2012 Asian Men's Softball Championship
The 2012 Asian Men's Softball Championship was an international softball tournament which featured six nations which was held from 25–28 October 2012 in Niimi, Japan.


2012 Asian Men's Volleyball Cup
The 2012 Asian Men's Volleyball Cup, so-called 2012 AVC Cup for Men was the 3rd edition of the Asian Men's Volleyball Cup, played by top eight teams of the 2011 Asian Championship. It was held at Vinh Yen Gymnasium, Vĩnh Yên, Vietnam from 1 to 7 September 2012.


2012 Asian Men's Volleyball Cup, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2011 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship.


2012 Asian Men's Youth Handball Championship
The 2012 Asian Men's Youth Handball Championship (5th tournament) took place in Manama from September 6–15. It acts as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2013 Men's Youth World Handball Championship.


2012 Asian Netball Championships
The 2012 Asian Netball Championships was the 8th edition of the tournament. The tournament was played at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 25 August to 31 August with ten Asian national netball teams.


2012 Asian Netball Championships, Final draw
The final draw used the world rankings to sort the teams in a serpentine format. Japan and Brunei made their international debut.


2012 Asian Roller Hockey Cup
The 2012 Asia Cup, was held in Hefei, China, between 27 October and 1 November 2012. It was the 15th Edition of this competition. The tournament was organized by the Confederation of Asia Roller Sports (CARS) and was part of the Roller Hockey Asia Cup.


2012 Asian Roller Hockey Cup, Men's Championship
Participating Men's National teams included Macau, Taiwan, India and Australia.


2012 Asian Shooting Championships
The 2012 Asian Shooting Championships were held in Doha, Qatar between January 11 and January 22, 2012. It acts as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.


2012 Asian Shotgun Championships
The 2012 Asian Shotgun Championships were held at New Moti Bagh Gun Club, Patiala, India between 28 November and 9 December 2012.


2012 Asian Swimming Championships
The 9th Asian Swimming Championships was held 15–25 November 2012 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was the second time that Dubai hosted the Championships; the city previously hosted in 2004. The 10th Asian Swimming Championships will be held in 2016 in Japan.


2012 Asian Swimming Championships
The Championships was organized by the Asia Swimming Federation (AASF), and in 2012 featured competition in 4 of the 5 Aquatics disciplines:


2012 Asian Swimming Championships
Note: The AASF hosted a 2012 Championships in the fifth Aquatics discipline (Open Water), 21 October in Hong Kong.


2012 Asian Taekwondo Championships
The 2012 Asian Taekwondo Championships are the 20th edition of the Asian Taekwondo Championships, and were held at Phu Tho Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from May 9 to May 11, 2012.


2012 Asian Tour
The 2012 Asian Tour was the 18th season of the modern Asian Tour, the main men's professional golf tour in Asia excluding Japan, since it was established in 1995.


2012 Asian Tour, Tournament results
The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Asian Tour events he had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Asian Tour members.


2012 Asian Tour, Tournament results
Only 50% of the prize money from major championships and World Golf Championships are counted towards the Order of Merit, but are not shown below.


2012 Asian Tour, Order of Merit
There is a complete list on the official site .


2012 Asian Water Polo Championship
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Phikia (talk | contribs) at 13:28, 14 April 2020 (categories). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2012 Asian Water Polo Championship
The 2012 Asian Water Polo Championship for men and women was held from 24 to 27 January 2012 at the Chiba International General Swimming Center near Tokyo, Japan.


2012 Asian Water Polo Championship, Road to the 2012 Olympics
The winners of this championship (both men and women) qualified directly for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The second- and third-placed teams (both men and women) were eligible to participate in the World Olympic qualification tournament, held 1–8 April 2012 for men in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and 15–22 April for women in Trieste, Italy. However, only the Kazakhstan women's team applied to take part.


2012 Asian Weightlifting Championships
The 2012 Asian Weightlifting Championships was held at Yichung Culture & Sports Center in Pyeongtaek, South Korea between April 24 and April 30, 2012. It was the 43rd men's and 24th women's championship.


2012 Asian Weightlifting Championships, Medal table
Ranking by all medals: Big (Total result) and Small (Snatch and Clean & Jerk)


2012 Asian Women's Amateur Boxing Championships
The 6th edition of the Women's Asian Amateur Boxing Championships were held from March 19 to March 25, 2012 in Ulan Baatar, Mongolia.


2012 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship
The 2012 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship was the 13th staging of the AVC Club Championships. The tournament was held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.


2012 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2011 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship.


2012 Asian Women's Handball Championship
The 2012 Asian Women's Handball Championship was the 14th Asian Championship, which took place from 7 to 16 December 2012 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It acted as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2013 World Women's Handball Championship in Serbia.


2012 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup
The 2012 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup was held at the Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.


2012 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2011 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship.


2012 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup squads
This article shows the women's squads of the participating teams at the 2012 Asian Women's Cup Volleyball Championship.


2012 Asian Wrestling Championships
The 2012 Asian Wrestling Championships were held at the Park Chung-hee Gymnasium in Gumi, South Korea. The event took place from February 16 to February 19, 2012.


2012 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship
The 2012 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship was held in Azadi Volleyball Hall, Azadi Sport Complex, Tehran, Iran.


2012 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2010 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship.


2012 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
Iran (Host & 1st) Sri Lanka (8th)   Mongolia * Kuwait *


2012 Aspria Tennis Cup Trofeo City Life
The 2012 Aspria Tennis Cup Trofeo City Life was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It was the seventh edition of the tournament and was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Milan, Italy between 25 June and 1 July 2012.


2012 Aspria Tennis Cup Trofeo City Life, ATP entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Aspria Tennis Cup Trofeo City Life – Doubles
Adrián Menéndez and Simone Vagnozzi were the defending champions but decided not to participate. Nicholas Monroe and Simon Stadler won the final 6–4, 3–6, [11–9] against Andrey Golubev and Yuri Schukin.


2012 Aspria Tennis Cup Trofeo City Life – Singles
Albert Ramos was the defending champion but chose to compete in Wimbledon instead. Tommy Robredo won the final 6–3, 6–0 against Martín Alund.


2012 Assam violence
In July 2012, violence in the Indian state of Assam broke out with riots between indigenous Bodos and Bengali speaking Muslims . The first incident was reported to have taken place on 20 July 2012. As of 8 August 2012, 77 people had died and over 400,000 people were taking shelter in 270 relief camps, after being displaced from almost 400 villages. Eleven people have been reported missing.


2012 Assam violence
On 27 July 2012, Assam's Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi blamed the UPA led national government for a "delay in army deployment to riot-hit areas". The next day, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh visited the relief camps in Kokrajhar and called the recent violence a blot on the face of India. Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram visited the state on Monday, 30 July to review the security situation and the relief and rehabilitation measures being taken.


2012 Assam violence
Lok Sabha member from Kokrajhar, Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary blamed illegal immigration for the violence in the state. The Election Commissioner of India, H.S. Brahma, said that of the 27 districts in Assam, 11 of them will be shown to have a Muslim majority when the 2011 census figures are published. Singh was criticised for not dealing with the flood of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. A journalist had asserted that the flooding of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh was a myth.


2012 Assam violence
The violence and exodus of thousands of people from Northeast India reportedly led to a series of incessant protests in Assam, at multiple locations, during the months of August–September. The protesters' main demand was expeditious detection and deportation of illegal infiltrators from Assam. On 15 September, at a convention of non-political indigenous ethnic groups, organisations representing some tribes Bodo, Dimasa, Tiwa, Deuri, Karbi, Garo, Rabha, Sonowal Kacharis and other indigenous communities decided to form a coordination committee for the cause. The tribal leaders said that illegal immigration has threatened the existence, right to land and resources to all indigenous people of the entire state, and it was not limited to BTAD alone.


2012 Assam violence, Background
The violence in 2012 followed ethnic tensions between the indigenous Bodo people and Bengali-speaking Muslims. While the Bengali-speaking Muslims state that they are descendants of East Bengali Muslims brought to Assam during the British Raj, local indigenous communities allege that the Muslim population has increased, boosted by refugees from the erstwhile East Pakistan before the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and by subsequent illegal migrants from Bangladesh.


2012 Assam violence, Background
By the mid-1970s, increased competition for livelihood, land and political power led to frequent incidents of violence, including the Nellie massacre after the controversial 1983 state elections, which left nearly 3,000 dead, and other large scale clashes. These incidents resulted in resentment directed at India's central government, not only from Bodos, Rabhas, Tiwas, Keot(Kaibarta) and other indigenous ethnic groups for failing to prevent illegal migration, but also from the indigenous Assamese Muslim community for failing to protect the rights of minorities.


