2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests, Wisconsin Capitol building occupation
Protesters occupied the Wisconsin Capitol building to demonstrate their opposition to the proposed legislation restricting the collective bargaining rights of public employees and increase their share of benefits payments, and what they saw as anti-democratic behavior by the governor and legislature. On Friday, February 25, Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs told reporters that demonstrators would have to leave the Wisconsin state Capitol building by 4 pm on the following Sunday. According to media estimates, tens of thousands participated in the protests, and hundreds occupied the building around the clock.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests, Wisconsin Capitol building occupation
Police restricted sleeping bags, coolers, and folding chairs, and that the Capitol would be closed "for public health reasons". The Capitol was scheduled to reopen the following on Monday at 8 am, but police said they would closely monitor the number of people in the building. Some protesters vowed to remain as an act of civil disobedience, and non-violent civil disobedience training took place. Although many protesters did leave on Sunday afternoon at the urging of union leaders and Democrats, hundreds defied the order and remained in the building. Police did not remove the remaining protesters. The Department of Administration did not reopen the building until Tuesday nor remove the added security, such as metal detectors, for several weeks, in defiance of a court order.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests, Wisconsin Capitol building occupation
On Thursday, March 3, Dane County Circuit Court Judge John Albert ordered that the Capitol building be cleared of protesters at building's the 6 pm closing time, but also ruled that restricting access to the building during business hours was unconstitutional because it violated the public's free speech and peaceful assembly rights.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests, Death threats
Eighteen Republican state Senators received death threats after passing the bill.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests, Death threats
On May 12, 2011, 100 pages of public records were released that detailed the emotions and threats that occurred during the protests. Dozens of emails suggest Walker or legislators should be shot, or hanged, or should watch their backs, look over their shoulders or resign. One man tweeted that he prayed an anvil would fall from the sky onto Walker. FBI agents from Maine to California to Florida also got involved, the records show. A suspect in Maine was arrested after sending letters to that state's Republican U.S. senators suggesting Walker should be killed and that all Republican governors resign.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests, Death threats
A Burbank, California resident who sent a long email offering a $50,000 bounty for Walker was interviewed by federal agents who determined he was mentally challenged and not a true threat. Police in Nebraska tracked down a man who posted to a Wisconsin man's Facebook page that he expected the shooting to start soon and that he would be ready to inflict nonlethal shots so others could hear screams. He told officers he got "carried away," didn't intend to harm anyone and has never been to Wisconsin. A Stevens Point man called the State Police after he heard his accountant, who he knew is married to a teacher, remark that if Walker didn't stop attacking teachers unions he'd be assassinated. An agent interviewed the accountant and determined there was no threat.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests, Legislative walkout
In another form of protest, and as a tactic to prevent passage of the bill, all 14 Democratic members of the Wisconsin State Senate left the state of Wisconsin and traveled to Illinois in order to delay a vote on the bill. With only 19 Republican members, the Senate would not have the 20 Senators required for a quorum in order to vote on the bill, since it is a fiscal bill.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests, Recall elections
Groups began collecting signatures to try to recall eight Republicans and eight Democratic Senators. Of these attempts, six Republicans and three Democrats faced recall elections. Scholars could cite only three times in American history when more than one state legislator has been recalled at roughly the same time over the same issue. Two Republican senators lost their seats in the recall elections.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests, State Supreme Court election
The Wisconsin Supreme Court race between 12-year incumbent David Prosser Jr. and challenger Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg was widely seen as a referendum on Governor Walker's proposed budget reforms in Wisconsin and received considerable national media coverage. Prosser was seen as the pro-Walker candidate and Kloppenburg was seen as the anti-Walker candidate. On April 15, Prosser was named the official winner by 7,316 votes after all county canvassing was completed. On April 20, Kloppenburg asked for a recount. On May 20, Prosser was declared the official winner.


2011 United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team (sometimes referred to as USWNT) represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer.


2011 United States women's national soccer team
In 2011, the team won the Four Nation Tournament (7th title through 2011), the Algarve Cup (8th title through 2011) and were runners-up at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, finishing with a 14-4-2 record. They were coached by Pia Sundhage.


2011 United States women's national soccer team, 2011 schedule
The following is a list of matches that were played in 2011. Win  Draw  Loss


2011 Universitario de Deportes season
Universitario de Deportes' 2011 season is the club's 83rd season in the Primera División of Peru and 46th in the Torneo Descentralizado. They will participate in their 5th season in the Copa Sudamericana.


2011 Universitario de Deportes season, Squad information
As of 4 June 2011Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election
The University of Cambridge Chancellor election, 2011 refers to a rare instance of a contested election for this position of Chancellor that occurred in October 2011, resulting in the choice of Lord Sainsbury of Turville to succeed the retiring incumbent Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Duke had retired on 30 June 2011, shortly after his 90th birthday, having been Chancellor since December 1976. Three other candidates were nominated to oppose the candidate proposed by the university's Nomination Board; the post was won by Lord Sainsbury with 52% of the vote, with a simple majority required to avoid a runoff.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election
Contesting the post were actor Brian Blessed, who finished second with 25% of the votes cast, barrister Michael Mansfield, QC with 17%, and local grocery-owner Abdul Arain with 6%. The election was the first time the Chancellorship had been contested since 1950, and the first actively fought contest since 1847. Although the election was conducted by the single transferable vote system, no transfers of votes were needed as Sainsbury secured a majority of first preference votes.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Predecessor
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh retired on 30 June 2011, creating the opening which led to the October 2011 election. The Duke, consort of Queen Elizabeth II, had served as Chancellor since December 1976, and announced departure of the post as he reached his 90th birthday, after more than 30 years in the post. Prince Philip was quoted by The New York Times as saying "he wanted a life with 'less frantic rushing about' to ceremonial occasions and 'less trying to think of something to say.'"


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Precedent and electorate
The 2011 election for Chancellorship was the first time the post had been contested since 1950, and the first actively fought contest since 1847.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Precedent and electorate
The electorate consisted of the Senate: all members of the University holding a higher degree from Cambridge. In effect, this meant that every Cambridge graduate holding a degree other than a bachelor's degree (save the BD) had a vote. Cambridge offers an upgrade of a BA to an MA six years and one term after undergraduates matriculate, so usually around three and a half years after they first graduate. Additionally, MA degrees are given to some members of staff, to make them a senior member of the university.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Precedent and electorate
In addition, all members of the Regent House were also entitled to vote as they are automatically members of the Senate, even if they have no previous Cambridge degree; this included most post-doctoral research staff who were also members of a faculty and also fellows of the colleges who do not hold a Cambridge degree.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Precedent and electorate
Votes were cast in person at the Senate House in Cambridge on two polling days.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Precedent and electorate
Although not required to wear full academic dress to vote, voters were required to wear the appropriate gown and the university  provided gowns, without charge, to voters who did not have them. By contrast, the University of Oxford dispensed entirely with such dress requirements for its Chancellor election in 2003.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Precedent and electorate
The election was the first election for a Cambridge Chancellor to use the single transferable vote system.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Precedent and electorate
According to the regulations, one of the candidates is nominated by the university's Nomination Board, and anyone else (whether a member of the University or not) can stand as a candidate if nominated by at least fifty senior members of the University holding higher degrees. Beyond the fifty or more nominators, there are no other requirements for candidates.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Procedure
In December 2010, aware that Prince Philip intended to retire at the end of that academic year, the university convened a Nomination Board, composed of the University Council, plus sixteen members appointed by the University Senate. On 20 May 2011, the Nomination Board put forward Lord Sainsbury as their candidate. As per statutory procedure, if nobody had challenged him, he would then have been deemed elected unopposed on 1 July 2011, without the need for a ballot. No election has been opposed since 1950, where one candidate withdrew before the poll; the last election actively contested at a poll was in 1847.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Procedure
The announcement on 27 May 2011 by Abdul Arain that he would be standing against Lord Sainsbury triggered the first contested election for the Chancellorship in sixty-one years.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, Procedure
In the event of a contested election, a ballot must take place over two days, between 21 and 28 days of full term after the close of nominations. Since the date of the close of nominations - 17 June 2011 - fell on the last full day of Easter Term, this meant that an election could not be held until a month after the end of the summer vacation, in October 2011.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
The election came as a surprise to some, as it had generally been assumed that Lord Sainsbury's candidature would be unopposed, and an initial press announcement from the university seemed to confirm that preparations were underway to install Sainsbury unopposed.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 27 May, local grocery-owner Abdul Arain announced that he was standing against Sainsbury, in opposition to an application to build a Sainsbury's Local in Cambridge's Mill Road district, which he claimed would harm the character of the area. He argued that, "once again, the university is called upon to be the vanguard of local communities", later adding, "Cambridge should be an institution that nurtures the community as well as world-renowned educational values", and that, "I'm standing for the whole Cambridge community."


