2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Impact on Russia and Ukraine
Analysts pointed out that the crisis and the way it was handled had a negative and possibly irreversible impact on the reputations of both Russia as an energy supplier, and Ukraine as a transit country. According to the Czech foreign minister, "The main lesson learned from this crisis is that Russia and Ukraine aren’t reliable suppliers. Europe must think about alternative sources and pipelines." The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso similarly expressed during the crisis that by failing to honor supply agreements Russia and Ukraine could no longer be considered reliable energy partners.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Impact on Russia and Ukraine
Despite calls for European energy diversity being amplified as a result of the crisis, Russia's European customers have long term legal contracts for gas deliveries. Most of these contracts stretch beyond 2025–2030 and obligations to these contracts remain despite the crisis. Thus European countries can do little in the short-medium term in the ways of diversification away from Russian gas, but diversification of delivery routes away from Ukraine could potentially be achieved within a few years via projects such as the South Stream and Nord Stream pipeline systems.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Technical gas and accusations of stealing
Gas required to run the compressor stations is known as "fuel gas" worldwide, or "technical" gas in the former Soviet Union. The customary practice is that this gas is provided by the transport/transit company and included in the tariff charged to the shipper (i.e. there is no separate price or tariff charge for this gas). With no contract in place this became a point of contention. According to Heinz Hilbrecht of the European Commission Directorate-General for Transport and Energy, it was Ukraine's responsibility to supply the necessary technical gas, but Naftogaz insisted this was the responsibility of Gazprom.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Technical gas and accusations of stealing
A day after Russia cut off gas flows to Ukraine, Gazprom accused Ukraine of stealing gas. On January 3, Naftogaz issued a statement saying that it would take the necessary gas from volumes that were bound for Europe as technical gas, at a rate of 23 mmcm (million cubic meters) a day. It argued that this was the amount specified in the last transit contract signed in 2002, which covered 2003–2013. The Ukrainian President's representative for energy issues said that problems for Europe would arise within 10 days without gas volumes necessary for maintaining pressure in the pipeline system. However a Gazprom spokesman defined taking technical gas from Russian volumes as stealing, and announced that Gazprom would take the matter to international arbitration court in Stockholm; in a press release on January 4 he claimed that 50 mmcm of gas had already been stolen this way.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Technical gas and accusations of stealing
On January 7 Gazprom claimed that since the beginning of 2009, Ukraine had stolen more than 86 mmcm of gas. Naftogaz acknowledged that it had taken a certain amount of gas, but claimed the amount taken was only 52.2 mmcm, and reiterated that it was entitled to take this gas in order to maintain full operation of the network. Ukraine also accused Moldova of siphoning Russian gas destined for Southeastern Europe. Moldova denied the allegation.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Technical gas and accusations of stealing
On January 15, Prime Minister Putin in collaboration with Paolo Scaroni, CEO of Italian energy company Eni, made a proposal to create a consortium of European utilities that would temporarily solve the crisis by financing the supply of technical gas needed to ensure transit to Europe, but this idea was dismissed as gas supplies were restored shortly thereafter.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Technical gas and accusations of stealing
On March 30, 2010 a Stockholm Arbitration Tribunal ordered Naftogas to pay RosUkrEnergo around $200 million as a penalty for various breaches of supply, transit and storage contracts. On June 8, 2010 the Stockholm Arbitration Tribunal ordered Naftogaz to return 11 billion cubic metres (390 billion cubic feet) of natural gas to RosUkrEnergo and that RosUkrEnergo would receive from Naftogaz a further 1.1 billion cubic metres (39 billion cubic feet) of natural gas in lieu of RosUkrEnergo's entitlement to penalties for breach of contract.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Technical gas and accusations of stealing
On April 26, 2011 former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko sued Dmytro Firtash and RosUkrEnergo in a U.S. District Court in Manhattan accusing them of "defrauding Ukraine's citizenry by manipulating an arbitration court ruling, "undermining the rule of law in Ukraine" in connection with the 2010 international arbitration court ruling in Stockholm.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Alleged political motives
During the dispute, several theories about alleged political motives behind the conflict surfaced, while both countries accused each other of political blackmail.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Alleged political motives
The Times published an article alleging that the key aim of the Kremlin was to stifle the continued expansion of the EU and NATO into Eastern Europe by exposing Ukraine as an unreliable ally. This view was shared by Vladimir Milov, president of the Institute of Energy Policy in Moscow and former deputy energy minister of Russia, who also claimed that Russia was putting pressure on the Ukrainian government for pursuing pro-western goals. The US Ambassador to NATO, Kurt Volker, stated that although it was a commercial dispute, he believed that Russia was using the event to gain political leverage.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Alleged political motives
Contrarily, the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies concluded in a report: "We do not believe that the often-cited desire of the Russian government to use energy as an economic or political ‘weapon' against European countries played any part in this crisis." Although the report also stated that the Russian decision to cut back deliveries on January 5, 2009 "may have reflected Prime Minister Putin’s anger and frustration, and been aimed at punishing Ukraine for its repeated threats to disrupt transit. These emotions may have been personalized to President Yushchenko, given the historical animosity of Russia towards the Orange Revolution and towards Yushchenko’s subsequent policy orientation away from Russia."


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Alleged political motives
According to Fyodor Lukyanov, an editor of the journal Russia in Global Affairs, Ukraine was desperate not to pay more for gas due to the poor state of its economy and believed that the longer the conflict dragged on the more the blame would be laid on Russia, which would give Ukraine a position of strength in negotiating. Gazprom deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev suggested that Ukraine's actions were being orchestrated by the United States. The State Department's spokesman Sean McCormack called the allegation "totally without foundation."


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Alleged political motives
On January 14, Prime Minister Tymoshenko said that an agreement with Russia on prices had nearly been achieved, but had been broken up. She laid blame on RosUkrEnergo's part owner, Dmytro Firtash, former fuel and energy minister Yuriy Boyko, and former head of the presidential administration Sergei Levochkin, who had lobbied against the agreement, and suggested that President Yushchenko had been complicit. Shortly after, Boyko countered that Tymoshenko herself had been lobbying in the interests of business owners Igor Bakai and Viktor Medvedchuk. According to Boyko, Tymoshenko had delayed payment of Ukraine's debts in order to arrange for a company owned by Medvedchuk and Bakai to export large volumes of Russian gas.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Public relations efforts
During the conflict both sides tried to win sympathy for their arguments. According to Reuters analyst Sabina Zawadzki, Gazprom had become more skilled at fighting a PR war since the previous pricing dispute with Ukraine in 2006. Since that dispute, the Kremlin hired one of the world's largest public affairs firms, Omnicom, and its Brussels unit, Gplus Europe as well New York units, Ketchum Inc. and Stromberg Consulting.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Public relations efforts
According to Tammy Lynch, Senior Research Fellow at Boston University's Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy, one of the PR problems for Ukraine was the fact that most Western media is based in Moscow and maintains regular contact with political and business elites there; Ukraine's interests, even in a dispute like this, are peripheral to the 'big issue' of Russia's relations with Europe.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Public reaction in Ukraine
Another political pressure to Ukraine during the gas conflict, and the fact overlap of gas supplies from Russia, led to the renewal of the civil campaign "Remember the gas - do not buy Russian goods!" on January 1, 2009. In January 2009, variety of different movements carried out the campaigns against Russian policy toward Ukraine, particularly using calls to boycott Russian goods.


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Aftermath (Tymoshenko conviction)
In April 2011 a criminal case against former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was brought in connection with alleged abuse of power during the dispute. Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Ukrainian court in October 2011. Tymoshenko has labelled the case as "absurd" and Russian President Vladimir Putin commented about the ruling "I can't quite understand why she got those seven years".


2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute, Aftermath (Tymoshenko conviction)
Russian officials immediately feared Ukraine would use Tymoshenko's conviction to force a revision of the 2009 natural gas treaty she brokered with Putin to end the 2009 gas dispute; this suggestion was dismissed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov the next day.


2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The 2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach was Greg Schiano and they played their home games at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights finished the season 9–4, 3–4 in Big East play and won the St. Petersburg Bowl, 45–24, over UCF.


2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team, Schedule
NOTE: All Big East Network games were produced by ESPN+ and shown locally on SNY.


2009 S.League
The 2009 S.League (officially known as the Great-Eastern-Yeo's S.League for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season since the establishment of the S.League. Singapore Armed Forces FC won their eighth S.League title.