2012 Assam violence, Background
In 1998, Srinivas Kumar Sinha, who then was governor of Assam, had sent a report to then Indian President, KR Narayanan, explaining about the problems that the unchecked illegal immigration of Bangladeshis would bring to the integrity of India. In that report, he had highlighted the history that Assam was first claimed by Pakistan during 1947 and then by Bangladesh, due to its rich natural resources. The report raised worries about what might happen if the illegal immigrants gain majority and ask for secession from India. He also cited the "Greater Bangladesh project" which might entice the immigrants to merge those regions of Assam with Bangladesh


2012 Assam violence, Background
The rapid growth of international Islamic fundamentalism may provide the driving force for this demand. The loss of Lower Assam will severe the entire North-East from the rest of India and the rich natural resources of that region will be lost to the nation.


2012 Assam violence, Riots in Kokrajhar, Chirang
Ethnic tensions between Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims escalated into a riot in Kokrajhar on 20 July 2012, when illegal migrant Muslims killed four Bodo youths at Joypur. This was followed by retaliatory attacks on local Muslims killing two and injuring several of them on the morning of 21 July 2012. Almost 80 people were killed, most of whom were Bengali Muslims and some Bodos. 400,000 people were displaced to migrant camps, most being Muslims . The Indian army was deployed amid curfews to stem the mob rioting, with permission to shoot on sight. Around 500 villages had been destroyed through arson.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
On the request of Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary, MP of Kokrajhar, the Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh called the Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, on 23 July 2012 and instructed him to do whatever was necessary to restore peace. The violence continued despite the efforts of the state law enforcement agencies, and on 24 July 2012, India's central government deployed paramilitary forces and 13 columns of the Indian Army to the affected districts.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
On the same day, shoot-on-sight orders and an indefinite curfew were enforced across Kokrajhar district, which also led to the death of four people when police fired at violent crowds in the Rampur and Chaparkata areas of Kokrajhar. The Army conducted flag marches and the disrupted rail services were resumed on 25 July 2012, under the protection of the central forces. Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh stated that there were signs of improvement and called upon the Assam government to immediately act against the "ring leaders" of both factions.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
On 26 July, an indefinite curfew and the shoot-on-sight orders were enforced in Kokrajhar district, along with a night curfew in Chirang and Dhubri districts. On 26 July, the state's chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, announced the payment of ₹ 600,000 as compensation to the next of kin of the dead. Gogoi also announced that the people who were rendered homeless or displaced would be provided new houses at government expense. The chief minister assured the population that peace would soon return to the violence-affected areas.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
Singh visited the district of Kokrajhar to observe the situation on 28 July 2012 and offered support to the victims. The prime minister said that the Centre will "closely work with the state government to provide a sense of security to all affected areas to ensure that they can go back to their houses secure in the knowledge that their lives and livelihood are secure". Singh said ₹ 200,000 would be given to the next of kin of those who died and ₹ 50,000 to the injured.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
He announced ₹ 1 billion for relief and rehabilitation of the affected people in the six affected districts, ₹ 1 billion as Special Plan assistance for development programs in the affected areas and another ₹ 1 billion under the Indira Awaas Yojana. ₹ 30,000 each would be given to those whose houses were totally destroyed, ₹ 20,000 under the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to those whose houses were partially damaged.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
The prime minister ordered an inquiry committee to be set up to look into the violence, and directed the state government to provide security so that the affected people can return home. On 28 July, Gogoi said that the late arrival of central forces, including the Army, assisted the spread of clashes in the state. According to the media reports, the Army was initially reluctant to deploy the troops and wanted clarification from the Defence Ministry on deployment because the situation "seemed to have communal overtones". When the situation deteriorated rapidly and another request was made, the ministry authorised Army deployment on 25 July 2012.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
The Centre has authorized the Assam government to deploy more than 11,000 paramilitary personnel in the state's violence-hit districts and has dispatched a relief plane with medical teams and supplies. Central paramilitary forces are now out in full force in Assam; the deployment of 65 paramilitary companies has been ordered and 53 companies have reached Assam. Of these, five were sent on the night of 20 July. 7,300 paramilitary personnel were deployed in strife-torn Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts after moving them from other states in the wake of clashes between Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal claimed that the state administration was complicit in the violence and demanded a CBI inquiry into the riots.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, recommended a CBI probe into the clashes in BTAD and Dubri districts and claimed "internal and external forces were at work".


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
On 7 August 2012, the Centre ordered CBI probe into the continued ethnic clashes in the state.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response
According to the Times of India, some 14 Muslim groups which came into existence in the last 20 years are under observation by intelligence agencies after inputs suggested that their activities were "inimical to peace and social harmony". The organizations named are Muslim Security Council of Assam, United Liberation Militia of Assam, Islamic Liberation Army of Assam, Muslim Volunteer Force, Muslim Liberation Army, Muslim Security Force, Islamic Sevak Sangh and Islamic United Reformation Protest of India.


2012 Assam violence, Central government response, Criticism of the response
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and some senior Indian officials are said to have questioned whether the deployment of the Indian Army to curb the outbreak of violence was enacted fast enough.


2012 Assam violence, CBI investigation
On 7 August 2012, the Govt of India ordered CBI probe of the matter. CBI on 19 September 2012, carried out first arrests by arresting five youths in connection with alleged lynching of four former Bodo youths in Kokrajhar area on 20 July. BPPF MLA Pradip Brahma was arrested along with Mohammed Hashem Ali, Mohammed Adom Ali Sheikh, Mohammed Hashim Ali Rehman, Mohammed Qurban Ali Sheikh, Mohammed Imran Hussain. They were arrested after they allegedly confessed of their involvement. Further investigation able to catch real culprit behind 2012 ethnic clash, has named an Assam Police Constable Mohibur Islam alias Ratul who is on run at present.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Pune
On 8 and 9 August, some Meiteis were attacked in Pune. Students and professionals were beaten up by Muslims allegedly in Pune's Kondhwa and Poona College areas. Attackers asked victims which state they belonged to, and those who replied Manipur were beaten. One of the victims said some attackers wore college uniform while others were in casual clothes. Police arrested nine Muslim youths for the attacks.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
On 11 August 2012, a Muslim protest against the riots in Assam and attacks on Muslims in Burma was held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. The protest was organised by Raza Academy, and was attended by two other groups, Sunni Jamiatul Ulma and Jama'at-e- Raza-e-Mustafa. It ended in violence; two were killed and 54 others injured, including 45 policemen. Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik said it was around 3 pm that the crowd turned violent, after some protesters displayed "provocative photos" of the Assam violence. "Some people started raising slogans against the police and media.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
They set fire to police vehicles," said Patnaik. "As we tried restraining the crowd, a scuffle broke out between the protestors and police." The Mumbai Police Crime Branch suspects that the riot situation outside Azad Maidan was part of a "big conspiracy". Crime Branch sources said the police are probing the alleged role of "outside agencies".


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
Crime Branch officers said the police felt that the violence may have been pre-planned as the protestors were equipped with gear to torch vehicles, which they used to set fire to three media outdoor broadcasting (OB) vans and four police vans, one of which belonged to the riot control police. They also damaged several other vehicles, including BEST buses. At least 30 vehicles were damaged in the incident. The police had to resort to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd. Two of the OB vans belonged to ABP News and P7 news.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
Eight of the 45 policemen hurt sustained serious head injuries. The police claimed that "at least five woman police constables were molested by mob." There were also reports that a few of the rioters had stolen police weapons and fired in the air and at the police, but no casualties were reported. Some photographers were also reportedly injured during the violence. The police later claimed that provocative pamphlets were distributed during the protest, and they were investigating their source.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
The Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial for martyred soldiers in South Mumbai was desecrated during the riot.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
The President of the Raza Academy, Alhaj Mohammed Saeed Noori Sahab, said the "miscreants" involved in the violence were not associated with the academy. "Our protest was peaceful," he said. Noori stated that an "irresponsible" speech had been made during the rally, which the Indian Express claimed, exacerbated tensions. Noori said: "There were several persons on the stage. One irresponsible person made statements regarding the media coverage. He was immediately stopped and attempts were made to calm the situation. We had no idea that this will happen," he said, condemning the attack on the media.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
Riots at Azad Maidan led to panic in the nearby colleges and hospitals. Cama and Albless Hospital and St Xavier's College went in lock-down mode to prevent rioters from entering their premises.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
While condemning the violence caused by rioters, All India Secular Forum social activist Irfan Engineer blamed Raza Academy for being parochial in nature. Engineer said: "The riots have ruptured the lives of every person in Assam. It has nothing to do with Muslims, Hindus, Bodos or anybody. Raza Academy, while organising the rally, should have taken all measures to see that the crowd does not go out of control or infiltrators take advantage of it or that protest rally just does not become confined for one community and thereby score an advantage in the community itself."