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
Speaking to The Grocer, Arain commented, "I’m not against Lord Sainsbury personally but the university should defend the local community. Cambridge is becoming a clone town." He also compared his "outsider" status to that of Barack Obama. Despite Arain's early declaration to stand, it took him a while to accumulate the 50 nominations necessary, stating on 3 June that he had 40 signatures, and expected to have another 10 by the close of nominations. On 6 June, he confirmed that he now had 50 nominators.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 31 May, it was announced that over the preceding Bank Holiday weekend, a Facebook campaign by Cambridge graduates to draft veteran Shakespearean actor Brian Blessed as a candidate had resulted in the necessary 50 signatures being generated. Blessed was then approached, and released a statement on 2 June that he was "absolutely staggered" by the nomination, but that he was "delighted to accept", stating in his acceptance letter, "For me, Cambridge has always been the centre of the earth, there is a brightness and light there that rivals that on Mount Everest.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
The University buildings are architecturally beautiful, the whole setting is wonderful and enchants the soul. I am thrilled to be asked and wish you every success with the campaign." Blessed later added, "To me, being the next Chancellor of Cambridge University would be a miracle, because I’m the son of a coal miner", and he pledged to be an active Chancellor, remarking, "I’d like to inspire them to do expeditions all over the world. I would love to join them in expeditions, and promote adventure, adventure, adventure: I think the key to the new millennium is adventure.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
And it is that that I want to urge; and the university has so many projects, so many enterprises, so many departments, it makes my hair stand on end at the prospect of working with them." A poll in The Tab amongst their student readers (few of whom can vote) found Blessed to be the overwhelming favourite amongst students, polling 63.2%, compared to 13.5% for none of the candidates, 10% for Abdul Arain, and 5.7% for Lord Sainsbury, with 7.7% voting "I don't care."


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 2 June, Cambridge Classics Professor and Times columnist Mary Beard noted that despite "no connection" over Sainsbury's £82 million in donations to Cambridge University, she would "probably" vote for him, branding Arain a "publicity seeker", and describing Blessed's popularity with younger voters and students as "puzzling."


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 6 June, The Independent commented that the election had been expected to be a, "David and Goliath battle between Lord Sainsbury and local shopkeeper Abdul Arain. But this unlikely face-off could be disrupted by the unexpected participation" of Blessed.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 14 June, it was reported that radical socialist barrister Michael Mansfield had been nominated by several Cambridge academics, with the lawyer describing his candidature as, "a fine opportunity to defend the principles of Higher Education and critical thinking in particular, which have been steadily eroded by successive governments wedded to market forces."


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
In their supporting letter, his nominators contrasted his stance on several issues with that of Lord Sainsbury, writing that, "even if Mr Mansfield does not win this election, the campaign in his support will be able to articulate very clearly the fundamental opposition between what these two men stand for.". One of Mansfield's nominators elaborated to the Law Gazette on why the barrister was standing: "Is it too rude to call (Lord Sainsbury) a plutocrat? He has inherited wealth, and represents some of the capitalist focus that threatens the ideas on which a university is founded. We’d like to see someone who is prepared to question the establishment."


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
Nominations closed on 17 June, when a university spokesman confirmed that all four candidates had secured the level of support needed to get on to the ballot paper. Lord Sainsbury made his first public statement on the election since being nominated, stating, "I have great admiration and affection for the university, built up over all the years since I was an undergraduate at King's, studying history and then psychology. I also have a life-long interest in education. I have no personal agenda, and if elected, my sole aim would be to help the university in any way that I can."


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
BBC Breakfast News profiled the election on 5 July, identifying Brian Blessed as "the runaway favourite" for the post.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 24 July, Brian Blessed launched his official campaign website.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 22 August, Blessed drew press attention as he released his first campaign video, in which Blessed described his humble origins and argued that the next Chancellor "must sweat blood to help people who are underprivileged", and offered to help in widening access to Cambridge, "with humour, and drive and soul and appreciation."


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 14 September, the Cambridge Union Society announced that they had secured the agreement of all four candidates for each to give their own separate hustings in the week before the election, with four Q&A sessions scheduled for between 10 and 12 October. None of the candidates would be attending hustings opposite their rival candidates.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 20 September, Lord Sainsbury launched his official campaign website.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 23 September, it was announced in the local press that Blessed intended to spend the afternoon of one of the election days holding court in a Cambridge pub, thanking his supporters as they return from voting. Blessed subsequently received endorsements from Cambridge alumni Stephen Fry and Sir Derek Jacobi.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 3 October, Lord Sainsbury gave an election interview with the Cambridge Evening News, in which he said "I’m not quite certain why any of the other three" candidates were standing against him, and he described his links to Cambridge as an undergraduate at King's between 1959 and 1963, his strong record in promoting British universities as a government minister, and his support for the introduction of student fees in the 1990s.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 6 October, Abdul Arain revealed that he had the backing of the Cambridge's Mill Road Society, of which he is a former Chairman. He also unveiled several posters of himself, some YouTube videos in which he set out his case for standing, based on "representing a world-class university which has deep roots in its local community." Subsequently, Cambridge Student paper The Tab commented, "This leaves radical lawyer Michael Mansfield the quietest contender so far", with Mansfield having made no public statement on the election since his letter accepting nomination four months earlier.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The campaign
On 7 October, IT analysts speculated "a failure by Cambridge University administrators to understand online campaign techniques may result in the defeat of their preferred candidate for the next university chancellor - Lord Sainsbury of Turville", and predicted a possible victory for Blessed. Cambridge alumnus Anthony Zacharzewski, a democracy analyst and founder of the Democratic Society, argued that the University's failure to engage with online campaigning and to adequately publicise the candidates' web presences, "plays into the hands of the Blessed vote", since his supporters had the best-organised online presence. The same analysts also predicted "gridlock in the city centre" on the election days. Neither prediction was borne out by events.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The election and aftermath
It was confirmed by the university authorities on 18 June that the two polling days would be held on Friday 14 October and Saturday 15 October 2011, with voting taking place in the Senate House between 10 am and 8 pm on each day.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The election and aftermath
The results were announced just after mid-day on Sunday 16 October.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The election and aftermath
Analysis of the election noted low turnout, with 2.5% of those eligible casting votes.


2011 University of Cambridge Chancellor election, The election and aftermath
I am delighted and honoured to have been elected as the next Chancellor of Cambridge University, and would like to thank all those who have supported me, and the other candidates who have made this such a friendly election. I am particularly pleased that the election did not turn into a battle between the arts and humanities and science, or between political parties, and I look forward to championing the University in its entirety at home and abroad in the years ahead.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal
The 2011 University of Miami athletics scandal broke when the University of Miami's football and men's basketball programs were investigated for violations of National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) rules violations alleged to have taken place between 2002 and 2010, centering on improper benefits given by booster Nevin Shapiro. The story was uncovered by investigative reporters at Yahoo! Sports.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Past scandals
The University of Miami, particularly its football team, have experienced a number of past scandals. In 1994, The Miami Herald reported that 2 Live Crew member Luther Campbell and several NFL players had offered a "pay-for-play" scheme from 1986 through 1992, giving cash rewards to Miami players for acts such as scoring touchdowns and big hits. This allegation was verified in the subsequent NCAA investigation, which also found that Miami's "head football coach and the associate director of athleticsfor compliance and internal operations were aware" of the payments.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Past scandals
Also in 1994, former Miami academic advisor Tony Russell pleaded guilty to helping 57 football players and more than 23 other scholarship athletes in falsifying applications for Pell Grants. From 1989 to 1992, Russell had helped players receive more than $220,000 of grants, which federal officials later called "perhaps the largest centralized fraud ... ever committed" against the Pell Grant program. As a result of the scandal, Alexander Wolff wrote a Sports Illustrated cover story suggesting Miami should temporarily shutter its football program and that athletic director Paul Dee should be fired.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Past scandals
In 1995, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) announced that Miami had also provided or allowed "more than $412,000 of excessive aid" to student-athletes between 1990 and 1994, failed to implement its drug testing program, and lost institutional control over the football program. That December, the NCAA announced that Miami's multiple infractions would result in severe sanctions, including a one-year ban from postseason play and a 31-scholarship reduction from 1996 to 1999. In addition to the football team, the violations also involved Miami's baseball, men's tennis, and women's golf teams.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Nevin Shapiro
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1969, Nevin Shapiro's family moved to south Florida when he was young, and he graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School. Some time between 1999 and 2003, under the cover of a grocery business called Capitol Investments USA, Shapiro operated a $930 million Ponzi scheme which eventually collapsed in November 2009. On April 21, 2010, Shapiro was charged in New Jersey with securities fraud and money laundering, and he pleaded guilty to one count of each on September 15, 2010. On June 7, 2011, he was sentenced to twenty years in federal prison and ordered to make $82,657,362.29 in restitution.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Nevin Shapiro
In 2002, Shapiro paid $1.5 million for thirty percent in a sports management company called Axcess Sports, which had been started by Michael Huyghue. The agency signed several Miami athletes, including Vince Wilfork. Shapiro was a major booster of Miami's athletic programs, and reportedly spent $2 million from 2002 to 2010 in support primarily of the football and men's basketball teams. In August 2010, Shapiro told The Miami Herald that he was writing a book titled, The Real U: 2001 to 2010.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Nevin Shapiro
Inside the Eye of the Hurricane in which he promised to tell how Miami had violated NCAA rules affecting more than 100 players. "Once the players turned pro, they turned their back on me. It made me feel like a used friend," he said. Word of the potential violations was also reported in an August 31, 2010, article by Marcus Session in the Bleacher Report


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Nevin Shapiro
On August 16, 2011, Yahoo! Sports writer Charles Robinson published an article based on 100 hours of jailhouse interviews with Shapiro, detailing his allegations regarding his illegal and unethical behaviors and the lack of oversight in the Miami athletics department.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Allegations
Shapiro allegedly used investor funds to finance donations to Miami's athletic program, and claimed that he gave an estimated $2 million in prohibited benefits to at least 72 current or former football/basketball players and coaches from 2002 to 2010. The Yahoo! Sports report alleges that Shapiro, through his donations, violated at least four major NCAA bylaws:


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Allegations
Shapiro saw his involvement as a direct continuation of Campbell's activities. In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, he explained:


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Allegations
Here’s the thing: Luther Campbell was the first uncle who took care of players before I got going. His role was diminished by the NCAA and the school, and someone needed to pick up that mantle. That someone was me. He was ‘Uncle Luke,’ and I became ‘Little Luke.’


