2012 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Qualification
The term "Junior" in ISU competition refers to age, not skill level. Skaters may remain age-eligible for Junior Worlds even after competing nationally and internationally at the senior level. At junior events, the ISU requires that all programs conform to junior-specific rules regarding program length, jumping passes, types of elements, etc.


2012 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Qualification, Number of entries per discipline
Based on the results of the 2011 World Junior Championships, the ISU allowed each country one to three entries per discipline. Countries which qualified more than one entry in a discipline:


2012 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Entries
Member nations submitted the following entries: Elizaveta Tuktamysheva withdrew and was replaced by Polina Shelepen.


2012 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Entries
Some skaters were required to compete in a preliminary round, while others received a direct entry into the short program, after which the number of entries could be reduced further. If a country had a non-direct entry, its lowest-ranked skater according to the Worlds Standings competed in the preliminary round.


2012 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Results, Ladies
Despite finishing out of the top 12, Belarus' Kristina Zakharanka qualified for the short program as she was the representative of the host country.


2012 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Results, Ice dancing
All medalists were at their first World Junior Championships. In the free dance, Yanovskaia / Mozgov's music was stopped by the referee when Mozgov's bootstrap came loose.


2012 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Medals summary, By country
Table of small medals for placement in the short segment:


2012 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Medals summary, By country
Table of small medals for placement in the free segment:


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2012 IIHF U20 World Championship (commonly known as the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) was the 36th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It was hosted in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It began on December 26, 2011, and ended with the gold medal game played in Calgary on January 5, 2012. Sweden defeated defending-champion Russia 1–0 in overtime to win their first title in 31 years. Russian forward Evgeny Kuznetsov was named MVP of the tournament. Denmark was relegated to Division I and Germany was promoted to the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
Canada missed the final for the first time in 11 years when they lost 6–5 against Russia in a semifinal in which Canada were down 6–1 halfway through the third period. However, the Canadians extended their consecutive medal streak at the tournament to 14 (5 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze) with a 4–0 victory over Finland in the bronze medal game. The fourth-place finish for Finland was their best result in the tournament since 2006. The United States ended up in the relegation round for the first time since 1999.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Host city selection
On February 1, 2008, Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League announced that six groups had submitted letters of intent to bid to host the 2012 tournament:  Calgary/Edmonton; Halifax, Nova Scotia; London/Windsor, Ontario; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Toronto; and Winnipeg. The London/Windsor, Halifax and Winnipeg bids withdrew before the application deadline, leaving three groups. Saskatoon was selected to host the 2010 tournament with Regina, Saskatchewan, leaving only the Calgary/Edmonton and Toronto bids for this tournament.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Host city selection
The Alberta bid, supported by the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers as well as the Western Hockey League's Calgary Hitmen and Edmonton Oil Kings, was selected to host the tournament on August 28, 2008. It will be the second time the tournament has been hosted in the province; Red Deer served as the primary host of the 1995 World Junior Championship, while some tournament games were played in both Calgary and Edmonton.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Attendance
As part of their bid, the two cities projected that they would generate a tournament record attendance in excess of 475,000 fans and provide an economic benefit of $42 million to the province of Alberta. Following a reserved offering of 10- and 21-game ticket packs for Edmonton and Calgary games respectively to season ticket holders of the Oilers, Oil Kings, Flames and Hitmen, the tournament committee held a lottery to award the right to purchase the remaining seats. While the entry deadline was supposed to coincide with the conclusion of the 2011 tournament, organizers were flooded with so many entries that their website servers crashed. Organizers were overwhelmed by the response; over 187,000 entries were received for the draw.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Attendance
Calling the demand unprecedented, Hockey Canada announced that the 17,000 ticket packages made available to lottery winners had sold out in a matter of days, a year in advance of the tournament. While organizers were pleased with the result, the way the lottery was handled has angered fans who won the right to purchase tickets but were unable to do so as no tickets were left when their turn to buy arrived.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Attendance
Ultimately, a new attendance record was set, but not by the margin initially anticipated. The total of 455,342 fans was 2,060 fans more than the previous record of 453,282 from 2009. Though many more tickets were sold as part of tournament packages, the IIHF only counts actual paid spectators in attendance in its figures.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Top division
Each round was a round-robin tournament, where the teams played each other once within their group. The Preliminary Round was divided into two groups: Group A and Group B, which included five teams each. From each group, the top three teams qualified for the playoffs; the 1st-ranked teams earned a direct trip to the Semifinals, while the 2nd and 3rd-ranked teams qualified for the Quarterfinals. The 4th and 5th-ranked teams had to play in the Relegation Round, where the three best teams qualified for the Top Division tournament in 2013, with the last-placed team being relegated to the 2013 Division I tournament. In the Semifinals, the directly-qualified Semifinalists faced the winners from the Quarterfinals.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Top division, Preliminary round, Group A
All round robin games held in Calgary, Alberta, at the Scotiabank Saddledome.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Top division, Preliminary round, Group B
All round robin games held in Edmonton, Alberta, at Rexall Place.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Top division, Relegation round
The results from matches between teams from the same group in the preliminary round were carried forward to this round.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Top division, Statistics, Scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Top division, Statistics, Goaltending leaders
TOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Top division, Gold medal celebration
Sweden's gold medal win was their first since 1981, as well as their second gold medal in total. The gold medal was celebrated on January 7, 2012, in front of over 6,000 fans at Kungsträdgården in Stockholm.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Division I, Division I A
The Division I A tournament was played in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, from 11 to 17 December 2011.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Division I, Division I B
The Division I B tournament was played in Tychy, Poland, from 12 to 18 December 2011.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Division II, Division II A
The Division II A tournament was played in Donetsk, Ukraine, from 12 to 18 December 2011.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Division II, Division II B
The Division II B tournament was played in Tallinn, Estonia, from 10 to 16 December 2011.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Division III
The Division III tournament was played in Dunedin, New Zealand, from 16 to 22 January 2012. Although originally scheduled to participate, North Korea withdrew from the tournament for unspecified reasons.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division I
The 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Division I was played in two groups of six teams each. In each group the first-placed team is promoted to a higher level, while the last-placed team is relegated to a lower level. This year, for the first time, the winner of Group B is promoted to Group A and the winner of Group A is promoted to the next year's top division. Previously the winners of both groups were promoted to the top division.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division I, Division I A
The Division I A tournament was played in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, from 11 to 17 December 2011.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division I, Division I B
The Division I B tournament was played in Tychy, Poland, from 12 to 18 December 2011.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division II
The 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Division II was played in two groups of six teams each. In each group the first-placed team is promoted to a higher level, while the last-placed team is relegated to a lower level. This year, for the first time, the winner of Group B is promoted to Group A and the winner of Group A is promoted to the next year's Division I. Previously the winners of both groups were promoted to the Division I.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division II, Division II A
The Division II A tournament was played in Donetsk, Ukraine, from 12 to 18 December 2011.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division II, Division II B
The Division II B tournament was played in Tallinn, Estonia, from 10 to 16 December 2011.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division III
The 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Division III tournament was played in Dunedin, New Zealand, between 17 and 22 January 2012. This year, only the first-placed team advanced to Division II B for 2013, previously, the top two teams gained promotion to Division II. Although originally scheduled to participate, North Korea withdrew from the tournament for unspecified reasons. Iceland won the tournament and was promoted to Division II B for the 2013 World Juniors.


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division III, Results
All times are local. (New Zealand Daylight Time – UTC+13)


2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division III, Awards, IIHF Best Player Awards
The following players were selected as the best at their position by the IIHF directorate:


2012 World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The 2012 World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between 24 and 26 February in Melbourne, Australia at the Medibank Icehouse. This is the first time which the Championship was held during the summer and in the Southern Hemisphere. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also run world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating.


2012 World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships, Participating nations
Athletes from 28 countries participated in these championships, which is a decrease of five nations from the last year's competition. Malaysia and Singapore made their debut appearance.


2012 World Junior Speed Skating Championships
The 2012 World Junior Speed Skating Championships was held in Obihiro, Japan, from 2–4 March 2012.


2012 World Junior Speed Skating Championships
Russian skater Pavel Kulizhnikov originally won the gold medal in the 1000 meter race and the bronze medal in the 500 meter race, but was later disqualified from the tournament (along with the Russian boys team pursuit) and suspended for a doping violation.


2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championships
The Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championships were held in Hyderabad, India, from 9 to 16 December 2012. It was organised by the  Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) under the auspices and authority of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).


2012 World Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom Championships
The 2012 ICF World Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom Championships took place in Wausau, Wisconsin, United States from 11 to 15 July 2012 under the auspices of the International Canoe Federation (ICF). It was the 14th edition of the competition for Juniors (U18) and the inaugural edition for the Under 23 category.


2012 World Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom Championships
No medals were awarded for the men's junior C2 team event and the women's junior C1 team event due to low number of participating nations.


2012 World Karate Championships
The 2012 World Karate Championships are the 21st edition of the World Karate Championships, and were held in Paris, France from November 21 to November 25, 2012.


2012 World Ladies Snooker Championship
The 2012 Women's World Snooker Championship was a women's snooker tournament that took place at the Cambridge Snooker Centre in April 2012. The event was the 2012 edition of the World Women's Snooker Championship first held in 1976. It was won by England's Reanne Evans, who defeated Maria Catalano 5–3 in the final to win her eighth consecutive world title. Catalano won the first frame of the final on the blue, and at the interval, the players were level at 2–2. Evans took the fifth frame with a break of 50 and then won the sixth to lead 4–2. Catalano made a 48 break in reducing her deficit to 3–4, but then Evans, who had recently started playing again aftee three months suffering from pleurisy, took the last frame and the title. Evans received £400 prize money as champion.


