) after midnight. The search operation in the region, at an elevation of around 2,000 m (6,600 ft), was hampered by fog, snowstorms and 2 m (6.6 ft) of snow on the ground.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Crash and rescue operation
The search efforts, concentrated around Kurucaova village and the foothills of Mount Kaman during the night, were suspended at 04:00 local time, but resumed at 05:30 hours with the sunrise. At around 06:00, the search teams found a group of 22 volunteers in danger of freezing and rescued them.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Crash and rescue operation
Minister of Interior Beşir Atalay rushed to the region and set up headquarters in the nearby village of Kızılöz to coordinate the SAR activities. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also traveled to Kahramanmaraş to monitor the SAR activities.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Recovery
47 hours after the crash, on March 27, a group of 17 volunteers and village guards from the villages of Kurucuova and Döngel southeast of Göksun discovered the wreckage amid a snowstorm as they were returning home from a search. The crash site was situated close to the snow-covered summit of Mount Keş in the region of Sisne and Elmalı, about four walking hours from Döngel village. The area was not within the official search zone.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Recovery
The villagers called the authorities by phone from the crash site and stated that, "they found five victims dead, two of them inside the helicopter's wreckage. They were unable to identify Yazıcıoğlu since the corpses were frozen beyond recognition. The aircraft's fuselage was broken into pieces while the tail was almost intact. They searched for the sixth victim around the wreckage without success." They added that "the crash site was located in an inaccessible area and could better be reached by means of helicopter."


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Recovery
Officials redirected the rescuers to the area where the wreckage was found. The next day, now three days after the crash, rescue teams reached the bodies of the five victims: pilot Kaya İstektepe, BBP leader Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, BBP chairman of Sivas Province Erhan Üstündağ, his deputy Yüksel Yağcı, and Sivas city council candidate Murat Çetinkaya, and transported them by helicopters to the State Hospital in Kahramanmaraş. The search for the sixth passenger continued, however with little hope of finding him alive.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Recovery
During the SAR operation, a Sikorsky military helicopter made an emergency landing in the region due to bad weather conditions and became stuck in snow. There were no casualties in the accident.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Recovery
Special operations SAR teams of the gendarmerie finally recovered the body of the 34-year-old reporter İsmail Güneş on March 30, five days after the accident, covered by snow between two rocks around 500 metres (1,600 ft) east of the crash site. He had eventually freed himself from the wreckage, where his foot had been wedged, and slid downhill with the help of a seat from the aircraft to seek shelter under a tree beside a rock at Karayakup hill. Güneş's corpse was flown to the State Hospital in Kahramanmaraş, where four forensic experts from Adana conducted an autopsy and found that he had broken his left ankle and two ribs, and the reason for his death was exposure to cold weather.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Investigation
An investigation team of the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority (Turkish: Sivil Havacılık Genel Müdürlüğü) stated that the crashed helicopter was equipped with an emergency locater transmitter (ELT), contrary to claims that the aircraft lacked one or that it was not functioning. The ELT was not able to send sufficiently strong signals because its antenna had been broken in the crash. The CEO of the holding company affiliated with Medair, Ali Sabancı, said that the helicopter was regularly maintained and the ELT device was installed one week before the accident.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Investigation
The investigation team revealed as its first findings that the helicopter, while cruising at an altitude of about 1,000-1,500 ft (300–460 m), hit the mountain because of bad weather conditions and fog. The fuselage broke into pieces, and some of the parts spread over an area up to 50 metres (160 ft) from the impact point.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Aftermath
Out of respect for the BBP leader Yazıcıoğlu's death, all the political parties cancelled their rallies ahead of the local elections.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Aftermath
After the local elections of March 29, the BBP unexpectedly won the seat of mayor in Sivas Province, the province Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu was the deputy for in the parliament as his party's only member.


2009 Medair Bell 206 crash, Aftermath
In a press conference, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his appreciation to the rescue teams for their efforts despite adverse weather conditions at the crash site, and announced initiation of an official investigation into a possible failure of the authorities regarding the length of time the SAR operation had taken.


2009 Medibank International Sydney
The 2009 Medibank International Sydney was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 117th edition of the event known that year as the Medibank International Sydney, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the WTA Premier tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour. Both the men's and the women's events took place at the NSW Tennis Centre in Sydney, Australia, from 11 through 17 January 2009.


2009 Medibank International Sydney
The men's singles line up was headlined by Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) No. 3, reigning Australian Open and Indian Wells Masters champion, recent Tennis Masters Cup winner Novak Djokovic, 2008 Australian Open runner-up, Bangkok and Paris Masters titlist, Sydney doubles defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Madrid Masters finalist, Casablanca, Indianapolis and Bucharest champion Gilles Simon. Other top seeds competing were Buenos Aires and Stockholm champion David Nalbandian, Gstaad and Umag finalist Igor Andreev, Richard Gasquet, Tomáš Berdych, Tommy Robredo and Dmitry Tursunov.


2009 Medibank International Sydney
The women's draw was led by Women's Tennis Association (WTA) No . 2, Wimbledon finalist and US Open champion, Bangalore, Miami and Charleston winner Serena Williams, French Open runner-up, Beijing Olympics silver medalist, Berlin, Los Angeles, Montreal and Tokyo titlist Dinara Safina, and Beijing Olympics gold medalist, Dubai and Luxembourg winner Elena Dementieva. Other players present were WTA Tour Championships runner-up, Prague and Guangzhou titlist Vera Zvonareva, French Open semifinalist Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwańska, Nadia Petrova and Caroline Wozniacki.


2009 Medibank International Sydney, Finals, Men's doubles
Bob Bryan /  Mike Bryan defeated  Daniel Nestor /  Nenad Zimonjić, 6–1, 7–6(7–3)


2009 Medibank International Sydney, Finals, Women's doubles
Hsieh Su-Wei /  Peng Shuai defeated  Nathalie Dechy /  Casey Dellacqua, 6–0, 6–1


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Men's Doubles
Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were the defending champions, but both chose not to participate that year.


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Men's Doubles
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan won in the final 6–1, 7–6(7–3), against Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić.


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Men's Singles
Dmitry Tursunov was the defending champion, but lost in the first round to Richard Gasquet.


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Men's Singles
David Nalbandian won in the final 6–3, 6–7(9–11), 6–2, against Jarkko Nieminen.


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Men's Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye to the second round.


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Women's Doubles
Yan Zi and Zheng Jie were the defending champions but both chose not to participate that year.


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Women's Doubles
In the final, Hsieh Su-wei and Peng Shuai defeated Nathalie Dechy and Casey Dellacqua, 6–0, 6–1.