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, NCAA sanctions on players
On August 25, 2011, media reports indicated that Miami had declared as many as thirteen current football players ineligible, including projected starting quarterback Jacory Harris, as a result of the investigation. Miami then petitioned the NCAA for reinstatement of at least some of the players involved. The following day, head coach Al Golden confirmed these reports, though not naming any players or indicating the number of reinstatements sought. Under NCAA rules, these players were still allowed to practice until the NCAA notified Miami about its decisions.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, NCAA sanctions on players
Depending on the scale of each player's violations, penalties may include sanctions that do not require missing games, suspension for a fixed number of games, or permanent ineligibility. Miami began the process in hopes that the NCAA would make its decisions on all players before their season opener at Maryland on September 5.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, NCAA sanctions on players
On August 30, the NCAA announced the results of Miami's petition. It cleared one of the named players, Marcus Robinson, but found that the other twelve had received impermissible benefits. All of these players were required to make restitution before being reinstated. Four who were found to have received less than $100 were not suspended, and would be eligible to play once certified as having made restitution. In total, Miami players repaid about $4,000 in restitution, with the greatest single amount being $1,200. The three who drew the longest suspensions accepted gifts from Shapiro during their recruitment, and had received the greatest amount of improper benefits among the group.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Reaction
If they're found to be true, it appears we've had a third-party individual have a really pernicious impact on a huge cross-section of student-athletes. The breadth of that would be pretty shocking.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Reaction
Due to the nature of the allegations and the prominence of Miami's football team, as well as the history of scandals surrounding the program, reactions to the expose were rapid. Paul Dee, whose term as University of Miami athletic director from 1993 through 2008 encompassed both the current scandal and the violations uncovered in 1995, came in for heavy criticism. Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel summed up Dee's involvement as follows:


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Reaction
Dee, you may recall, was the Committee on Infractions chairman for USC's much-publicized case last summer involving former stars Reggie Bush and O. J. Mayo. It was Dee who, in announcing some of the stiffest penalties of the last 20 years (a two-year bowl ban and 30 docked scholarships), closed with the preachy reminder that "high-profile athletes demand high-profile compliance". Dee, Miami's AD during most of the period covering Shapiro's allegations, is retired and no longer under NCAA jurisdiction. Still, it seems only fair he should spend a day at USC's Heritage Hall wearing a sandwich board with the word "Hypocrite."


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Reaction
According to NCAA President Mark Emmert, the organization began investigating the situation "four or five months" prior to the publication of Robinson's article, and NCAA investigators had conducted multiple interviews with Shapiro. Many sportswriters, including Charles Robinson and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports, speculated that if the allegations were found to be true, Miami could face the NCAA's "death penalty", which was last given to a major program in 1987 when the Southern Methodist University Mustangs had their football season cancelled.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Reaction
According to the NCAA, "A school is a repeat violator if a second major violation occurs within five years of the start date of the penalty from the first case. The cases do not have to be in the same sport." According to several sources at Miami, NCAA investigators had started probing for a "pattern of willful violations," which would allow it to investigate back to the date the earliest infractions occurred. The violations would overlap with the Miami baseball team's two-year probation from 2003 to 2005, which would make the football and basketball teams eligible for the "death penalty." However, NCAA Vice President for Enforcement Julie Roe Lach has said discussion about using the death penalty has been limited.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Reaction
Wolff, who had suggested in 1995 that the Miami football program should be shuttered, again called for Miami to temporarily drop football in an open letter to university president Donna Shalala, published in the August 29, 2011, issue of Sports Illustrated. In the letter, Wolff noted that Dan Wetzel had described the Miami program as a "de facto professional team" run by Shapiro, but that no NFL owner, in contrast to Shapiro, would have "stocked hotel rooms and his own yacht with prostitutes and strippers for players' pleasure and sprung for an abortion when one of the women got pregnant."


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Reaction
Wolff also had praise for Randy Shannon, who had been fired as Miami head coach after the 2010 season, noting that he "seems to have been the only person in Coral Gables who wanted nothing to do with Shapiro, reportedly warning his players to avoid him and threatening to fire assistants caught dealing with him."


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Reaction
On November 20, Miami announced that it was withdrawing from bowl consideration for the 2011 season due to the ongoing NCAA probe. With the NCAA yet to announce its results as the end of the 2012 season approached, Miami again chose to withdraw from postseason play, giving up a berth in the ACC Championship Game.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, Reaction, Miami statement on NCAA Notice of Allegations
Miami received the Notice of Allegations from the NCAA on February 19, 2013. To read Miami's response and to learn more about the process, visit the University of Miami  dedicated to the investigation.


2011 University of Miami athletics scandal, NCAA announces final sanctions
The NCAA announced its sanctions against Miami and four former coaches on October 22, 2013: As stated by the NCAA, these sanctions were brought about by Miami's lack of institutional control in the poorly monitored activities of a major booster, the men's basketball and football coaching staffs, student-athletes and prospects.


2011 Urawa Red Diamonds season
The 2011 Urawa Red Diamonds season was Urawa Red Diamonds' eleventh consecutive season in J. League Division 1, 18th season overall in the J. League, and 45th overall in the Japanese top flight. It also includes the Emperor's Cup, and the J. League Cup.


2011 Utah Blaze season
The 2011 Utah Blaze season was the fifth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Ron James and moved back to EnergySolutions Arena for home games, after playing at Maverik Center in 2010. The Blaze finished the season 9–9, missing the playoffs.


2011 Utah Blaze season, Standings
z - Clinched division and conference's best recordx - Clinched playoff berth


2011 Utah Blaze season, Regular season schedule
The Blaze had a bye week in Week 1, and began the season the following week at home against the Tampa Bay Storm on March 17. Their final regular season game was on July 22 on the road against the Cleveland Gladiators.


2011 Utah State Aggies football team
The 2011 Utah State Aggies football team represented Utah State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Aggies were led by third-year head coach Gary Andersen and played their home games at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. They are members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 5–2 in WAC play to finish in a tie for second place.


2011 Utah State Aggies football team
On November 28, The Aggies were invited to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl which was the school's first bowl bid since 1997 which was in the same bowl game (known then as the Humanitarian Bowl). They lost the Famous Idaho Potato bowl to Ohio.


2011 Utah Utes football team
The 2011 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by seventh year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their home games in Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. After playing the previous 12 seasons in the Mountain West Conference, this was Utah's first season in the new Pac-12 Conference in the South Division. They are the first former "BCS Buster" to join a BCS conference. They finished the season 8–5, 4–5 to finish in a tie for third place in the South Division. They were invited to the Sun Bowl where they defeated Georgia Tech 30–27 in overtime.


2011 Utah Utes football team, Before the season
The Pac-12 media picked Utah to finish third in the South Division. Four media members (out of 42 total) voted Utah first in the division. The media picked USC to finish first, but USC will be ineligible for the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game due to NCAA sanctions. Arizona State came in second, and Arizona, UCLA, and Colorado finished fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, in the South Division voting. The media also picked Oregon to win the North Division with 29 first place votes, and to win the Pac-12 Championship Game and thus be the Pac-12 Champion.


2011 Utah Utes football team, Before the season, Coaching changes
Kyle Whittingham made a few changes to his coaching staff for the 2011 season. Prior to Utah's appearance in the 2010 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas defensive line coach John Pease retired from coaching. During the offseason, Whittingham replaced Pease with Chad Kauhaʻahaʻa, a second team all-WAC defensive lineman for Utah in 1996. The previous two seasons he had been the defensive line coach for Utah State.