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
23 people were arrested on charges of murder and have been remanded to police custody. Raza Academy and Madinatul Ilm Foundation were booked under section 302 of IPC. Police suspect that Facebook and SMS's were used to mobilise the mob.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
The rioters were found carrying sticks, rods and petrol cans to the rally, so police suspect the riot was pre-meditated. They are investigating the source of the weapons. Police have found CCTV footage showing protesters pouring petrol on vehicles before setting them alight.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
On 14 August 2012, Bal Thackeray chief of Shiv Sena and editor of Saamna newspaper published an editorial condemning the Congress-ruled Maharashtra government for "bowing" before "anti-national" Muslims who went on the rampage in south Mumbai. He compared the violence with the 26/11 terrorist attack on Mumbai.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
While 26/11 happened all of a sudden, Saturday's violence happened right under the nose of the city police. Those who held south Mumbai to ransom are not just miscreants, they are anti-national Muslims. However, it is unfortunate that the police did nothing to control the crisis. The office of the police commissioner is barely 100 steps away from the place where the Muslim youths went on the rampage. They took away weapons from policemen, molested women, assaulted innocent citizens and torched public vehicles. Yet the police did nothing. Their bullets turned into chocolates."


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Maharashtra, Mumbai
A special team of 12 officers from the Crime Branch headed by an assistant commissioner of police will conduct the investigations. Two police rifles stolen by the mob were recovered in Amrutnagar, Mumbra, in neighbouring Thane district. Only 19 rounds out of 160 rounds stolen have been recovered so far.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Andhra Pradesh
Two labourers, Sudip Barman, 23, and Khanin Ray, 32 from North-East were attacked in Andhra Pradesh while traveling on the Ernakulam Express. One of the men sustained severe injuries and later died.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Uttar Pradesh
On 17 August 2012, Muslim mobs resorted to large scale violence against mediapersons, bystanders, shops, vehicles and tourists in several cities including Lucknow, Kanpur and Allahabad. In Lucknow, after the Friday Namaz, a mob of 500 ravaged various landmarks of the city including Buddha Park, Haathi Park, Shaheed Smarak and Parivartan Chowk, and vandalized many statues including those of Gautam Buddha and Mahavira.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Attacks on people from Northeast and exodus
In August 2012, 30,000 people from the Northeast region had fled Bangalore after attacks and threats of more attacks to come after Ramadan. Shiyeto from Nagaland, resident of Bangalore, was attacked by a group of people who threatened to kill him if he did not leave the city before Ramadan. Another person from Assam was alleged to be attacked.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Attacks on people from Northeast and exodus
Cities of Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad also witnessed an exodus of people from Northeast. In the national capital Delhi, rumours that people from the Northeast will be targeted, particularly after Ramadan, started circulating.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Attacks on people from Northeast and exodus
Union Home Ministry has banned bulk SMS and MMS for 15 days to quell rumours and threats. Railways have introduced two special trains to meet the rush of people.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Attacks on people from Northeast and exodus
Singh called for maintaining peace at "any cost". Then Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari blamed illegal migrants for the attacks on people from Northeast. Gadkari said the violent mob in Mumbai had waived a Pakistani flag, made provocative remarks and vandalised the martyrs' memorial. He also condemned the attack on the media present and the assault on women police by the demonstrators at Azad Maidan.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Attacks on people from Northeast and exodus
DGP Dinesh Reddy of Andhra Pradesh State, said, "Police have been deployed at all localities with a sizeable North-East population, to boost the community's confidence. Besides, round-the-clock police patrols have been organised."


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Attacks on people from Northeast and exodus
A policeman at Chennai Egmore station, where Howrah-bound trains from the South make a brief halt, remarked about the exodus: "The large crowds remind me of the arrival of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka decades ago."


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Attacks on people from Northeast and exodus
On 18 August 2012, Bangalore police arrested three persons for sending SMSs and MMSs, to incite hatred against people from Northeast. Anees Pasha, Thaseem Nawaz and Shahid Salman Khan were arrested, and four mobiles, two computers and one laptop were seized from them. The culprits are believed to have shown clippings of violence in Assam and told a group of Northeast youths that they would face a similar fate if they continued to stay in Bangalore beyond 20 August.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Attacks on people from Northeast and exodus
In Coimbatore, police arrested a person identified as B Mohammed Sheik Hassain, for sending more than 200 hate SMSs. According to Hassain, a person named Anvar first sent him the message. Hassain has been charged under the IPC for threat to national integration and creating public mischief, and under the Copyright Act.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Attacks on people from Northeast and exodus
Investigators traced the source of hate messages to Islamist groups such as Popular Front of India, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, Manita Neeti Pasarai and Karnataka Forum for Dignity. The SMS campaign was designed to create panic among people from Northeast forcing them to flee and to damage the social fabric and economy. The Kerala State Intelligence was asked to check the veracity of the report with respect to the PFI.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Bangalore
Messages were circulated warning people of Northeastern states of India to leave Bangalore and other cities before Eid al-Fitr (the festival that marks the end of Ramadan) which was on 20 August 2012.


2012 Assam violence, Repercussions in other parts of India, Bangalore
Special events were held by the Muslim community at the Jumma Masjid mosque in Bangalore with all the religious leaders present. An assurance was given by Anwar Sharieff, chairman of the Jumma Masjid Trust Board, to people from Northeast that the rumors spread were baseless.


2012 Assen Superbike World Championship round
The 2012 Assen Superbike World Championship round was the third round of the 2012 Superbike World Championship season and of the 2012 Supersport World Championship season. It took place over the weekend of 20–22 April 2012 at TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands.


2012 Assen Superbike World Championship round, Superbike, Race 1 classification
The race was red-flagged after 13 laps because of rain and later restarted over 9 laps.


2012 Astana season
The 2012 season for the Astana cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.


2012 Astrakhan gas explosion
The 2012 Astrakhan gas explosion occurred on February 27, 2012 at an apartment building in the city of Astrakhan, Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. It was caused by a natural gas explosion. Anzhelika Barinova of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry says another five people are missing after Monday's explosion in Astrakhan, 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) southeast of Moscow. The blast killed at least 10 people and injured 12.


2012 Astrakhan gas explosion, Explosion
A nine-story apartment block collapsed after a gas explosion. The rescuers battled to find up to 14 people still feared trapped under the rubble.


2012 Asturian regional election
The 2012 Asturian regional election was held on Sunday, 25 March 2012, to elect the 9th General Junta of the Principality of Asturias. All 45 seats in the General Junta were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with a regional election in Andalusia.


2012 Asturian regional election
This was a snap election held as a result of the incumbent government under Francisco Álvarez-Cascos failing to pass the 2012 budget in the General Junta after just six months in power. The Asturian Socialist Federation (FSA–PSOE) under Javier Fernández, which had scored first in votes but second in seats in the previous election, went on to win a decisive victory whereas Álvarez Cascos' Asturias Forum (FAC) lost its seat plurality of seats it had won in the previous election and fell from 16 to 12 seats. The People's Party (PP) was unable to improve on its 2011 results despite a change of leadership and remained stagnant at 10 seats, while United Left (IU/IX) grew from 4 to 5 seats. Voter turnout was the lowest since 1983, as just 51.1% of the electorate cast a ballot.


2012 Asturian regional election
The election resulted in a draw between the centre-left (PSOE–IU) and centre-right (FAC–PP) blocs after the counting of the vote of those living abroad deprived FAC from a seat in the Eastern District, awarding it to PSOE. Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD), which managed to get into parliament after failure in 2011 to do so, became determinant for either bloc to attain an absolute majority, with ensuing negotiations resulting in a Socialist minority government led by Javier Fernández.


2012 Asturian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The General Junta of the Principality of Asturias was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Asturias, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Asturian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Principality. Voting for the General Junta was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Asturias and in full enjoyment of their political rights. Additionally, Asturians abroad were required to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote (Spanish: Voto rogado).


2012 Asturian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The 45 members of the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Additionally, the use of the D'Hondt method might result in an effective threshold over three percent, depending on the district magnitude. Seats were allocated to constituencies, which were established by law as follows:


2012 Asturian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
Each constituency was entitled to an initial minimum of two seats, with the remaining 39 allocated among the constituencies in proportion to their populations.


2012 Asturian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 1 percent of the electors registered in the constituency for which they sought election. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2012 Asturian regional election, Overview, Election date
The term of the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the General Junta were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years.


2012 Asturian regional election, Overview, Election date
The President of the Principality had the prerogative to dissolve the General Junta and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution under this procedure.


2012 Asturian regional election, Overview, Election date
In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the General Junta was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.


2012 Asturian regional election, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 23 seats were required for an absolute majority in the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias.


2012 Asturian regional election, Aftermath
After the election, the leader of the Asturian PSOE, Javier Fernández, and incumbent Asturian President, Francisco Álvarez Cascos, were tasked to form a coalition government. The election led to a political impasse as the center-left (PSOE and IU-IX) and center-right coalitions (FAC and PP) each gained 22 seats in the election (23 seats are required for a majority in the 45-seat Assembly). The remaining seat was held by the centrist UPyD, which became the kingmaker in the negotiation.


2012 Asturian regional election, Aftermath
Coalition talks took almost two months to reach an agreement. One of the main events during the negotiation was the legal battle in the Spanish Constitutional Court over the 45th seat, the assignment of which was delayed by the counting of the ballots of those voting abroad. FAC disputed the seat's assignment to the PSOE and asked for a revote; however, the Constitutional Court rejected the appeal and upheld the seat for the PSOE.