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Women's Singles
Justine Henin was the defending champion, but retired from the sport on May 14, 2008.


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Women's Singles
Elena Dementieva won the all-Russian final, 6–3, 2–6, 6–1, over Dinara Safina.


2009 Medibank International Sydney – Women's Singles
World No. 2 and the first seed Serena Williams was nearly out of the tournament two times. Williams saved four match points in her first round clash against Samantha Stosur & three more against Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals. Williams was defeated by the eventual champion Dementieva in the semifinals in straight sets.


2009 Mediterranean Games
The 2009 Mediterranean Games, officially the XVI Mediterranean Games (Italian: XVI Giochi del Mediterraneo) and commonly known as Pescara 2009, was a multi-sport event held in Pescara, Italy, from 26 June to 5 July 2009. It was governed by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (ICMG) (French: Comité international des Jeux méditerranéens). A total of 3,368 athletes (2,183 men and 1,185 women) from 23 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the Games. Montenegro participated for the first time at the Mediterranean Games, after their independence in 2006.


2009 Mediterranean Games
The program included competitions in 24 different sports, including three non-Olympic sports – bocce, karate, and water skiing – and golf, which will be reinstated as an official Olympic sport in 2016 Summer Olympics. Water skiing was introduced as a demonstration sport. Two disabled sports, athletics and swimming, were also contested in the Games. Italy became the first nation to host the Mediterranean Games three times, having previously hosted them in Naples (1963) and Bari (1997).


2009 Mediterranean Games
Pescara was awarded the Games on 18 October 2003 in Almeria, Spain, which was the host of 2005 Mediterranean Games, defeating bids from Rijeka and Patras. The organising committee of the Games, Comitato Organizzatore dei XVI Giochi del Mediterraneo (COJM), was created in 2006 to oversee the staging of the Games. A total of 33 venues were used to host the events, including Stadio Adriatico— main stadium of the Pescara Games, hosted both the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the athletics competition and football final. Many events took place in several different cities. The official logo of the 2009 Mediterranean Games featured simple graphical illustrations of mountains and sea of the Abruzzo region, and the Marsican brown bear was chosen as the mascot of the Games.