2011 Utah Utes football team, Before the season, Coaching changes
The Utes also hired Norm Chow to be the Offensive coordinator and coach the tight ends. He had been an offensive coordinator at UCLA the three previous seasons. In 2002, when he was the offensive coordinator at USC, Norm Chow won the Broyles Award. Former co-offensive coordinators Aaron Roderick and Dave Schramm were reassigned to coach different positions in the offense. They will coach the receivers and the running backs, respectively, positions they have both previously coached for the program. Finally, Whittingham hired Tim Davis to coach the offensive line. Davis replaces Blake Miller who left the program to coach the same position with Memphis. Davis coached the offensive line the previous three seasons at Minnesota and has had a prior stint as Utah's offensive line coach 1990–1996 and worked under Chow at USC 2002–2004.


2011 Utah Utes football team, Before the season, Move to the Pac-12
During the 2010 offseason, Utah successfully negotiated to join the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) for all sports, including football. Utah, along with Colorado, officially joined the Pac-10  on July 1, 2011 to form the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). The previous 12 seasons, Utah competed in the Mountain West Conference.


2011 Utah Utes football team, Game summaries, Montana State
Utah played Montana State for the 10th time on September 1. Entering the game, Utah had beaten Montana State in all of their nine games, all but one of which have been played in Salt Lake City. During those nine contests, the Utes outscored the Bobcats 455–25.


2011 Utah Utes football team, Game summaries, Montana State
Utah once again beat Montana State in their 2011 meeting. Utah built a 24–0 lead with a little less than 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter, and then scored 3 points the rest of the game to win 27–10. The Utes finished with 101 passing yards on 15-of-23 passing by quarterback Jordan Wynn. Running back John White finished with 150 yards rushing to lead the Utes.


2011 Utah Utes football team, Game summaries, Montana State
Linebacker Brian Blechen set-up Utah's first touchdown when he returned an interception 39-yards to the 8-yard line; Montana State quarterback DeNarius McGhee threw the errant pass. Three plays later, Wynn connected with wide receiver DeVonte Christopher for the touchdown. Montana State punted on their next possession, and Utah's offense had its second scoring drive. This one resulted in a 5-yard touchdown pass from Wynn to White; the drive took nine plays and gained 62 yards.


2011 Utah Utes football team, Game summaries, Montana State
Utah blocked MSU's next punt. Montana State blockers flipped Utah lineback Matt Martinez into the air, which caused Martinez to block the punt with his feet. The ensuing Utah possession resulted in a field goal; kicker Coleman Petersen successfully booted a 37-yard attempt. Following Montana State's third punt of the game, Utah had a nine-play, 59-yard touchdown drive for their last touchdown of the evening. Montana State scored their only touchdown of the evening with 35 seconds remaining in the first half. McGhee passed to receiver Tanner Bleskin for a 7-yard touchdown reception. Each team only scored a field goal in the second half for the final 27–10 score.


2011 Uzbek League
The 2011 Uzbek League season was the 20th season of top-level football in Uzbekistan since independence in 1992.


2011 Uzbek League
The draw for the 2011 Uzbek League season took place on December 16, 2010.


2011 Uzbek League, Teams
Lokomotiv Tashkent and Xorazm FK Urganch were relegated in the last edition of the Uzbek League.


2011 Uzbek League, Best XI
Championat.uz released the all-star team of the Uzbek League for the season 2011.


2011 Uzbekistan Cup
The 2011 Uzbekistan Cup was the 19th season of the annual Uzbek football Cup competition. The competition started on April 17, 2011 and ended on November 13, 2011 with the final that was held at the Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium in Tashkent. Bunyodkor were the defending champions.


2011 Uzbekistan Cup
The cup winner were guaranteed a place in the 2012 AFC Champions League.


2011 Uzbekistan Cup, Round of 32
The draw for the Round of 32 was held on 24 February 2011 at Uzbek Football Federation office in Tashkent.


2011 Uzbekistan Cup, Round of 32
The one leg matches were played on 29 and 30 April.


2011 Uzbekistan Cup, Round of 16
First leg matches were played on 6–7, 24 May and 4 June. Second leg matches were played on 24, 25 and 27 June. Match between FC Erkurgan Koson and Bunyodkor was played on 6 June 2011 with 1:1 draw.


2011 Uzbekistan Cup Final
The 2011 Uzbekistan Cup Final was the final match of the 2011 Uzbekistan Cup, the 19th season of the Uzbek Cup, a football competition for the 36 teams in the Uzbek League and Uzbek League Division One. The match was contested by FC Pakhtakor and Nasaf Qarshi, at Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium in Tashkent, on November 13, 2011.


2011 Uzbekistan First League
The 2011 Uzbekistan First League was the 20th season of 2nd level football in Uzbekistan since 1992. It is split in an Eastern and Western zone, each featuring 12 teams.


2011 Uzbekistan First League, Competition format
League consists of two regional groups: zone "East" and "West". The season comprises two phases. The first phase consists of a regular home-and-away schedule: each team plays the other teams twice. The top eight teams of the first phase from each zone will be merged in one tournament and compete for the championship. The bottom four teams of each zone after first phase will be directly relegated to 2nd division.


2011 Uzbekistan First League, Competition format
After matchday 6, Shurchi Lochin started tournament in Zone "West", officially withdrew from the competition in Mai, 2011, due to lack of financing. Because team played less than half of its games, all team's results are canceled.


2011 Uzbekistan Second League
Uzbekistan Second League is the third highest football league in Uzbekistan.


2011 Uzbekistan Second League, League format
In the second phase participated 14 teams split into three groups: Qarshi, Fergana and Bukhara. The winner of each group promote to First League


2011 Uzbekistan Second League, Second phase
Zaamin, Neftchi Khamza, Yuzhanin and Bukhoro-2 are promoted to First Division. Zaamin is promoted to first league instead of Khisar because Khisar violated competition regulations. Disciplinary Committee declared the matches of Khisar against Zaamin, Lokomotiv BFK and Neftchi Kumkurgan, to be lost by Khisar by forfeit (0:3) due to an ineligible player in the Khisar team taking part in 2011 matches.


2011 V-League
The 2011 V-League was the 55th season of Vietnam's professional football league.


2011 V-League
Eximbank have taken over as official sponsor of the V-League.


2011 V-League, Teams
Nam Định were relegated to the 2011 Vietnamese First Division after finishing the 2010 season in last place.


2011 V-League, Teams
Navibank Sài Gòn defeated Than Quảng Ninh in the end of season promotion/relegation match to secure their place in the V-League.


2011 V-League, Awards, Annual awards, Dream Team
Trần Đình Đồng (Sông Lam Nghệ An)  Cristiano Roland (Hà Nội T&T) Nguyền Hoàng Helio (Sông Lam Nghệ An) Nguyễn Quốc Long  (Hà Nội T&T)


2011 V-League, Awards, Annual awards, Dream Team
Lê Công Vinh (Hà Nội T&T) Owusu-Ansah (Sông Lam Nghệ An) Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng (Sông Lam Nghệ An) Nguyễn Văn Quyết (Hà Nội T&T)


2011 V8 Supercar season
The 2011 V8 Supercar season was the fifteenth season of V8 Supercar motor racing and the fifteenth season in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car series. It was the 52nd year of touring car racing in Australia beginning with the 1960 season, which included the first Australian Touring Car Championship, now known as the International V8 Supercars Championship, and the first Armstrong 500, the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000.


2011 V8 Supercar season
The 2011 season began on 11 February at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and ended on 4 December at the Homebush Street Circuit. It featured the fifteenth V8 Supercar Championship, consisting of 26 races at 14 events covering all six states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as events in the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand. There was also a stand-alone non-championship event supporting the 2011 Australian Grand Prix. The season also featured the twelfth second-tier V8 Supercar Development Series, this year officially known as the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series and expanded to a seven-round series. The fourth third-tier series, the Kumho V8 Touring Car Series was contested over a five-round series.


2011 VFF Cup
The 2011 VFF Cup was the 8th season of the annual football tournament organised in Vietnam, took place on 19–23 October 2011.


2011 VFF Cup squads
Below are the squads for the 2011 VFF Cup, hosted by Vietnam, which took place between 19 and 23 October 2011.


2011 VFF National Super League
The 2011 VFF National Super League was the qualifying competition for the 2011–12 OFC Champions League.


2011 VFF National Super League
The club who advanced to this tournament was Amicale FC, Vanuatu's sole representative at the competition.


2011 VFF National Super League, Teams
All 5 teams who competed were the top 5 from the 2010–11 Port Vila Premier League, the top division of football in the Port Vila Football Association (the main football association in Vanuatu).


2011 VFL season
The 130th season of the Victorian Football League/Victorian Football Association was held in 2011.


2011 VFL season, Teams
The league contracted from fourteen teams to thirteen, after the Gold Coast Football Club left and entered the Australian Football League. The fledgling Gold Coast club had used the 2009 TAC Cup season and the 2010 VFL season as preparation for joining the AFL. There was originally speculation that the Greater Western Sydney Giants, which had played TAC Cup in 2010 and was set to join the AFL in 2012, may have spent the 2011 season in the VFL under a similar plan, but instead the club opted to play in the North East Australian Football League.


2011 VFL season, Teams
The VFL continued to serve as both the top state-level football league in Victoria, and as a reserves competition for Victorian-based clubs in the Australian Football League, as had been the case since 2000. The affiliation agreements between VFL and AFL clubs were unchanged from 2010.