2012 World Ladies Snooker Championship
Twenty-four players competed in four Round Robin groups to determine the sixteen players for the knockout stages. Emma Bonney was the only player to win all fifteen frames in her group matches. The highest break of the tournament was a 116 compiled by Catalano in the first frame of her semi-final match.


2012 World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge
The 2012 World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge was the 9th edition of the global Mountain running competition, World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships, organised by the World Mountain Running Association.


2012 World Masters (darts)
The 2012 Winmau World Masters was a major televised tournament on the BDO/WDF calendar for 2012. It took place from 11 to 14 October, with 11 October play at the Costello Stadium for the untelevised matches, and 12–14 October play at the Hull City Hall, which hosted the televised element of the event for the second time, taking over from the nearby Hull Arena who hosted for one year in 2011


2012 World Masters (darts)
Scott Waites and Lisa Ashton both attempted to defend their titles they won for the first time last year, however Stephen Bunting and Julie Gore took the main titles after Waites and Ashton lost their opening matches. This tournament was known for being Phill Nixon's last major tournament. Nixon died on 9 August 2013 from cancer.


2012 World Masters (darts), Seeds
These were finalised on completion of the 2012 British Open on 31 August – 2 September. In a change to previous years, there are 32 seeds (an increase from 8 between 2007 and 2011) with the Top 16 exempt until the Last 32 stage, rather than 8 seeds being exempt until the last 16 stage.


2012 World Masters (darts), Seeds
These were finalised on completion of the 2012 British Open on 31 August – 2 September. The ladies seeds enter at the start of the competition however can not play each other until the quarter final stage.


2012 World Masters (darts), Seeds
The defending champion Lisa Ashton was unseeded due to her relative inactivity on the Tour


2012 World Masters (darts), Seeds
There are no seedings in the boys or girls events.


2012 World Masters (darts), Men's Draw
Last 32 onwards. All the below matches were played on stage, with a number televised.


2012 World Masters (darts), Ladies Draw
Last 8 onwards. The Semi Finals and Final were played on stage, with the Final televised.


2012 World Masters (darts), Boys Draw
Last 8 onwards. The final was played on stage however this was not televised.


2012 World Masters (darts), Girls Draw
Last 8 onwards. The final was played on stage however this was not televised.


2012 World Masters (darts), Television coverage
The tournament was shown in the UK by sports subscription channel ESPN for the second year. ESPN broadcast the last three days of the tournament, and televised the Last 8 of the Men's stage matches, the majority of the Last 32 and Last 16 of the Men's stage matches, and the Final of the Ladies event.


2012 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships
The fifth World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Jyvaskyla, Finland, from April 3-8, 2012. The World Masters Athletics Championships serve the division of the sport of athletics for people over 35 years of age, referred to as masters athletics.


2012 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships
A full range of indoor track and field events were held.


2012 World Matchplay
The 2012 Betfair World Matchplay was the 19th annual staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place from 21–29 July 2012 at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool.


2012 World Matchplay
Phil Taylor was the defending champion, and retained his title for the fifth successive time and thirteenth in total with an 18–15 win over James Wade in the final.


2012 World Matchplay
Two nine-dart finishes were made during the tournament. Michael van Gerwen recorded the first during his second round victory over Steve Beaton. Wes Newton repeated the feat a day later, during his second round loss against Justin Pipe.


2012 World Matchplay, Prize money
For the fourth consecutive World Matchplay, the prize fund was £400,000.


2012 World Matchplay, Qualification
The top 16 in the PDC Order of Merit qualified as seeded players. The other 16 places went to the top 16 non-qualified players from the PDC ProTour Order of Merit who are unseeded players.


2012 World Men's Curling Championship
The 2012 World Men's Curling Championship was held from March 31 to April 8, 2012 at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland. The 2012 World Men's Championship was one of the curling events that is a qualifier for the curling tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics.


2012 World Men's Curling Championship
In the final, Canada's Glenn Howard defeated Scotland's Tom Brewster after making a draw to score the winning point, wrapping up the game with a score of 8–7. Canada won its third consecutive gold medal and thirty-fourth overall gold medal. Howard won his fourth gold medal and his second gold medal as skip, while Brewster won his second consecutive silver medal.


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Glenn Howard Third: Wayne Middaugh Second: Brent Laing Lead: Craig Savill Alternate: Scott Howard


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Liu RuiThird: Xu XiaomingSecond: Ba DexinLead: Zang JialiangAlternate: Chen Lu'an


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Jiří SnítilThird: Martin SnítilSecond: Jindřich KitzbergerLead: Marek VydraAlternate: Samuel Mokris


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Rasmus StjerneThird: Johnny FrederiksenSecond: Mikkel PoulsenLead: Troels HarryAlternate: Lars Vilandt


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Fourth: Tony AngiboustSkip: Thomas DufourSecond: Lionel RouxLead: Wilfrid CoulotAlternate: Jérémy Frarier


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Fourth: Felix SchulzeSkip: John JahrSecond: Peter RickmersLead: Sven GoldemannAlternate: Christoph Daase


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Thomas UlsrudThird: Torger NergårdSecond: Thomas Løvold***Lead: Håvard Vad PeterssonAlternate: Christoffer Svae


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Peter de BoerThird: Sean BeckerSecond: Scott BeckerLead: Kenny ThomsonAlternate: Phil Dowling


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Tom BrewsterThird: Greg DrummondSecond: Scott AndrewsLead: Michael GoodfellowAlternate: David Edwards


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Sebastian Kraupp*Third: Fredrik LindbergSecond: Oskar ErikssonLead: Viktor KjällAlternate: Niklas Edin


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Fourth: Benoît Schwarz**Skip: Jan HauserSecond: Marco RamsteinLead: Toni MüllerAlternate: Jürg Bamert


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Heath McCormickThird: Bill StoperaSecond: Martin SatherLead: Dean GemmellAlternate: Craig Brown


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Teams
*Kraupp, Edin's third, filled in as skip for Edin, who is experiencing back pain from sciatica. Edin was not scheduled to be out for the whole tournament, and was able to return to skip three games. * *Schwarz, the Swiss alternate, replaced Müller at the fourth position for six games. Müller played at lead, while Bamert sat out as the alternate. * **Løvold, the Norwegian alternate, replaced Svae at the second position for six games in the round robin, while Svae sat out as the alternate. Løvold also played as second in the playoffs.


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Round robin results
All times are listed in Central European Summer Time (UTC+2).


2012 World Men's Curling Championship, Player percentages
The top five player percentages of the round robin are as follows:


2012 World Mind Sports Games
The 2012 World Mind Sports Games were held in Lille, France, from 9 to 23 August 2012. The meet started during the 2012 Summer Olympics and ending shortly before the 2012 Summer Paralympics, both in London. This was the second rendition of the World Mind Sports Games, inaugurated 2008 in Beijing.


2012 World Mind Sports Games
More than half of the gold medals at the 2nd Games were contested at draughts and Russia, with the strongest draughts squad, won the most gold and most overall medals. China won five gold medals—all five events contested at xiangqi. Chinese Taipei won four gold medals—four of the five events contested at go.


2012 World Mind Sports Games
There were about 2000 players from 95 nations—down from 2,763 competitors and 143 countries at the 1st Games.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Bridge
There were only three WMSG medal events at contract bridge in the 2012 Games, down from nine for the 2008 World Mind Sports Games. One other World Bridge Federation (WBF) event with world championship status was contested on site, the World Mixed Teams Championship for transnational mixed teams, which field male–female pairs only. The main events were parallel tournaments for open, women, and seniors national teams, 4 to 6 players, some with a non-playing captain and/or a coach (that is, the events of the quadrennial World Team Olympiad, 1960 to 2004, retrospectively termed the 1st to 12th World Bridge Games). They were conducted over the full 14 days of competition; the mixed teams over the latter 7 days, alongside the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final matches of the main events.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Bridge
Seven WMSG medal events from 2008 were not repeated as part of the "2nd World Mind Games, 14th World Bridge Games" (as WBF called the meet). Open, women, and youth individual events and under-28 teams were not repeated anywhere. Youth pairs, under-26 teams, and under-21 teams were contested at separate all-Youth meets—along with u-26 Girls Teams, which was not part of the 1st Games.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Bridge
The world championship for national seniors teams (World Team Olympiad#Senior International Cup), which had been a WMSG non-medal event alongside the open and women flights in 2008, was now a WMSG medal event. Beside the mixed teams world championship, there were lesser side events.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Bridge
Only 60 and 43 nations entered the open and women flights, down from 71 and 54 at the 2008 Games. The seniors field, now a WMSG medal event as well as WBF world championship, increased from 32 to 34 entries.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Bridge
The six gold and bronze medalists all won their concluding matches comfortably, in the end (scores no closer than 170–118 in 80 deals, the Women bronze medal match).