2009 S.League, Foreign players
Each club is allowed to have up to a maximum of 4 foreign players.


2009 S.League, Results
Note: The results are broken down into weeks rather than rounds, as some teams may play 2 or more games a week due to the nature of the league system (games are played every day). Hence, sometimes, teams may not play in the league some weeks due to other competition commitments or re-arranged games.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 1
The opening week of the season runs from Monday 16 February to Sunday 22 February.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 2
The 2nd week of the season runs from Monday 23 February to Sunday 1 March.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 3
The 3rd week of the season runs from Monday 2 March to Sunday 8 March.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 4
The 4th week of the season runs from Monday 9 March to Sunday 15 March.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 5
The 5th week of the season runs from Monday 16 March to Sunday 22 March.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 6
The 6th week of the season runs from Monday 23 March to Sunday 29 March.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 7
The 7th week of the season runs from Monday 30 March to Sunday 5 April.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 8
The 8th week of the season runs from Monday 6 April to Sunday 12 April.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 9
The 9th week of the season runs from Monday 13 April to Sunday 19 April.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 10
The 10th week of the season runs from Monday 20 April to Monday 27 April. The week is one day longer than normal so as to accommodate the break for Singapore Cup 2009 between 28 April and 6 May. The league will resume on 7 May.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 11
The 11th week of the season runs from Thursday 7 May to Sunday 10 May, following the break for Singapore Cup 2009.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 12
The 12th week of the season runs from Monday 11 May to Sunday 17 May.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 13
The 13th week of the season runs from Monday 18 May to Sunday 24 May.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 14
The 14th week of the season runs from Monday 25 May to Saturday 30 May. The league will then take a break for the League Cup.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 15
The 15th week of the season runs from Monday 22 June to Sunday 28 June. The league resume after the break for the League Cup.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 16
The 16th week of the season runs from Monday 29 June to Sunday 5 July.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 17
The 17th week of the season runs from Monday 6 June to Sunday 12 July.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 18
The 18th week of the season runs from Monday 13 June to Sunday 19 July.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 19
The 19th week of the season runs from Monday 20 June to Friday 24 July. The week is shortened as the Singapore National Team takes on Liverpool in a friendly on Sunday 26 July.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 20
The 20th week of the season runs from Tuesday 28 July to Sunday 2 August. The week is shortened as the Singapore National Team takes on Liverpool in a friendly on Sunday 26 July.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 21
The 21st week of the season runs from Tuesday 3rd to Saturday 8 August. The week is shortened as the country celebrate its National Day on 9 August and the national team prepares for a friendly against China on 12 August. The League will resume on 14 August.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 22
Only one game was scheduled for week 22, the week was shortened as the national team was in action during midweek.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 23
The 23rd week of the season runs from Monday 17th to Sunday 23 August.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 24
The 24th week of the season ran from Monday 24 August to Thursday 27 August. The week was shortened to accommodate the Singapore Cup 2009 between 26 August and 4 September. The league resumed on 6 September.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 25
The 25th week of the season runs from Sunday 6 September to Sunday 13 September. The week is one day longer than normal so as to accommodate the break for Singapore Cup 2009 between 26 August and 4 August.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 26
The 26th week of the season runs from Monday 14 September to Sunday 20 September.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 27
The 27th week of the season runs from Monday 21 September to Sunday 27 September.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 28
The 28th week of the season runs from Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 29
The 29th week of the season runs from Monday 5 October to Sunday 11 October. The week has fewer match to accommodate the Singapore Cup semi finals.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 30
The 30th week of the season runs from Monday 12 October to Sunday 18 October.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 31
The 31st week of the season ran from Tuesday 20 October to Friday 23 October. The week was shortened to accommodate the National Team participation in the Ho Chi Minh City Football Tournament. The schedule was revised after DPMM Brunei was denied to continue playing in the League by FIFA.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 32
The 32nd week of the season runs from Tuesday 27 October to Saturday 31 October.


2009 S.League, Results, Week 33
The 33rd week of the season runs from Tuesday 2 November to Friday 6 November. It was the final week of the 2009 season.


2009 S.League, Stadia and attendance, Attendance
The League will only play 193 matches after Brunei DPMM were unable to complete the season.


2009 S.League, S-League Awards Night Winners
The winners will be announced on 9 November 2009 on the 14th Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League Awards Night.


2009 SA Tennis Open
The 2009 SA Tennis Open was a men's tennis tournament played on hard courts outdoors. It is the 18th edition of the SA Tennis Open (and the first since 1995), and is part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Montecasino in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2 February through 8 February 2009.


2009 SA Tennis Open
The singles line up was led by Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) No. 7 and 2008 Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Originally, Gaël Monfils was scheduled to play in the tournament, but later withdrew due to a wrist injury.


2009 SA Tennis Open, Review
The singles competition was won by Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who was the top seed for the tournament. On his route to the final he faced unseeded players Thiago Alves, Denis Istomin and Frederico Gil, as well as seventh seed Kristof Vliegen in the quarter-finals, winning them all in straight sets for the loss of only 22 games. His final opponent was his fellow countryman, the fifth-seeded Jérémy Chardy who had progressed against Jiří Vaněk, qualifiers Marco Chiudinelli and Sébastien de Chaunac in straight sets before a more tricky test against second seed David Ferrer. In the final Tsonga came through 7–6, 6–4 to take the title.


2009 SA Tennis Open, Review
Five South African players (Kevin Anderson, Andrew Anderson, Izak van der Merwe, Raven Klaasen and Rik de Voest) were present in the draw and the latter three reached the second round. de Voest knocked out sixth seed Iván Navarro while Klaasen defeated another Spaniard, Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo and van der Merwe overcame Benjamin Becker.


2009 SA Tennis Open, Finals, Doubles
James Cerretani /  Dick Norman defeated  Rik de Voest /  Ashley Fisher 6–7(7–9), 6–2, [14–12]


2009 SA Tennis Open – Doubles
James Cerretani and Dick Norman won the title, defeating Rik de Voest and Ashley Fisher 6–7(7–9), 6–2, [14–12] in the final.


2009 SA Tennis Open – Singles
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won the title, defeating Jérémy Chardy 6–4, 7–6(7–5) in the final.


2009 SA Tennis Open – Singles, Qualifying
Every player received a bye into the second round, so the first round has been omitted.


2009 SAFF Championship
The 2009 South Asian Football Federation Championship was hosted by Bangladesh from 4 to 13 December 2009. Bangladesh was awarded to host the tournament after the withdrawal of original hosts India.


2009 SAFF Championship
After India's reluctance to host the tournament, in May 2009, at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin on his return from the AFC Congress informed that although India were still retaining their status as hosts of the championship, Bangladesh and Nepal had turned in fresh bids in anticipation of staging this prestigious eight-nation meet.


2009 SAFF Championship
A decision was taken at the FIFA Congress in Bahamas in the first week of June but no announcement was officially made. In July, with the tournament drawing ever closer, media reports once again suggested that the tournament would be moved once again to Bangladesh, as Pakistan would struggle to obtain visas if the tournament is hosted in India.


2009 SAFF Championship
On 31 August 2009, it was reported that the tournament would be held in Bangladesh, after the Indian football association (AIFF) had its annual congress at the end of August. This was formally confirmed by the AFC on 10 September through a press release.


2009 SAFF Championship, Venue
The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka was the only venue for the tournament. It is also home venue for Bangladesh national football team.


2009 SAFF Championship, Draw
The draw for the tournament was made on 3 October 2009. India took part with their U-23 team


2009 SAFF Championship, Draw
Afghanistan (Unseeded) India (1st Seed) Maldives (2nd Seed)   Nepal (Unseeded)


2009 SAFF Championship, Draw
Bangladesh (1st Seed) Bhutan (Unseeded) Pakistan (Unseeded) Sri Lanka (2nd Seed)


2009 SAFF Championship Final
The 2009 SAFF Championship Final was the final match of the 2009 SAFF Championship that took place on 13 December 2009. India won their fifth title by defeating Maldives on penalties.


2009 SAFF Championship Final, Venue
The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka was the only venue for the tournament. It is also home venue for Bangladesh national football team.


2009 SANFL Grand Final
The 2009 South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Grand Final saw the Central District Bulldogs defeat Sturt by 38 points to claim the club's eighth premiership victory.


2009 SANFL Grand Final
The match was played on Sunday 4 October 2009 at Football Park in front of a crowd of 35,647.


2009 SANFL season
The 2009 South Australian National Football League season was the 130th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.


2009 SAP Open
The 2009 SAP Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 120th edition of the SAP Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2009 ATP Tour. It took place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, United States, from February 9 through February 15, 2009.


2009 SAP Open
The singles draw featured ATP No. 6, 2009 Australian Open semi-finalist and 2009 Dubai finalist Andy Roddick, 2009 Australian Open quarterfinalist and 2008 U.S Open quarterfinalist Juan Martín del Potro, Other names include James Blake, Radek Štěpánek, Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey, Igor Kunitsyn and Robby Ginepri.


2009 SAP Open, Finals, Doubles
Tommy Haas /  Radek Štěpánek defeated  Rohan Bopanna /  Jarkko Nieminen 6–2, 6–3


2009 SAP Open – Doubles
Scott Lipsky and David Martin are the defending champions, but lost in the First Round to Eric Butorac and Ashley Fisher.


2009 SAP Open – Singles
Andy Roddick was the defending champion, but lost to Radek Štěpánek in the semifinals.


2009 SAT Bangkok Open
The 2009 SAT Bangkok Open was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was part of the 2009 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Bangkok, Thailand between 16 and 22 March 2009.


2009 SAT Bangkok Open, Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2009 SAT Bangkok Open, Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following player received Special Exempt into the main draw:


2009 SAT Bangkok Open, Champions, Men's doubles
Joshua Goodall /  Joseph Sirianni def. Mikhail Elgin /  Alexander Kudryavtsev, 6–3, 6–1


2009 SAT Bangkok Open – Doubles
Josh Goodall and Joseph Sirianni won the title after defeating Mikhail Elgin and Alexander Kudryavtsev 6–3, 6–1 in the final.


2009 SAT Bangkok Open – Singles
Florian Mayer won in the final of first edition of this tournament. He defeated Danai Udomchoke 7–5, 6–2.


2009 SAT Khorat Open
The 2009 SAT Khorat Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was part of the 2009 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Khorat, Thailand between 23 and 29 March 2009.


2009 SAT Khorat Open, Single entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2009 SAT Khorat Open, Single entrants, Other entrants
The following player received Special Exempt into the main draw:


2009 SAT Khorat Open, Champions, Men's doubles
Rohan Bopanna /  Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi def. Sanchai Ratiwatana /  Sonchat Ratiwatana, 6–3, 6–7(5), [10–5]


2009 SAT Khorat Open – Doubles
Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi won in the doubles' final of the first edition of these championships. They defeated Thais: Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana in three sets (6–3, 6–7(5), [10–5]).


2009 SAT Khorat Open – Singles
Andreas Beck won in the singles' final of the first edition of these championships. He defeated qualifier Filip Prpic 7–5, 6–3.