2011 VFL season, Teams
The top three teams from 2010 – North Ballarat, Northern Bullants and Williamstown – competed in the inaugural Foxtel Cup competition, with Williamstown winning the event.


2011 VFL season, Teams
Port Melbourne dominated the 2011 season, winning twenty-one games in a row to win the premiership undefeated. In the home-and-away season, the Borough finished with a record of 18-0, finishing four games clear atop the ladder; it was the first time a club had finished the home-and-away season undefeated since Geelong West in 1972 Division 2, and the first to do so in the top division since Williamstown in 1957. The Borough maintained its undefeated record through the finals to claim the premiership, replicating the feat of Geelong West's 1972 team, but becoming the first team to achieve the feat in the top division since North Melbourne in 1918.


2011 VMI Keydets football team
The 2011 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute during the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big South Conference. The 2011 season was the Keydets 121st season overall, and their 9th in the Big South. They finished with a 2–9 overall record and 2–4 in the Big South under 4th year head coach Sparky Woods. They played their games at Alumni Memorial Field, as they have since 1962.


2011 VTV9 – Binh Dien International Women's Volleyball Cup
The 2011 VTV9 - Binh Dien International Women's Volleyball Cup was the 5th staging . The tournament was held in Đồng Nai, Vietnam.


2011 VTV9 – Binh Dien International Women's Volleyball Cup, Pools composition
VTV Bình Điền Long An (Host) Jiangsu  Tianjin University Vietsov Petro Thông tin LVPB  Australia  Lopburi


2011 VTV9 – Binh Dien International Women's Volleyball Cup, Pool standing procedure
Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 match points for the winner, 0 match points for the loserMatch won 3–2: 2 match points for the winner, 1 match point for the loser


2011 Vaahteraliiga season
The 2011 Vaahteraliiga season was the 32nd season of the highest level of American football in Finland. The regular season took place between May 20 and August 7, 2011. The Finnish champion was determined in the playoffs and at the championship game Vaahteramalja XXXII the Helsinki Wolverines won the Seinäjoki Crocodiles.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season
The 2011 season for the Vacansoleil–DCM cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in November at the Amstel Curaçao Race. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour; Vacansoleil-DCM became a ProTeam for the first time ahead of the 2011 season.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season
Improving upon 14 victories in the 2010 season, Vacansoleil-DCM managed 22 victories during the season. Having previously been invited to the 2009 Vuelta a España, Vacansoleil-DCM contested the other Grand Tour events – the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France – for the first time. Despite rumours that the team faced exclusion to the doping scandals involving team members Riccardo Riccò and Ezequiel Mosquera, they were included pursuant to UCI rules. The team rarely featured in the Giro, while the team was more successful at the Tour de France.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season
Johnny Hoogerland held the lead of the mountains classification on two occasions, while Romain Feillu finished in the top five on four stages during the first half of the race. Hoogerland also made headlines when he and Team Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha were sideswiped by a car while they rode in a breakaway. Outside of the Grand Tours, Thomas De Gendt took World Tour stage victories at Paris–Nice and the Tour de Suisse, with Borut Božič also taking a stage win in Switzerland.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season
The team were also successful in single-day races, with six different riders all achieving a victory. Despite all the victories, the team finished last in the UCI World Tour rankings, since the majority of their victories came during UCI Europe Tour races. ProTeams, though eligible to participate in the races, were not eligible to earn points toward the Europe Tour ranking (just as Professional Continental teams could not earn points toward the World Tour ranking).


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Spring classics
The team started the single-day season with a third-place finish for Feillu at the Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise in January, and first-year professional Ligthart taking a similar placing in February's Clásica de Almería. In March, Westra took his first victory since the 2009 Tour de Picardie, by winning the Classic Loire Atlantique, in France.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Spring classics
After creating a four-man breakaway with Anthony Geslin of FDJ, Saur–Sojasun's Jean-Marc Marino and Landbouwkrediet rider Frédéric Amorison, they were joined by five other riders within the last 5 km (3.1 mi); one of the five, Amorison's teammate Bert Scheirlinckx attacked in the closing stages but Westra followed and outsprinted him to the line, eventually winning by two seconds. Four days later, Marcato finished sixth in Dwars door Vlaanderen. Ligthart won his first race as a professional in April, by winning Hel van het Mergelland in a sprint finish of 26 riders.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Spring classics
The following day, Leukemans was in contention for victory at the Tour of Flanders, attacking off the front of the field on the Molenberg, remaining in contention with the persistent attacks by other riders within the last 50 km (31.1 mi) of the event; Leukemans was aided by De Gendt and Devolder, but could do no better than a seventh-place finish.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Spring classics
In the Grand Prix Pino Cerami, Marcato finished in second place, having been part of an eleven-man breakaway formed with around 40 km (24.9 mi) remaining, before losing to Scheirlinckx in a two-man sprint after the two had jettisoned their fellow escapees. Leukemans suffered the same result in Brabantse Pijl, losing out to Omega Pharma–Lotto's Philippe Gilbert in another two-man sprint, after the two riders attacked off the front of a seven-man lead group. Following a second place at the Grand Prix de Denain, Feillu won the Tour du Finistère in mid-April, gapping the field in an uphill sprint to the line. Leukemans continued his good form into the Ardennes classics, taking seventh place in the Amstel Gold Race, and ninth in Liège–Bastogne–Liège.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Spring classics
May was not as successful for the team, as Marcato finished in sixth place in the Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop at the start of the month, and Ruijgh took seventh place in the Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan, towards the end of the month. Keizer took his first professional victory, by winning the Boucles de l'Aulne. From a breakaway of five riders, Keizer attacked in the closing stages, and soloed to the win. While in June, Gardeyn finished fourth in the Tour de Rijke, Ruijgh finished second to Landbouwkrediet's Dirk Bellemakers in the Ruddervoorde Koerse national event, and Veuchelen finished eighth in Halle–Ingooigem.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Spring classics
The team also sent squads to the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, Le Samyn, the Nokere Koerse, the Handzame Classic, Milan – San Remo, the Cholet-Pays de Loire, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke, Gent–Wevelgem, the Scheldeprijs, Paris–Roubaix, the Tro-Bro Léon, La Flèche Wallonne, the GP Herning, the Rund um Köln, the ProRace Berlin, and the Gullegem Koerse, but placed no higher than 12th in any of these races.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Fall races
Shortly after the Tour de France, Božič took third place in the Vattenfall Cyclassics. Willem Wauters – who joined the team as a stagiaire in August – made an immediate impact for the team, finishing second behind SpiderTech–C10's Svein Tuft in the Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem, while the following day, Leukemans followed up his overall win from the Tour du Limousin with victory in Druivenkoers Overijse – for the second year in succession – beating Landbouwkrediet's Davy Commeyne and Jurgen Van Goolen of Veranda's Willems–Accent to the line.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Fall races
The team achieved more top-ten placings in September, taking six within the space of a week; Božič finished ninth in the Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen, and sixth in Paris–Brussels, while Leukemans finished sixth in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec World Tour race, and third on his return to Europe, in the Grand Prix de Wallonie. Feillu and Marcato each took a seventh place in the Grand Prix de Fourmies, and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal respectively. Mouris and Keizer finished third in Duo Normand, while on the same day, Božič finished fourth in the Grand Prix d'Isbergues.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Fall races
In October, Marcato took his first professional win in the Tour de Vendée, and also finished second to BMC Racing Team's Greg Van Avermaet in Paris–Tours, Feillu finished eighth in Paris–Bourges, and Devolder finished seventh in the Chrono des Nations time trial. Hoogerland completed the team's year, in November, with third place in the Amstel Curaçao Race.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, One-day races, Fall races
The team also sent squads to the Clásica de San Sebastián, the Dutch Food Valley Classic, the Châteauroux Classic, the GP Ouest-France, the Schaal Sels-Merksem, the Grote Prijs Jef Scherens, the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen, Omloop van het Houtland, Binche–Tournai–Binche, the Nationale Sluitingsprijs, and the Giro di Lombardia, but finished no higher than 11th in any of these races.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Stage races
The team was very successful at the Tour Méditerranéen in February, as Feillu won three consecutive stages, along with the points classification, and Poels finished as the best young rider in third place overall, having finished in the same position on the final and most difficult stage.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Stage races
Westra finished third in the Volta ao Algarve, before De Gendt took the team's first World Tour stage win of the season, managing to just outlast the advancing field in a sprint finish to the opening stage of Paris–Nice. Feillu took another stage victory at May's Tour de Picardie, en route to an eventual overall victory in the race.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Stage races
The following week at the Circuit de Lorraine, De Gendt won the third stage – giving him the race lead for a time – and Feillu won the fifth and final stage, with De Gendt finishing at the top of the mountains classification, and the team won their respective classification. Westra won the opening prologue of the Tour of Belgium, with the squad eventually winning the teams classification. Feillu took his eighth victory of the season at June's Tour de Luxembourg, taking the final stage win.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Stage races
Later in June, the team took two stage victories in the Tour de Suisse; in the fifth stage into Tägerschen, following an attack by Marcato, Božič took out the uphill sprint to the line, and on the seventh stage that finished in Austrian town Serfaus, De Gendt triumphed after breaking clear of a 17-man group with 25 km (15.5 mi) remaining on the stage, eventually winning the stage by over half a minute.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Stage races
Held concurrently with the Tour de France, van Leijen won the second stage of the Tour de Wallonie, with Selvaggi later finishing on top of the mountains classification, and the squad took another teams classification win. Poels claimed a stage win during the Tour de l'Ain in August, eventually finishing the race second overall after cracking from the race lead on the final stage, but did win the race's sprints classification. Hoogerland also took the team's sixth mountains classification win of the year. Leukemans completed the team's stage race successes with a stage and overall win at the Tour du Limousin.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Stage races
The team also won lesser classifications at the Étoile de Bessèges, the Critérium International, the Three Days of De Panne, and the Tour de Pologne.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Stage races
The team also sent squads to the Tour Down Under, the Vuelta an Andalucía, Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, Vuelta a Murcia, Tirreno–Adriatico, the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour of the Basque Country, Ronde van Drenthe, the Tour de Romandie, the Four Days of Dunkirk, the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Delta Tour Zeeland, the Ster ZLM Toer, the Danmark Rundt, the Eneco Tour, the Tour of Britain, the Tour de Wallonie-Picarde, and the Tour of Beijing, but did not achieve a stage win, classification win, or podium finish in any of them.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Giro d'Italia
The UCI considered a potential revoking of Vacansoleil-DCM's ProTeam licence in mid-February, which would stop the team from automatically being invited to any World Tour race and be demoted to a Professional Continental team, as they were in 2010. This licence issue came to light due to continued investigations into doping regarding two of the team's riders; Mosquera and Riccò. Mosquera had tested positive for hydroxyethyl starch at the 2010 Vuelta a España, while Riccò had been admitted to hospital earlier in February, amid allegations that he had carried out a self-administered autologous blood transfusion at his home. (For more information on the Riccò allegations, see the Dismissal of Riccardo Riccò section)