2012 Asturian regional election, Aftermath
UPyD finally agreed to support a PSOE government, their main reason to do so being the threat by Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro to intervene in Asturian government accounts. On 23 May 2012, PSOE leader Javier Fernández was elected as the new President of the Principality of Asturias with support from IU and UPyD.


2012 Atkins Curling Supplies Women's Classic
The 2012 Atkins Curling Supplies Women's Classic was held from October 12 to 15 at the East St. Paul Curling Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba as part of the 2012–13 World Curling Tour. The event was held in a round robin format, and the purse for the event was CAD$15,000.


2012 Atlanta Braves season
The 2012 Atlanta Braves season was the Braves' 16th season of home games at Turner Field, 47th season in Atlanta, and 142nd season overall. After a late season collapse in 2011 kept the Braves from the playoffs, the team returned to the postseason for the second time in three seasons as a Wild Card team, with a record of 94-68. They lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the one-game Wild Card Playoff.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Areas of interest
Following the conclusion of the 2011 season, Braves general manager Frank Wren highlighted several important areas to improve during the offseason. Since most players were committed contractually to the team in 2012, Wren acknowledged that he would likely make few major changes. One spot that was mentioned for a major overhaul was the shortstop position, where Alex González had played since the Yunel Escobar trade with Toronto in July 2010. González entered the offseason as a free agent and proved too expensive for the team.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Areas of interest
Wren ultimately allowed prospect Tyler Pastornicky the starting duties in 2012, until he was replaced by Andrelton Simmons in mid-June. When Simmons was hurt in July, Jack Wilson, Paul Janish, and Martín Prado filled in for him. While center fielder Michael Bourn returned to his position in 2012, Wren also suggested that the corner outfield positions were areas of contention. In 2011, the Atlanta outfielders finished the season last in the National League in on-base plus slugging and slugging percentage.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Areas of interest
Wren stated that right fielder Jason Heyward and left fielder Martín Prado had no guarantee of getting the starting jobs in 2012. On the day after the Braves were eliminated from the playoffs in 2011, Wren said that veteran starter Derek Lowe was unlikely to have a spot in the starting rotation in 2012, due his poor performance in 2011 and a plethora of rookie pitching talent in the Braves farm system. With Lowe guaranteed $15 million in 2012, Wren projected that any of Lowe's salary picked up by another team would significantly assist his efforts to find a shortstop or outfielder. By the end of October, Lowe was traded to the Indians.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Country Caravan
The Braves organization announced the third annual "Braves Country Caravan" on December 19, 2011. Players, coaches, and personalities of the Braves organization who participate in the Caravan will travel to twenty cities throughout the southeast United States, including ones in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, from January 27 to February 9, 2012. In previous years a select few players and personnel have traveled to one venue to meet fans and sign autographs while others travel to another location.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Country Caravan
Braves president John Schuerholtz praised the Caravan as an excellent opportunity for the organization to personally thank fans for their support and to reach out to local communities. Noting that the Caravan would make over forty stops and travel over three thousand miles, the organization revealed specific venues and participating members with a press release on January 19, 2012.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, New alternate uniforms
The Braves held a ceremony on February 6 unveiling new home alternate uniforms to be worn in 2012 with Chipper Jones, Dan Uggla, and Brian McCann modeling the new uniform and Hank Aaron present to help introduce it. The new jersey is a cream color, instead of white, and has a retro look reminiscent of the uniforms from the days in Milwaukee and first two years in Atlanta with the uniform number on the front of the jersey instead of a tomahawk.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, New alternate uniforms
The sleeve of the uniform will have a logo with two tomahawks crossing with "1876" (representing the organization's first year in the National League) above it and "Atlanta Braves" below the crossing tomahawks. The Braves also announced that the team will wear the new uniforms for all Saturday and Sunday home games. The red jerseys previously worn since 2005 for Sunday home games will now be worn for Friday home games.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, September 2011
September 29: On the day following the historic elimination of the 2011 Atlanta Braves from playoff contention, Frank Wren announced that manager Fredi González and the entire coaching staff from 2011 would return to their respective roles in 2012. The following day, however, after having a meeting with hitting coach Larry Parrish, Wren announced that Parrish would not return to the coaching staff in 2012. He stated that he would spend this offseason seeking a successor to Parrish. With Parrish's departure, the Braves will now have a third hitting coach in three seasons after removing Terry Pendleton from the role after the 2010 season.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, October 2011
October 21: Three weeks after firing Larry Parrish from his hitting coach duties, the Braves announced that Parrish would be succeeded in 2012 by Greg Walker, the former hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox from 2003 to 2011. Walker had stepped down as the White Sox hitting coach immediately following the end of the 2011 season. In the nine seasons Walker served as hitting coach, the White Sox offense ranked third in the Majors in home runs and seventh in slugging percentage. On the other hand, in 2011 the White Sox offense only ranked eleventh in the American League in runs, eighth in average, and seventh in on-base percentage. In an accompanying move, the Braves hired Scott Fletcher to assist Walker in his duties and to serve as an on-site advance scout.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, October 2011
October 31: Three days following the conclusion of the 2011 World Series, the Braves began to make some organizational roster moves. In the first trade of the offseason in the Major Leagues, the Braves traded struggling starting pitcher Derek Lowe to the Cleveland Indians in return for High-A lefty reliever Chris Jones. In addition, the Indians agreed to pay $5 million of Lowe's guaranteed $15 million salary in 2012. Lowe served as the Atlanta Braves' Opening Day starter in 2009, 2010, and 2011.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, October 2011
Due to his struggles in 2011, however, Lowe likely would have merely served in a middle relief role for the bullpen in 2012. On the same day, the Braves announced that they had declined the $10.65 million option for center fielder Nate McLouth, ending his lackluster tenure as an Atlanta Brave. McLouth later signed a one-year contract to return to the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 7. Additionally, the Braves decided to exercise the $1.5 million option for utility man Eric Hinske, assuring his return for the 2012 season.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, November 2011
November 2: The Braves announced several internal roster moves that allowed for additional space on the forty-man roster. After spending the month of September 2011 with the Major League club, the team outrighted catcher J. C. Boscán, right-handed pitcher Stephen Marek, and outfielders Antoan Richardson and Wilkin Ramírez to the triple-A affiliate Gwinnett Braves. In addition, the Braves filled one roster spot with starting pitcher Todd Redmond, who has spent the previous three seasons pitching for Gwinnett. Accumulating a record of 10–8 with a 2.92 ERA in 2011, Redmond is unlikely to have playing time with the Major League club due to existing pitching depth.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, November 2011
November 3: With the beginning of free agency season, the Braves were able to remove offseason free agents from the forty-man roster. The free agents for this offseason include shortstop Alex González, infielder Jack Wilson, and veteran relievers Scott Linebrink and George Sherrill. In conjunction with the moves made on November 2, Frank Wren and his staff now have seven roster spots that will be filled with potential offseason acquisitions or prospects they wish to protect from the Rule 5 draft.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, November 2011
November 23: After becoming a free agent following the conclusion to the 2011 season, the Braves decided to decline arbitration to shortstop Álex González. If the team had accepted his arbitration they would have received a compensatory draft pick between the first and second rounds of the 2012 MLB draft if González signed with another team. The move made it very clear that González would not return as the starting shortstop in 2012.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, November 2011
González looked to receive a multi-year contract on the free agent market, something the Braves were not willing to offer due to rising prospects such as Tyler Pastornicky and Andrelton Simmons. On December 8, González signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers for one year and a vesting option for the 2013 season.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, December 2011
December 8: As a part of the Rule 5 draft at the 2012 Winter Meetings, the Braves selected left-handed relief pitcher Robert Fish from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the Major League Phase. Under draft rules, Fish must be kept on the Braves 25-man Major League roster for the entire 2012 season. If waived, Fish must first be offered back to the Angels. Left-handed relief pitcher George Sherrill departs the club as a free agent, later signing with the Seattle Mariners on December 30,  after serving as the left-handed specialist to the Braves in 2011. With the departure of Sherrill, Fish has the opportunity to provide that role to the bullpen in 2012. No players were selected from the Braves organization by other teams in the Draft.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, December 2011
December 13: Following the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players the previous night, the Braves declined to tender 2012 contracts to relief pitcher Peter Moylan and infielder Brooks Conrad, who would later be signed to a Minor League contract by the Brewers in January. All other arbitration-eligible players on the Braves roster, including center fielder Michael Bourn, left fielder Martín Prado, starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens, and reliever Eric O'Flaherty, were tendered contracts.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, January 2012
January 13: After being named in trade rumors for much of the offseason, Braves utility man and 2011 starting left-fielder Martín Prado signed a one-year contract worth $4.75 million with the Braves for the 2012 season. The move assures that Prado will not go through the salary arbitration process and will likely return to the team for the 2012 campaign.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, January 2012