2009 SBS Drama Awards
The 2009 SBS Drama Awards (Korean: SBS 연기대상) is a ceremony honoring the best performances in television on the SBS network for the year 2009. It was held on December 31, 2009, at the SBS Open Hall in Deungchon-dong, Seoul, and was hosted by actor Jang Keun-suk, actress Moon Geun-young and announcer Park Sun-young.


2009 SE
2009 SE is a small asteroid and Mars trojan orbiting near the L5 point of Mars (60 degrees behind Mars on its orbit).


2009 SE, Discovery, orbit and physical properties
2009 SE was first observed on 16 September 2009 by the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS). Its orbit is characterized by low eccentricity (0.065), moderate inclination (20.6°) and a semi-major axis of 1.52 AU. Upon discovery, it was classified as Mars-crosser by the Minor Planet Center. Its orbit is well determined as it is currently (January 2021) based on 56 observations with a data-arc span of 3,133 days. 2009 SE has an absolute magnitude of 19.9 which gives a characteristic diameter of 400 m.


2009 SE, Mars trojan and orbital evolution
Recent calculations indicate that it is a stable L5 Mars trojan with a libration period of 1430 yr and an amplitude of 70°. The libration amplitude is not similar to that of 5261 Eureka and related objects.


2009 SEABA Championship
The 8th Southeast Asia Basketball Association Championship was held in Medan, Indonesia from 6–9 July 2009. It was to determine the 2 representatives of SEABA in the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship.


2009 SEAT León Eurocup
The 2009 SEAT León Eurocup was the second season of the SEAT León Eurocup, a one-make racing series supporting the World Touring Car Championship.


2009 SEAT León Eurocup
Hungarian Norbert Michelisz won the championship at the final round at Imola.


2009 SEAT León Eurocup, Race calendar and results
* The highest points scorer from each round won a prize drive in the next round of the WTCC in a SEAT León with SUNRED Engineering. Michaël Rossi will race at the first European round in 2010.


2009 SEC Championship Game
The 2009 SEC Championship Game was played on December 5, 2009, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to determine the 2009 football champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game featured the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Crimson Tide was the designated "home team"; this home team, chosen on an alternating basis, was 2–4 in SEC Championship Games.


2009 SEC Championship Game
The winner was all but assured to go on to play for a National Championship, in a likely matchup with the Texas Longhorns provided Texas won in the Big 12 Championship Game versus the north division champion Nebraska Cornhuskers. Entering the 2009 contest, the SEC East was 11–6 in SEC Championship games, with the Florida Gators accounting for seven of the eleven victories. Before the 2009 game, Alabama represented the SEC West six times in the conference championship game, compiling a 2–4 record, and had faced the Gators in all six of their previous SEC Championship game appearances.


2009 SEC Championship Game
This was the first and so far the only time any conference championship game had featured two undefeated teams and was also the first time an AP Poll No. 1 played a No. 2 outside of the BCS Championship Game since the top-ranked Ohio State beat the second-ranked Michigan during the 2006 regular season.


2009 SEC Championship Game
The game began at 4:00 p.m. EST and was televised by CBS Sports, for the ninth straight season. The game was also streamed online at CBSSports.com and on mobile for customers subscribing to the MediaFLO service on CBS Sports Mobile.


2009 SEC Championship Game
Alabama defeated Florida 32–13 and as expected secured a berth to the 2010 BCS National Championship Game where they would go on to defeat Texas. This game is often considered the moment when the Alabama dynasty began in earnest after a disappointing 2007 season and a loss to the same Tebow-led Gators in the 2008 SEC Championship.


2009 SEC Championship Game, Uniforms
Alabama wore its standard home uniform, while Florida wore an all-white combination of its Nike Pro Combat helmet and its usual white uniform.


2009 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament took place on March 12–15, 2009 in Tampa, Florida at the St. Pete Times Forum (now known as the Amalie Arena). The first, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds were televised by Raycom/LF Sports, and the SEC Championship Game was seen on CBS.


2009 SEC Softball Tournament
The 2009 SEC Softball Tournament will be held at Sherri Parker Lee Softball Stadium on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee on May 7 through May 9, 2009. The Florida Gators won the 2008 tournament and are the 2009 regular season conference champion. The Florida Gators received the conference's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament by winning the conference tournament.


2009 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament took place on March 5–8, 2009 in North Little Rock, Arkansas at Alltel Arena.


2009 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament
Vanderbilt won the tournament and with it the SEC's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. In the final, they upset top seed Auburn for the second time in three weeks; the Commodores were responsible for two of the Tigers' three losses going into the NCAA tournament.


2009 SH2
2009 SH2 is a sub-kilometer near-Earth asteroid of the Aten group, discovered by the Siding Spring Survey at Siding Spring Observatory, Australia on 18 September 2009. It is in a co-orbital configuration with Earth, a type of 1:1 orbital resonance where the asteroid appears to librate around Earth's path in a horseshoe orbit when viewed in a corotating reference frame with Earth. The co-orbital state of 2009 SH2 is only temporary as it has entered it about 30 years ago and will leave it in about 100 years into the future.


2009 SH2, Discovery
2009 SH2 was discovered by the Siding Spring Survey at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia on 18 September 2009. It was first observed in the constellation Fornax at an apparent magnitude of 18.8. The asteroid was moving at an on-sky rate around 2.5 arcseconds per minute, from a distance of 0.030 AU (4.5 million km; 2.8 million mi) from Earth. Follow-up observations of the asteroid were carried out by the Rio Cuarto Observatory (I20) on the following day. The asteroid was then confirmed by the Minor Planet Center and announced as 2009 SH2 on 19 September 2009.


2009 SH2, Orbit
2009 SH2 orbits the Sun at an average distance of 0.99 AU once every 360 days, or approximately 0.99 years. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic plane. Over the course of its orbit, its distance from the Sun ranges from 0.90 AU at perihelion to 1.08 AU at aphelion, crossing the orbit of Earth. Since its orbit crosses that of Earth's while having a semi-major axis less than 1 AU, 2009 SH2 is classified as an Aten asteroid. Its nominal orbit has a small minimum orbit intersection distance approximately 0.0006 AU (90,000 km; 56,000 mi) from Earth's orbital path and periodically makes close approaches to Earth.


2009 SH2, Orbit
In 2013, astronomers Carlos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos identified 2009 SH2 to be in a co-orbital configuration with Earth, a type of 1:1 orbital resonance where the asteroid appears to librate around Earth's path in a horseshoe orbit when viewed in a corotating reference frame with Earth. The co-orbital state of 2009 SH2 is only temporary as it has entered it about 30 years ago and will leave it in about 100 years into the future.


2009 SH2, Physical characteristics
Based on an magnitude-to-diameter conversion and a measured absolute magnitude of 24.9, 2009 SH2 measures between 30 and 60 meters in diameter for an assumed geometric albedo of 0.25 and 0.05, respectively. A rotation period of 1.26 h has been tentatively measured from its lightcurve.


2009 SK Brann season
The 2009 season was SK Brann's 101st season and their 23rd consecutive season in the Norwegian Premier League. Steinar Nilsen took over as head coach after the six-year tenure of Mons Ivar Mjelde. The club didn't see the big signings or sales in the January transferwindow. Local-lad Erlend Hanstveit left the club after 10 years, while thought-to-be star striker Njogu Demba-Nyrén was sold only one year after signing with the club following a season where his performance was below expectations.


2009 SK Brann season
The season started horrific for the "pride of Bergen". In the first premiership match of the season, Brann lost 1-3 against newly promoted Sandefjord, followed by two ties, a loss and another tie. Brann didn't win a game until the sixth round where they beat Bodø/Glimt 2-0 away.


2009 SK Brann season
The club's form improved as the season went by, but they were never a serious contender to the league title. After being knocked out in the Quarterfinals of the Norwegian Football Cup by  Odd Grenland), the season seemed to end up as a total disappointment for the fans. One of the few highlights of the season was the performances of Erik Huseklepp who had his definite breakthrough as a player. In his first season as a striker, Huseklepp scored 15 goals in the league, only two goals shy of the top scorer Rade Prica. The technical striker had previously played as a right winger, scoring 4 goals in 4 seasons for Brann. He also became a regular in the national team squad, scoring his first goal for Norway in the World Cup qualifier against Scotland on August 2, 2009.


2009 SK Brann season
Before the last games of season, Brann found themselves in a situation where they had a legitimate chance to snatch the bronze medals, but in the end they had to settle for a fifth place, which didn't qualify for a spot in the Europa League.


2009 SK Brann season, Information
Manager: Steinar NilsenLeague: Norwegian Premier LeagueShirt supplier: Kappa Shirt sponsor: Sparebanken VestAverage league attendance: 15,932 (4th best in club history at the time) League result : 5th Norwegian Cup: Quarterfinals (1-5 against Odd Grenland)Top goal scorer: Erik Huseklepp (15 in league, 0 in cup, 15 in total) Player of the year: -


2009 SK Brann season, Team kit
The team kits for the 2009 season were produced by Kappa and the main shirt sponsor was Sparebanken Vest. Other sponsors featured on the kit were BKK (shoulders), JM Byggholt (chest), BA (left arm), Chess (upper back), Frydenbø (shorts) and Tide (socks).


2009 SK Brann season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 SK Brann season, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 SK Brann season, Results
The table below shows the results of all of SK Brann's official matches during the 2009-season.


2009 SK Brann season, Statistics, Appearances and goals
The table shows matches and goals in the Norwegian Premier League and Norwegian Cup, and was last updated after the game against Rosenborg BK on November 1, 2009


2009 SK Brann season, Statistics, Top scorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.


2009 SMU Mustangs football team
The 2009 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mustangs, led by second-year head coach June Jones, played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium and competed in Conference USA.