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Giro d'Italia
Despite talk of a potential exclusion from the race due to these scandals, the team were included in the list of 23 teams admitted, on March 7, per UCI rules. Carrara was the team's leader for the race, while Božič and Hoogerland were named to the squad to aim for stage wins and breakaway representation. The team's showing in the stage 1 team time trial was average, as they came home 10th of the 23 teams, 37 seconds off the winning pace set by HTC–Highroad.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Giro d'Italia
Božič finished near the front of the field in the Giro's first road stage, taking fifth in the mass sprint finish to the second stage, in Parma. Hoogerland and Selvaggi made breakaway attempts on stages 7 and 8, but neither could hold a sustainable advantage until the end of each stage. Carrara moved into the top ten overall after stage 9, finishing 14th on the race's first summit finish, at Mount Etna. Selvaggi took the team's only top-ten placing in the second half of the race by finishing eighth in a mass sprint finish on stage 12, while Carrara eventually finished the race as the team's highest placed rider in the general classification, finishing 17th overall.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Tour de France
Feillu was the team's leader for the Tour, leading a youthful team into the race, with three riders – De Gendt, Poels and Ruijgh – eligible for the young rider classification. Westra made the first breakaway of the Tour along with two other riders, while the team finished 20th of the 22 teams in the team time trial. It was not until stage 3 that the team finished highly; Feillu finished second behind Garmin–Cervélo's Tyler Farrar, with Božič also making it into the top ten, in eighth position.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Tour de France
Hoogerland and Westra made breakaway manoeuvres on stages 4 and 6 respectively, but again could not muster a big enough advantage for a stage victory. Hoogerland did however take the lead of the mountains classification at the conclusion of the sixth stage, where Feillu had finished fourth and Marcato ninth. Feillu took another fourth place the following day on the seventh stage into Châteauroux.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Tour de France
Hoogerland made another break from the peloton on the ninth stage, as he was joined by five other riders who extended their lead over the field. With 36 km (22.4 mi) remaining, Hoogerland and fellow escapee Juan Antonio Flecha of Team Sky were involved in a dramatic crash; while attempting to overtake the riders, a support car from France Télévisions sideswiped Flecha, and as a result, caused Hoogerland to crash into a barbed wire fence, and would later require 33 stitches to close gashes on his leg.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Tour de France
Prior to the crash, Hoogerland had gained enough points on the stage to retake the lead of the mountains classification from HTC–Highroad's Tejay van Garderen. Flecha and Hoogerland both finished the stage and were jointly awarded the combative rider award for the day. Marcato made the breakaway on stage ten, with Feillu and Božič again making the top ten at stage end; Feillu finished fifth with Božič three places behind, in eighth place. Feillu closed the first half of the race, with sixth place on stage 11.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Tour de France
None of the team's riders featured prominently in the early mountain stages, as it was not until stage 16 when Vacansoleil-DCM returned to the top ten of a stage result, with Marcato finishing eighth into Gap. Božič was tenth on stage 17 and seventh on the final stage, sandwiching two top ten placings for De Gendt, who finished sixth on stage 19 to Alpe d'Huez, and fourth on the following day's individual time trial. At the race's conclusion, the team's highest-placed rider was Ruijgh in 21st, some 33 minutes down on race winner Cadel Evans of BMC Racing Team.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Vuelta a España
Although the team had 2010 runner-up Mosquera on their books, they elected not to send him – having been on the team's pre-selection list – to the race due to the ongoing investigation into his positive doping case for hydroxyethyl starch. Instead, the team elected to place leadership upon the shoulders of Poels, who had taken second place and a stage victory in the Tour de l'Ain, held one week before the Vuelta.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Vuelta a España
The team started with another mediocre performance in the team time trial, coming in 18th of the 22 teams, but Pidgornyy was part of a successful four-man breakaway on the third stage, and although he eventually finished 15 seconds down on the eventual stage winner Pablo Lastras (Movistar Team), Pidgornyy moved into fourth place in the general classification.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Vuelta a España
Poels featured in the top ten of the next two stages, the sharp incline to Sierra Nevada – finishing eighth, two places behind teammate Lagutin – and was the closest to Team Katusha's Joaquim Rodríguez on the steep finish into Valdepeñas de Jaén. He also tried to make a late-stage move, within the final 5 km (3.1 mi), on the eighth stage, but was unsuccessful, as he was swallowed up by the main field prior to the 20% gradient final climb to the line.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Vuelta a España
Ligthart and Keizer made their way into the breakaway on stage 9, with both being dropped before the climb to La Covatilla. Pidgornyy made it into his second breakaway of the race, as the race moved into its second half, on stage 12, but he and Cofidis rider Luis Angel Maté were overhauled with just 6 km (3.7 mi) remaining.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Vuelta a España
As the race began to take shape in the Cantabrian Mountains, Poels continued his impressive Vuelta by again featuring in the top five of a stage, by taking fourth place on stage 14. Having stayed with the main group of overall contenders, Poels managed to stay with the likes of Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, while others such as Rodríguez and defending race winner Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas–Cannondale had faded out of contention.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Grand Tours, Vuelta a España
The next day, the race headed to the summit finish of the Angliru for the first time in three years, and while Geox–TMC's Juan José Cobo soloed into his eventual race-winning general classification lead, Poels was his closest challenger, 48 seconds in arrears but sufficient enough to move him into the top ten overall. Poels slipped out of the top ten after losing time on the finish to Peña Cabarga, and thus tried to make a breakaway the following day, on stage 18, but was not given the freedom to break and finished with the main field. Poels ultimately finished the race 17th, but the team's best-placed rider honour went to Lagutin, who finished almost three minutes ahead in 15th place.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Away from competition, Dismissal of Riccardo Riccò
Having made his season début with a seventh place in the Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise in France on January 30, and prior to travelling to the Tour Méditerranéen, Riccò was admitted to hospital in Pavullo nel Frignano on February 6, with his father Rubinho stating that his son had apparent "kidney failure" and a body temperature of 104 °F (40 °C); he was later transferred to a hospital in Modena.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Away from competition, Dismissal of Riccardo Riccò
Two days later, the Italian State Police confirmed that they were investigating Riccò for blood doping, after an apparent self-administered autologous blood transfusion at his home, and obtained his medical records while Riccò was in hospital recovering. His team also released a statement that day, calling the reports "a rumour", but started their own investigation into the matter, and if found to have doped, Riccò would be sacked as a violation of UCI anti-doping rules.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Away from competition, Dismissal of Riccardo Riccò
Personalities within the cycling world condemned Riccò for returning to doping, having already served a 20-month ban for the banned blood booster CERA in 2008. After conducting their investigation, the team announced that they had suspended Riccò on February 11, also indicating that they had sent a letter of their decision to Riccò.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Away from competition, Dismissal of Riccardo Riccò
Following this scandal, as well as the continued allegations over teammate Mosquera in 2010, the UCI had planned to look at the credibility of having the team at the highest echelon of the sport – as a ProTeam – with Riccò's points making up a proportion of the team's allocation in regards to a ProTeam licence. Riccò was sacked by the team on February 19, on the basis of their "zero-tolerance policy" on doping. The team later announced a more stringent policy on how they deal with doping. Having previously given Leukemans a second chance after a positive test for artificial testosterone, team manager Daan Luijkx stated that the team would not give riders a second chance to prove their capabilities after Riccò's situation.