2009 Mediterranean Games
Athletes from 21 countries won medals, leaving two countries without a medal; 18 of them won at least one gold medal. A total of 782 medals – 243 gold, 244 silver and 295 bronze – were awarded. Competitors from the host nation, Italy, led the medal table for the eleventh time in the history of the Games, with 64 gold medals. Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini and Spanish swimmer Aschwin Wildeboer set new world records in their respective events.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Background
The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event, much like the Summer Olympics (albeit on a much smaller scale), with participation exclusively from countries around the Mediterranean Sea where Europe, Africa, and Asia meet. The Games started in 1951 and are held every four years. The idea of holding the Mediterranean Games originated with Muhammed Taher Pasha, who was the chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee and the vice-president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), at a meeting during the 1948 London Olympics. The Games "were designed specifically to bring together the Muslim and European countries surrounding the Mediterranean basin" to promote understanding through sporting competition.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Background
The first edition of the Mediterranean Games was held in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 1951, attracting 734 competitors from 10 nations. Female athletes were not allowed to compete. Italy hosted the Games for the first time in 1963 in Naples—the fourth edition of the Games. Naples was the second in Europe (following Barcelona in 1955) to host the Games. Thirty-four years later, another Italian city, Bari, hosted the Games.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Organisation, Selection of host city
Pescara was elected as the host city for the 2009 Mediterranean Games on 18 October 2003 in Almeria, Spain, defeating bids from Rijeka and Patras. The decision for the host city was made after the voting by members of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games, held in Almeria, host of the 2005 Mediterranean Games. Croatia's bidding city, Rijeka, was the first city to be eliminated, followed by Patras, Greece's bidding city. This was the third time that any Italian city hosted this multi-sport event.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Organisation, Selection of host city
Croatian delegates were outraged by the final decision, particularly as this was their third bid in recent years; Croatia made bids in 1995 and 1999 for the 1997 and 2001 Mediterranean Games, respectively. Former Prime Minister of Croatia and the president of the Croatian Olympic Committee Zlatko Mateša expressed his disappointment, "it just shows, once again, that small countries have no chance of competing with the big ones." The Croatian bid was supported by the president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration Bernie Ecclestone, 1992 Olympic bronze medallist in tennis Goran Ivanišević and 1998 FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe Award winner Davor Šuker.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Organisation, Organising committee
The Comitato Organizzatore dei XVI Giochi del Mediterraneo – Pescara 2009 (English: Organizing Committee of the XVI Mediterranean Games – Pescara 2009; abbreviated as COJM) was created in 2006 to oversee the staging of the Games. The committee was in charge of implementing and staging the Games, and to maintain the infrastructure and provide other services. The committee's board of directors consisted of politicians, IOC members from Italy, and presidents of the various Italian sports governing bodies. Mario Pescante was appointed as the Commissioner Extraordinary of the Games in 2008 by the Italian Government. He had held the same office during the 2006 Winter Olympic, held in Turin.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Organisation, Organising committee
A few weeks before the Games on 18 May 2009, Sabatino Aracu resigned from his post of the president of the organising committee in order to allow its dissolution, which according to him was "incapable of taking urgent measures." Aracu's decision was reportedly motivated by the bureaucratic reasons. He was later appointed Honorary President of the Games.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Organisation, Logo and mascot
The official logo of this edition of the Mediterranean Games featured simple graphical illustrations of mountains and sea of the Abruzzo region. Pescara is the capital of Province of Pescara which is situated in the Abruzzo region. The official mascot was a Marsican brown bear, called Aua', wearing a diving mask and flip-flops with swimfins in his hands. The Marsican brown bear is a highly threatened, unrecognised subspecies of the Brown bear, with a range restricted to the Abruzzo National Park. The mascot was unveiled by the Mediterranean Games Executive Committee during their meeting in Pescara from 24 to 28 March 2008.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Organisation, Medals
The medals of the Games were designed and produced by the Italian company, Coinart, specialising in the manufacture of medals, jewellery, badges, plaques, and trophies. The medals were made up of brass, bronze, and gold. The obverse features the Games logo, stylised shape of an athlete posed to plunge into the waves, with the inscription "Pescara 2009" and XVI Jeux méditerranéens in French and the ICMG logo at bottom—three interlocking rings, representing Africa, Asia and Europe. The reverse features the Warrior of Capestrano (Italian: Guerriero di Capestrano), a fourth-century BC statue, measures more than two metres in height. The statue was discovered in 1934 in Capestrano, Province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo region. It is widely considered to be an archaeological evidence of the pre-Roman settlements in Abruzzo.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Organisation, Venues
The main stadium of the 2009 Mediterranean Games was Stadio Adriatico. The stadium received major renovations and upgrades at a cost of about €10 million. It hosted the opening ceremonies as well as the athletics competition and football final. A total of 33 venues were used to host the events during the Games. Many events took place in several different cities.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Organisation, Venues
The Mediterranean Village provided accommodation and training for athletes of the Games. It was designed by the Italian architect Paolo Desideri, and the total cost of the project was €150 million. It was located in the municipality of Chieti and was spread over an area of 18 acres (7.3 ha; 0.028 sq mi), including a 7 acres (2.8 ha; 0.011 sq mi) public park. More than 450 apartments accommodated athletes and team officials.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Organisation, Venues
The village was designed according to modern architecture and was said to have adopted green features like solar water heating. Key facilities such as a restaurant, medical centre, and a conference hall with a seating capacity of 800 people were hosted there. Rhythmic gymnast Fabrizia D'Ottavio was appointed the mayor of the village.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Calendar
In the following calendar for the 2009 Mediterranean Games, each blue box represents an event competition, such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent days during which medal-awarding finals for a sport were held. On the left the calendar lists each sport with events held during the Games. There is a key at the top of the calendar to aid the reader.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Calendar
Although, the Games officially began on 26 June 2009, the first football games were held on 25 June. Opening ceremony was held on 26 June, and on the same day Tunisian weightlifter Khalil El-Maaoui won the first gold medal of the Games in the men's 56 kg event.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Games, Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony officially began at 9:00 pm Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00) on 26 June 2009 in the Stadio Adriatico. Italian entrepreneur Marco Balich, who coordinated the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics, held in Turin, was its producer and director, with "music moments and stage actions" were developed by the choreography director Doug Jack. K -events (now Filmmaster Events), subsidiary of the Italian holding company Filmmaster Group, was responsible for the organisation of the opening and closing ceremonies.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Games, Opening ceremony
The ceremony, among other dignitaries and guests, included the president of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge, president of the ICMG Amar Addadi, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Albert II, Prince of Monaco, Commissioner Extraordinary of the Games Mario Pescante, president of the Pescara Games organising committee Sabatino Aracu, European Olympic Committee (EOC) president Patrick Hickey, president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (Italian: Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano (CONI)) Gianni Petrucci and the EOC and CONI secretary general Raffaele Pagnozzi.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Games, Opening ceremony
The cultures of Abruzzi Region and Mediterranean were highlighted in the two-and-a-half hours long opening ceremony. The stadium was full to its 25,000 capacity. A special tribute was presented to the victims of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake, occurred in the region of Abruzzo on 6 April 2009; Italian flag was carried by the Italian Special Forces, "who were the first to arrive in L’Aquila". The ceremony featured a special performance by the Italian Air Force. Italian musician and singer-songwriter Eros Ramazzotti sang "L'orizzonte" from his 2009 studio album Ali e radici. The main attraction of the ceremony was the "Water Ceremony". The "water journey" took place through the villages most stricken by the earthquake and ended at the stadium.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Games, Sports
The programme for the Pescara Games included 24 sports and 245 events. Two disabled sports – athletics and swimming – were also held, each comprising two events. Three sports were open only to men – boxing, football and water polo – while rhythmic gymnastics and two events of fencing (foil and sabre) were open only to women. Equestrian was the only sport in which men and women competed together. Water skiing was added as a demonstration sport.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Games, Sports
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each sport.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Games, Closing ceremony
The 2009 Mediterranean Games closing ceremony concluded the Pescara Games on 5 July 2009. It began at 9:00 pm Central European Summer Time (UTC+2:00), and took place on the streets of the city. The "main element" of the ceremony was white, and spectators were asked by the organisers to wear white clothing. The event was directed by Marco Balich and organised by K-events.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Games, Closing ceremony
The ceremony included the handover of the Games from Pescara to Volos, co-host of the 2013 Mediterranean Games with Larissa. The Italian army's brass band played the Italian national anthem, Il Canto degli Italiani. The Mayor of Pescara, Luigi Albore Mascia, then handed the Mediterranean Games flag to the president of the International Committee for the Mediterranean Games, Amar Addadi, who in turn passed it to Aleksandros Voulgaris, the Mayor of Volos. The closing act of the ceremony was the romanza of Mario Cavaradossi "E lucevan le stelle", performed by local pop singer Piero Mazzocchetti, who was specially chosen for this purpose by the president of the organising committee Sabatino Aracu.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Medal count
Athletes from 21 countries won medals, leaving two countries without a medal, and 18 of them won at least one gold medal. Andorra and Lebanon did not win any medal. Athens Olympics silver medallist in 200 metre freestyle, Federica Pellegrini of Italy made a new world record in the 400 metres freestyle event. Spanish swimmer Aschwin Wildeboer set a new world record in 100 metres backstroke.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Participating nations
A total of 3,368 athletes (2,183 men and 1,185 women) from 23 member nations of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games participated (ICMG) in the Games. The number of participating countries was the greatest in Mediterranean Games history (equivalent to Tunis 2005). The total number of female athletes was an all-time high. Women took part in the Games for the first time in 1967. Italy and Greece had the largest teams, with 452 athletes for Italy and 391 for Greece. Andorra sent the smallest delegation of 13 members.


2009 Mediterranean Games, Participating nations
All but one of the 24 National Olympic Committees that were member of the ICMG, as of 2009, participated in the Pescara Games, the exception being Republic of Macedonia. Montenegro, after their independence in 2006, participated for the first time at the Mediterranean Games. The states of Serbia and Montenegro, which participated at the 2005 Mediterranean Games jointly as Serbia and Montenegro, competed separately. The Montenegrin Olympic Committee was accepted as a new National Olympic Committee by the International Olympic Committee in 2007.


2009 Mediterranean Games medal table
The 2009 Mediterranean Games, officially known as the XVI Mediterranean Games (Italian: XVI Giochi del Mediterraneo), was a multi-sport event held in Pescara, Italy, from 26 June to 5 July 2009. A record total of 3,368 athletes—2,183 men and 1,185 women—representing 23 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the Games. The number of competing NOCs was the highest in Mediterranean Games history, alongside Tunis 2001.