2009 SMU Mustangs football team
The 2009 Mustangs played in a bowl game for the first time since the program's 1989 emergence from its 1987 shutdown due to massive NCAA rule violations. SMU was invited to the Hawaii Bowl, where they played Nevada. The Mustangs won, 45–10, to finish the season 8–5.


2009 SVL season
The 2009 Shakey's V-League (SVL) season was the sixth season of the Shakey's V-League. There were two indoor conferences for this season.


2009 SVL season, 1st Conference
The Shakey's V-League 6th Season 1st Conference was the ninth conference of Shakey's V-League, a collegiate women's volleyball league in the Philippines founded in 2004. The conference started April 19, 2009 at the Filoil Flying V Centre (formerly The Arena), San Juan. UAAP champion La Salle decided not to compete and took a leave of absence; UP replaced the Lady Archers to complete the eight-team elimination round roster. US Ambassador Kristie Kenney was the guest speaker during the opening ceremony.


2009 SVL season, 2nd Conference
The Shakey's V-League 6th Season Open Conference was the tenth conference of Shakey's V-League, commenced on October 11, 2009 at The Arena in San Juan.


2009 SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 Southwestern Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from March 11–14, 2009 at Fair Park Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.


2009 SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The top eight eligible men's basketball teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference received a berth in the conference tournament. After the conference season, teams were seeded by conference record.


2009 Saarland state election
The 2009 Saarland state election was held on 30 August 2009 to elect the members of the Landtag of Saarland. It was held on the same day as state elections in Saxony and Thuringia. The incumbent Christian Democratic Union (CDU) government led by Minister-President Peter Müller lost its majority. The CDU subsequently formed a coalition with the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and The Greens, and Müller was re-elected as Minister-President. This was the first Jamaica coalition formed in Germany.


2009 Saarland state election, Parties
The table below lists parties represented in the previous Landtag of Saarland.


2009 Saarland state election, Election result
Both the CDU and SPD suffered significant losses, losing almost 20% of vote share between them. This came primarily to the benefit of The Left, which achieved by far its best result in a western state, debuting at 21.3%. The Greens and Free Democratic Party (FDP) also benefited to a lesser degree. As in a number of western states during the 2007–2009 period, the entry of The Left meant that neither the CDU–FDP nor SPD–Green coalitions won a majority.


2009 Sabana Seca massacre
The 2009 Sabana Seca massacre, also referred to as La Masacre de La Tómbola, was an incident that occurred on October 17, 2009, in Puerto Rico related to drug trafficking. Eight people were killed by gunmen in a car, who shot randomly in a bar in the Sabana Seca barrio of Toa Baja, 15 miles from San Juan. Twenty people, some related to two different bands between drug dealers, were wounded in the shooting. The two gunmen, Alexis Candelario-Santana, 42, and David Oquendo-Rivas, were convicted by a federal jury on March 8, 2013, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.


2009 Sabana Seca massacre, The Shooting
On October 17, 2009, at approximately 11:50pm, Alexis Candelario Santana and David Oquendo-Rivas arrived at the grand opening of the La Tómbola pub. Armed with several types of semi-automatic pistols assault rifles including .9mm semi-automatic pistols, 40 caliber semi-automatic pistols, 45 caliber semi-automatic pistols, AK-47 and AR-15 type assault rifle, the pair opened fire on the patrons congregating outside of the pub. They soon entered the building and continued to fire rounds throughout the establishment. Among those deceased included six men (three of which were Candelario-Santana godson, Rondón-Feliciano's stepson and Candelario-Santana's cousin) one pregnant woman, and her unborn child. Another 19 pub patrons were injured and taken to Rio Piedras Medical Center where three of those injured underwent surgery for their wounds.


2009 Sabana Seca massacre, The Trial
This incident was investigated by the FBI alongside the Puerto Rico Police Department. Documents spanning from 1993 to 2003 which were used as evidence to convict Candelario-Santana showed that he controlled a drug trafficking organization centered in the Sabana Seca area of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. Candelario-Santana's organization sold numerous drugs bought from several sellers including crack, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. The trial also introduced evidence that Candelario-Santana either orchestrated or committed the murders himself of 13 people he thought posed a threat to his operation between 1995 and 2001.


2009 Sabana Seca massacre, The Trial
The assailants, Alexis Candelario-Santana and David Oquendo-Rivas, faced life in prison after being convicted on March 8, 2013, for the murders of eight individuals, an unborn child, and the attempted murder of the other twenty injured people. Both were brought up on the following charges; 28 counts of violent crime in aid of criminal activity, one count of criminal conspiracy, nine counts firearm possession and use during a crime of violence, one count of drug trafficking, and one count of possession of a firearm with a prior conviction as Candelario-Santana previously been incarcerated. On August 23, 2017 the federal court ordered a new trial seeking the death penalty for both defendants starting with jury selection on August 1, 2018.


2009 Sacramento Monarchs season
The 2009 WNBA season was the 13th season and final season for the Sacramento Monarchs of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Monarchs failed to qualify for the WNBA Playoffs for the first time in seven years. The Monarchs would later discontinue operations just 2 months after the 2009 season ended.


2009 Sacramento Monarchs season, Offseason, Dispersal Draft
Based on the Monarchs' 2008 record, they would pick 7th in the Houston Comets dispersal draft. The Monarchs picked Ranae Camino.


2009 Sacramento Monarchs season, Offseason, WNBA Draft
The following are the Monarchs' selections in the 2009 WNBA Draft.


2009 Sacramento State Hornets football team
The 2009 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented Sacramento State University during the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season.


2009 Sacramento State Hornets football team
Sacramento State competed in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets were led by third-year head coach Marshall Sperbeck and played home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California. They finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses (5–6, 4–4 Big Sky). Sacramento State was outscored by its opponents 274–371 for the season.


2009 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Team players in the NFL
No Sacramento State players were selected in the 2010 NFL Draft.


2009 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team
The 2009 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Paul Gorham and played their home games at Campus Field. They were a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC), and they finished the season 2–8, 2–6 in NEC play.


2009 Safeway Championship
The 2009 Safeway Championship (Manitoba men's provincial curling championship) was held February 18-22 at the Selkirk Recreation Centre in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. The winner represented Manitoba at the 2009 Tim Hortons Brier in Calgary.


2009 Safeway Championship, Draw Brackets
32 team double knockout with playoff roundFour teams qualify each from A Event and B Event


2009 Saginaw Sting season
The 2009 Saginaw Sting season was the 2nd season for the American Indoor Football League franchise. A number of Sting and Xplosion players indicated at the end of the 2008 season that wages were in arrears from the owners. This led to an investigation of Johnson in his role as Sting general manager. Trumbull, owner of Triple Threat Sports in Battle Creek, and Rivera, a Battle Creek police officer, have offered a deal to split ownership of the two teams, with Trumbell and Rivera owning the Sting, and Johnson receiving the Xplosion.


2009 Saginaw Sting season
Trumbull and Rivera have indicated that they plan for the Sting to move to the new Indoor Football League. The Sting looked to have put together a promising team with the re-signing of QB Damon Dowdell, and signing 2007 CIFL MVP, WR/RB Robert Height, but the team fared poorly on the field in the IFL. After a 2-2 start to the season, head coach Karl Featherstone resigned from his position and assistant Jason Lovelock took over as interim head coach.


2009 Saginaw Sting season, Roster
Rookies in italics updated June 19, 200920 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS


2009 Saint Francis Cougars football team
The 2009 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2009 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 12th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished tied for 2nd place in the MSFA MEL division; they missed the postseason NAIA playoffs for only second time in the team's history.


2009 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Schedule
The 2009 season saw the first home loss since the last game of 2001 in a November 7 defeat by St. Xavier. Over that time period, the Cougars won 56 consecutive home games. It also marked the first time the Cougars were not in the NAIA postseason playoff since their inaugural 1998 season.


2009 Saint Francis Red Flash football team
The 2009 Saint Francis Red Flash football team represented Saint Francis University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Red Flash were led by eighth-year head coach Dave Opfar and played their home games at DeGol Field. They finished the season 2–9 overall and 1–7 in NEC play to place last.


2009 Saint Francis Red Flash football team
After the season, on November 30, Opfar resigned following eight seasons as the team's head coach.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season
The 2009 Saint Louis Athletica season was the inaugural season for the team (as part of the inaugural season for Women's Professional Soccer).