2011 Vacansoleil–DCM season, Away from competition, Dismissal of Riccardo Riccò
Riccò announced his intention to never race again in March, but signed with Continental team Meridiana-Kamen in June in the hope of competing in the Tour de Serbie. This did not transpire, as he was suspended by the Italian National Olympic Committee prior to the race, in relation to the February blood transfusion. He eventually received a twelve-year ban from the Italian National Anti- Doping Tribunal in April 2012.


2011 Vale of White Horse District Council election
Elections to the Vale of White Horse District Council were held on 6 May 2011. The entire council was up for election and resulted in the Liberal Democrats losing control of the council to the Conservatives, who regained control for the first time since 1995.


2011 Valencia City Council election
The 2011 Valencia City Council election, also the 2011 Valencia municipal election, was held on Sunday, 22 May 2011, to elect the 9th City Council of the municipality of Valencia. All 33 seats in the City Council were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2011 Valencia City Council election
The election saw the ruling People's Party (PP) obtaining a new absolute majority, which allowed incumbent Mayor Rita Barberá to be re-elected for a sixth consecutive term in office. On the other hand, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) saw a sharp decline in support, suffering from the nationwide backlash against José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero-led Government of Spain amid a harsh financial crisis at the time and scoring its worst historical result in a municipal election up to that point.


2011 Valencia City Council election
Also entering the City Council were the Compromís coalition (English: Commitment), formed by the Valencian Nationalist Bloc (Bloc), Initiative of the Valencian People (IdPV) and The Greens–Ecologist Left of the Valencian Country (EV–EE), which emerged as the third political force in the city; and United Left of the Valencian Country (EUPV), the regional branch of United Left, which returned to the City Council after being left out in the previous election.


2011 Valencia City Council election, Electoral system
The City Council of Valencia (Valencian: Ajuntament de València, Spanish: Ayuntamiento de Valencia) was the top-tier administrative and governing body of the municipality of Valencia, composed of the mayor, the government council and the elected plenary assembly. Elections to the local councils in Spain were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years.


2011 Valencia City Council election, Electoral system
Voting for the local assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered and residing in the municipality of Valencia and in full enjoyment of their political rights, as well as resident non-national European citizens and those whose country of origin allowed Spanish nationals to vote in their own elections by virtue of a treaty. Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council. Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:


2011 Valencia City Council election, Electoral system
The mayor was indirectly elected by the plenary assembly. A legal clause required that mayoral candidates earned the vote of an absolute majority of councillors, or else the candidate of the most-voted party in the assembly was to be automatically appointed to the post. In the event of a tie, the appointee would be determined by lot.


2011 Valencia City Council election, Electoral system
The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they were seeking election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. For the case of Valencia, as its population was between 300,001 and 1,000,000, at least 5,000 signatures were required.


2011 Valencia City Council election, Parties and leaders
Below is a list of the main parties and coalitions which contested the election:


2011 Valencia City Council 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. 17 seats were required for an absolute majority in the City Council of Valencia.


2011 Valencia Open 500
The 2011 Valencia Open 500 was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 17th edition of the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, and was part of the 500 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour. It was held at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències in Valencia, Spain, from October 31 through November 6, 2011.


2011 Valencia Open 500, Players, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2011 Valencia Open 500, Finals, Doubles
Bob Bryan /  Mike Bryan defeated  Eric Butorac /  Jean-Julien Rojer, 6–4, 7–6(11–9)


2011 Valencia Open 500 – Doubles
Andy Murray and Jamie Murray were the defending champions but decided to participate at Basel instead. The brothers Bob and Mike Bryan became the new champions, defeating Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer in the final.


2011 Valencia Open 500 – Singles
David Ferrer was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Juan Mónaco.


2011 Valencia Open 500 – Singles
Marcel Granollers won the title, defeating Juan Mónaco 6–2, 4–6, 7–6(7–3) in the final.


2011 Valencia Street GP2 Series round
The 2011 Valencian GP2 Round was the fourth round of the 2011 GP2 Series season. It was held on June 24–26, 2011 at Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia, Spain, supporting the 2011 European Grand Prix.


2011 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2011 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix was the last round of the 2011 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 4–6 November 2011 at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo. It was the first race after the death of Marco Simoncelli in Sepang. It was the final race for the current formula in the premier (MotoGP) and lightweight classes (now known as Moto3). In the premier class, the 800cc engines would be replaced by 1000cc engines.


2011 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix
Honda also would change motorcycles at the end of the season, as the Honda RC212V that débuted at the 2007 Qatar Grand Prix would be replaced by the RC213V for the following season. In the lightweight class, the 125cc two-stroke motorcycle formula would be replaced by 250cc four-strokes for 2012. This was also the final race for Suzuki as a factory team until their return in 2015.


2011 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix
On Saturday, Stefan Bradl officially became Moto2 World Champion after his only rival, Marc Márquez, could not go on the track during the free practices and the qualifying session, because of injuries sustained in Malaysia.


2011 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP classification
Colin Edwards had an injured shoulder and was replaced by 2011 AMA Pro Superbike champion Josh Hayes on the Yamaha Tech 3 and Jorge Lorenzo was replaced for the second time by test-rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga. Loris Capirossi has now retired from motorcycle racing following the race.


2011 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP classification
Although Gresini Racing originally pulled out of the Valencia race after Simoncelli's fatal accident, it was later decided that the team would race. As tribute to Marco Simoncelli, Loris Capirossi, in his final MotoGP race, participated wearing Simoncelli's racing number 58 instead of his usual racing number 65, although on the official reports he was still listed as #65. All riders from MotoGP, Moto2 and the 125cc races participated in a parade lap on Sunday morning after the warm-up session with 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz riding Simoncelli's bike. Valentino Rossi wore a tribute helmet.


2011 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP classification
The finish was one of the tightest in MotoGP history as already crowned World Champion Casey Stoner came from a long way back on acceleration to leapfrog Ben Spies at the line by just 0.015 seconds.


2011 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (MotoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round eighteen has concluded.


2011 Valencian regional election
The 2011 Valencian regional election was held on Sunday, 22 May 2011, to elect the 8th Corts of the Valencian Community. All 99 seats in the Corts were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2011 Valencian regional election
The election was won by the People's Party (PP), which increased its majority despite a drop in its vote share. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) continued its long term decline in the area and, in line with what happened in other regions, obtained one of its worst electoral results since the autonomous community's inception. On the other hand, the electoral alliance between United Left of the Valencian Country (EUPV) and the Valencian Nationalist Bloc (BNV) which stood in the 2007 election had dissolved, with both parties entering the legislature much at the expense of the declining PSOE.


2011 Valencian regional election
As a result of the election, Francisco Camps was elected President for a third term in office. However, he resigned just two months into his term in July 2011, being succeeded by Alberto Fabra, who would remain in the post for the remainder of the legislature.


2011 Valencian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The Corts Valencianes were the devolved, unicameral legislature of the Valencian autonomous community, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Valencian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Government. Voting for the Corts was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the Valencian Community and in full enjoyment of their political rights. Amendments to the electoral law in 2011 required for Valencians abroad to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote (Spanish: Voto rogado).


2011 Valencian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The 99 members of the Corts Valencianes were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 5 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia. Each constituency was entitled to an initial minimum of 20 seats, with the remaining 39 allocated among the constituencies in proportion to their populations on the condition that the seat to population ratio in any given province did not exceed three times that of any other.


2011 Valencian 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.


2011 Valencian regional election, Overview, Election date
After legal amendments in 2006 taking effect after the 2007 election, fixed-term mandates were abolished, instead allowing the term of the Corts Valencianes to expire after an early dissolution. The election Decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of parliament and published on the following day in the Official Journal of the Valencian Community, with election day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication. The previous election was held on 27 May 2007, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 27 May 2011. The election Decree was required to be published no later than 3 May 2011, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Corts on Sunday, 26 June 2011.


2011 Valencian regional election, Overview, Election date
The President of the Government had the prerogative to dissolve the Corts Valencianes and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Corts were to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.


2011 Valencian 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. 50 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Corts Valencianes.


2011 Valle d'Aosta Open
The 2011 Valle d'Aosta Open was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Courmayeur, Italy between 31 January – 6 February 2011.


2011 Valle d'Aosta Open, ATP entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2011 Valle d'Aosta Open, ATP entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received special entrants into the singles main draw:


2011 Valle d'Aosta Open, ATP entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received entry as a Lucky Loser into the singles main draw:


2011 Valle d'Aosta Open, Champions, Doubles
Marc Gicquel /  Nicolas Mahut def. Olivier Charroin /  Alexandre Renard, 6–3, 6–4


2011 Valle d'Aosta Open – Doubles
Marc Gicquel and Nicolas Mahut won the title, by defeating their compatriots Olivier Charroin and Alexandre Renard 6–3, 6–4 in the final.