2009 Mediterranean Games medal table
Athletes from every participating NOC, except Andorra and Lebanon, won medals. Among the medalling NOCs, 18 won at least one gold medal. Tunisian swimmer Oussama Mellouli won five gold medals, making him the most successful athlete of the Pescara 2009 Games. French gymnast Youna Dufournet won four golds and one silver, becoming the most decorated female athlete at these Games. In the 400 metres freestyle event, Athens Olympics silver medallist Federica Pellegrini of Italy won gold andbroke the world record. She won a second gold medal as part of the relay team in the 4×100 metres freestyle event.


2009 Mediterranean Games medal table
Spanish swimmer Aschwin Wildeboer Faber set a new world record in the 100 metres backstroke and won four gold medals. Maltese shooter William Chetcuti won his nation's only medal, a silver in the men's double trap. Yann Siccardi won the only medal for Monaco at the 2009 Mediterranean Games, a silver in the men's 60 kg event of judo.


2009 Mediterranean Games medal table
A total of 782 medals (243 gold, 244 silver and 295 bronze) were awarded. Athletics, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling accounted for almost half of the total medals awarded. Five NOCs—Greece, Tunisia, Morocco, Cyprus and San Marino—improved their position in the medal table compared to the 2005 Mediterranean Games. The host nation, Italy, topped the medal table for a record eleventh time in the history of the Games, having collected 64 gold medals; it also secured the most bronze medals (63) and the most medals overall (176).


2009 Mediterranean Games medal table
The Italian delegation also obtained the most medals in athletics, bowls, boxing, canoeing, fencing, karate, road cycling, rowing, shooting, swimming and volleyball, and tied for the most in football, judo, rhythmic gymnastics and water polo. France led the silver medal count with 53, and with 48 golds, 39 bronzes and a total of 140 medals, finished second on the medal table. Spanish athletes claimed 83 medals in total (including 28 gold), earning third spot on the table.


2009 Mediterranean Games medal table, Medal table
The ranking in this table is consistent with Comité international des Jeux méditerranéens convention in its published medal tables. By default, the table is ordered by the number of gold medals the athletes from a nation have won (in this context, a nation is an entity represented by a NOC). The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next, followed by the number of bronze medals. If nations are still tied, equal ranking is given; they are listed alphabetically by IOC country code.


2009 Mediterranean Games medal table, Medal table
The total number of bronze medals is greater than the total number of gold or silver medals because two bronze medals were awarded per event in four sports: boxing, judo, karate and wrestling. In the women's 50 m freestyle event of swimming, a tie for the second position between two swimmers from Italy meant that two silver medals (and no bronze) were awarded.


2009 Mediterranean Games medal table, Change
Nurcan Taylan DQ and all results were invalidated from 2009-2016.


2009 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck
On 27 March 2009, at least one boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy capsized. The boat is believed to have been carrying 250 migrants from Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine and Nigeria. A rescue attempt involving the Italian and Libyan navies rescued 21 survivors from the boat and retrieved 21 bodies. A further 77 bodies subsequently washed up on the shores of Libya before rescue efforts were called off. Two other boats also went missing between Libya and Italy, carrying around 250 more people between them. A fourth boat, carrying 350 people, was rescued by an Italian merchant ship on 29 March in the same area of sea.


2009 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck, Boat confirmed sunk
One vessel was confirmed by Libyan authorities to have capsized. It was a wooden fishing boat with a legal capacity of 50 persons and was attempting a crossing from Libya to Italy while carrying around 250 migrants. The boat set off from Sidi Bilal, near Tripoli, where survivors have said that it was already in a poor condition and possibly holed. The vessel is thought to have capsized 30 miles (48 km) off the Libyan coast on 27 March 2009 in high winds and seas.


2009 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck, Boat confirmed sunk
A search and rescue attempt was made on 29 March by the Libyan Navy, Italian Navy and local fishing boats, which recovered 21 people alive from the upturned boat and a further 23 bodies. At least 10 Egyptians and 10 Gambians were among the dead, along with Tunisians, Palestinians and Nigerians. Those rescued were returned to Tripoli and 17 were admitted to hospital for treatment. A further 77 bodies washed ashore on beaches to the west of Tripoli, including at Sebrata, on 31 March, the same day that search and rescue efforts were called off and the Libyan authorities made the news public. The remaining passengers were listed as missing, presumed dead.


2009 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck, Other boats
A second boat, similar to the one that capsized and carrying another 350 people, was rescued by an Italian merchant ship in the same area of sea on 29 March after being spotted by a nearby oil platform. Two more similar boats arrived in Italy in subsequent weeks, and a further two remained missing, having left Libya but never arrived in Italy. Coastguards from the two countries continued to search for the latter two boats. The capsized boat and the two that went missing are thought to have carried at least 500 people, of whom 200 were Nigerian.


2009 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck, Other boats
The smuggling season normally runs from April to October but boats were sailing throughout the winter of 2008-9, which brings poor weather.


2009 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck, Reaction
Apart from the search attempts, the Italian and Libyan navies agreed to begin joint patrols of the area between the two countries from May 2009 in an attempt to halt the people smuggling operations.


2009 Mediterranean wildfires
The 2009 Mediterranean wildfires were a series of wildfires that broke out across France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey in July 2009. Strong winds spread the fire during a hot, dry period of weather killing at least eight people, six of whom were in Spain. Some of the wildfires were caused by lightning, along with arson and military training.


2009 Mediterranean wildfires, Effects
Four Spanish firefighters died in Catalonia on 21 July, and a fifth member died later from injuries on 23 July, as well as a fire engine driver in Teruel. A further two people died from bush fires in Sardinia. More than 120 people were rescued at Capo Pecora on Sardinia by helicopter and civil protection boats. The Arenas prison complex was evacuated and the inmates were temporarily transferred to the beach.


2009 Mediterranean wildfires, Effects
Northern and central Spain saw temperatures of around 40 °C (104 °F) on 21 July. Around 2,000 people were evacuated from hills around the town of Collado Mediano, near Madrid. Aircraft with water and firefighters controlled the fire.


2009 Mediterranean wildfires, Effects
Estimates suggest that 5,000 hectares of forest and bush were affected in the Sierra Cabrera mountain range between Turre and Mojácar in Spain on 14–15 July. 500 people were evacuated, as dozens of firefighters and soldiers controlled the fires, including the use of five helicopters and three aircraft. On 23 July, the fires on the Sierra Cabrera on which Mojácar sits flared again, causing damage to the village and other houses in the area and the evacuation of around 1,500 residents.


2009 Mediterranean wildfires, Effects
Outside the French city of Marseille, 1,300 hectares (3211 acres) were destroyed. In Corsica, wildfires led to the destruction of approximately 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of bush and forest resulting in the injuries of five firemen.