On the same day, backup infielder Jack Wilson agreed to terms for a one-year contract worth $1 million. Wilson was acquired by the organization from the Seattle Mariners on August 31, 2011. The 34-year-old veteran will provide a dependable backup for Tyler Pastornicky, the projected starting shortstop who will be making his Major League debut. During the offseason, Wilson and Pastornicky have already been training together.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, January 2012
January 17: Only days after agreeing to avoid arbitration with Prado, the Braves agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.49 million with reliever Eric O'Flaherty. Making $895,000 in 2011, the left-handed pitcher posted a 0.98 ERA in 78 appearances, leading all Major League relievers. O'Flaherty also became the first pitcher in Major League history to post a sub-1.00 ERA with at least 70 appearances. Hours later, the Braves avoided arbitration on starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens and center fielder Michael Bourn, the final two arbitration-eligible players on the Braves roster, by tendering them both one-year contracts.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Offseason, Timeline, January 2012
Both clients of Scott Boras, Jurrjens will receive $5.5 million and Bourn will receive $6.845 million in 2012. Later the same day, the Braves announced the signing of free agent relief pitcher Peter Moylan to a one-year Minor League contract worth $1 million. Moylan, who suffered injuries through most of the 2011 season, was not tendered a contract by the Braves which would have allowed him to undergo the arbitration process. Expecting around $2 million through arbitration, the Braves felt Moylan's surgically repaired right shoulder posed too much of an injury risk. With his contract including an invitation to the Major League Spring training camp, Moylan will have an opportunity to prove his health.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training
The Braves officially announced their 2012 Spring training schedule on November 16, 2011. Pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report on February 19 and all other players were due to report by February 24. The 34-game Spring slate began on March 3 against the Detroit Tigers in Champion Stadium, located at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista. Champion Stadium has been the Braves' Spring training home in Florida for the past fifteen seasons.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Non-roster invitees
The team announced on November 22, 2011 the signing of eleven Minor League free agents and invited them all to the Major League Spring training camp. Four of these players spent significant time at the Major League level in 2011, including relief pitchers Adam Russell and Dusty Hughes. Russell pitched in 36 games for the Tampa Bay Rays while Hughes pitched in 15 games for the Minnesota Twins.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Non-roster invitees
Infielder Drew Sutton batted .315 in 54 at-bats for the Boston Red Sox and infielder Josh Wilson served as a backup infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers during the second half of the season. Other players signed include pitchers Jason Rice and Yohan Flande, catchers J. C. Boscán and José Yépez, outfielders Luis Durango and Jordan Parraz, and infielder Ernesto Mejia. On January 13, 2011 the team extended invitations to several promising prospects. Rising third baseman Joe Terdoslavich and starting pitcher Sean Gilmartin highlight the group of promising players set to showcase their skills. Catcher Christian Bethancourt, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, center fielder Todd Cunningham, pitcher Zeke Spruill, and outfielder Stefan Gartrell will also appear as non-roster invitees.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Injuries
After dealing with increasing back pain for several seasons, Braves starter Tim Hudson underwent back surgery on November 28, 2011. Hudson stated that he had been using anti-inflammatory medication for the past two years to deal with the pain. After the procedure, Hudson's mobility has greatly improved and he anticipates that the surgery will prolong his career. Because the procedure requires three to six months for proper recovery, Hudson does not expect his 2012 debut to come until early May. In his absence Randall Delgado will occupy his rotation spot. Recovering with haste, Hudson started the final exhibition game in Florida on April 2 against the New York Mets. In two scoreless innings of work, Hudson allowed only one hit and struck out two while throwing every pitch in his arsenal.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Injuries
Driving to Champion Stadium for the first day of workouts for pitchers and catchers, Braves starter Tommy Hanson was involved in a one-car accident that caused him to bump his head around seven in the morning on February 20, 2012. After arriving at the stadium, Hanson informed the medical staff of the incident, stating that he was feeling abnormal. Seeking medical attention, Hanson was diagnosed with a Grade 1 concussion, providing a delay in his Spring workouts. The Braves medical staff performed several concussion impact tests on Hanson to gauge when a return to normal workouts would be appropriate. Hanson did not expect to miss his first start of the regular season. After a full recovery and ample time for preparation during Spring training, Hanson was assigned as the Opening Day starter, making his first start against the New York Mets on April 5.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Injuries
On the same day as he announced his retirement from baseball, Braves third baseman Chipper Jones also announced that he would be undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, a process that would place him on the Disabled List through Opening Day on April 5. Jones has stated repeatedly that he will make his first appearance of the season in the Home Opener on April 13 against the Milwaukee Brewers.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Spring transactions
Nearing the end of their Spring training schedule, the Braves made three significant transactions to bolster their Opening Day roster. On March 30, the Braves signed free agent Liván Hernández only hours after he was released from the Houston Astros camp. Signed to a one-year contract, Hernández will provide a veteran presence in the bullpen and act as a long reliever and, if necessary, a spot starter in the event of an injury. On April 1, the organization traded Minor League pitching prospect J. J. Hoover to the Cincinnati Reds for third baseman Juan Francisco.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Spring transactions
Wren stated that the team had coveted Francisco for the past few years. Francisco will provide Prado a backup at third when Chipper cannot man the position. Finally, on April 3, the Braves signed veteran reliever Chad Durbin to a one-year contract after he was released from the Washington Nationals camp. Durbin will provide added depth to the bullpen.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Braves Future Stars Game
Rather than concluding Spring training with two games at Turner Field against a Major League team as had been the tradition in previous seasons, the Braves played their final exhibition game on April 3 at Coolray Field, the regular season home of the Triple-A affiliate Gwinnett Braves. The complete Major League club hosted a team composed of the top prospects in the Braves' farm system. The Braves Future Stars game is praised as an opportunity to highlight upcoming prospects. The organization announced on February 3 that former Braves manager Bobby Cox, who retired following the 2010 season, would manage the Future Stars team against the Major League club.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Braves Future Stars Game
In the top of the first Matt Lipka, the first batter of the game, was walked by Braves pitcher Mike Minor. After stealing second and advancing on an error, Lipka scored on a groundout that gave the Future Stars an early lead. Braves starting second baseman Dan Uggla launched a solo home run in the bottom of the second off Futures starter Sean Gilmartin to tie the game at one. The home run was Uggla's seventh of the Spring, tying him for the Major League lead.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Braves Future Stars Game
Liván Hernández, who was acquired in a trade only a few days before, relieved Minor in the fourth, throwing a scoreless frame. Reliever Cristhian Martínez followed in the fifth, allowing the Futures two runs to give them a lead of 3–1. In the bottom of the inning, an RBI double by starting center fielder Michael Bourn plated Juan Francisco, also just acquired in a trade a few days prior.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Braves Future Stars Game
Martín Prado continued the scoring with an RBI triple to score Bourn and starting catcher Brian McCann followed with an RBI double to plate Prado, giving the Major League team a 4–3 advantage. After scoreless outings by Kris Medlen and Eric O'Flaherty, the remainder of the game was canceled due to rain. Manager Fredi González stated that Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel would have pitched the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Spring training, Braves Future Stars Game
April 3, 20127:05 p.m. (EDT) at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, Georgia.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Regular season, Opening Day
After finishing their Spring training schedule two days prior, the Atlanta Braves began their season on Opening Day as the guests for the New York Mets home opener at Citi Field on April 5. Tommy Hanson, making the first Opening Day start of his career, faced Mets ace Johan Santana, who was making his first Major League appearance since September 2010. The first game proved to be dominated by defense and pitching.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Regular season, Opening Day
In the bottom of the sixth, Mets third baseman David Wright singled home center fielder Andrés Torres to give the Mets a 1–0 advantage, which would end up being the final score of the game. Hanson took the loss, giving up just the one earned run in five plus innings of work. Kris Medlen and Jonny Venters followed with three scoreless innings in relief, but the offense could never find the scoreboard. The Opening Day loss was only the second in the last seven seasons and the first since 2008.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Regular season, Chipper Jones retirement
After nineteen seasons with the Atlanta Braves, third baseman Chipper Jones announced on March 22, 2012 that he would retire following the end of the season. Jones held a news conference the same day at Champion Stadium, the Spring training home of the team. The entire Braves team and former manager Bobby Cox were in attendance for the official announcement. Having spent the first eighteen seasons of his career with the Braves, Chipper leads all active players in years of service with one club.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Regular season, Chipper Jones retirement
His first year with the team, the 1995 season, was the year the Braves won their first World Championship in Atlanta. Chipper remains as the last active player from that Championship team. After sitting out the first four games of the season due to a knee injury, Jones hit a home run in his season debut against the Houston Astros on April 10. Five days later, Jones hit a home run in his first game of the season at Turner Field.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Regular season, Season standings, Record vs. opponents
Note that the teams not included in the wild card standings are currently leading their divisions and that the top two teams earn Wild Card berths.