2011 Valle d'Aosta Open – Singles
Nicolas Mahut won the title, defeating Gilles Müller 7–6(7–4), 6–4 in the final.


2011 Valparaiso Crusaders football team
The 2011 Valparaiso Crusaders football team represented Valparaiso University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Crusaders were by second-year head coach Dale Carlson and played their home games at Brown Field. They are a member of the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 1–10, 1–7 in PFL play to finish in last place


2011 Van earthquakes
The 2011 Van earthquakes occurred in eastern Turkey near the city of Van. The first earthquake happened on 23 October at 13:41 local time. The shock had a Mww magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). It occurred at a shallow depth, causing heavy shaking across much of eastern Turkey and lighter tremors across neighboring parts of the South Caucasus and Levant. According to Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency on 30 October, the earthquake killed 604 and injured 4,152. At least 11,232 buildings sustained damage in the region, 6,017 of which were found to be uninhabitable.


2011 Van earthquakes
The uninhabitable homes left as much as 8,321 households with an average household population of around 7.6 homeless in the province; this could mean that at least around 60,000 people were left homeless. The other 5,215 have been damaged but are habitable. A separate earthquake within the same earthquake system happened on 9 November at 21:23 local time (19:23 UTC). 40 people were killed and 260 people were injured in the 9 November earthquake.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake
The magnitude 7.2 (Mww) Eastern Highlands earthquake occurred inland on 23 October 2011 at 13:41 local time (EEST), centered about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north-northeast of Van, Turkey and at an estimated focal depth of 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi). Its focal region and much of easternmost Turkey lie towards the southern boundary of the complex zone of continental collision between the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, beyond the eastern extent of the Armenian and Asia Minor fault zones. Part of the convergence between these two plates takes place along the Bitlis-Zagros fold and thrust belt. The earthquakes's focal mechanism indicates oblique thrust faulting, consistent with the expected tectonics in the region of the Bitlis-Zagros Fault Zone, where thrust mechanisms dominate.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake
The size of the rupture has been estimated as 60 km x 20 km, consistent with the observed distribution of aftershocks, on a WSW-ENE orientated fault plane with a dip of about 35°. An offset of about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) has been estimated at 10–15 kilometres (9.3 mi) depth but there is no visible rupture of the ground surface. The rupture lasted for about 50 seconds.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, Intensity
Due to its great intensity and shallow depth, the earthquake produced significant ground motions across a large area. Violent shaking measuring MM VIII on the Mercalli scale occurred in Van, although widespread strong to severe (MM VI–VIII) shaking was observed in many smaller and less populated areas around the epicenter. Lighter but well-felt ground motions (MM V–III) spread much farther across the region, extending into surrounding countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel and Syria.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, Aftershocks
There have been 1,561 aftershocks above magnitude 2.0 as of 30 October. The highest magnitude aftershock came at 11:45 pm Local on 23 October, with a MI 5.7 and Mw  6.0. The number of aftershocks reported in ranges as follows:556 ranging from magnitude 2 to 3;832 ranging from magnitude 3 to 4;108 ranging from magnitude 4 to 5; and7 ranging from magnitude 5 to 6. In the first five months there were 9,367 aftershocks with magnitudes in the range 1.5 to 5.8.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, Impact
The earthquakes affected much of eastern Turkey, demolishing hundreds of buildings and burying numerous victims under the rubble. Erciş, a town near Van, was hardest hit by the violent shaking; at least 55 destroyed buildings, 45 fatalities, and 156 injuries occurred in the town alone. Most of the buildings collapsed along the town's main road and were residential, raising the possibility of a higher death toll. In smaller villages near the epicenter, the shaking demolished almost all the brick houses.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, Impact
In Van city center, at least 100 people were confirmed dead, and 970 buildings collapsed in and around the city. About 200 inmates escaped after the walls of a prison succumbed to the shaking, although 50 were quickly recaptured. The Van Ferit Melen Airport was damaged, but contradictory reports were given: According to NTV, airplanes were diverted to the neighboring cities, while according to the Anatolia News Agency, the earthquake did not disrupt the air traffic. The natural gas, water, power, and communication systems in Van were all reported affected and in function again within 24 hours after the earthquake.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, Impact
Twenty-four hours following the main shock the death toll stood at 264 but estimates were ranged up to a thousand. As of 25 October, rescue and aid efforts are still ongoing, as many as 40,000 people are believed to be homeless due to the considerable number of collapsed or damaged buildings. Multiple news reports on 27 October suggest up to 2300 are injured with many still caught under rubble but this figure increased to over 4100 by 30 October. Latest figures suggest that casualties exceeds 604 and an estimated 2200 buildings are damaged or destroyed in the affected areas. The death toll was caused primarily from building collapse in urban areas.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, National response
As of 23 October, The Turkish government had responded the disaster with 1,275 personnel, 174 vehicles, 290 health officials, 43 ambulances, and 6 air ambulances. Local people also joined the rescue action, some using their bare hands. Survivors and opposition politicians have criticized the crisis management of the government.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, National response
On 27 October Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency announced that 13 million TL (around $7 million US) has been sent so far in terms of emergency relief efforts. Another 8.6 million TL (just under $5 million US) has been donated via charity so far. There are now a total of 3,826 search and rescue officers, 904 medical personnel, 18 search dogs, 651 construction equipment and vehicles, including 146 ambulances, 7 rescue choppers (air ambulances), 46 generators, 77 projectors, 95 portable toilets, 37 mobile kitchens, 3,051 kitchen sets, 6,359 catalytic stoves and a mobile oven in the disaster area.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, National response
25,185 tents sent by Turkish Red Crescent Society were distributed. 10 collective shelter tents, 60 prefabricated houses, 90 Mevlana Transitional Houses(translation needed) houses have also been erected. 109,986 blankets, 1,150 quilts and 5,109 sleeping bags have also been distributed. 3 meals a day are being provided with distribution of hot meals food etc. Also 30 field tents have been set up for public services and psychosocial trauma support.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, National response
As of 27 October, in some sites, rescue work had been stopped where attention was turning to the needs of the survivors, however, there were still survivors found and saved from the rubble on the same day and thereafter. The government had announced that tents will be delivered to those whose homes were deemed unsafe rather than whoever lined up asking for one.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, National response
According to Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency as of 30 October, 12:00 UTC there were 4,440 search and rescue personnel, 1,710 medical personnel, 18 search dogs, 651 construction equipment and vehicles including 146 ambulances, 143 generators, 77 projectors, 95 portable toilets, 42,711 tents (including 8,166 from overseas aid), 54 collective shelter tent, 69 general purpose tents, 65 prefabricated houses, 2,300 Mevlana houses, 160,360 blankets, 1,179 quilts, 37 mobile kitchens, 3,051 kitchen sets, 6,899 catalytic stoves, 5,792 sleeping bags, and 1 mobile kitchen were present.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, International response
The European Union and NATO expressed their condolences and NATO offered help. The President of the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Derviş Eroğlu also sent condolences. United States President Barack Obama said: "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Turkish ally in this difficult time and are ready to assist the Turkish authorities."


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, International response
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kosovo, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States also offered Turkey aid after the earthquake. People in over 200 cities taking part in Thrill the World 2011 also pledged all proceeds from their efforts.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, International response
Turkish President Abdullah Gül, said that Turkish teams were capable of handling the disaster management. Thus, as of 23 October, Turkey stated that it had acknowledged but declined all the aid proposals with the exception of neighbouring Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Iran, with aid and rescue workers arriving at the affected area shortly after the quake struck without notifying Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Azerbaijan sent 145 rescuers at night on 23 October, another two rescue teams were sent to Turkey afterwards, bringing the total number to 213 rescue personnel. The Azerbaijani teams rescued 12 people, pulled 60 bodies from the rubbles. The Iranian Red Crescent set up relief camps to accommodate people made homeless by the quake. Several injured were transferred for treatment to the Iranian border city of Khoy. However, on 25 October, Turkey announced that they would accept aid from other countries also.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, International response
The Turkish government is looking for tents, prefabricated houses, and living containers. The United Nations was sending thousands of tents as well as blankets and mattresses from 28 October on.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, International response
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that Erzurum would be a hub for international assistance sent by plane, and Van had been asked to establish a centre for assistance coming overland.


2011 Van earthquakes, 23 October earthquake, International response
As of 27 October, aid from other countries are as follows: Azerbaijan sent search and rescue team of 145 people, 1,250 tents, 700 beds, 40 generators, 5,000 blankets, 40 pieces of kitchen equipment. 490 tents by France, 200 tents by Italy, 284 tents by Russia, 60 tents, 300 blankets, 300 beds, and 60 stoves by Kazakhstan, 4 general purpose tents by Ukraine, 7 prefabricated houses by Israel and tents for 2000 by Belgium sent. Also Armenian government sent 40 tons of cargo to Turkey, including tents, sleeping bags, blankets and bedding. On 31 October Bulgaria provided 100 tents for winter conditions and will provide 50 more tents, 1,000 blankets and 300 mats.