2009 Mediterranean wildfires, Effects
More than 320 wildfires affected patches of forest across Greece, although they did affect buildings. Most of them were located on the island of Euboea and the southern Peloponnese.


2009 Mediterranean wildfires, Effects
On 23 July, over 15 hectares of land were destroyed in a landfill site in Bodrum, southwestern Turkey. Over 200 volunteers and 100 firefighters tried to contain the fires across Turkey, which saw temperatures of 48 °C (118 °F) on 25–26 July.


2009 Mediterranean wildfires, Causes
In the Mediterranean region, the current fire frequency due to human activity is considered much larger than the natural rate. 95% of forest fires in Spain are human-induced. The 2009 Mediterranean wildfires occurred during a particularly hot and dry summer period, increasing the risk of wildfires burning out of control once ignited. Temperatures peaked at 44 °C (111 °F) in mainland Spain and reached 37 °C (99 °F) in Gran Canaria. These conditions, combined with insufficient fire-fighting resources and an inadequate official response in some of the affected countries, exacerbated the extent of the damage.


2009 Mediterranean wildfires, Causes
Uncontrolled legal and illegal scrub burning by farmers is a major cause of forest fires in the Mediterranean region. Arson, while still a significant factor, has diminished in Spain and Greece in recent years. Decreasing property values generally and the introduction of legislation in Spain to tackle the issue has diminished the financial incentive to illegally clear forested land for development by burning. Isolated cases of areas in Spain affected by fires caused by lightning strikes include Aragon (Spain), as reported by El Pais and Mojácar, as suggested by the Spanish Forest Fire Organisation (INFOCA). The wildfires outside of Marseille, France were reported as being caused by military training using tracer bullets. The local government of Corsica believed the fires were caused by arson.


2009 Meijer Indy 300
The 2009 Meijer Indy 300 presented by Red Baron and Edy's was the twelfth round of the 2009 IndyCar Series season, and was held on August 1, 2009 at the 1.480-mile (2.382 km) Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky.


2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl
The 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl was the eighth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game started at 4:30 PM US EST on Saturday, December 26, 2009, and was telecasted on ESPN and ESPN360. The Pittsburgh Panthers defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 19–17 with a 33-yard field goal and .52 seconds remaining in the game.


2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl
Pitt (9–3) finished second in the Big East after losing at home to Cincinnati on December 5 in a game decided by a missed extra point. The Panthers played in the Charlotte bowl (then known as the Continental Tire Bowl) in 2003, losing to Virginia 23–16.


2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl
North Carolina (8–4) made its third appearance in the bowl game, and its second in a row. They lost to West Virginia in the 2008 game, 31–30. A deal was initially in the works to have UNC play fellow traditional college basketball power Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. However, this came undone when all of the ACC's top-tier bowl selections passed on ACC title game loser Clemson, forcing the Music City Bowl to select the Tigers.


2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl
The ACC's bowl selection rules at the time did not allow the conference title game loser to fall below the Music City Bowl, which has the fifth pick from ACC bowl-eligible teams. This sent the Tar Heels to the Meineke Car Care Bowl, which has the sixth pick. The game will mark the seventh time that the two schools have played each other and the first time they will meet in the post-season. Entering the game, UNC led the series 4–2 with the last meeting being a 20–17 Tar Heels victory in Pittsburgh.


2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl
The Tar Heels' appearances have accounted for two of the game's three sellouts; the 2008 game attracted its largest crowd ever. UNC has a large alumni and fan base in the area, and Charlotte is only two hours south of the UNC campus. However, the 2009 game only attracted a crowd of 50,389, the smallest in the game's eight-year history.


2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl, Game summary
North Carolina wore their home blue jerseys, Pitt wore their away white jerseys.


2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl, Game summary
Pitt freshman tailback Dion Lewis rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown on his way to being named the game's MVP. Lewis also broke the Pitt single season rushing record for a freshman, breaking Tony Dorsett's record of 1,686 in the first quarter of the game. Lewis also passed Craig Heyward for second in terms of overall single season rushing. Lewis finished with 1,799 yards on the season. UNC was led by their junior quarterback, T. J. Yates, who passed for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Pitt finished the season with 10 wins. This was their first 10 win season since 1981, when they were led by quarterback Dan Marino.


2009 Meistriliiga
The 2009 Meistriliiga was the 19th season of the Meistriliiga, Estonia's premier football league. It started on 7 March 2009 and ended on 10 November 2009. Levadia won their seventh title.


2009 Meistriliiga, Changes from the previous season
TVMK were disbanded after the end of the previous season. Hence Vaprus, who originally were to be directly relegated, faced Esiliiga side Paide Linnameeskond in a relegation play-off series for one spot in Meistriliiga 2009. With an aggregate 5–5, Paide Linnameeskond won the promotion play-off against Vaprus on the away goals rule and play their first season in Estonian top division. Tallinna Kalev, who originally were to participate in the relegation series, were spared.


2009 Meistriliiga, Changes from the previous season
Kuressaare earned promotion to the 2009 Meistriliiga after finishing in second place in the 2008 Esiliiga; champions Levadia II were not eligible to be promoted.


2009 Meistriliiga, Changes from the previous season
Maag Tammeka changed their name to Tammeka following the loss of a major sponsor.


2009 Meistriliiga, League table, Relegation play-off
The ninth placed team of Meistriliiga and the runners-up of Esiliiga will compete in a two-legged relegation play-off for one spot in 2010 Meistriliiga.


2009 Meistriliiga, League table, Relegation play-off
Paide Linnameeskond wins 2–1 on aggregate and retains their spot in next season's Meistriliiga.


2009 Meistriliiga, Results
Each team plays every opponent four times, twice at home and twice on the road, for a total of 36 games.


2009 Melanesian Championships in Athletics
The 2009 Melanesian Championships in Athletics took place between August 4–8, 2009. The event was held at the Griffith University in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, jointly with the OAA Grand Prix Series, and the OAA sub-regional Micronesian and Polynesian Championships. Many athletes utilised the competitions preparing for the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany. Detailed reports were given for the OAA.


2009 Melanesian Championships in Athletics
A total of 34 events were contested, 18 by men and 16 by women.


2009 Melanesian Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Complete results can be found on the Oceania Athletics Association webpage, and at sportfieber.pytalhost.com.


2009 Melanesian Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
In 100 metres, 400 metres hurdles, long jump and triple jump, as well as in shot put, discus throw, and javelin throw, there were separate open competitions for the Melanesian championships and the OAA Grand Prix Series held on different days.


2009 Melanesian Championships in Athletics, Medal summary, Men
1. ): In the 400 metres event, Kevin Kapmatana from  Papua New Guinea was 2nd in 48.05 competing as a guest. 2. ): In the 4 x 100 metres relay event, the B team from  Fiji was 3rd in 42.30 competing as guests.