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Bridge
The European Bridge League, with about half of all entries, placed 7 teams in both the Open and Women quarterfinals, all 4 teams in those medal rounds; 6 quarterfinalists and 3 semifinalists in the Seniors flight. The other quarterfinalists were USA in the Open and Seniors, Indonesia in the Women and Seniors.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Bridge
65 bridge nations were represented by at least one Open, Women, or Seniors team; 30 entered all three flights. The Open field of 60 included 30 from the European Bridge League . There were 43 in the women field including four that did not enter the Open: Lebanon, Palestine, Indonesia (a championship contender), and the Philippines. There were 34 in the seniors including one that did not enter either of the other flights: Hungary, which won the seniors championship.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Chess
There were no WMSG medal events in chess at the 2nd Games.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Chess
One website devoted to chess treated the inaugural SportAccord World Mind Games, December 2011 in Beijing, as the second rendition of the World Mind Sports Games, inaugurated October 2008 in Beijing.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Chess
There were "Rapid" tournaments, 25-minute or 5-minute, on the first Saturday, second Friday, and second Sunday at least.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Chess
On first Sunday afternoon, the third day of the competitive program, International Grand Master Tigran Gharamian played simultaneous matches at 30 tables, against a field including many children as young as age six. (The chess program at the 2nd Games was largely instructional.) There was a second simultaneous display featuring Gharamian on the second Saturday morning. Gharamian was a local player, a 28-year-old Armenian who had emigrated to Lille ten years earlier. Gharamian defeated all 30 players in the first session and 20 of 22 in the second session.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Chess
There was at least one "Youth Tournament" and one Blitz tournament.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Draughts
The 2nd Games included 16 WMSG medal events in draughts. Squads from Netherlands, Russia, and Ukraine won at least three gold medals. Individual medalists included Alexei Chizhov, Roel Boomstra, Nina Hoekman, and Alexander Schwarzman.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Draughts
The World Draughts Federation (FMJD) officially announced the roster of 16 events and the conditions ("without any support for hospitality and travel") only five months in advance. The two checkers events, for men and women, were the world championship qualification tournaments and were supported by prizes including 1000 euro for first place.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Draughts
The main event of the draughts program covering the first nine days was the Draughts World Cup, a 9-round Swiss-system tournament in which every match yields a winner by 12–0, 9–3, 8–4, or 7–5 score, depending on whether 0, 1, 2, or 3 tie-breaks generate the winner. The final standings show 82 open players, 39 women.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Go
Five WMSG medal events were included in the 2nd Games. The Chinese Taipei squad won 11 of 15 medals, including four gold.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Go
South Korea and China had won 14 of the 18 medals in the six events contested at the 1st Games in Beijing; North Korea 1 medal. They did not compete in the 2nd Games. Nor did the only Chinese Taipei medalist in Beijing, the silver medal pair.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Go
Go events were held over eleven days, from 13 to 23 August (last 11 days of the 14-day Open Teams bridge tournament). The individual tournaments for men and women were contested between 13–16 August, the teams competition between 17–19 August, the youth and pair events between 20–23 August.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Go
The men, women, and pair events, at least, were repeats from 2008; the youth event new. The team event replaced open, men's team, and women's team events.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Go
78 men and 38 women played five rounds to qualify four semifinalists each. Both preliminary leaders won the gold medals.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Go
30 teams played five rounds in two groups to qualify two semifinalists from each group. There were 21 nations represented, nine in both groups, and both Chinese Taipei teams won their groups.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Go
20 mixed pairs (male–female) played five rounds in two groups to qualify two semifinalists from each group. There were 14 nations represented, six in both groups, and both Chinese Taipei teams won their groups. But the Group A runners-up beat the A winners in the gold medal match.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Go
43 youth played five rounds to qualify four semifinalists. Again the preliminary runner-up beat the prelim winner in the gold medal match.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Xiangqi
Five WMSG medal events were included in the 2nd Games. China won 13 of 15 medals.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Xiangqi
The World Xiangqi Federation (WXF) shows "News from Europe" that players from China squad won all six medals in the two Rapid events (women and men) completed 11 August.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Xiangqi
China also won all six medals in the two individual events, with only one change in personnel from the Rapid events. Its Individual Men gold and silver medalists won the Teams (two players) followed by Vietnam and Hong Kong.


2012 World Mind Sports Games, Xiangqi
There was one change from the five events contested in 2008, Rapid (Women) in place of Team (Women).


2012 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship
The 2012 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship was held at the Milli Piyango Curling Arena in Erzurum, Turkey from April 23 to 29. Erzurum previously hosted the 2011 Winter Universiade, during which the Milli Piyango Curling Arena was used for the curling competition. Among the previous hosts of the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships, Turkey is the nation with the least experience in curling; its curling federation joined the World Curling Federation in 2009. For the first time since 2009, the event was not held in conjunction with the same year's World Senior Championships.


2012 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship
Switzerland won its fourth title in five years, defeating Sweden in the final with a score of 7–6. Austria won its first medal at the World Mixed Doubles Championship with a 12–7 win in the bronze medal game over the United States, which had its best finish at the event.


2012 World Modern Pentathlon Championships
The 2012 World Modern Penthathlon Championship was held in Rome, Italy from May 7 to May 13, 2012. The event included pistol shooting, fencing, 200m swimming, show jumping and a 3 km run.


2012 World Monuments Watch
The World Monuments Watch is a flagship advocacy program of the New York-based private non-profit organization World Monuments Fund (WMF) that calls international attention to cultural heritage around the world that is threatened by neglect, vandalism, conflict, or disaster.


2012 World Monuments Watch, Selection process
Every two years, it publishes a select list known as the Watch List of Endangered Sites that are in urgent need of preservation funding and protection. The sites are nominated by governments, conservation professionals, site caretakers, non-government organizations (NGOs), concerned individuals, and others working in the field. An independent panel of international experts then select 100 candidates from these entries to be part of the Watch List, based on the significance of the sites, the urgency of the threat, and the viability of both advocacy and conservation solutions. For the succeeding two-year period until a new Watch List is published, these 100 sites can avail grants and funds from the WMF, as well as from other foundations, private donors, and corporations by capitalizing on the publicity and attention gained from the inclusion on the Watch List.


2012 World Monuments Watch, 2012 Watch List
The 2012 Watch List was published on 5 October 2011.


2012 World Monuments Watch, Statistics by country/territory
The following countries/territories have multiple sites entered on the 2012 Watch List, listed by the number of sites:


2012 World Mountain Running Championships
The 2012 World Mountain Running Championships were held on 2 September in Val Camonica in the Italian Alps. The course ran from Temù - Ponte di Legno to Tonale Pass. It was the 28th edition of the championships, organised by the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), and the seventh time that Italy had hosted the competition. The competition featured four races, with senior and junior (under-19) races for both men and women. A total of 343 runners from a record high of 40 nations finished the competition.


2012 World Mountain Running Championships
All the races for the 2012 edition of the championships were uphill. The men's course was 14.1 km long with an incline of 1150 m. The women's and junior men's course had a distance of 8.8 km with an ascent of 760 m. The junior women's race was 3.9 km in length with a climb of 310 m. Each of the races had an individual and team race element.


2012 World Mountain Running Championships
Eleven nations reached the medal table, with Turkey, Eritrea and Uganda each taking two gold medals. Turkey won the most medals overall (five) and the host nation Italy had the next most with three silvers and one bronze. Mamo Petro won the senior men's race and also headed Eritrea to the team title. The 2010 world champion Andrea Mayr took the women's senior race, which saw the United States claim the team gold. Michael Cherop of Uganda and Sevilay Eytemis of Turkey were the junior champions and also led their nations to their respective team titles.


2012 World Mountain Running Championships
The candidature of the region to host the event was accepted in September 2011. WMRA Council member Raimondo Balicco suggested the idea and Innocente Agostini, father of 1989 world junior champion Andrea Agostini, acted as organising director for the championships. The venue had previously hosted Italian national championships in mountain running. Franco Arese, the head of the Italian athletics federation (FIDAL), was in attendance. The competition was broadcast on television locally.


2012 World Mountain Running Championships
The 28th WMRA Congress was also held at the location of the championships. An open race for male and female members of the public held on the same day of the championships attracted 66 runners.


2012 World Open (snooker)
The 2012 Star Xing Pai Haikou World Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 27 February – 4 March 2012 at the Haikou Stadium in Haikou, China. It was the first time that the tournament was held outside the United Kingdom. It was televised on ITV4


2012 World Open (snooker)
Marco Fu made the 86th official maximum break during his round 4 qualifying match against Matthew Selt. This was Fu's second 147 break.


2012 World Open (snooker)
Neil Robertson was the defending champion, but lost 2–5 against Stephen Lee in the second round.


2012 World Open (snooker)
Mark Allen won his first ranking title by defeating Stephen Lee 10–1 in the final.


2012 World Open (snooker), Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2012 World Open (snooker), Wildcard round
These matches were played in Haikou on 27 February 2012.


2012 World Open (snooker), Qualifying
These matches were held between 11 and 14 January 2012 at the World Snooker Academy, Sheffield, England.


2012 World Orienteering Championships
The 29th World Orienteering Championships was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 14 to 21 July 2012.


2012 World Orienteering Championships, Participating countries
A total of 46 countries participated at this World Championships.


2012 World Orienteering Championships, Results, Sprint
The sprint finals were held on 14 July 2012 at Lausanne-Ouchy.


2012 World Orienteering Championships, Results, Middle distance
The middle distance finals were held on 17 July 2012 at St-Cergue / La Givrine.


2012 World Orienteering Championships, Results, Long distance
The long distance finals were held on 19 July 2012 at Chalet-à-Gobet.