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Player statistics, Batting
Note: G=Games played; AB=At Bats; R=Runs scored; H=Hits; AVG=Batting average; HR=Home Runs; RBI=Runs Batted In


2012 Atlanta Braves season, Player statistics, Pitching
Note: G=Games played; IP=Innings Pitched; W=Wins; L=Losses; ERA=Earned Run Average; SO= Strikeouts; WHIP=Walks and Hits Per Innings Pitched; HLD=Holds


2012 Atlanta Dream season
The 2012 WNBA season is the 5th season for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association.


2012 Atlanta Dream season, Transactions, WNBA Draft
The following are the Dream's selections in the 2012 WNBA Draft.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season
The 2012 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League and the fifth under head coach Mike Smith. Atlanta started the season 8–0, a franchise best for a start to a season. By beating the Detroit Lions during Week 16, the Falcons clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs in the NFC for the second time in three years, and made it to the NFC Championship for the first time since 2004, where they lost 28–24 against the San Francisco 49ers. It was the third straight year in which they didn't lose two consecutive regular season games.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, 2012 draft class
The Falcons did not have a first- or fourth-round selection.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs
The Falcons started their season on the road against the Chiefs. They would get on the board first with Matt Ryan's 8-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones for a 7–0 lead. The Chiefs later got on the board with a 39-yard field goal from Ryan Succop to trim the lead to 7–3. However, the Falcons pushed the lead back to 7 as Matt Bryant would hit a 34-yard field goal to move the Falcons up 10–3.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs
In the 2nd quarter, the Chiefs managed to tie it with Matt Cassel's 22-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss to tie the game at 10–10. However, the Falcons retook the lead as Matt Ryan found Julio Jones again for a 14-yard passing touchdown to make the score 17–10. The Chiefs then tied it up with Matt Cassel's 5-yard touchdown run for a score of 17–17, but the Falcons retook the lead again with Matt Bryant kicking a 21-yard field goal for a 20–17 halftime lead.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs
After the break, the Falcons got right back to work as they increased their lead in the third quarter with Matt Ryan's 5-yard touchdown run to move ahead 27–17 then a 7-yard pass from the QB to Tony Gonzalez for a 34–17 lead. Later, 2 field goals from Matt Bryant from 30 and 41 yards out for leads of 37–17 and then 40–17, and basically sealed it. The Chiefs tried to rally a comeback but were only limited to scoring 7 points off of Shaun Draughn's 4-yard touchdown run for a final score of 40–24.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos
After winning over the Chiefs on the road, the Falcons returned home to face a newly formed Peyton Manning-led Broncos team. The Falcons got off to a really fast start scoring 20 unanswered points in the first half thanks to four Broncos turnovers. Three plays into the game, Peyton Manning on 3rd-and-12 from his own 12, was intercepted by William Moore at the 34. He returned it 33 yards to the 1 yard line.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos
Three plays later, Michael Turner's 1-yard touchdown run gave the Falcons a 7–0 lead Another interception by Manning led to Matt Bryant's 37-yard field goal to take a 10–0 lead. In the 2nd quarter, the team moved up 13–0 after a Willis McGahee fumble which led to Bryant's 42-yard field goal then Ryan's 1-yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez for a 20–0 lead. The Broncos scored before halftime with Peyton Manning's 17-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas to cut the lead to 20–7 at halftime.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos
In the third quarter, the Falcons moved ahead by 20 again with Matt Ryan's 4-yard touchdown pass Roddy White for a 27–7 lead. The Broncos then tried to rally a comeback in the 4th quarter with Willis McGahee running for 2-yard touchdowns to cut the lead to 27–21, but the Falcons were able to hold the Broncos off and win the game.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 3: at San Diego Chargers
The Falcons traveled to take on their 3rd-straight AFC Opponent, the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Again, the Falcons get off to a great start scoring 20 unanswered points for the 2nd straight week. The fast scoring started with Matt Ryan's 8-yard touchdown pass to Jacquizz Rodgers (with a failed 2-point conversion) for a 6–0 lead in the first quarter, followed up in the second quarter with a 7-yard pass to Tony Gonzalez for a 13–0 lead and finally a 9-yard pass to Julio Jones for a 20–0 halftime lead. The Chargers got their only points of the game as Nate Kaeding scored a field goal from 41 yards out, but the Falcons scored the final points in the fourth quarter on a Michael Turner 7-yard touchdown run to make the final score 27–3.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers
The Falcons traveled back home to take on their division rival Panthers whom they have won 4 straight games over. However, for the first time in the 2012 season, the Falcons trailed a game in the first quarter with Cam Newton's 18-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olson for a 7–0 lead. The Falcons however, were able to move down the field and tie the gamewith Matt Ryan's 49-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White. The Falcons moved into the lead in the second quarter with Matt Bryant's 41-yard field goal.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers
However, the Panthers retook the lead as DeAngelo Williams ran a touchdown from 13 yards out to make the score 14–10. However, the Falcons then moved back into the lead before halftime with Ryan finding White on a 14-yard touchdown pass to make the score 17–14 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Falcons moved ahead by 10 with Ryan finding Michael Turner on a 60-yard touchdown pass for a 24–14 lead.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers
However, The Panthers were not done yet as they scored 14 unanswered points with Cam Newton's 4-yard run for the last score of the 3rd quarter cutting the lead to 3 at, 24–21. Then, in the fourth quarter Newton found Kealoha Pilares on a 38-yard pass to take a 28–24 lead. The Falcons rallied coming within a point as Matt Bryant scored a field goal from 33 yards out cutting the lead to 28–27. With the ball one last time, the Falcons' comeback drive was successful as they moved down the field and Bryant drained the game-winning field goal from 40 yards out to win the game 30–28.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers
With their 5th straight win over the Panthers, the Falcons improved to 4–0 for only the 3rd time in franchise history.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 5: at Washington Redskins
After a tough win at home, the Falcons traveled to take on the Redskins. After a scoreless first quarter, the Falcons would trail a game again for the second time all season as the Skins took the lead with Ryan Kerrigan returning an interception 28 yards for a touchdown. The Falcons offense sputtered for the majority of the half, but not long before halftime, Matt Ryan was able to find Tony Gonzalez on a 1-yard pass to tie the game.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 5: at Washington Redskins
In the third quarter, the Skins retook the lead with Billy Cundiff scoring a 23-yard field goal to make the score 10–7 for the only score of the period. But then crazy fourth quarter scoring began as the Falcons retook the lead as Matt Ryan found Julio Jones on an 18-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14–10. The Skins however moved back into the lead as their 2nd-string and fellow rookie QB Kirk Cousins found Santana moss on a 77-yard pass. Matt Bryant's 53-yard field goal would tie the game at 17. Michael Turner's 13-yard touchdown run would then secure the 24–17 victory for the Falcons.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 5: at Washington Redskins
With the win, the Falcons started 5–0 for the first time in franchise history.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 6: vs. Oakland Raiders
The Falcons returned home to take on the last of their AFC Opponents. Coming back home they are 3–0 against the AFC West. However, for the 3rd straight week, the team would trail a game as the Raiders moved ahead after Sebastian Janikowski's 53-yard field goal for the only score of the first quarter. The Falcons however took the lead with Matt Ryan finding Roddy White on a 4-yard pass to move up 7–3.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 6: vs. Oakland Raiders
However, the Raiders would come within a point with Janikowski kicking a 22-yard field goal and then retook the lead with Carson Palmer's 25-yard touchdown pass to Denarius Moore for a 13–7 halftime lead. After the break, the Falcons were able to score 13 unanswered points. First, Bryant kicked 2 field goals from 41 and 20 yards tie the game at 13–13. Then, In the fourth quarter, they took the lead after Asante Samuel returned an interception from 79 yards out for a touchdown to make the score 20–13.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 6: vs. Oakland Raiders
The Raiders however were able to make up for this mistake as Carson Palmer drove them down the field and Darren McFadden ran a touchdown in from 2 yards out to tie the game at 20–20. However, again the Falcons were able to complete the comeback as Bryant nailed a 55-yard field goal with 0:01 left to make the final score 23–20