2009 Melanesian Championships in Athletics, Medal summary, Women
1. ): In the 400 metres event, Angeline Blackburn from  Australia was 3rd in 55.85 competing as a guest. 2. ): In the discus throw event, Che Kenneally from  Australia was 2nd in 35.71m competing as a guest.


2009 Melanesian Championships in Athletics, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 85 athletes from 7 countries participated.


2009 Melbourne Cup
The 2009 Melbourne Cup, the 149th running of Australia's most prestigious Thoroughbred horse race was run on Tuesday, 3 November 2009, starting at 3:00 PM local time (0400 UTC).


2009 Melbourne Cup
The race was won by Shocking. The 9–1 winner, trained by Mark Kavanagh and ridden by Corey Brown, won by three-quarters of a length.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season
The 2009 Melbourne Football Club season was the club's 110th year in the VFL/AFL since it began in 1897.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season
Melbourne hosted 10 of its 11 home games at the MCG. For the third year in a row, they played their remaining home game at Manuka Oval in the nation's capital, Canberra, against the Sydney Swans during Round 17. Dean Bailey coached his second year as senior coach at Melbourne. After taking the captaincy from David Neitz in round 6 the year before with Cameron Bruce, James McDonald was made full-time captain for the season.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season
On 2 August, Melbourne president Jim Stynes announced he was diagnosed with cancer and would be stepping aside from his duties until the conclusion of the 2009 AFL season. Don McLardy took over as acting president for that period of time.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season
Melbourne continued their Debt Demolition campaign in the month of August raising $567,132 and cutting their debt to $1.5 million. Melbourne also had a yearly profit of $587,183.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season
Melbourne only won four matches for the year, receiving their 12th wooden spoon. Melbourne came under scrutiny in the later rounds of the season (most notably in round 18 against Richmond) for "tanking", i.e. losing games in order to receive a priority draft pick; but, after extensive investigations in 2012 and 2013, the AFL found the club not guilty of these allegations. Because the Demons won four games or fewer for the second year in a row, the club received a priority pick at the start of the 2009 National Draft.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 1
Debut(s): Jamie Bennell, Kyle Cheney, Neville Jetta, Jake Spencer Milestone(s): Neville Jetta  (1st AFL Goal) Brownlow Votes: Hamish McIntosh (North Melbourne) 3 votes, Leigh Harding (North Melbourne) 2 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 1 voteRecord: 0 Wins, 1 Loss, 0 Draws (66.34%)Ladder Position: 13th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 2
Milestone(s): Matthew Bate  (50th AFL Game)Brownlow Votes:  Josh Fraser (Collingwood) 3 votes, Alan Didak (Collingwood) 2 votes,  Aaron Davey (Melbourne) 1 voteRecord: 0 Wins, 2 Losses, 0 Draws (60.1%)Ladder Position: 15th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 3
Debut(s): John MeesenMilestone(s): Aaron Davey (100th AFL Game) Jamie Bennell (1st AFL Goal)Brownlow Votes: Warren Tredrea (Port Adelaide) 3 votes, Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide) 2 votes, Danyle Pearce (Port Adelaide) 1 vote Record: 0 Wins, 3 Losses, 0 Draws (60.5%)Ladder Position: 15th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 4
Brownlow Votes:Matthew Richardson (Richmond) 3 votes, Aaron Davey (Melbourne) 2 votes,  Brock McLean (Melbourne) 1 vote Record: 1 Win, 3 Losses, 0 Draws(70.2%)Ladder Position: 14th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 5
Brownlow Votes: Simon Goodwin (Adelaide) 3 votes, Ben Rutten (Adelaide) 2 votes, Bernie Vince (Adelaide) 1 vote Record: 1 Win, 4 Losses, 0 Draws (69.9%)Ladder Position: 15th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 6
Milestone(s): Clint Bartram (50th AFL Game)Brownlow Votes: Paul Chapman (Geelong) 3 votes, Jimmy Bartel (Geelong) 2 votes, Steve Johnson (Geelong) 1 vote Record: 1 Win, 5 Losses, 0 Draws (68.3%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 7
Milestone(s): Paul Johnson (50th AFL Game)Brownlow Votes: Mark LeCras (West Coast) 3 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 2 votes, Adam Selwood (West Coast) 1 vote Record: 1 Win, 6 Losses, 0 Draws(71.2%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 8
Brownlow Votes: Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs) 3 votes, Paul Johnson (Melbourne) 2 votes, Jason Akermanis (Western Bulldogs) 1 voteRecord: 1 Win, 7 Losses, 0 Draws (74.0%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 9
Milestone(s): Stefan Martin (1st AFL Goal)Brownlow Votes:  Colin Sylvia (Melbourne) 3 votes, Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn) 2 votes, Brad Sewell (Hawthorn) 1 voteRecord: 1 Win, 8 Losses, 0 Draws (74.9%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 10
Milestone(s): James Frawley (1st AFL Goal)Brownlow Votes: Lenny Hayes (St Kilda) 3 votes, Leigh Montagna (St Kilda) 2 votes, Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) 1 voteRecord: 1 Win, 9 Losses, 0 Draws (73.3%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 11
Debut(s): Jack WattsBrownlow Votes: Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood) 3 votes, Colin Sylvia (Melbourne) 2 votes, Brad Dick (Collingwood) 1 voteRecord: 1 Win, 10 Losses, 0 Draws (70.4%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 12
Debut(s): Liam JurrahBrownlow Votes: Jobe Watson (Essendon) 3 votes, Scott Lucas (Essendon) 2 votes, Adam McPhee (Essendon) 1 voteRecord:1 Win, 11 Losses, 0 Draws (69.7%) Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 13
Brownlow Votes: Simon Black (Brisbane Lions) 3 votes, Jonathan Brown (Brisbane Lions) 2 votes, Luke Power (Brisbane Lions) 1 voteRecord: 1 Win, 12 Losses, 0 Draws (68.1%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 14
Brownlow Votes: Jack Grimes (Melbourne) 3 votes, Brent Moloney (Melbourne) 2 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 1 voteRecord: 2 Wins, 12 Losses, 0 Draws (71.5%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 15
Brownlow Votes: Brent Moloney (Melbourne) 3 votes, Domenic Cassisi (Port Adelaide) 2 votes, Toby Thurstans (Port Adelaide) 1 voteRecord: 3 Wins, 12 Losses, 0 Draws (73.8%)Ladder Position: 15th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 16
Brownlow Votes: Matthew Scarlett (Geelong) 3 votes, Paul Chapman (Geelong) 2 votes, Gary Ablett (Geelong) 1 voteRecord: 3 Wins, 13 Losses, 0 Draws (72.9%)Ladder Position: 15th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 17
Debut(s): Jordie McKenzieBrownlow Votes: Ryan O'Keefe (Sydney) 3 votes, Rhyce Shaw (Sydney) 2 votes, Darren Jolly (Sydney) 1 voteRecord: 3 Wins, 14 Losses, 0 Draws (73.0%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 18
Brownlow Votes: Ben Cousins (Richmond) 3 votes, James McDonald (Melbourne) 2 votes, Brett Deledio (Richmond) 1 voteRecord: 3 Wins, 15 Losses, 0 Draws (74.0%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 19
Debut(s): Rohan Bail, Tom McNamaraMilestone(s): Lynden Dunn (50th AFL Game)Brownlow Votes: Brent Harvey (North Melbourne) 3 votes, Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne) 2 votes, Drew Petrie (North Melbourne) 1 voteRecord: 3 Wins, 16 Losses, 0 Draws (72.5%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 20
Milestone(s): Tom McNamara(1st AFL Goal)Brownlow Votes: Aaron Davey (Melbourne) 3 votes, Matthew Bate (Melbourne) 2 votes, Shane Valenti (Melbourne) 1 voteRecord: 4 Wins, 16 Losses, 0 Draws (76.5%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 21
Brownlow Votes: Chris Judd (Carlton) 3 votes, Brendan Fevola (Carlton) 2 votes, Marc Murphy (Carlton) 1 voteRecord: 4 Wins, 17 Losses, 0 Draws (75.5%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, 2009 season, Home and away season, Round 22
Brownlow Votes: Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda) 3 votes, Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) 2 votes, Lenny Hayes (St Kilda) 1 voteRecord: 4 Wins, 18 Losses, 0 Draws (74.7%)Ladder Position: 16th