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
On August 26, 2008, it was announced that the Saint Louis' head coach would be Jorge Barcellos, the then-head coach of the Brazilian women's team. Team Chairman Jeff Cooper's organization SLSU has plans for a soccer-specific stadium ready, but the construction will not start until St. Louis is also awarded an MLS franchise.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
On September 11, 2008, "St. Louis" was revealed as the official team name through an online video, along with a new team crest. The name and crest were further updated on November 25 unveiling "Saint Louis Athletica" as the new name.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
On 16 September 2008, the initial WPS player allocation was conducted; US Women's National Team players Hope Solo, Lori Chalupny and Tina Ellertson were allocated to St. Louis.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
On 24 September 2008, the 2008 WPS International Draft was conducted; Brazilians Daniela and Renata Costa, Swedish striker Lotta Schelin and Canadian Melissa Tancredi also were allocated to St. Louis. Eniola Aluko of England and Ingvild Stensland of Norway were named as post-draft discovery players in the following two days.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
On 6 October 2008, the 2008 WPS General Draft took place. St. Louis drafted players India Trotter, Angie Woznuk, Joanna Lohman and Amanda Cinalli.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
On 17 November 2008, St. Louis renounced its right to negotiate with Stensland, naming Brazilian Francielle as the next post-draft discovery player. Two days later, St. Louis also renounced its negotiation rights to Schelin, naming fellow Swede Sara Larsson in her stead.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
Trotter signed a two-year contract with FFC Frankfurt in July 2008 and thus most likely will not be coming. On the positive side, both Larsson and Aluko have expressed a large interest in Athletica, and have made statements suggesting that they will be coming, despite no contracts officially being announced as of early January 2009.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
On January 16, at the 2009 NSCAA convention held in St. Louis, the Athletica drafted Notre Dame forward Kerri Hanks, (first round, sixth overall,) Boston College alumnus Kia McNeill, (second round, ninth overall,) University of Texas at Austin defender Stephanie Logterman, (third round, twentieth overall,) Notre Dame defender Elise Weber, (trade* with Washington to be twenty-first,) UConn defender Niki Cross, (fifth round, thirty-fourth,) Villanova goalkeeper Jillian Loyden, (sixth round, thirty-seventh,) West Virginia University midfielder Lisa Stoia, (seventh round, forty-eighth,) Florida forward Megan Kerns, (eighth round, fifty-first,) Penn State defender/midfielder Sheree Gray, (ninth round, sixty-second,) and Clemson midfielder/forward Lydia Vandenbergh (tenth round, sixty-fifth). * The Athletica traded away Joanna Lohman and their 23rd overall pick to get the 21st pick.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
On January 21, it was announced that Renata Costa had signed with Swedish club LdB FC instead of the Athletica.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Off-season
On March 3, Athletica's initial preseason roster was released, along with those of all WPS teams, having 35 players listed. On March 12, Athletica released nine of those players, including draftee Megan Kerns. Post-Dispatch writer Tom Timmermann  a slightly short list (down to twenty-four players) on March 16.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Personnel, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Preseason
Athletica only played two preseason games, less than any other WPS team, and didn't play any other WPS team in those games. Athletica convincingly won both games, though: 7-2 versus the University of Missouri and 3-1 versus Notre Dame. Both games were closed to the public.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season
Scores are posted as STL-opponentA note on home games: Game 1 was played at Ralph Korte Stadium at SIUE, game 3 was played at Robert R. Hermann Stadium at SLU, game 5 was back at Korte Stadium, and the remaining home games take place at Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season
Athletica got off to a very slow start, being the only team with no points after the first two games and winless after the first four, despite usually outplaying their opponents; Athletica was in last place or tied for last place in the league for the first two months of the season. In the fourth game, Athletica lost what was assumed to be their star player, Brazilian Daniela, to a season-ending injury, and this combined with the slow start made many people write Athletica off.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season
However, Athletica went 10-4-2 the rest of the season, even better than the eventual season champions Los Angeles Sol during that same time period. With solid play from USWNT players Lori Chalupny, Hope Solo, and Tina Ellertson, and breakout scoring force from English international Eniola Aluko, Athletica fought back to clinch second place in the league two games before their season was over, only losing to two teams (Los Angeles and the Washington Freedom) for the rest of the season.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 1: April 4 vs Chicago
In the home opener on April 4, Athletica controlled the first half well, but faltered in the second half and could not score. Despite outshooting their opponents the Chicago Red Stars by 15-7, they lost the game 0-1 on a 78th-minute goal by Lindsay Tarpley.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 2: April 11 at Boston
Athletica repeated their home opener performance in their first away game at the Boston Breakers on April 11: Boston was outshot 14-7 but put two goals past Hope Solo while shutting out Athletica. So, after every team had played their first two games, Athletica was left at the bottom of the table as the only team without a point.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 3: April 25 vs Los Angeles
On April 26, in their only home game at SLU, Athletica held the Los Angeles Sol to a 0-0 draw in dramatic fashion as both goalkeepers (Solo and Karina LeBlanc) made incredible saves throughout the game, including a penalty kick each. Athletica was the first team to hold the top-ranked Sol to no goals, though still could not find the back of the net themselves, despite once again well outshooting their opponent 18-7.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 4: May 3 at Washington
Athletica finally got on the scoreboard in a highly physical match against the Washington Freedom. In the first match where they did not highly outshoot their opponent (in fact, were beat in shots 15-28) Athletica scored three goals, the first two by solo work from Daniela. Despite leading 3-1 by the middle of the second half, though, Athletica let in two more goals to only come away from the game with a tie after both Daniela and Tina Ellertson were injured within five minutes of each other. Daniela was also , potentially for the rest of the season, after a tackle from Abby Wambach on the rain-wet field gave her "two injured knee ligaments and a crack in her tibia." Kia McNeill was later given a one-game suspension for overly physical play.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Trade: May 8 w/ Los Angeles
After the first game against Washington Freedom which ultimately resulted in Athletica losing two starters (Daniela and Kia McNeill) in addition to those already out for injury, Athletica made the first trade in WPS by giving the Los Angeles Sol two draft picks in exchange for Christie Welsh and Kendall Fletcher. Sheree Gray was also cut from the roster, though was later re-added as a developmental player while Lydia Vandenbergh was waived.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 5: May 9 vs Bay Area
A week after scoring their first goals, Athletia notched their first win of the season in a 1-0 match against FC Gold Pride at home. After an early flurry near the Gold Pride net (which included 'keeper Nicole Barnhart getting a fractured nose in a collision) Chalupny took a corner kick for Athletica and scored directly with a curving ball into the far top corner of the net. Gold Pride dominated the second half, though, especially with Melissa Tancredi subbing out due to injury, but Solo kept the clean sheet with several spectacular saves to preserve Athletica's first win. Chalupny was later named Player of the Week for her goal and all-around performance.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 6: May 23 at Chicago
Despite coming off of a bye week and missing multiple starters due to injury, suspension, and national team duty, Athletica avenged their home opener with a 2-0 victory over the Red Stars. Chicago's Ifeoma Dieke notched WPS's first (official) own goal to put Athletica up 1-0. Athletica the got on the board without help from Chicago before the first half ended on a goal by Eniola Aluko, assisted by Kendall Fletcher, one of the two players Athletica got from a trade with Los Angeles. The Red Stars dominated the second half, but backup 'keeper Jillian Loyden preserved the clean sheet and the win. Loyden was also named Player of the Week, the first goalkeeper to do so in WPS.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 7: May 30 at Los Angeles
In their second rematch of the season, Athletic played the Los Angeles Sol, this time at the Home Depot Center. Athletica lost 0-2, ending Athletica's four-game unbeaten streak. The Sol's scorers were Camille Abily assisted by Marta in the first half and Shannon Boxx assisted by Han Duan in the second. After the match, both coach Barcellos and captain Chalupny commented on Athletica not getting things together as a team, messing up many passes.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 8: June 7 vs New Jersey
Athletica's eighth match of the season was their first match against Sky Blue FC. In their opening game at AB Soccer Park, Athletica blanked Sky Blue 1-0 on a 15th-minute goal by Amanda Cinalli. It was Cinalli's first match and start, as it was for Stephanie Logterman, who also contributed greatly to the match. Though Sky Blue had more shots in the match and was the more dangerous team during the second half, Solo and the Athletica back line preserved the shoutout for Athletica's third win. The three points propelled Athletica into the playoff picture for the first time in the season, as a three-way tie between Saint Louis, Boston, and the Bay Area for third place slotted Athletica in fourth place overall by tiebreakers.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 9: June 14 at Boston
Athletica continued to climb the WPS standings with a 1-0 win over the Breakers in their second trip to Harvard Stadium, leapfrogging into second place. The winning goal was scored by Aluko, her third in the past four games, just before halftime. Twice earlier in the first half it looked like Athletica had also scored, but the first was called offside and the second made the side netting. Boston outshot Saint Louis 4-2, and had eight corner kicks to Athletica's one, but could not find the equalizer. The win means Athletica has climbed the standings from sixth to second place in just two weeks, and has won four of its last five games, the only loss being to league-leaders Los Angeles.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 10: June 20 vs Washington
Athletica dropped their home rematch with the Freedom 0-1. The heat and humidity may have accounted for the first-half early substitutions for a player on each sides. Athletica played the better game for the most part, forcing Freedom 'keeper Erin McLeod to make seven saves, but never getting past her or the crossbar, which was hit on at least three occasions. The game's only goal came from Rebecca Moros in the 81st minute, as her shot bounced off Athletica's crossbar and went straight down.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 11: June 24 vs Los Angeles
Athletica returned to their early season form in their third match against the Los Angeles Sol, highly outplaying the visitors at Soccer Park, but ending the game with a 1-2 loss. Athletica had twice the number of shots (25-12) and shots on goal (10-6), as well as six times as many corners (12-2), but were repeatedly stymied. LeBlanc made save after save throughout the game, totaling eight overall, and even though a rolling ball got past her on at least two occasions, the Sol's defense managed to hold Athletica at bay.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 11: June 24 vs Los Angeles
"We missed the goal almost from inside the goal" said Athletica Coach Barcellos. Both coaches agreed the Sol capitalized on the only two chances at goal they ever really had, with Han Duan scoring in the 50th minute and Marta doubling LA's lead in the 73rd. Kerri Hanks scored the lone Athletica goal, her first of the season, in the 77th minute from a pass by Aluko.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Trade: June 26 w/ New Jersey
In a move to trim the roster back down to regular size, Athletica announced a trade with Sky Blue FC on June 26, 2009. Kerri Hanks, Francielle, and rights to Renata Costa were traded for Sarah Walsh, rights to Ester, and a conditional draft pick. This is the second major trade in the league this season, both trades involving Athletica.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 12: June 28 at New Jersey
The first game of Athletica's longest away stretch at Sky Blue FC, ended with a 2-1 win for the Athletica, propelling them back into third place in the standings. Athletica was outplayed, only getting two shots on goal and no corners to eight and seven respectively, but Athletica converted both chances it had, and Solo only missed a 76' shot by Julianne Sitch, meaning Aluko's second-minute goal and an unlikely volley from Elise Weber in 84' sealed the victory.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 13: July 5 at Bay Area
In the second of four away games, and the second of four games against FC Gold Pride, Chalupny scored her second goal of the season, the only goal in Athletica's second away win and second win over the northern California team. Athletica dominated the first half with multiple close chances. Chalupny nailed the game-winner in from distance in the 73rd minute.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 14: July 8 at Los Angeles
Athletica faced the league-leading Sol for the Sol's final home game of the season and last meeting between the two teams. The Sol, on an 11-game unbeaten streak and able to clinch first place with a win, were shocked by a 1-0 decision in Athletica's favor, thanks to an 11th-minute goal by Cinalli (assisted by Aluko). "Not on our watch" said defender Tina Ellertson. The Los Angeles side had more shots and more corner kicks, but Athletica had more shots on goal. Solo made four very impressive saves in keeping the shutout.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 15: July 18 at Washington
Athletica could not finish the four-game away run perfectly, dropping their last match against the Freedom 0-1 from a late goal by Homare Sawa in the 74th minute. Both teams were missing multiple players due to international friendlies; Athletica saw a very different lineup, where defender Niki Cross starting as a forward, and recent acquisition Sarah Walsh subbing in during the second half. After an exciting first fifteen minutes which saw both teams make several close calls on the goal, both teams seemed to lose all energy.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 15: July 18 at Washington
The incredibly tight Freedom backline kept the ball in Athletica's half for most of the game, meaning that neither the Freedom's backup keepers (Katie Jo Spisak was replaced by their goalkeeping coach (under a one-game contract) in the second half) were tested much at all. Loyden was not tested much either, but a deflection on Sawa's kick sent the ball closer to the near post than anticipated, giving the Freedom the win.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 16: July 22 vs New Jersey
In their first match at home in a month, Athletica finished their sweep of Sky Blue FC with a 1-0 win. Even though Sky Blue slightly outshot Athletica, Athletica controlled the game very well. Aluko notched the game's only goal in the 48th minute, and Loyden earned her second shutout with seven saves, including one very impressive one-on-one against Natasha Kai, to preserve the win.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 17: July 26 vs Bay Area
Athletica tied FC Gold Pride 1-1 at Soccer Park in Athletica's only FSC-televised game of the season. Cross notched her first goal of the season from a cross by Fletcher to put Athletica up 1-0 in the 28th minute. The high-energy game saw many chances from both teams throughout both halves, with the intensity increasing even more in the last fifteen minutes. Ultimately, Gold Pride prevented Athletica from clinching a playoff spot when Christine Sinclair put one past Solo in the 88th minute. Without the three points, though, Gold Pride was eliminated from playoff contention.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 18: August 1 vs Boston
Athletica beat the Boston Breakers 1-0 in their third of four final home games. With good chances on goal from both teams in the first half, the difference came when a cross from Cinalli made it past several Breakers defenders, allowing Aluko to slip a shot directly between the legs of Breakers 'keeper Allison Lipsher. Walsh almost made it 2-0 in the second half, but her arcing shot from distance hit the far post at just the wrong angle and traced the back edgeline back out of the box, where a defender cleared it. Still, with the win, Athletica clinched second place for the season, and have thus guaranteed hosting the Super Semifinal.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 19: August 5 vs Chicago
In their last home game of the season, Athletica handed the Chicago Red Stars another 2-0 defeat. Both goals, 35' and 65', were scored by Welsh aided by Walsh, with Walsh getting the assist on the first goal and starting the play that caused the second (Tancredi assisted that one). The win was made even more impressive by the fact of how much coach Jorge Barcellos rested the regular starters: Chalupny came off at halftime, Walsh came off in the 73rd minute, and Aluko, Cross, and Cinalli stayed on the bench for the whole game. The scoring combination of Walsh/Welsh made the strong implication that they would replace the offensive hole made my Aluko leaving for Europe during the playoffs.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 20: August 9 vs Bay Area
Athltica finished their inaugural season on August 9 with another 1-1 draw at FC Gold Pride. Athletica's goal was scored in the 18th minute by Welsh, with the assist surprisingly coming from Solo. It was her first assist of the year as well as the first ever assist by a goalie in WPS. Gold Pride equalized in the 24th minute when Rachel Buehler ran unchecked into a 1-1 with Solo.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Regular season, Game 20: August 9 vs Bay Area
Gold Pride had the better of play for most of the remainder of the match, though after Aluko subbed in for Walsh in the 88th, she sent several shots at Barnhart, almost scoring the winning goal several times. All in all, Athletica's defense was a little worse than it should have been, allowing 11 shots on goal.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Postseason, Playoffs
A late flurry from the Athletica was not enough to come back from the 0-1 deficit from the first half. Aside from several spectacular saves from Solo, Athletica did not show up well in the first half, which let Sky Blue control enough to score once. Athletica controlled the second half well, taking many shots as the final whistle neared, but none made it past NJ keeper Jenni Branam. With the result, Sky Blue continued its improbable playoff run to the final while Athletica was left to prepare for the expansion draft and next season.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Postseason, All-star game
The Saint Louis Athletica were chosen to host the 2009 All-Star game on June 25 by WPS. The game itself took place on August 30, with the WPS All-Stars playing Swedish champion Umeå IK. Athletica had four players selected for the All-Star game: Lori Chalupny, Eniola Aluko, and Tina Ellertson made the Starting XI, and Hope Solo was chosen as an "At-Large" player selection by All-Star coach Abner Rogers and WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci.