2012 World Orienteering Championships, Results, Relay
The relay events were held on 21 July 2012 at Chalet-à-Gobet.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship
The 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship  was held at the Lockleys Bowling Club in Adelaide, Australia, from 24 November - 9 December 2012. Some of the qualifying Rounds were held at the nearby Holdfast Bowling Club in Glenelg North. Leif Selby won the men's singles Gold and the pairing of Alex Marshall and Paul Foster took the pairs Gold. Scotland also won the Triples but Australia struck Gold in the Fours and Leonard Trophy. In the women's events Australia were dominant winning the singles won by Karen Murphy, pairs, triples and Taylor Trophy. Only the Scotland team managed to stop a complete clean sweep after claiming the Fours.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Men's Fours
The 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship - Men's Fours  was held at the Lockleys Bowling Club in Adelaide, Australia. Some of the qualifying Rounds were held at the nearby Holdfast Bowling Club in Glenelg North.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Men's Fours
Mark Casey, Brett Wilkie, Wayne Ruediger and Aron Sherriff won the men's fours Gold.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Men's Fours, Results
+ Spain defaulted fixture against New Zealand due to illness and John Muldoon was a replacement


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Men's Pairs
The 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship - Men's Pairs  was held at the Lockleys Bowling Club in Adelaide, Australia. Some of the qualifying Rounds were held at the nearby Holdfast Bowling Club in Glenelg North.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Men's Pairs
Alex Marshall and Paul Foster won the men's pairs Gold.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Men's Singles
The 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship - Men's Singles  was held at the Lockleys Bowling Club in Adelaide, Australia. Some of the qualifying Rounds were held at the nearby Holdfast Bowling Club in Glenelg North.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Men's Triples
The 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship - Men's Triples  was held at the Lockleys Bowling Club in Adelaide, Australia. Some of the qualifying Rounds were held at the nearby Holdfast Bowling Club in Glenelg North.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Men's Triples
Graeme Archer, Darren Burnett and David Peacock won the men's triples Gold.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Women's Fours
The 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship - Women's Fours  was held at the Lockleys Bowling Club in Adelaide, Australia. Some of the qualifying Rounds were held at the nearby Holdfast Bowling Club in Glenelg North.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Women's Fours
Margaret Letham, Caroline Brown, Lynn Stein and Michelle Cooper won the women's fours Gold.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Women's Pairs
The 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship - Women's Pairs  was held at the Lockleys Bowling Club in Adelaide, Australia. Some of the qualifying Rounds were held at the nearby Holdfast Bowling Club in Glenelg North.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Women's Pairs
Rebecca Quail & Kelsey Cottrell won the women's pairs Gold.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Women's Singles
The 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship - Women's Singles  was held at the Lockleys Bowling Club in Adelaide, Australia. Some of the qualifying Rounds were held at the nearby Holdfast Bowling Club in Glenelg North.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Women's Triples
The 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship - Women's Triples  was held at the Lockleys Bowling Club in Adelaide, Australia. Some of the qualifying Rounds were held at the nearby Holdfast Bowling Club in Glenelg North.


2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Women's Triples
Karen Murphy, Lynsey Armitage and Natasha Van Eldik won the women's triples Gold.


2012 World Pool Masters
The 2012 World Pool Masters, also known as World Pool Masters XX, was a nine-ball pool tournament that took place in Kielce, Poland between 5–7 October 2012. It was the 20nd edition of the invitational tournament organised by Matchroom Sport. Poland's Karol Skowerski won the event, defeating Mateusz Śniegocki in the final 8–6.


2012 World Pool Masters
Defending champion Ralf Souquet lost his first round match to eventual runner-up Mateusz Śniegocki.


2012 World Ports Classic
The 2012 World Ports Classic is the inaugural edition of the two-day cycle race between the port cities of Rotterdam and Antwerp. It is scheduled to start on 31 August 2012 and finish one day later on 1 September 2012.


2012 World Rally Championship
The 2012 World Rally Championship was the 40th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of thirteen rallies, beginning with Monte Carlo Rally on 17 January, and ending on 11 November with Rally Catalunya.


2012 World Rally Championship
Sébastien Loeb won the drivers' championship for the ninth time in his career, ahead of Finns Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala. Citroën won the manufacturers' championship.


2012 World Rally Championship, Calendar
The 2012 championship was contested over thirteen rounds in Europe, North America, South America and Oceania.


2012 World Rally Championship, Calendar
The 2012 calendar was announced at a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Singapore on 26 September 2011.


2012 World Rowing Championships
The 2012 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 15 to 19 August 2012 at Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The annual week-long rowing regatta is organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation), and held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer. Because the 2012 Summer Olympics was the major rowing event in 2012, the programme was limited to non-Olympic events, and the World Rowing Junior Championships were held at the same time.


2012 World Running Target Championships
The 2012 World Running Target Championships was held from June 3 until June 9 2012 in Stockholm, Sweden. 24 events were held.


2012 World Sambo Championships
The 2012 World Sambo Championships was held in Minsk, Belarus between the 8 and 12 November 2012. This tournament included competition in both Sambo, and Combat Sambo.


2012 World Senior Curling Championships
The 2012 World Senior Curling Championships were held at the Tårnby Curling Club in Tårnby, Denmark from April 14 to 21. Tårnby has previously hosted the 2006 World Senior Curling Championships, the 2011 European Mixed Curling Championship, and the 2011 European Curling Championships' Group C competitions, and hosted the 2012 European Junior Curling Challenge. For the first time since 2009, the event was not held in conjunction with the same year's World Mixed Doubles Championship.


2012 World Senior Curling Championships – Men's tournament
The men's tournament of the 2012 World Senior Curling Championships was held from April 14 to 21.


2012 World Senior Curling Championships – Men's tournament, Teams, Blue Group
Third: Bernd HaustedSecond: John HansenLead: Erling Berg ThomsenAlternate: Alex Tordrup


2012 World Senior Curling Championships – Women's tournament
The women's tournament of the 2012 World Senior Curling Championships was held from April 14 to 21.


2012 World Senior Curling Championships – Women's tournament, Teams, Yellow Group
Third: Iben LarsenSecond: Lilian NielsenLead: Lone Bagge HarryAlternate: Mai Greulich


2012 World Seniors Championship
The 2012 World Seniors Championship (Known for sponsorship reasons as the Wyldecrest Park Homes World Seniors Championship) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 27 and 28 October 2012 at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth, England.


2012 World Seniors Championship
Darren Morgan was the defending champion, but he lost in the semi-finals 0–2 against Nigel Bond.


2012 World Seniors Championship
Bond won in the final 2–0 against Tony Chappel. Bond won 14 frames in a row by beating all of his opponents with 2–0.


2012 World Seniors Championship, Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2012 World Seniors Championship, Main draw
The draw for the last 16 was made on the evening of 13 September 2012 at The Sands in Carlisle during the Premier League. The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals was made on a random basis. All matches were best of 3 frames. The times for 27 October are BST and those for 28 October are GMT. The highest break of the tournament was 86 made by Karl Townsend.


2012 World Seniors Championship, Qualifying
These matches took place on 30 September 2012 at the World Snooker Academy, Sheffield, England. There was only one century break during the qualifying. Nigel Bond made a 101 against Gary Wilkinson.


2012 World Series
The 2012 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 season. The 108th edition of the World Series, the series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers; the Giants won in a four-game sweep. This marked the Giants' seventh World Series title in franchise history, their second in San Francisco (they won five in New York), and their second in a three-year period (2010–2012).


2012 World Series
Their World Series sweep was the first by an NL team since the Cincinnati Reds swept the Oakland Athletics in the 1990 series and the first NL sweep not by the Reds since 1963, when the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the New York Yankees. This was also the first World Series since 1988 to feature both of that year's League MVPs (Miguel Cabrera for the AL and Buster Posey for the NL). The Giants' Pablo Sandoval, who in Game 1 tied a record by hitting three home runs in one World Series game — two off Tigers' ace pitcher Justin Verlander — was named the World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP).


2012 World Series
The San Francisco Giants held home field advantage for the World Series due to the NL winning the 2012 MLB All-Star Game: San Francisco hosted Games 1 and 2, and would have hosted Games 6 and 7 if these had been necessary to decide the Series. The 2012 series began on Wednesday, October 24, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California and ended on Sunday, October 28, at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, with the conclusion of the fourth game.


2012 World Series
The Tigers advanced to the World Series after sweeping the Yankees in four games during the American League Championship Series. The Giants advanced to the World Series after winning the National League Championship Series four games to three over the St. Louis Cardinals, the 2011 World Series winners.


2012 World Series
As of 2021, this is the most recent World Series to end in a sweep.


2012 World Series, Background, 2012 All Star Game
In accordance with the standard since 2003, the outcome of the All-Star Game decided whether the American or National League would hold home field advantage in the World Series. The National League All-Star Team won the 2012 All-Star Game, played on July 10 in Kansas City, Missouri, by a score of 8–0. Representatives of both the Giants and the Tigers played key roles in the outcome. Giant players scored and/or drove in seven of the NL All-Star team's eight runs. The NL scored five runs in the first, all yielded by a Tiger, ace Justin Verlander. Pablo Sandoval would hit a triple, and Melky Cabrera—who would wind up the All-Star Game MVP—hit a homerun during the game.


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
The Giants finished the regular season atop the National League West with 94 wins and 68 losses, eight games ahead of the second place Los Angeles Dodgers. They defeated the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Division Series, a best-of-five series, in five games. They then defeated the defending 2011 World Series champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, in a seven-game series to capture the National League pennant. The manner in which the Giants defeated the Reds and then the Cardinals created some historical firsts.


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
Because of the addition of a wildcard game, the National League Division Series between the Giants and Reds began with two games in San Francisco. Cincinnati, who posted a better won-lost record than the Giants, hosted the final three games. The Giants lost the first two games at home in San Francisco, yet won the last three on the road. The Giants became the first major league team to win three straight road games in a best-of-five playoff series after losing the first two games at home.


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
In the second round of the playoffs, the National League Championship Series, they came back from a three-games-to-one deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals. Through this playoff course, the 2012 Giants became the first National League team and the second team in American major league baseball history (after the 1985 Kansas City Royals) to win six consecutive playoff games in which they had faced elimination. This was the Giants' 22nd NL pennant overall, their fifth as the San Francisco Giants. Their World Series berth was their second in three years (since 2010, when they defeated the Texas Rangers in five games).