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, NAB Cup and NAB Challenge
Week 1: Melbourne looked to be on the verge of causing an upset over the 2008 Premiers, Hawthorn, leading 1.8.8 (65) to 0.5.2 (32) at three-quarter time. However, the Hawks made a successful comeback, keeping the 2008 wooden spooners goal-less in the final quarter as Jarryd Roughead snatched the lead back for Hawthorn with a mark and a goal 30 seconds from full-time.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, Home and away season
Round 4: Melbourne registered their first win of the season defeating a winless Richmond by 8 points. Despite holding a 31-point lead at half time, the Demons held off a fast finishing Tigers outfit in the final quarter to secure their first win against a Victorian team since round 22, 2007. It was also Melbourne's first win as the "away" side since round 14, 2007.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, Home and away season
Round 10: Melbourne put up a brave first half effort against an undefeated St Kilda, trailing by only 8 points at the main break. However, the Saints kept Melbourne goalless in the second half to finish out comfortable winners by 27 points.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, Home and away season
Round 11: In the Queen's Birthday clash, the 2008 number 1 draft pick Jack Watts made his debut against Collingwood. He received a harsh welcoming to the AFL when he came off from the interchange bench for the first time in the game: Watts was immediately crunched by the larger bodies of three Collingwood players while the ball came his direction, as Melbourne suffered its biggest loss for the season (66 points).


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, Home and away season
Round 12: Liam Jurrah (the first AFL player from a remote tribal community) made his AFL debut, against Essendon. He kicked his first goal with a marking attempt that turned into a falling crumb in the goal-square. This goal was nominated for Goal of the Year. Melbourne were out-classed by the Bombers, losing easily by 48 points.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, Home and away season
Round 14: On 2 July, in an emotional press conference, Melbourne president Jim Stynes announced that he was diagnosed with cancer and had to step down as president for the rest of the season. Melbourne played its most emotional game of the year against West Coast and recorded its highest first quarter score of the season. Despite a late charge by the Eagles in the final quarter, Melbourne resisted the attack and won the game by 20 points. After the match, the players headed into the dressing rooms holding up Stynes' infamous number 37 guernsey, which he wore during the 1987 Preliminary Final against Hawthorn. Jack Grimes received the NAB Rising Star nomination for round 14.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, Home and away season
Round 15: Melbourne won consecutive games for the first time since round 11, 2007 when it downed Port Adelaide by 11 points, after holding a 30-point lead midway through the third quarter. Liam Jurrah received the NAB Rising Star nomination for Round 15.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, Home and away season
Round 18: In a match that was criticised for tanking strategies, Jordan McMahon took a mark in Richmond's forward 50 and goaled after the final siren to give the Tigers a 4-point win. During the game Melbourne coach Dean Bailey placed several players in unusual positions. These included placing ruckman Paul Johnson and midfielder James McDonald in the backline; playing forward Brad Miller in the ruck; placing defenders James Frawley and Matthew Warnock in the forward line, as well as leaving Russell Robertson and Colin Sylvia out of the game for Michael Newton and rookie Jake Spencer.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, Home and away season
Round 20: In front of a crowd of only 13,004, Melbourne inflicted its only thrashing of the season against fellow cellar dwellers Fremantle after a blowout in the second quarter to win by 63 points. They would record its first 60-point victory since round 8, 2006 as well as the first time they scored 20 or more goals in a game since round 22, 2007.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Notable matches, Home and away season
Round 22: Veterans Russell Robertson, Paul Wheatley and Matthew Whelan played their last ever AFL match, against ladder leaders St Kilda. Melbourne put on another strong first half performance, trailing by only a goal at half time, which included a backwards goal from Liam Jurrah at the start of the quarter. However, St Kilda ran over the top of Melbourne in the second half, winning comfortably by 47 points to secure the minor premiership. Melbourne, on the other hand, received the wooden spoon and ensured that their priority pick would be safe. They had the first and second picks in the 2009 AFL draft.


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Sid Anderson Memorial Trophy (Second in the Best and Fairest) – Brent Moloney


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Ron Barassi Snr Memorial Trophy (Third in the Best and Fairest) – Cameron Bruce


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Ivor Warne-Smith Memorial Trophy (Fourth in the Best and Fairest) – Matthew Bate


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy (Fifth in the Best and Fairest) – Nathan Jones, Colin Sylvia, Matthew Warnock


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Harold Ball Memorial Trophy (Best First Year Player) – Liam Jurrah


2009 Melbourne Football Club season, Awards, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)
Troy Broadbridge Trophy (highest polling MFC player in the Casey Best and Fairest) – Shane Valenti


2009 Melbourne Storm season
The 2009 Melbourne Storm season was the 12th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 4th out of 16 teams. They then progressed to their fourth consecutive grand final, this time to be played against the Parramatta Eels and won, claiming their second premiership in three seasons, a title later stripped in 2010 after being found guilty of salary cap breaches.