2009 Saint Louis Athletica season, Postseason, All-star game
Chalupny played for the entire game, while Ellertson played first half as one of the Starting XI and Solo was subbed in (for Karina LeBlanc) at halftime. Solo kept a shutout during her half, which in addition to Sinclair's goals, secured the win over the Swedish champions.


2009 Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer team
The 2009 Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer team represented Saint Louis University during the 2009 NCAA Division I men's soccer season.


2009 Saint Paul mayoral election
The 2009 Saint Paul mayoral election in the U.S. state of Minnesota held a scheduled primary election on 15 September and a general election on 3 November.


2009 Saint Paul mayoral election, Primary Results
The top two getters advanced to the November 3rd general election.


2009 Saipan shooting
The 2009 Saipan shooting was a spree shooting that took place on the United States commonwealth island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.


2009 Saipan shooting, Shootings
The gunman opened fire in two locations across the island of Saipan. His first location was Kannat Tabla, where he shot and killed four people (two men, a four-year-old boy, and a two-year-old girl) at a shooting range at 11:21 a.m. A four-year-old girl, who was the daughter of one of the slain men and also the older sister of the deceased girl, was also shot in the chest, but she survived her injury. He then drove several miles to Marpi, where about 60 people were taking pictures of the area. There, he fired his rifle at a group of South Korean tourists from inside his van, wounding five of them, two of whom were children.


2009 Saipan shooting, Shootings
From there, he traveled to the popular tourist destination Last Command Post Park, which was the location of Japan's last base for military commanders during World War II. There, he set his van on fire and then walked to the edge of Banzai Cliff, firing along the way. Upon arriving along the edge of the cliff, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with his rifle as police closed in. A search of the van's remains recovered three additional rifles and more than 750 rounds of ammunition. The shootings lasted for an approximate half-hour.


2009 Saipan shooting, Victims
Five people (including the gunman) were killed and nine others were injured. All of the deceased victims, as well as one of the injured, were residents of Saipan, while the others were visiting from South Korea; it is not believed that the tourists were specifically targeted. They are:


2009 Saipan shooting, Perpetrator
The gunman was identified as 42-year-old Li Zhongren, who was employed at the Kannat Tabla shooting range as a contract worker. He was also living at the shooting range at the time of the shootings. It had been reported that he left a suicide note behind detailing his motive as a "business deal gone bad". Police officials believed that the shootings, reported as premeditated, were sparked by a frustration over financial issues.


2009 Saipan shooting, Reactions
The Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands Benigno Fitial said of the shooting, "My heart and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims in today's shooting and most especially to those that were fatally wounded. The commonwealth has never experienced a tragic situation like this, and we are saddened by the appalling action of a single individual that has caused so much harm to our peaceful island community." Saipan Congressman Gregorio Sablan also commented, "The security we take for granted in our island homes has been broken by this senseless act of violence."


2009 Saipan shooting, Reactions
Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, Eloy Inos, told reporters, "This is an unfortunate but isolated incident. It happened for reasons unbeknownst to us, but we can handle this type of situation." Following the announcement that South Korean tourists were among the injured, this led to fears that tourism rates would drop at Saipan. Schools across the island were shut down for the day for safety reasons.


2009 Saitama Seibu Lions season
The 2009 Saitama Seibu Lions season features the Lions quest to win back-to-back Japan Series titles.


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


2009 Saladin governorate election, Campaign
The governor of Saladin, Hamad Hamood al-Qaysi, stood for the Iraqi National List of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. The INL also recruited local tribal leaders. The INL were successful in the elections because they had consistently opposed the de-Baathification policies of the Iraqi government, which had caused significant unemployment in the province.


2009 Saladin governorate election, Campaign
The Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc's main slogan was "Get Out, Get Out Occupier".


2009 Saladin governorate election, Results
Immediately after the election, the Iraqi National List and the Iraqi National Dialogue Front claimed victory in Saladin.


2009 Saladin governorate election, Results
In March, the INDF said they would form an alliance with the State of Law Coalition.


2009 Salford City Reds season
Salford City Reds competed in their eleventh Super League season in their 137th year. They also competed in the 2009 Challenge Cup.


2009 Salford City Reds season, Fixtures and results
Note A: Match between Salford City Reds and Catalans Dragons was postponed to 7 August 2009 due to a test between England and France in Paris over the same weekend, in which ten Catalans players were involved.


2009 Salford City Reds season, League table
Source: . Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference. Competition points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.