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
San Francisco's notable preseason acquisitions were outfielders Melky Cabrera and Ángel Pagán. Cabrera set the Giants' franchise record for hits in the month of May, with 51, and Pagán set the San Francisco Giants record for triples in a season, with 15. On August 15, Major League Baseball meted a 50-game suspension upon Cabrera for his use of a banned substance. At the time, his 159 hits led both leagues, his .346 batting average measured second in the NL, and he had received the 2012 All-Star Game MVP. The suspension expired after the NLDS, but the Giants opted not to add him to the team's NLCS or World Series rosters.


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
All-Star Buster Posey finished the regular season with a .336 batting average to win the 2012 NL batting championship. In the World Series, he would go on to catch every inning, including the shutouts in Game 2 and Game 3. He would homer in Game 4. He would, in the World Series, not allow any baserunners to advance by either passed ball, stolen base, or wild pitch. He would begin a double play in Game 1 and execute an important tag play in Game 2.


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
Earlier in the regular season, starting pitcher Matt Cain threw the first perfect game in Giants history, and the 22nd in American major league history, on June 13. He would start Game 4 of the World Series, which the Giants would win to clinch.


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
Relief pitcher Sergio Romo contributed to team success by converting 14 out of 15 save opportunities after an injury sidelined closer Brian Wilson a few days after the season began. Romo converted three saves in the World Series, including the Game 4 clincher, which ended with Romo striking out the 2012 American League MVP.


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
Midseason addition Marco Scutaro ended the regular season with a .306 batting average and a 20-game hitting streak. In October, Scutaro tied a League Championship Series record with 14 hits (and a .500 average) against the Cardinals, and he received the NLCS MVP. In the World Series, his Game 4 tenth-inning single drove home a run that gave the Giants a lead the team would not relinquish.


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
Bruce Bochy made his third World Series appearance as a manager, his second with the Giants. Bochy led San Francisco to the 2010 title. Before that, he led the 1998 San Diego Padres to the World Series, where the New York Yankees swept. Bochy would win his second World Series title.


2012 World Series, Background, San Francisco Giants
Bochy's starting rotation for the 2012 World Series: Barry Zito in Game 1, Madison Bumgarner in Game 2, Ryan Vogelsong in Game 3 and Matt Cain in Game 4.


2012 World Series, Background, Detroit Tigers
The Tigers finished the regular season atop the American League Central, with 88 wins and 74 losses. The Tigers repeated as champions of this division, having also won it in 2011. This was their first repeat title in the divisional-play era (i.e., since 1969). The last time, before 2011–2012, that the Tigers franchise had made consecutive playoff appearances was 1934–1935.


2012 World Series, Background, Detroit Tigers
The Tigers defeated the Oakland Athletics in the American League Division Series three games to two. The Tigers then captured their 11th American League pennant, sweeping the New York Yankees four games to none in the American League Championship Series. This World Series berth was their first since 2006, when the St. Louis Cardinals defeated them four games to one. The 2012 Tigers became the fourth team to accomplish a four-game sweep in an ALCS. The three other teams to do so (1988 Oakland A's, 1990 Oakland A's, and 2006 Detroit Tigers) did not win the World Series, and the 2012 Tigers would, in the 2012 World Series, continue this trend.


2012 World Series, Background, Detroit Tigers
Pitcher Justin Verlander (17–8) led the American League in strikeouts with 239. Max Scherzer (16–7) finished second in the AL with 231 strikeouts. During the 2012 season, pitcher Doug Fister set an AL record by striking out nine consecutive batters.


2012 World Series, Background, Detroit Tigers
Miguel Cabrera became the first player in 45 years (since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967) to win the Triple Crown. Miguel Cabrera compiled a .330 average, hit 44 home runs, and had 139 RBIs, all of which led the American League. In the 2012 ALCS, Cabrera extended his hitting streak in LCS games to 17, a major league LCS record. (Cabrera made ten hits in seven games with the Florida Marlins in the 2003 NLCS, eight hits in six games with the Tigers in the 2011 ALCS, and five hits in the Tigers' 2012 ALCS sweep.) As of 2012, Miguel Cabrera has played in exactly 17 LCS games. Miguel Cabrera would compile a .231 batting average for, and make the last out of, the 2012 World Series.


2012 World Series, Background, Detroit Tigers
In January 2012, prior to the start of the season, the Tigers signed first baseman Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract. In the 2012 World Series, Prince Fielder would manage only one hit, a single, in 14 at-bats.


2012 World Series, Background, Detroit Tigers
Manager Jim Leyland made his third trip to the World Series, and his second with the Tigers (he also managed them in 2006). He managed the 1997 Florida Marlins to a seven-game victory in the World Series.


2012 World Series, Background, Detroit Tigers
Leyland's starting rotation for the 2012 World Series: Verlander in Game 1, Doug Fister in Game 2, Aníbal Sánchez in Game 3, and Scherzer in Game 4. In Game 1 of the World Series, Verlander would not fare much better against Giant bats than he had in the All-Star Game; allowing five earned runs in four innings.


2012 World Series, Summary
The Giants' Pablo Sandoval was named the MVP of the series after hitting .500 with three home runs.


2012 World Series, Umpiring crew
Gerry Davis, as senior umpire, served as crew chief for the six-man crew. With his work in this Series, Davis set a new record for postseason games umpired in American major league history, with 115.


2012 World Series, Umpiring crew
Fellow regular-season crew chiefs Brian Gorman and Joe West assisted Davis, along with Fieldin Culbreth, Dan Iassogna and Brian O'Nora.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 1
The Giants jumped out to a 6–0 lead, scoring in four of the first five innings of Game 1, en route to an 8–3 victory. Pablo Sandoval went four-for-four, driving in four runs on three home runs. He joined Babe Ruth (in 1926 and 1928), Reggie Jackson (in 1977) and Albert Pujols (in 2011) as the only players to ever hit three home runs in one World Series game. Sandoval became the first to hit three homers in Game 1 of a World Series and homer in his first three plate appearances.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 1
Tigers ace pitcher Justin Verlander lasted only four innings, giving up five Giant runs. Sandoval's first two homers came off Verlander, a two-out home run in the first and two-run home run in the third after Angel Pagan doubled with two outs and scored on Marco Scutaro's single. Sandoval's third home run came in the fifth off Al Alburquerque. San Francisco starting pitcher Barry Zito allowed only one run in 5+2⁄3 innings, and drove in a run with a fourth-inning single.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 1
The one run came in the sixth when Austin Jackson doubled to lead off and scored on Miguel Cabrera's single. The Giants scored their final two runs in the seventh inning off Tiger relief pitcher José Valverde, who failed to convert saves in previous stages of the postseason. Pagan doubled with one out, then scored on Scutaro's single. After Sandoval singled, Scutaro scored on Buster Posey's single.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 1
In the top of the ninth, Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run home run off George Kontos to cut the lead to 8–3, but Jeremy Affeldt came in relief of Kontos and got Ramon Santiago to ground out for the final out of the game to give the Giants a 1-0 series lead.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 1
After Zito allowed a run on three hits in the sixth inning, Tim Lincecum relieved him. Lincecum pitched 2+1⁄3 perfect innings, striking out five. Three Cy Young Award winners (Lincecum, Verlander and Zito) pitched in Game 1, the first time this has happened since Game 3 of the 1983 World Series, when Jim Palmer relieved Mike Flanagan, in a contest against Steve Carlton.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 2
A shutout win in Game 2 gave the Giants a two-games-to-none lead in the Series. In the top of the second, with Prince Fielder on first, Delmon Young lined a double into the left field corner. Tiger third base coach Gene Lamont waved Fielder home, but with accurate throws by left fielder Gregor Blanco and second baseman Marco Scutaro, catcher Buster Posey tagged out Fielder in a close play at the plate.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 2
In the bottom of the second, Doug Fister was struck in the head by a Blanco line drive but stayed in the game, pitching out of a bases-loaded jam. Game 2 remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh. Hunter Pence led off with a single, Brandon Belt drew a walk, then Blanco executed a perfect bunt down the third base line. The ball came to rest just fair, halfway between third base and home, allowing Blanco to reach safely while both runners advanced.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 2
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Brandon Crawford grounded into a double play, scoring Hunter Pence. In the eighth, with the bases loaded and one out, Pence hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Ángel Pagán with the second and final Giant run of the game. Madison Bumgarner pitched seven shutout innings, yielding only two hits and striking out eight, for the win.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 3
The Giants' 2–0 victory in Game 3 was the team's second straight shutout. Matching the 2010 Giants team that also recorded two shutouts in the World Series, San Francisco became the first team since the 1966 Baltimore Orioles to record back-to-back World Series shutouts. (The 1966 Orioles, who threw three straight shutouts in Games 2–4, also swept the World Series, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers.) The 2012 Giants became the first NL team to do so since the 1919 Cincinnati Reds, who threw back-to-back shutouts against the Chicago White Sox. These were the first back-to-back postseason shutouts for the franchise since 1917, where the New York Giants ultimately lost to the Chicago White Sox.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 3
The only runs of the game came in the Giant half of the second inning. A one-out triple off the bat of Gregor Blanco scored Hunter Pence from third. A two-out single by Brandon Crawford then scored Blanco.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 3
San Francisco starter Ryan Vogelsong pitched 5+2⁄3 shutout innings. Detroit loaded the bases with one out in the fifth inning. Vogelsong struck out Quintin Berry. Then, Vogelsong threw a pitch near the hands of the next batter, Miguel Cabrera, which induced a pop fly to end the inning. As in Game 1, Tim Lincecum relieved the Giants' starter, and pitched 2+1⁄3 scoreless innings. As in Game 2, Sergio Romo converted a save, his second of three in the Series.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
Game 4 extended into extra innings. Marco Scutaro's RBI single in the top of the tenth, which allowed Ryan Theriot to score, proved the difference in the Giants' 4–3 victory. With the Game 4 victory, the Giants took the 2012 World Series, four games to none.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
San Francisco scored the first run of the game, in the top of the second inning. With one out, Brandon Belt tripled off starter Max Scherzer to right field, scoring Hunter Pence. Belt was stranded at third after a groundout and a flyout.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
In the third inning, Detroit took its first lead in any series game. Austin Jackson walked and  Miguel Cabrera hit a high fly ball off Matt Cain towards right field, Hunter Pence had a chance to catch it but a strong wind drifted the ball out for a two-run home run. The shot snapped what was a 20-inning scoreless streak for the Tigers.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
The Giants regained the lead in the sixth inning, with a two-run home run, off the bat of Buster Posey. Posey's shot stayed just inside the left-field pole as it carried out. In the bottom of the same inning, Delmon Young tied the game with a home run to right, off Giant pitcher Matt Cain, that landed over the fence in right-center. However, this was the last hit for the Tigers in the game.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
Strong relief pitching sent the game into extra innings. After a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth, Giant pitcher Jeremy Affeldt struck out the heart of the Tigers batting order. In the top of the ninth, Tiger pitcher Phil Coke struck out three consecutive Giant batters. Coke set a World Series record by striking out seven consecutive batters, dating back to his appearances in Games 2 and 3. Affeldt and Santiago Casilla combined for a scoreless bottom of the ninth.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
In the top of the 10th, Ryan Theriot ended Coke's strikeout streak, leading off with a single to right. A sacrifice bunt by Brandon Crawford moved Theriot to second. Ángel Pagán struck out. Then Scutaro served a single in front of center-fielder Austin Jackson, which scored the decisive run.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
Closer Sergio Romo struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th. The Series ended with umpire Brian O'Nora calling a third strike on Miguel Cabrera. After throwing Cabrera several consecutive sliders, Romo threw a fastball that backed into Cabrera's zone, which may have surprised the batter.