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 6: vs. Oakland Raiders
With the win, the Falcons go into their bye week with their first ever 6–0 start to a season. They also finish the season 4–0 against the AFC West and with the Texans' loss to the Packers on Sunday Night, they remain the NFL's only undefeated team.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles
The Falcons traveled to the wake of Philadelphia to take on the Eagles. The game, played under cloudy skies, was also notable in that the weather conditions heralded the approach of Hurricane Sandy, a storm which was set to make landfall in nearby South Jersey.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles
In the first quarter, the Falcons drew first blood as Matt Ryan found Drew Davis for a 15-yard pass to make the score 7–0. The team increased their lead with Ryan finding Jason Snelling to make it 14–0. In the 2nd quarter, the Eagles would get on the board with LeSean McCoy's 2-Yard run. However, the Falcons responded with Ryan's 63-yard TD pass to Julio Jones and with Matt Bryant's 43-yard field goal to make it 24–7.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles would try to rally in the 3rd quarter with a 33-yard field goal from Alex Henry to shorten the lead to 24–10, but the Falcons pulled away as Bryant would kick a 29-yard field and later in the 4th quarter, Bryant increased the Falcons' lead with a 30-yard field goal to make the score 30–10. The Eagles tried to rally as Michael Vick found McCoy to make the score 30–17, but couldn't do anything when they got the ball back, making the final score, 30–17.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles
With the win, the Falcons improved to 7–0 for the first time in franchise history. The team also moves to 2–0 against the NFC East.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Falcons returned home to take on the Cowboys. The Cowboys drew first blood with their 23-yard field goal from Dan Bailey to take a 3–0 lead. With this field goal, the Falcons' trend then simmered to 4 out of their last 5 games trailing a team. The Cowboys then put up another Bailey field goal from 32 yards out to make the lead 6–0. The Falcons responded in the second quarter with field goals from Matt Bryant from 45 and 46 yards out to tie the game at halftime at 6–6.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys
After a scoreless third quarter, the Falcons took the lead in the fourth quarter with Michael Turner running for a 3-yard touchdown. Then they increased their lead with Bryant's 36-yard field goal for a 16–6 lead. The Boys tried to rally as Tony Romo found Kevin Ogletree on a 21-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 16–13, but the Falcons increased their lead with Bryant's 32-yard field goal, making the Cowboys have to score a touchdown. They couldn't and the Falcons won 19–13.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys
With the win, the Falcons improved to 8–0 for the first time in franchise history. Also they went 3–0 against the NFC East.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 10: at New Orleans Saints
The Falcons traveled to New Orleans to take on their longtime rival Saints. They drew first blood as Mike Jonhson got a 1-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to take a 7–0 lead. They then increased their lead to make the score 10–0 off of a Matt Bryant field goal from 37 yards out. The Saints got on the board as Chris Ivory ran for a 56-yard touchdown to make the score 10–7. In the 2nd quarter, the Saints took the lead as Drew Brees found Jimmy Graham for a 29-yard pass to make the score 14–10.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 10: at New Orleans Saints
Then the Falcons retook the lead as Tony Gonzalez caught a 6-yard pass from Matt Ryan to move ahead 17–14. The Saints moved back into the lead as Brees found Graham again on a 14-yard pass for a 21–17 halftime lead. After the break, the Saints went back to work as Brees found Marques Colston on a 7-yard pass to move ahead 28–17.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 10: at New Orleans Saints
The Falcons drew within 4 points with Gonzalez's 6-yard pass from Ryan to make the score 28–24 for the only score of the 3rd quarter and then Bryant kicked another field goal to make the score 20-yard field goal for a 28–27. However, the offense was then overpowered as the Saints scored their only points of the half off of Garrett Hartley's 31-yard field goal to make the final score 31–27.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 10: at New Orleans Saints
Tony Gonzalez became the first tight end in NFL history to have 100 receiving touchdowns.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 11: vs. Arizona Cardinals
With the close win, the Falcons improved to 9–1 giving them their 5th straight winning season.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 13: vs. New Orleans Saints
With the win, the Falcons not only improved to 11–1, but also clinched the division title of the NFC South, following the Bucs' loss to the Broncos that week. Additionally, the Falcons broke Drew Brees' 54-game touchdown streak.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 15: vs. New York Giants
The 34–0 win over the Giants was the worst shutout loss to a defending Super Bowl champion team in NFL history. The next three worst were 27–0, 17–0, and 16–0, all by the Oakland Raiders in the same season.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 16: at Detroit Lions
With their victory in the Motor City on Saturday night, Atlanta improved to 13–2 and clinched the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC (and as a result home-field advantage) for the first time since 2010.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 16: at Detroit Lions
Calvin Johnson broke Jerry Rice's record for Most Receiving Yards in a Season. Rice had 1,848 in his 1995 season and Johnson now had 1,892 with one game left to play.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 17: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
During the game, John Abraham suffered an ankle injury. Also, Asante Samuel appeared to have aggravated a shoulder injury and Dunta Robinson suffered a head injury.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Postseason, NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. #5 Seattle Seahawks
The Falcons lost a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, but won on Matt Bryant's 49-yard field goal, snapping the Falcons' postseason losing streak starting in the 2004 NFC Championship Game. The Seahawks attempted a final Hail Mary pass, but Russell Wilson's pass was intercepted by Julio Jones in the end zone, sending Atlanta to the NFC Championship Game. This game was ranked #2 on NFL.com's 20 Best Games of 2012 as Gamers.


2012 Atlanta Falcons season, Game summaries, Postseason, NFC Championship: vs. #2 San Francisco 49ers
With the loss, the Falcons finished their season 14–4. The Falcons lead the 49ers 24–14 at the half, but the 49ers responded with 14 unanswered points in the second half. This would be their final playoff appearance until their Super Bowl appearing 2016 season.


2012 Atlanta Silverbacks season
The 2012 Atlanta Silverbacks season will be the club's sixteenth season of existence, and their second consecutive season playing in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Silverbacks will be trying to rebound from the 2011 campaign that saw the club finish at the bottom of the regular season standings.


2012 Atlanta Silverbacks season, Background
The 2011 season marked the Silverbacks return to American soccer following a two-year hiatus, that did not see the organization field a senior men's team throughout the 2009 and 2010 seasons.


2012 Atlanta Silverbacks season, Background
The return season was arguably an abysmal campaign for the Silverbacks, as the club lost 20 of its 28 regular season matches, drawing and winning four matches apiece. During the regular season, the Silverbacks were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with seven weeks left in the NASL regular season. José Manuel Abundis, then the head coach, was fired following the season replaced by then-assistant coach, Alex Pineda Chacón, whom played for the Silverbacks from 2003–04. The announcement came on November 7, 2011.


2012 Atlanta Silverbacks season, Review, Offseason
On February 6, the Silverbacks released their preseason schedule, that involved matches against local college soccer and nearby NASL/USL Pro clubs.


2012 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2012 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Tournament was held from May 23–26. The top six regular season finishers of the league's thirteen teams met in the double-elimination tournament at Jim Houlihan Park at Jack Coffey Field on the campus of Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. Second seed Dayton won their first tournament championship and claimed the conference's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2012 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The top six finishers from the regular season were seeded one through six based on conference winning percentage. The bottom four seeds played on the first day, with the losers of each game playing an elimination game in Game 3. On day 2, the winners of games 1 and 2 played the top two seeds. Higher seeds were protected by playing lower seeds or playing later elimination games. Saint Louis claimed the top seed over Dayton and UMass claimed the fourth seed over Richmond by tiebreaker.


2012 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team
Richmond's Jacob Mayers, also selected in 2011, was a second-time selection.


2012 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player
Burny Mitchem was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. Mitchem was a senior pitcher for Dayton, who earned a pair of saves including in the 3–0 final over Richmond.


2012 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer season
The 2012 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer season was the 26th season for the Conference fielding men's NCAA Division I men's college soccer. Interconference play began on October 5, and continued through November 4. The season culminated with the 2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament, where the top schools in the conference competed for a guaranteed berth into the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.


2012 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer season
The defending regular season champions were the national finalists, Charlotte. The defending tournament winners were Xavier.


2012 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer season
This was the last men's soccer season for Richmond, which dropped the sport (along with men's track) after announcing it would add men's lacrosse in the near future.


2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament was played initially at campus sites for the opening round on March 6, 2012 and subsequently at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey from March 9 through March 11, 2012. It was the sixth consecutive year that the tournament was hosted in Boardwalk Hall, matching the longest streak at one site since the tournament was held at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1997–2002. However, it was the tournament's final year in the run at Boardwalk Hall, as the event moved to Brooklyn's new Barclays Center in 2013. The 2012 tournament was also the last to use campus sites for the opening round, as all tournament games will be played in Brooklyn under the new deal.


2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament
The tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Seeding for the tournament is determined by the conference standings at the end of the regular season. The last two teams in the standings do not qualify for the tournament. Opening round games are played at the home of the higher (lower number) seed.


2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament, Notes
2012 marks the first year when Rhode Island did not qualify for the tournament, since the league adopted the current format in 2006. Fordham did not qualify for the fourth consecutive year.


2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament
The 2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament will be the seventeenth edition of the tournament. The tournament will decide the Atlantic 10 Conference champion and guaranteed representative into the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. The tournament will be held from November 8–11.


2012 Atlantic Championship
The 2012 Atlantic Championship Series season was the first season of the revived Atlantic Championship. The series was organised by Formula Race Promotions under the sanctioning of SCCA Pro Racing. Hoosier was introduced as the series spec tire. David Grant racing for Polestar Racing Group won the championship. After this season the series went on probation to return in 2014.


2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament was held at the NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, NC from May 23 through May 27. All of the games were shown live on Fox Sports South with select games being shown on Fox Sports Florida, Comcast Mid-Atlantic, Sun Sports, and New England Sports Network. Eighth seeded Georgia Tech won the tournament and earned the Atlantic Coast Conference's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. It was Georgia Tech's eighth ACC tournament win. This was the first time in which an eighth seeded team won the tournament.