2009 Salisbury City Council election
The first elections to the newly created Salisbury City Council were held on 4 June 2009.


2009 Salisbury City Council election
The whole council was up for election and the election was contested by 54 candidates, representing the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Labour, Green Party, British National Party, and also by two Independents. The Liberal Democrats took control.


2009 Salisbury City Council election
All wards were new, coinciding with eight new divisions of the newly created Wiltshire Council.


2009 Salvadoran legislative election
Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 18 January 2009. The leftist Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) was widely expected to win the most seats for the first time against the nationalist conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). As a result of the election, the Revolutionary Democratic Front, a left-wing party founded by FMLN dissidents in 2006 with the same name and symbols as the historic FDR from the Salvadoran Civil War, was deregistered as a political party as it failed to gain either a seat or 50,000 votes, as necessary to sustain registration. All parties contested the election in all departments, except for the FDR, which did not contest the election in three departments and stood jointly with the PDC in two others.


2009 Salvadoran legislative election
In San Isidro in Cabañas Department, voting had to be rescheduled to 25 January 2009 after a group of non-natives illegally attempted to vote.


2009 Salvadoran presidential election
Presidential elections were held in El Salvador on 15 March 2009. The main candidates were Rodrigo Ávila (ARENA) and Mauricio Funes (FMLN). Funes won the election with 51.3% of the vote and became the first leftist president of El Salvador.


2009 Salvadoran presidential election, Candidates
The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front nominated Mauricio Funes as its presidential candidate and Salvador Sánchez Cerén as his running mate. The Nationalist Republican Alliance nominated Rodrigo Ávila and Arturo Zablah.


2009 Salvadoran presidential election, Candidates
The Christian Democratic Party had nominated Carlos Rivas Zamora and Merlin Peña, but withdrew the nominations on 2 February 2009 after it became apparent that they would have little chance of winning the election. The PDC did not immediately voice support for one of the other candidates. In the same direction, the PCN, which had nominated Luis Tomás Chévez, also withdrew its candidate a couple of days later.


2009 Salvadoran presidential election, Opinion polls
A poll from mid September 2008 gave Funes 29.2% and Ávila 26.1%, while Tomás Chévez (PCN) got 1.9%. However, a poll from late September gave Funes 47.4% to 23.8% for Ávila. This latter poll showing Funes with a large lead is more consistent with polling from previous months.


2009 Salvadoran presidential election, Opinion polls
Later polls from 2008 showed a tightening race between Funes and Ávila, with Funes retaining the lead.


2009 Salvadoran presidential election, Results
FMLN won the election with 51.3% of the vote, while ARENA received 48.7%, marking the first time ARENA had lost a presidential election in 20 years. Of the election, Funes said, "This is the happiest night of my life, and I want it to be the night of El Salvador's greatest hope. I want to thank all the people who voted for me and chose that path of hope and change." Ávila conceded defeat, saying that he and his party "will be a constructive opposition." An observation team from the Organization of American States said that the elections were held without any major incidents, although there were claims of Hondurans voting at a voting center in Torola, Morazán.


2009 Salvadoran presidential election, Results
Several governments said that they looked forward to working with the new government, including Taiwan and the United States.


2009 Salzburg state election
The 2009 Salzburg state election was held on 1 March 2009 to elect the members of the Landtag of Salzburg.


2009 Salzburg state election
The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) remained the largest party but took moderate losses. Its coalition partner the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) also suffered a small swing against it. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) recovered somewhat from its 2004 defeat, winning five seats. The Greens remained stable. The SPÖ renewed its coalition with the ÖVP, and Governor Gabi Burgstaller was re-elected for a second term.


2009 Salzburg state election, Background
In the 2004 election, the SPÖ became the largest party in the Landtag for the first time in post-war history. While the ÖVP suffered only a slight decline, they fell to second place in the face of a major swing to the SPÖ, who captured voters from the FPÖ and Liberal Forum. The FPÖ fell from 20% to under 9%, while the Greens made gains. Gabi Burgstaller subsequently became the first SPÖ governor of Salzburg, in a coalition with the ÖVP.


2009 Salzburg state election, Electoral system
The 36 seats of the Landtag of Salzburg are elected via open list proportional representation in a two-step process. The seats are distributed between six multi-member constituencies. For parties to receive any representation in the Landtag, they must either win at least one seat in a constituency directly, or clear a 5 percent state-wide electoral threshold. Seats are distributed in constituencies according to the Hare quota, with any remaining seats allocated using the D'Hondt method at the state level, to ensure overall proportionality between a party's vote share and its share of seats.


2009 Salzburg state election, Contesting parties
The table below lists parties represented in the previous Landtag.


2009 Salzburg state election, Contesting parties
In addition to the parties already represented in the Landtag, one party collected enough signatures to be placed on the ballot:


2009 Samarkand Challenger
The 2009 Samarkand Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It was part of the 2009 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan between 10 and 16 August 2009.


2009 Samarkand Challenger, Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2009 Samarkand Challenger, Champions, Doubles
Kaden Hensel /  Adam Hubble def. Valery Rudnev /  Ivan Sergeyev, 7–5, 7–5


2009 Samarkand Challenger – Doubles
Irakli Labadze and Denis Matsukevich were the defending champions. Kaden Hensel and Adam Hubble won in the final 7–5, 7–5, against Valery Rudnev and Ivan Sergeyev.


2009 Samarkand Challenger – Singles
Michail Elgin was the defending champion, but he was eliminated by his compatriot Valery Rudnev in the second round. Dustin Brown defeated Jonathan Dasnières de Veigy 7–6(3), 6–3 in the final.


2009 Sammarinese local elections
The 2009 Sammarinese local elections were held on 7 June to elect the mayors and the councils of the nine municipalities of San Marino. Overall turnout was 55.1%. The election in the City of San Marino was declared invalid, as it didn't reach the turnout quorum. Therefore, a second election was held on 29 November.


2009 Sammarinese local elections, Electoral system
Voters elected the mayor (Italian: capitano di castello) and the municipal council (giunta di castello). The number of seats was determined by law: the city councils of Chiesanuova, Faetano and Montegiardino were composed of eight members; the councils of Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, City of San Marino, Domagnano, Fiorentino and Serravalle were composed of 10 members.


2009 Sammarinese local elections, Electoral system
Candidates ran on lists led by a mayoral candidate. Voters elected a list and were allowed to give up to two preferential votes. Seats were allocated with the d'Hondt method if the winner had obtained at least 60% of the votes. Otherwise, six seats would have been allocated to the winning party (five seats if the council had eight members) and the rest of the seats would have been allocated using the d'Hondt method to the rest of the parties. The winning list mayoral candidate was proclaimed mayor.


2009 Sammarinese local elections, Electoral system
In the municipalities where only one list contested the election, the election was considered valid if the turnout was over 50% and the votes to the list were over 50% of the valid votes (votes to the list plus blank votes).


2009 Sammarinese local elections, June election results, City of San Marino
The elections were declared invalid as the quorum of 50% turnout was not reached. As a result, the election was repeated on 29 November.


2009 Sammarinese local elections, November election results
On the June election, the election in the City of San Marino was declared invalid as it didn't reach the turnout quorum. The election was repeated on 29 November.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami
The 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami took place on 29 September 2009 in the southern Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone. The submarine earthquake occurred in an extensional environment and had a moment magnitude of 8.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). It was the largest earthquake of 2009.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami
A tsunami was generated which caused substantial damage and loss of life in Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center recorded a 3-inch (76 mm) rise in sea levels near the epicenter, and New Zealand scientists determined that the waves measured 14 metres (46 ft) at their highest on the Samoan coast. The quake occurred on the outer rise of the Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone. This is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates in the Earth's lithosphere meet and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami
Countries affected by the tsunami in the areas that were hit are American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga (Niuatoputapu) where more than 189 people were killed, especially children, most of them in Samoa. Large waves with no major damage were reported on the coasts of Fiji, the northern coast of New Zealand and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. People took precautions in the low-lying atolls of Tokelau and moved to higher ground. Niue was reported as reasonably safe because it is high. There were no reports of high waves from Vanuatu, Kiribati, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, American Samoa
The Los Angeles Times, quoting a source at the National Park of American Samoa, reported that "four tsunami waves, 15 to 20 ft (4.6 to 6 m) high", and "reaching up to a mile (1.6 km) inland" hit American Samoa shortly after the earthquake. The water flowed inland about 100 yd (100 m) before receding, leaving some cars stuck in the mud. Damage to the National Park's natural reserves and the destruction of its visitor center and main offices have been reported, while only 20% of the park's 40 to 50 employees and volunteers had been found.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, American Samoa
A beach village was reported to have been "wiped out", killing at least 14 people after the earthquake had sent residents fleeing for higher ground. Large numbers of American Samoans were said to have been left injured or homeless.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, American Samoa
Confirmed death tolls rose to 22 people, with many people still missing in the villages of Leone and Pago Pago.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, American Samoa
A Radio New Zealand International correspondent reported that the center of Pago Pago, the largest city in American Samoa, had sustained heavy damage in the tsunami, with its main street flooded, cars overturned, and shoreline businesses damaged. He "also witnessed looting in one of the stores".