2012 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
Because they won the Series away from their home field, the Giants accepted the World Series Championship Trophy and the World Series MVP award in their locker room. (Incidentally, the franchise clinched its last four World Series victories away from home.)


2012 World Series, Composite line score
2012 World Series (4–0): San Francisco Giants (N.L.) beat Detroit Tigers (A.L.)


2012 World Series, Broadcasting, Television
In the United States, Fox televised the games, with Joe Buck calling play-by-play in his 15th World Series, and Tim McCarver handling color commentary for his 23rd World Series. Ken Rosenthal also appeared on the Fox telecasts as a field reporter, with Erin Andrews and Chris Myers joining him for select games. MLB International syndicated its own telecast of the series, with announcers Gary Thorne and Rick Sutcliffe, to various networks outside the U.S.Additionally, the American Forces Network and Canadian Forces Radio and Television carried the games to U.S. and Canadian service personnel stationed around the globe. Fox Deportes carried the Series in Spanish on American cable and satellite TV.


2012 World Series, Broadcasting, Television
However, on August 24, Tribune removed Fox-affiliate WTIC-TV from Cablevision systems in Connecticut, causing viewers to miss Games 1 and 2 of the series. An agreement between Cablevision and Tribune was reached on October 26, the day before Game 3.


2012 World Series, Broadcasting, Television, Ratings
According to Nielsen Media Research, the four-game series on Fox averaged a record-low 7.6 rating and 12 share. The previous low was an 8.4 rating for both the 2008 and the 2010 World Series, which each went five games. The 6.1 rating in Game 3 matched the lowest rating for any World Series game with Game 3 in 2008; that year, a rain delay moved the start of the game to after 10 p.m. on the East Coast with the game not ending until 1:47 a.m. Hurricane Sandy contributed to the low number of viewers as most residents on the East Coast were preparing for the storm's arrival during the series.


2012 World Series, Broadcasting, Radio
ESPN Radio broadcast the World Series nationally, with Dan Shulman and Orel Hershiser working their second consecutive World Series together. ESPN Deportes Radio aired the Series for Spanish language listeners, with Ernesto Jerez and Guillermo Celis announcing.


2012 World Series, Broadcasting, Radio
Locally, the two teams' flagship stations broadcast the series with their respective announcing crews. The Giants' English-language broadcasts aired on KNBR (with Dave Flemming, Jon Miller, Mike Krukow, and Duane Kuiper announcing) with their Spanish-language broadcasts on KIQI (with Erwin Higueros and Tito Fuentes), while WXYT-FM and AM carried the Tigers' English-language broadcasts (with Dan Dickerson and Jim Price). Due to contractual obligations, the non-flagship stations on the teams' radio networks carried the ESPN Radio broadcasts of the games, although the local broadcasts were also available on XM Satellite Radio and to Gameday Audio subscribers at MLB.com.


2012 World Series, Historical notes
The Tigers became only the third team to be swept in the World Series after sweeping the League Championship Series (LCS), joining the 1990 Oakland Athletics and the 2007 Colorado Rockies with this distinction.


2012 World Series, Historical notes
For the fourth time since 1985, when the MLB postseason expanded the LCS to a best of 7, the World Series saw a team who swept its LCS face a team who won a LCS Game 7. The previous three times, 1988, 2006, and 2007, the Game 7 pennant-winner prevailed. This trend continued in 2012.


2012 World Series, Historical notes
The 2012 World Series was the first since 1954 to feature the batting champions from each league, Buster Posey of the Giants and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (the 1954 Series showcased Willie Mays of the New York Giants and Bobby Ávila of the Cleveland Indians). Cabrera and Posey had been voted the MVP of their respective leagues (announced and awarded, as usual, after the World Series), making this the first World Series since 1988 to feature both league MVPs (1988 saw the Oakland Athletics' Jose Canseco and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Kirk Gibson meet).


2012 World Series, Historical notes
The Giants became the first team since the 1966 Baltimore Orioles and the first NL team since the 1919 Cincinnati Reds to achieve consecutive shutouts in the World Series. Giants pitching held the Tigers to a .159 batting average in the Series, the 3rd lowest for a team all-time in the World Series, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting .142 against the Orioles in the 1966 World Series and the Baltimore Orioles hitting .146 against the New York Mets in the 1969 World Series.


2012 World Series, Historical notes
With the Giants winning Game 4 in extra innings to win the series, they became the eighth team to win a World Series-clinching game in extra innings and the first to do so since the 1997 Florida (now Miami) Marlins clinched the series in Game 7 in 11 innings. They were the first Giants team to do so since Game 5 of the 1933 World Series against the Washington Senators (now Minnesota Twins) in Washington when the Giants were in New York.


2012 World Series, Historical notes
After sweeping this series 4-0, Bruce Bochy became the fourth World Series Manager to be on a winning side and losing side of a sweep, having lost in a four-game sweep against the New York Yankees as the San Diego Padres manager in 1998. Miller Huggins, Walter Alston and Tony La Russa were the other three.


2012 World Series, Historical notes
To date, this is the most recent World Series sweep.


2012 World Series, Historical notes
As the Giants represented the National League during the 1912 World Series (though at the time they were based in New York), the Giants became the first team to play in the World Series a century after an appearance.


2012 World Series, Aftermath
An estimated crowd of over 1 million people attended a Halloween Day victory parade along Market Street in San Francisco.


2012 World Series, Aftermath
The Giants failed to defend their World Series championship in 2013. San Francisco led the National League West early in the season, but critical injuries (including the loss of Pagan for three months) and subpar play on both ends doomed the Giants. They were eliminated from the playoff race on September 11, 2013, becoming the second defending World Series champion in three years to not make the postseason, after the 2011 Giants. In 2014, the Giants would, again, win the World Series and thereby continue their even-years streak of pennants and World Championships (2010, 2012, and 2014) .


2012 World Series, Aftermath
The Tigers would win the American League Central division championship for the third straight season in 2013, marking the first season since 1909 that the Tigers won three consecutive regular season titles. The Tigers lost the 2013 ALCS to the eventual champions Boston Red Sox in six games, which was also Jim Leyland's final season as manager. In 2014, under new manager Brad Ausmus, they won their fourth-straight division title, but lost the ALDS to the Baltimore Orioles. The Tigers soon fell into rebuilding mode for the next several seasons, bottoming out with a 47–114 mark in 2019. As of 2021, Miguel Cabrera is the only current Tigers player remaining from the 2012 team.


2012 World Series, Aftermath
2012 Detroit Tigers co-aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer faced off in the World Series seven years later in 2019. Scherzer, then with the Nationals, bested Verlander's Astros in seven games, although they never pitched against each other. 2012 Tigers' starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez also pitched in the 2019 World Series for the Nationals. Verlander did win a World Series ring with the Astros two years earlier, albeit under controversial circumstances. Another starting pitcher from that team, Rick Porcello, later won a World Series with the 2018 Red Sox.


2012 World Series Hockey
2012 World Series Hockey better known as Bridgestone World Series Hockey, abbreviated as Bridgestone WSH, was the first season of the hockey tournament World Series Hockey, a professional league for field hockey in India. The tournament was to take place from 17 December 2011 to 22 January 2012 but later was postponed to 29 February 2012 owing to Olympic qualifiers. Eight teams took part in this competition. The opening ceremony and the first match was held at Sector 42 Stadium, Chandigarh, where Bhopal Badshahs beat Chandigarh Comets 4–3.