2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding
Seeding based on team's conference winning percentage. Top team from each division is ranked 1st and 2nd followed by the six teams with the next best conference winning percentage, regardless of division.


2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament, Tournament
Notes† - Denotes extra innings‡ - Denotes game shortened due to mercy rule1 - Miami beat North Carolina head-to-head


2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament, Results
All times shown are US EDT. All games, except the championship game, will have a 10-run rule in effect.


2012 Atlantic Coast Conference football season
The 2012 ACC football season is an NCAA football season that will be played from September 1, 2012, to January 1, 2013. The Atlantic Coast Conference consists of 12 members in two divisions. The Atlantic division consists of Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina State and Wake Forest. The Coastal division consists of Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. The division champions will meet on December 1 in the 2012 ACC Championship Game, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. This season also marks the 60th football season in the conference's history.


2012 Atlantic Coast Conference football season, Preseason, Preseason Poll
The 2012 ACC Preseason Poll was announced at the ACC Football Kickoff meetings in Greensboro, NC on July 23. Virginia Tech was voted to win Coastal division while Florida State was voted to win the Atlantic division and the conference. Sammy Watkins of Clemson was voted the Preseason ACC Player of the Year.


2012 Atlantic Coast Conference football season, Coaches
NOTE: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season


2012 Atlantic Coast Conference football season, Coaches, Pre-season Coaches changes
Former Ohio State Offensive Coordinator, Jim Bollman, was hired as Boston College Offensive Line Coach/Running Game Coordinator. Sean Desai was hired from Miami as Boston College new Running backs coach/Special teams coordinator, Columbia's wide receivers coach Aaron Smith took the same position at Boston College.


2012 Atlantic Coast Conference football season, Weekly Awards
Following each week of games, Atlantic Coast Conference officials select the players of the week from the conference's teams.


2012 Atlantic Hockey Tournament
The 2012 Atlantic Hockey Tournament was the 9th Atlantic Hockey Tournament. I was played between March 2 and March 17, 2012 at campus locations and at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, United States. Air Force won their 5th tournament and earned Atlantic Hockey's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament after defeating RIT in the championship game.


2012 Atlantic Hockey Tournament, Format
The tournament features four rounds of play. In the first round the fifth and twelfth, sixth and eleventh, seventh and tenth, and eighth and ninth seeds, as determined by the conference regular season standings, play a best-of-three series with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals. The top four teams from the conference regular season standings receive a bye to the quarterfinals.


2012 Atlantic Hockey Tournament, Format
There, the first seed and lowest-ranked first-round winner, the second seed and second-lowest-ranked first-round winner, the third seed and second-highest-ranked first-round winner, and the fourth seed and the highest-ranked first-round winner play a best-of-three series, with the winners advancing to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the highest and lowest seeds and second-highest and second-lowest seeds play a single game, with the winner advancing to the championship game. The tournament champion received an automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.


2012 Atlantic Hockey Tournament, Format, Current standings
Note: GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against


2012 Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2012 Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, FL from May 23 through 26. Belmont won their second consecutive and second overall championship with a 10–4 championship game victory over Kennesaw State. The Bruins joined the Ohio Valley Conference beginning with the 2013 season. Belmont earned the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2012 Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The 2012 tournament was a 6-team double-elimination tournament. The top six teams (based on conference results) from the conference earned invites to the tournament.


2012 Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player
Judah Akers was named Tournament MVP. Akers was a first baseman for Belmont.


2012 Atlantic Sun Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2012 Atlantic Sun Men's Basketball Tournament took place from February 29 – March 3, 2012 at University Center in Macon, Georgia. Belmont, in its final year in the A-Sun before moving to the Ohio Valley Conference, won the tournament and with it an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.


2012 Atlantic Sun Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The A-Sun Championship was a four-day single-elimination tournament. Eight teams competed in the championship and the participants were determined by conference winning percentage. The winner of the tournament earned the A-Sun's automatic bid into the 2012 NCAA Tournament.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season was the final year in a consecutive string of three very active seasons since 2010, with 19 tropical storms; although many of the storms were weak and short-lived. The 2012 season was also a costly season in terms of property damage, and remains the third-costliest season, behind 2005 and 2017. The season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates that conventionally delimit the period during each year in which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season
However, Alberto, the first named system of the year, developed on May 19 – the earliest date of formation since Subtropical Storm Andrea in 2007. A second tropical cyclone, Beryl, developed later that month. This was the first occurrence of two pre-season named storms in the Atlantic basin since 1951. It moved ashore in North Florida on May 29 with winds of 65 mph (105 km/h), making it the strongest pre-season storm to make landfall in the Atlantic basin. This season marked the first time since 2009 where no tropical cyclones formed in July.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season
Another record was set by Hurricane Nadine later in the season; the system became the fourth-longest-lived tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic, with a total duration of 22.25 days. The final storm to form, Tony, dissipated on October 25 – however, Hurricane Sandy, which formed before Tony, became extratropical on October 29.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season
Pre -season forecasts by the Colorado State University (CSU) called for a below average season, with 10 named storms, 4 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its first outlook on May 24, predicting a total of 9–15 named storms, 4–8 hurricanes, and 1–3 major hurricanes; both agencies noted the possibility of an El Niño, which limits tropical cyclone activity. Following two pre-season storms, the CSU updated their forecast to 13 named storms, 5 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes, while the NOAA upped their forecast numbers to 12–17 named storms, 5–8 hurricanes, and 2–3 major hurricanes on August 9. Despite this, activity far surpassed the predictions.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season
Impact during the 2012 season was widespread and significant. In mid-May, Beryl moved ashore the coastline of Florida, causing 3 deaths. In late June and early August, Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Ernesto caused 10 and 13 deaths after striking Florida and the Yucatán, respectively. In mid-August, the remnants of Tropical Storm Helene killed two people after making landfall in Mexico. At least 41 deaths and $2.39 billion were attributed to Hurricane Isaac, which struck Louisiana on two separate occasions in late August.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season
However, by far the costliest, deadliest and most notable cyclone of the season was Hurricane Sandy, which formed on October 22. After striking Cuba at Category 3 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, the hurricane moved ashore the southern coastline of New Jersey. Sandy left 286 dead and $68.7 billion worth of damage in its wake, making it the fourth-costliest Atlantic hurricane on record, behind only Hurricane Maria in 2017, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Collectively, the season's storms caused at least 355 fatalities and about $71.6 billion in damage, making 2012 the deadliest season since 2008 and the costliest since 2005.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts
In advance of, and during, each hurricane season, several forecasts of hurricane activity are issued by national meteorological services, scientific agencies, and noted hurricane experts. These include forecasters from the United States NOAA's National Hurricane and Climate Prediction Center's, Philip J. Klotzbach, William M. Gray and their associates at CSU, Tropical Storm Risk, and the United Kingdom's Met Office. The forecasts include weekly and monthly changes in significant factors that help determine the number of tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes within a particular year.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts
As stated by NOAA and CSU, an average Atlantic hurricane season between 1981 and 2010 contained roughly 12 tropical storms, 6 hurricanes, 3 major hurricanes, and an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) Index of 66–103 units. NOAA typically categorizes a season as either above-average, average, or below-average based on the cumulative ACE Index; however, the number of tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes within a hurricane season is considered occasionally as well.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts
Broadly speaking, ACE is a measure of the power of a tropical or subtropical storm multiplied by the length of time it existed. Therefore, a storm was a long duration, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated for full advisories on specific tropical and subtropical systems reaching or exceeding wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h). Accordingly, tropical depressions are not included here. After the storm has dissipated, typically after the end of the season, the NHC reexamines the data, and produces a final report on each storm. These revisions can lead to a revised ACE total either upward or downward compared to the operational value. Until the final reports are issued, ACEs are, therefore, provisional.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts, Pre-season forecasts
On December 7, 2011, Tropical Storm Risk (TSR), a public consortium consisting of experts on insurance, risk management, and seasonal climate forecasting at University College London, issued an extended-range forecast predicting an above-average hurricane season. In its report, TSR noted that tropical cyclone activity could be about 49% above the 1950–2010 average, with 14.1 (±4.2) tropical storms, 6.7 (±3.0) hurricanes, and 3.3 (±1.6) major hurricanes anticipated, and a cumulative ACE index of 117 (±58). Later that month on December 21, Weather Services International (WSI) issued an extended-range forecast predicting a near average hurricane season.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts, Pre-season forecasts
In its forecast, WSI noted that a cooler North Atlantic Oscillation not seen in a decade, combined with weakening La Niña, would result in a near-average season with 12 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. They also predicted a near-average probability of a hurricane landfall, with a slightly elevated chance on the Gulf Coast of the United States and a slightly reduced chance along the East Coast of the United States.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts, Pre-season forecasts
On April 4, 2012, Colorado State University (CSU) issued their updated forecast for the season, calling for a below-normal season due to an increased chance for the development of an El Niño during the season. In April 2012, TSR issued their update forecast for the season, slightly revising down their predictions as well.