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, American Samoa
American Samoa Governor Togiola Tulafono was in Honolulu, Hawaii for an ocean policy conference at the time of the tsunami struck. Tulafono was monitoring events in American Samoa, but was having difficulties reaching the territory because of communications failures. He told reporters that because of the tight knit communities and strong family bonds, "I don't think anybody is going to be spared this disaster." Tulafono departed Hawaii for American Samoa on a United States Coast Guard supply flight from Honolulu on the evening of 29 September.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, American Samoa
Lieutenant Governor Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia announced that the earthquake had caused severe damage to American Samoa's electrical infrastructure. The main electricity generator in Satala had been damaged, which knocked out power from the central village of Faga'alu across Tutuila to the eastern village of Onenoa. The Satala electrical plant may be out of service for a month or more until repairs can be made, with the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) stating that power would be out indefinitely. A new power plant at Satala was expected to be commissioned on 25 May 2017. Electricity was also out on the islands of Ofu-Olosega, in the Manu'a Islands Group, and a government plane has been sent to assess damage on Ofu.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, American Samoa
The water system was also damaged in the earthquake, and the supply of fresh water to eastern parts of American Samoa has been disrupted due to broken water lines. The water division of the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) announced that it will bring water in tanker trucks to affected villages. Residents were warned to conserve and boil water until safe drinking water supplies can be restored, which could take some time.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, American Samoa
U.S. President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in American Samoa, allowing federal funds to be used for rescues, life support, and public health and safety measures. Among the initial U.S. government response was a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) logistics team and staff from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration, and Department of Defense.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, American Samoa
Also, basic needs and basic commodities, including electrical generators, medical supplies, and pharmaceutical drugs were sent out, and multiple planes are being prepared for more cargo and personnel, including FEMA, HHS, and Coast Guard staff and experts from the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Red Cross. The USS Ingraham (FFG-61) was en route to American Samoa and was the first U.S. military asset to arrive and assist in the recovery efforts.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
Samoa evacuated people from the entire city of Apia, the country's capital city on the island of Upolu and moving thousands of residents to higher ground. Journalist Cherelle Jackson reported that the city quickly emptied in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, "All the schools, workplaces everyone has walked up – it's like a ghost town."


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
Twenty villages on Upolu south side were reportedly destroyed, including Lepa, the home of Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi. In Lepa, only the church and the village's welcome sign remained standing following the tsunami. The hardest hit areas in Samoa appear to be Fagaloa Bay on the east coast of Upolu, Lalomanu on the south east coast, and along the rest of the southern coast of the island, with one hospital in Apia reporting it had received 79 bodies.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
The village of Poutasi on the south west coast of Upolu was reported with extensive damage in a TVNZ news item, along with its neighbouring Villages of Satalo and Salani being completely wiped out. A mother at the Taufua Beach Fales in Lalomanu watched her three young children swept away by the tsunami. Elsewhere there were reports of landslides near Solosolo and damage to plantations near Apia.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
A number of tourist resorts are located on Upolu's south coast. These include Coconuts Beach Resort and Sinalei Reef Resort and Spa in the village of Siumu. Both resorts published tsunami updates on their websites. The Sa'Moana Resort is in the village of Salamumu.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
The eastern part of the island remains without power or water supplies after the earthquake.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
A Red Cross worker reported to Radio New Zealand that waves 10 feet (3 m) high had flattened beachside resorts on Upolu, and that residents told him the tourist zone of Lalomanu had been crushed by a wall of water about 20–30 ft (6.1–9.1 m) high. The cliffs above Lalomanu were scoured out to a height of 10–15 m (33–49 ft).


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
Power outages were reported, and phone lines were jammed. Samoan officials confirmed the runway at Faleolo International Airport on Upolu was safe by early afternoon (30 September 2009).


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, and his Deputy Prime Minister Misa Telefoni Retzlaff were in Auckland, New Zealand, at the time of the earthquake. Both political leaders immediately returned to Samoa. Prime Minister Malielegaoi lost two relatives in the tsunami, including the daughter of one of his nieces.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
The Prime Minister made his first address to the nation, after the tsunami, on 1 October. The Government of Samoa estimates the damage at US$147.25 million.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
On 2 October 2009, an estimated 3000 people were homeless and seeking refuge in shelters set up around the worst-affected villages. New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully visited Apia to co-ordinate New Zealand's emergency relief effort. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key arrived in Samoa on 3 October and visited some of the most damaged areas on Upolu including the villages of Poutasi and Lalolamu.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Samoa
The Samoa government and the people of Samoa held a national funeral at Apia Park for tsunami victims on 8 October 2009 (Samoa local time).


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Tonga
The main impact in Tonga was in the northern part of the island kingdom where there were deaths, injuries and extensive damage on Niuatoputapu, a flat coral island 500 km north of the main island Tongatapu, and reportedly closest to the epicentre of the earthquake. The death toll on the island has risen to nine. A Tongan government spokesman Alfred Soakai said 90% of homes had been destroyed as well as serious damage to the hospital. An adviser to the prime minister, Lopeti Senituli, later said the amount of damage to buildings has been downgraded to 60%.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Tonga
There are three main villages on Niuatoputapu: Hihifo and Falehau, which were hit by three waves, some 6m high, and the village of Vaipoa, which received less damage. A new school building remained standing and provided some shelter. The island is isolated with a population of around 1,000 people. Approximately 192 families were left homeless and the homes of 143 additional families were damaged in the tsunami in the villages of Hihifo, Falehau and Vaipoa. 289 families lived in residences which escaped damage in the disaster.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Tonga
Other reports outlined coastal damage from a 13-foot (4.0 m) wave on the islands. Other media had earlier reported 10 people killed in Tonga. Three people are missing and four sustained serious injuries. Earlier, a government plane sent to the island could not land due to tsunami damage at Niuatoputapu Airport, which had been forced to close. Tonga's acting Prime Minister Lord Tuita said the government is sending a second plane to Niuatoputapu, but that communication links have been damaged.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Tonga
The government appealed for clothing and bedding donations for residents in Niuatoputapu.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Tonga
Relief efforts undertaken by the Tongan government and Red Cross focused on Niuatoputapu, with support from Australia, New Zealand and France. A United Nations coordinator was scheduled to travel to Tonga to support early recovery initiatives in areas such as 'health, sanitation, water, infrastructure, psychological support, agriculture and fishing'.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Tonga
There were no reports of any damage to Vavaʻu island group or to the main island of Tongatapu, where the capital, Nukuʻalofa, is.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, French Polynesia
French Polynesia escaped much of the damage inflicted against other Polynesian countries and territories by the earthquake. Concern centered on the Marquesas Islands, the northernmost archipelago in French Polynesia. Unlike the other islands of French Polynesia, the Marquesas have no protective coral reefs which would absorb the impact of a potential tsunami.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, French Polynesia
French High Commissioner Adolphe Colrat warned residents of the Marquesas to seek shelter at an elevation of at least 10 m (33 ft) above sea level. Residents across French Polynesia were advised to avoid valleys and bays, tie up watercraft and listen to Réseau France Outre-mer (RFO) for further instruction.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, French Polynesia
In the Marquesas Islands, some bays were nearly emptied of their water before a wave crashed back in and refilled the area. Boats in the region immediately left port once the warning was issued. The cargo and passenger ship Aranui 3, which had been docked in Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, the area most impacted by a small tsunami wave, immediately evacuated the bay for open water.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, French Polynesia
Outside of the Marquesas, the threat of a tsunami largely passed without much incidence. The government had initially feared a wave of approximately 90 cm (35 in), with the ability to strike all parts of the sprawling territory. Five small tsunami waves, measuring 25–70 cm (10–28 in) were recorded off the coast of Papeete, Tahiti, between 11:10 am and 12 noon local time on Tuesday. The first tsunami wave at 11:10 am measured 25 cm (10 in), while the second recorded wave was measured at 35 cm (14 in) at 11:23 am The waves gradually increased in size, with the fifth, and last wave, being recorded at 70 cm (28 in) tall at 12:03 pm.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, French Polynesia
The Colombian Navy training ship Gloria, also left Papeete Harbor in Tahiti once the warning was issued as a precaution. Residents of the Society Islands, which include the tourist resort areas of Tahiti and Moorea, were advised to move above 5 m (16 ft) above sea level, for safety.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, French Polynesia
High Commissioner Adolphe Colrat cancelled the tsunami red alert at 12:03 pm on Tuesday for all areas of French Polynesia except the Marquesas. The alert for the Marquesas Islands was extended 2:50 pm until the threat had passed.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, French Polynesia
French Polynesian President Oscar Temaru wrote to the heads of American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga offering support following the tsunami, "On behalf of the people and the government of French Polynesia, I would like to convey our most sincere expression of condolence and solidarity in the wake of the Tsunami that just hit your people... We have, within the FRANZ framework decided to send both human and material help.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, French Polynesia
1 doctor, 2 nurses and one logistics expert, all members of our emergency medical staff will carry a total of 600 kg [sic] of medical material that will be dispatched locally by the FRANZ authorities." FRANZ stands for France, Australia and New Zealand, three large countries who traditionally provide aid in Oceania following natural disasters.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, French Polynesia
The Guardian reported 189 deaths; 149 in Samoa, 31 American Samoa, 9 Tonga (2 October 2009).


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, Tsunami Memorial
Following the 1st anniversary of February 2011 earthquake memorial in Christchurch, a memorial dedicated to the tsunami victims was erected in the village of Leone American Samoa on 25 February 2012. Leone a small village on a bay was particularly hard-hit. The monument is called the Healing Garden.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, International aid, Governments
New Zealand dispatched RNZAF P-3 Orions to assess the damage and search for bodies. An RNZAF C-130 Hercules with medical staff and supplies, makeshift morgues, stretchers, tents and food was sent on the 30th. A further 7 RNZAF and 2 Royal Australian Air Force Hercules flights were made, and a RAAF C-17 Globemaster also provided airlift support to ferry relief supplies. These were distributed within the islands by RNZAF Bell UH-1H helicopters.


2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, International aid, Governments
Air New Zealand arranged for larger Boeing 777 aircraft to carry in relief workers and evacuate tourists to Auckland, and fly the Samoan Prime Minister back to his country. The New Zealand helicopter carrying ship HMNZS Canterbury was sent to Samoa (also offloading aid and personnel in Tonga). The New Zealand government also pledged over NZ$12 million for relief efforts.