2012 World Series Hockey
The inaugural season of the WSH was won by Sher-e-Punjab by defeating Pune Strykers 5–2 in the final at Mahindra Hockey Stadium, Mumbai and thus became the first champions of WSH. Chandigarh Comets' drag-flicker Gurjinder Singh was named WSH Rockstar (Player of the tournament) (19 goals in 15 matches) who also shared the golden stick with Pakistan's Syed Imran Warsi for 19 goals apiece.


2012 World Series Hockey, Venues
Following eight venues will host the matches of eight franchises on a home and away basis: Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Bangalore and Chennai will host the matches of eight franchises on a home and away basis.


2012 World Series Hockey, Venues
Originally, nine venues were selected and upgraded with floodlights, replay screens, and scoreboards but organisers decided not to have any matches in Hyderabad's Gachibowli Hockey Stadium.


2012 World Series Hockey, Players
The players for the eight teams were finalized on November 28 based on the draft system.


2012 World Series Hockey, Exhibition match
An exhibition match was organised on December 20 at Sector 42 Stadium, Chandigarh. Match was played between WSH World XI and WSH India XI. A one-sided match from the start was won by World XI. The World XI was captained by Brent Livermore and coached by José Brasa and Andrew Meredith. Prabhjot Singh led the India XI and coached by Jude Felix and Harendra Singh.


2012 World Series Hockey, Opening ceremony
Opening ceremony of Bridgestone World Series Hockey was held at Sector 42 Stadium of Chandigarh followed by the inaugural match between Chandigarh Comets and Bhopal Badshahs.


2012 World Series Hockey, Results, Play-offs, Final
The final of World Series Hockey was held in front of the capacity crowd at the Mahindra Hockey Stadium, Mumbai. Pune Strykers got into early lead when Tyron Pereira's cross creeped in during the 4th minute of the game. Pune's joy was short-lived as V.S. Vinaya neutralized off their first penalty corner a minute later. Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur led Punjab's attacks and were awarded with couple of penalty corners but could not be converted. Few close shots were saved by the goal-keeper Gurpreet Guri Singh.


2012 World Series Hockey, Results, Play-offs, Final
Attacks on the other end were made by Argentine recruit Mario Almada, Roshan Minz, Nikkin Thimmiah and Bikash Topo. Second quarter seemed like taking a goalless path before Deepak Thakur broke the deadlock between the sides by slotting in off a reverse stick just before the half time and Punjab saw themselves riding on a slender lead (2–1).


2012 World Series Hockey, Results, Play-offs, Final
The first half saw an evenly contested match but the second half was completely dominated by Punjab. Skipper Prabhjot Singh in the 47th minute gave Punjab a two-goal cushion with a reverse-stick over Pune before the end off the third quarter. Sher-e-Punjab continued the tempo in the 4th quarter with Punjab's penalty-corner specialist Harpeet Singh converted off a penalty corner with a drag-flick. Known as the comeback kings, Strykers' all efforts were prevented by some robust defending by Punjab.


2012 World Series Hockey, Results, Play-offs, Final
A solo effort by the Prabhjot put Punjab into an unassailable 5–1 lead with four minutes left, who added 10th goal to his season's tally, and confirmed that his team as the champions. Simrandeep Randhawa added a consolation goal to Pune's tally by converting a penalty corner in the last minute and the match ended with Sher-e-Jalandhar 5, Pune Strykers 2 making Sher-e-Punjab the winners of the first WSH.


2012 World Series by Renault
The 2012 World Series by Renault was the eighth season of Renault Sport's series of events, with four different championships racing under one banner. Consisting of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, the Eurocup Mégane Trophy and Eurocup Clio, the World Series by Renault ran at seven different venues, where fans could get into the meetings for no cost whatsoever, such is the uniqueness of the series.


2012 World Series by Renault
The series began on 5 Nay at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragón in Alcañiz, and finished on 21 October at the Circuit de Catalunya, just outside Barcelona. Round at Monza was dropped. While brand new Moscow Raceway was included in series' schedule, while Formula Renault 3.5 had two extra races on its own, in support of the Monaco Grand Prix and 6 Hours of Silverstone.


2012 World Series of Poker
The 2012 World Series of Poker was the 43rd annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada between May 27-July 16, 2012, with the final table of the Main Event delayed until late October.


2012 World Series of Poker
There were 61 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event beginning on July 7. From 2008 through 2011, Main Event final tables were delayed until November. However, due to the 2012 U.S. presidential election, this year's final table was delayed until October 29, with heads-up play commencing the following day.


2012 World Series of Poker
New tournament formats introduced in the 2012 WSOP included a re-entry tournament, an ante only tournament, a mixed max tournament (in which the number of players per table changes at set times during the tournament), and a four-handed tournament.


2012 World Series of Poker, Event 55: The Big One for One Drop
The 2012 WSOP also hosted an event with the largest buy-in in poker history, a $1 million tournament benefiting the One Drop Foundation. The WSOP waived its normal 10% rake of the entry fees, and 11.1% of each buy-in (precisely $111,111) went to the foundation. All 48 seats available for the event were filled, resulting in a first prize of $18.3 million, breaking the record of $12 million won by Jamie Gold at the 2006 WSOP.


2012 World Series of Poker, Event 55: The Big One for One Drop
One Drop initially received US$5.44 million, including a 49th/personal $111,111 donation from Caesars Interactive Entertainment CEO Mitch Garber, who was ineligible to play because of his role with the company. Guy Laliberté, the founder of the One Drop Foundation, finished in fifth place; he donated his entire winnings of US$1,834,666 to the foundation, for a total donation of US$7.28 million from this single tournament game.


2012 World Series of Poker, Main Event
The $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event began on July 7. In a change from previous years, which featured four starting days, there were only three starting days at this year's event. The players from days 1A and 1B then played on days 2A and 2B, which were held the same day in separate rooms, while the players from Day 1C played on Day 2C. After reaching the final table of nine players on July 16, the remainder of the tournament was delayed until October 29.


2012 World Series of Poker, Main Event
The Main Event attracted 6,598 entrants, creating a prize pool of $62,021,200. The top 666 finishers placed in the money, with the top nine players guaranteed at least $754,798. The winner earned $8,531,853.


2012 World Series of Poker, Main Event
Two women almost made the final table. Norwegian Elisabeth Hille finished at 11th place while Gaelle Baumann finished in tenth place. Her finish marked the best performance by a woman at the Main Event since Barbara Enright finished fifth in 1995 (Annie Duke finished tenth in 2000, but the total number of tournament entrants was lower).


2012 World Series of Poker, Main Event, Other notable high finishes
NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.


2012 World Series of Poker, Main Event, November Nine
*Career statistics prior to the beginning of the 2012 Main Event.


2012 World Series of Poker, Coverage
Televised coverage of the 2012 World Series of Poker could be found on ESPN. On Tuesday nights from July 3 through October 30, episodes of the WSOP would air on ESPN, with two one-hour episodes airing each week. The prior year, the WSOP Main Event was aired with near-live coverage on a brief delay, but that near-live coverage was done away with for the 2012 WSOP.


2012 World Series of Poker, Coverage
In addition to the 2012 WSOP Main Event coverage on ESPN, the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop aired on a 15-minute delay on ESPN and ESPN3 on July 3 during a five-hour time slot. On July 31, an edited two-hour show of the Big One for One Drop aired. On August 7, the WSOP National Championship was on offer, then coverage of the WSOP Main Event started on August 14. The 2012 WSOP bracelet event broadcasts are archived in the on-demand section of PokerGO.com.


2012 World Series of Poker, Coverage
The final table of the 2012 WSOP Main Event aired on a 15-minute delay on Monday, October 29, on ESPN2 and ESPN3 and on Tuesday, October 30, on ESPN and ESPN3. Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, Antonio Esfandiari, and Kara Scott were the on-air talent and the event was produced by Poker PROductions, headed by Mori Eskandani. The 2012 WSOP Main Event broadcasts are archived in the on-demand section of PokerGO.com.


2012 World Series of Poker, Coverage
Live reporting coverage of the 2012 World Series of Poker was provided by PokerNews.com. PokerNews provided hand histories, chip counts, results, photographs, podcasts, videos, interviews, and more from the 2012 WSOP.


2012 World Series of Poker Europe
The sixth World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) took place from September 21, 2012 to October 4, 2012, at Hôtel Majestic Barrière and Le Croisette Casino Barrière in Cannes, France. There were seven bracelet events, culminating in a €10,450 No Limit Hold'em Main Event.


2012 World Series of Poker Europe
The Main Event was won by Phil Hellmuth, who increased his WSOP-record bracelet total to 13. He also became the first player ever to have won the Main Events of both the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and the WSOPE; he claimed the Las Vegas Main Event title in 1989.


2012 World Series of Poker Europe, Main Event
The 2012 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event began on September 29 and finished on October 4. The event drew 420 entrants, generating a prize pool of €4,032,000. The top 48 players made the money, with the winner earning €1,022,376.


2012 World Series of Poker Europe, Main Event, Final table
*-Career statistics prior to beginning of 2012 WSOPE Main Event


2012 World Series of Poker Europe results
Below are the results for the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe.


2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The 2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between March 9 and 11, 2012 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also runs world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating.


2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, Results
* First place is awarded 34 points, second is awarded 21 points, third is awarded 13 points, fourth is awarded 8 points, fifth is awarded 5 points, sixth is awarded 3 points, seventh is awarded 2 points, and eighth is awarded 1 point in each race, to determine to Overall World Champion. Points are only awarded to the athletes that have taken part in the Final of each race. The leader after the first 1000m in the 3000m Super-Final is awarded extra 5 points. Relays do not count for the Overall Classification.