2009 Melbourne Storm season
A slow start to the season saw Melbourne win just three of their first seven games. However the team rallied, losing just one of their next seven to move into fourth position by Round 14, where they would remain for the rest of the season. The finals series was when Melbourne really hit their straps, winning their first two finals by 28 and 30 points respectively. In the Grand Final, Storm defeated Parramatta 23-16 with Billy Slater named the Clive Churchill Medalist.


2009 Melbourne Storm season, Ladder
1 The Bulldogs were deducted 2 competition points after an interchange breach in Round 2.


2009 Melbourne Victory W-League season
The 2009 season is the Melbourne Victory's second season of football (soccer) in Australia's women's league, the W-League.


2009 Melbourne Victory W-League season, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 Melbourne Victory W-League season, Milestones
First game = 2-0 win home V Perth GloryLargest win = 2-0 away V Adelaide UnitedLargest loss = 0-1 home  V Brisbane Roar


2009 Melbourne Vixens season
The 2009 Melbourne Vixens season saw Melbourne Vixens play in the 2009 ANZ Championship. With a team co-captained by Bianca Chatfield and Sharelle McMahon, Melbourne Vixens won 12 of their 13 matches during the regular season and finished as minor premiers. Vixens subsequently defeated Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 58–43 in the major semi-final and Adelaide Thunderbirds 54–46 in the grand final to finish as overall premiers. Vixens hosted the grand final on Sunday 26 July at Hisense Arena.


2009 Melbourne Vixens season, Regular season
Melbourne Vixens won 12 of their 13 matches during the regular season. Their only defeat came in Round 10 against Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, their main challengers for top spot. Vixens had to win their final two home matches with plenty of  goals to guarantee top place. After a 63–35 win against Canterbury Tactix in Round 13, Vixens' defeated Central Pulse 80–39 in Round 14 to secure the minor premiership.


2009 Memorial Cup
The 2009 Memorial Cup was a four-team round-robin format ice hockey tournament played during May 2009 in Rimouski, Quebec. It was the 91st annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced on April 3, 2008, that the Rimouski Océanic were chosen to host the event at the Colisée de Rimouski. Other participants include the Windsor Spitfires, champions of the Ontario Hockey League, the Drummondville Voltigeurs, champions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the Kelowna Rockets, champions of the Western Hockey League.


2009 Memorial Cup
Five other QMJHL teams submitted a bid to host the event, including the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, Halifax Mooseheads, Lewiston Maineiacs, Shawinigan Cataractes, and the St. John's Fog Devils. The Maineiacs bid partnered with the American Hockey League's Portland Pirates, with a plan to host the event in Portland's Cumberland County Civic Center. The QMJHL announced a five-member independent selection committee to evaluate the bids, headed by former New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord.


2009 Memorial Cup
The tournament began on May 15, 2009 with Kelowna beating Rimouski 4–1. Windsor defeated Rimouski in the tiebreaker and Drummondville in the semifinal, becoming just the second team since the current Memorial Cup tournament format was adopted in 1983 to reach the final after losing its first two games. Windsor then captured the Memorial Cup, defeating Kelowna 4–1 on May 24, 2009, becoming the first team in Memorial Cup history to win the tournament after starting 0–2, and also the first to win coming out of the tiebreaker.


2009 Memorial Cup, Tournament, Round robin
Note: Windsor finished 4th based on head to head round robin matchups but defeated Rimouski in the tiebreaker game.


2009 Memorial Cup, Statistical leaders, Skaters
These are the top skaters based on points. If the list exceeds ten skaters because of a tie in points, all of the tied skaters are shown.


2009 Memorial Cup, Statistical leaders, Skaters
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


2009 Memorial Cup, Statistical leaders, Goaltending
This is a combined table of the top goaltenders based on goals against average and save percentage with at least sixty minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA.


2009 Memorial Cup, Statistical leaders, Goaltending
GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds)


2009 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner
The VII Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner was held in Poland from 20 to 23 August 2009. 6 teams participated in the tournament.


2009 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner, Qualification
All teams except the host must receive an invitation from the organizers.


2009 Memphis Tigers football team
The 2009 Memphis Tigers football team represented the University of Memphis in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Tigers, led by 9th year head coach Tommy West, played their home games at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Memphis finished the season 2–10 and 1–7 in CUSA play. Head coach Tommy West was fired at the end of the season. Top players included running back Curtis Steele, who was named Offensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row.


2009 Men's African Volleyball Championship
The 2009 Men's African Volleyball Championship is played in Tétouan, Morocco, from 27 September 2009 to 5 October with 9 teams participating in the continental championship.


2009 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships
The 2009 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships were the sixth such championships in men's floorball. They were held from March 25 to March 29, 2009 in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. All matches were played at the Lee Chung Gymnasium. Singapore came into the tournament as defending champions.


2009 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships
The 2009 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships were just the second to be held outside of Singapore City.


2009 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships
The tournament was organised by the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC).


2009 Men's Asia Pacific Floorball Championships
A new floorball world record was set on March 26, 2009, when Japan defeated India, 59:0. The previous world record was in a women's under-19 friendly, where Poland defeated Ukraine by a score of 50:0.


2009 Men's Australian Hockey League
The 2009 Men's Australian Hockey League was the 19th edition of the men's field hockey tournament. The finals week of the tournament was held in the Tasmanian city of Hobart.


2009 Men's Australian Hockey League
The WA Thundersticks won the gold medal for the eighth time by defeating the QLD Blades 2–1 in the final.


2009 Men's Australian Hockey League, Competition format
The 2009 Men's Australian Hockey League consisted of a single round robin format, followed by classification matches.


2009 Men's Australian Hockey League, Competition format
Teams from all 8 states and territories competed against one another throughout the pool stage in home and away matches. At the conclusion of the pool stage, the top four ranked teams progressed to the semi-finals, while the bottom four teams continued to the classification stage.


2009 Men's Australian Hockey League, Competition format, Point Allocation
All matches had an outright result, meaning drawn matches were be decided in either golden goal extra time, or a penalty shoot-out. Match points were be as follows:


2009 Men's Australian Hockey League, Competition format, Point Allocation
· 3 points for a win· 1 points to each team in the event of a draw· 0 points to the loser of the match


2009 Men's Australian Hockey League, Statistics, Goalscorers
There were 258 goals scored in 52 matches, for an average of 4.96 goals per match.