2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, Results, Men
* Skaters who did not participate in the final, but received medals.


2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, Results, Ladies
* Skaters who did not participate in the final, but received medals.


2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Men's 500 metres
The men's 500 metre at the 2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place on 10 March 2012, at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center.


2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Men's 500 metres, Results, Preliminaries
Top two athletes from each heat qualified for the heats.


2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Men's 500 metres, Results, Heats
Top two athletes from each heat and the two fastest thirds qualified for the quarterfinals.


2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Men's 500 metres, Results, Quarterfinals
Top two athletes from each heat qualified for the semifinals.


2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Men's 500 metres, Results, Semifinals
Top two athletes from each heat qualified for the final.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships
The 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships took place between 22 and 25 March 2012 in the Thialf, Heerenveen, Netherlands.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited the Championships on 24 March.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Men's 10,000 metres
The Men's 10,000 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on March 24 at 12:00 local time.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Men's 1000 metres
The men's 1000 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on March 23 at 15:00 local time.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Men's 1500 metres
The men's 1500 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on 22 March at 16:30 local time.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Men's 500 metres
The men's 500 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on 25 March.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Men's 5000 metres
The men's 5000 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on March 23 at 15:00 local time.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Men's team pursuit
The Men's team pursuit race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on March 25, 2012.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Women's 1000 metres
The women's 1000 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on 24 March at 12:00 local time.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Women's 1500 metres
The women's 1500 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on 23 March at 16:30 local time.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Women's 3000 metres
The women's 3000 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on March 22 at 16:30 local time.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Women's 500 metres
The women's 500 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on 25 March.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Women's 5000 metres
The women's 5000 metres race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on March 24 at 12:00 local time.


2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Women's team pursuit
The women's team pursuit race of the 2012 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships was held on March 25.


2012 World Snooker Championship
The 2012 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the 2012 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 21 April to 7 May 2012 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 36th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible and the last ranking of the 2011–12 snooker season. The event was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC, and in Europe by Eurosport.


2012 World Snooker Championship
Ronnie O'Sullivan won his fourth world title by defeating Ali Carter 18–11 in the final. Aged 36, and just 55 days older than Dennis Taylor when winning the title in 1985, O'Sullivan became the oldest world champion since 45-year-old Ray Reardon in 1978. John Higgins, the defending champion, lost 4–13 to Stephen Hendry in the second round. Hendry made the highest break during the tournament, a maximum break of 147. Hendry, seven-time winner of the event announced his retirement from professional snooker following his defeat by Stephen Maguire in the quarter-finals.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Overview
The World Snooker Championship is an annual cue sport tournament and the official world championship of the game of snooker. Founded in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India, the sport was popular in Great Britain. In modern times it has been played worldwide, especially in East and Southeast Asian nations such as China, Hong Kong and Thailand. The event was sponsored by sports betting company Betfred.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Overview
In the 2012 tournament, 32 professional players competed in one-on-one snooker matches played over several frames, using a single-elimination tournament format. The 32 players were selected for the event using the  snooker world rankings and a pre-tournament qualification competition. In 1927, the first world championship was won by Joe Davis. The event's final took place in Camkin's Hall, Birmingham, England. Since 1977, the event has been held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. As of 2020, Stephen Hendry is the most successful player in the modern era, having won the championship seven times. The event was organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Scotsman John Higgins was the defending champion, having defeated Judd Trump 18–15 in the previous years final.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Overview, Format
The 2012 World Snooker Championship took place from 21 April to 7 May 2008 in Sheffield, England. The tournament was the last of nine ranking events in the 2011–12 snooker season on the World Snooker Tour. It featured a 32-player main draw that was held at the Crucible Theatre, as well as a qualifying draw that was played at the Pontin's, Prestatyn Sands, from 6 to 11 January. This was the 36th consecutive year that the tournament had been staged at the Crucible. The main stages of the event were broadcast by the BBC in the United Kingdom, and Eurosport in Europe.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Overview, Format
The top 16 players in the latest world rankings automatically qualified for the main draw as seeded players. Higgins was seeded first overall as the defending champion, and the remaining 15 seeds were allocated based on the latest world rankings. The number of frames required to win a match increased throughout the tournament. The first round consisted of best-of-19-frames matches, with the final match being played over a maximum of 35 frames. All 16 non-seeded spots in the main draw were filled with players from the qualifying rounds.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Overview, Prize fund
The prize fund for the championship was divided as follows:


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, First round
The first round was played from 21 to 26 April as the best of 19 frames held over two sessions. Three players were making their debut at the event: Jamie Jones, Cao Yupeng, and Luca Brecel. It was also the first time that both Cao and Brecel hadqualified for the televised stage of a ranking event. Cao and Jones advanced to the second round by defeating Mark Allen 10–6 and Shaun Murphy 10–8 respectively, whilst Brecel lost 5–10 against Stephen Maguire. Brecel was the youngest player ever to compete at the Crucible, aged 17 years and 45 days old. He was also the first Belgian to play at the Crucible.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, First round
Mark Allen, following his first-round defeat by Cao, accused his opponent of cheating. Allen claimed that Cao had not admitted to a push shot at 5–4. However, he also conceded that the Chinese player had outplayed him during the match. World Snooker decided to start disciplinary action against Allen, who later admitted having gone too far. He was later fined a total of £11,000, and warned he would be suspended from the tour for three months if he breached the rules again in the next six months. Allen was also ordered to undergo media training.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, First round
In his match against Stuart Bingham, Stephen Hendry made the 10th maximum break to be made at the event. This was the 88th official maximum, and Hendry equalled two records held by Ronnie O'Sullivan: the most official maximum breaks in professional snooker (11) and the most at the venue (3). Hendry won the match 10–4 in a rematch of one of his greatest upset defeats, in the first round of the 2000 World Snooker Championship when Hendry was defending champion and Bingham was making his television debut.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, First round
Zhu Ying became the first Chinese person to referee a match at the Crucible by officiating the match between Hendry and Bingham. Mark Williams stated on Twitter before the championship, that he hated the Crucible and wished that the tournament was played in China. Williams was subsequently booed as he was announced to the crowd before his opening match, and was later fined a total of £4,000.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, First round
Ding Junhui and Ryan Day went to a deciding frame, which was won by Day. Ding said that the table conditions were not right and complained about spectators being disruptive during the match. He was later fined £250, and warned by the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee for swearing during the live press conference. In his match against Ken Doherty, Neil Robertson made three consecutive century breaks, as he completed a 10–4 victory. Andrew Higginson and David Gilbert reached the second round of the event for the first time in their respective careers. Higginson defeated Stephen Lee 10–6, and Gilbert defeated Martin Gould 10–8.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, First round
Half of the seeded players were beaten in the first round. Bingham, Graeme Dott, Murphy, Lee, Gould, Ding Junhui, Allen and Selby all lost their places in the tournament. This marked the most top 16 players to suffer defeat in the first round since 1992. There was the most Asian players in the history of the event, five.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, Second round
The second round was played from 26 to 30 April, as the best of 25 frames held over three sessions. Multiple time winners Higgins and Hendry had made 45 appearances at the Crucible between them, having both had played in every tournament since 1995; but this was the only time they ever met at the Crucible. Higgins made the 500th century break of his career in his match against Hendry. Two frames later Hendry made his 775th. Hendry defeated Higgins 13–4 to reach his 19th quarter-final at the event.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, Second round
At that time only eight players had played at the Crucible at least that many times: Hendry, Steve Davis, Jimmy White, Terry Griffiths, John Parrott, Peter Ebdon, Willie Thorne and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ali Carter trailed Judd Trump 9–12, but won the next four frames to win 13–12. In the deciding frame Trump needed four snookers and got three, before Carter finally potted the last remaining red ball.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, Second round
Crucible debutant Jones reached his first ranking event quarter-final by defeating Andrew Higginson 13–10. After the second session Jones led 10–6; before Higginson won the four opening frames of the last session to tie the score 10–10, before Jones took the next three frames to win the match. Jones was also the lowest ranked player to win a second round match; ranked world number 36. He became the third Welshman into this year's quarter-finals, following Ryan Day and Matthew Stevens. Robertson led Gilbert 5–3 and 10–6 before winning 13–9. Day defeated Cao 13–7 to reach the quarter-finals for the third time. Eighth seed Maguire defeated Perry 13–7, whilst O'Sullivan defeated Williams 13–6, having won six frames in a row in the second session.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals were played on 1 and 2 May as the best of 25 frames, held over three sessions. Hendry was defeated by Maguire with a session to spare, 13–2. Hendry won only one of the eight frames in the opening session, with Maguire winning the first four frames of the second session. Hendry won frame 13, but Maguire won the next two frames to complete the victory. After the match Hendry announced his immediate retirement from professional snooker, citing dissatisfaction with his standard of play in recent years and difficulty balancing competitive, commercial and personal commitments. Hendry would be in retirement until 2020, when he announced he would play again on the Tour, playing his next professional event at the 2021 Gibraltar Open.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
Stevens played Day, but trailed 2–5 in the first session. He won the final frame of that session, all eight frames of the second session, and won the match 13–5 after taking the first two frames of the third session. This was the first time he had reached the semi-finals since he played in the 2005 final. Carter led 2–1 before Jones tied the scores with a break of 127. However, Carter won three of the next four to lead 5–3 after the first session.


2012 World Snooker Championship, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
Jones completed back-to-back centuries in the second session, but still trailed by two frames after the second session, with Carter winning the match 13–11. Robertson took a 5–3 lead over O'Sullivan after the first session of their match, but O'Sullivan won six straight frames to take a 9–7 lead after the second. O'Sullivan won the match 13–10, making a further two century breaks in the final session.