2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
He drove slowly to the pit lane and rejoined the race in 19th. DRS was enabled on the third lap. On that lap, Ricciardo's low-downforce setup gave him an efficient DRS to pass Alonso for third into Les Combes corner. Ricciardo quickly drew close to his teammate Vettel. After Vettel ran wide onto the damp artificial grass through Pouhon corner on lap five, he slid luridly and Ricciardo got past for second. On the same lap, Lotterer was retired from a loss of power, possibly caused by him driving over a kerb too hard at Blancimont turn. Pérez passed Massa for ninth on lap six and Bottas used DRS to overtake Alonso for fourth on the Kemmel Straight.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Rosberg was called into the pit lane at the end of lap eight for a replacement front wing and the medium compound tyres. He rejoined the race in 15th. Räikkönen made a pit stop on the same lap in Ferrari's attempt to put him ahead of Bottas and Vettel after the pit stops ended. On lap 10, a section of tyre carcass from Bianchi's punctured tyre wrapped itself around Rosberg's radio antenna, diverting his attention before releasing itself. Between laps 10 and 12, Vettel, Ricciardo, Bottas and Alonso made their first pit stops.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
After the pit stops, Ricciardo led Räikkönen by 2.4 seconds, with Vettel a further three seconds behind in third, Rosberg was fourth and Bottas fifth. Magnussen overtook Vergne for seventh at the Bus Stop chicane on the 15th lap. Back in fourth, Rosberg's pit stop on the eighth lap compromised him strategy-wise and he could not pass Vettel on the straights. He attempted to brake later than Vettel on the outside at the Bus Stop chicane on lap 17; he locked his tyres on the run-off area. Bottas slipstreamed Rosberg on the Kemmel Straight and deployed DRS to move into fourth. Two laps later, Rosberg made a second pit stop to replace his flat-spotted tyres with the soft compounds and emerged in 11th.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Räikkönen was almost eight seconds behind Ricciardo when Ferrari asked him to enter the pit lane on the 20th lap because his rear tyres had degraded enough to prompt a tyre change. On lap 21, Hamilton in 17th implored Mercedes to retire him because of his car's bodywork damage; the team insisted he continue in anticipation of a safety car deployment. Rosberg passed Pérez for seventh on lap 22. That lap, Vettel who lapped in the 1 minute, 55-second range to Rosberg's 1 minute, 51 seconds made his pit stop and fell in eighth, behind Rosberg and Räikkönen.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
During lap 23, Magnussen in fourth blocked Alonso from overtaking him three times. That lap, Rosberg passed Button for fourth, only for Button to reclaim the position because Rosberg had a fuel limit issue. On the following lap, Rosberg tried again to pass Button and he was successful that time round. He overtook Alonso on the Kemmel Straight for third on lap 25. That lap, Hamilton overtook Grosjean for 16th and Button lost fifth to Vettel at the Bus Stop chicane.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Ricciardo made a second pit stop from the lead for the medium compound tyres at the conclusion of the 27th lap. He exited the pit lane 3.7 seconds ahead of Rosberg in third. Bottas took the lead for one lap, before making his own stop at the end of the lap 28 and emerged in fifth. Bottas overtook Vettel on the outside at Les Combes corner for fourth on lap 30. Four laps later, Grosjean retired from downforce-related damage sustained to his Lotus at his second pit stop.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
After Ricciardo re-assumed the lead earlier, Rosberg's soft compound tyres were worn and could not match Ricciardo's pace. Mercedes decided to put Rosberg on a third pit stop to get the win from Ricciardo on the final lap. Red Bull gave Ricciardo a target lap time of 1 minute, 53.400 seconds to stop Rosberg overtaking him, which he did consistently. Rosberg's pit stop came at the end of lap 34. He passed Bottas and Räikkönen to return to second by lap 36.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Hamilton's request to retire was granted on the 39th lap. He entered the pit lane and was pushed into the garage. Around that period, Bottas challenged his compatriot Räikkönen for third on the outside of Les Combes corner but Räikkönen prevented Bottas from completing the pass. Bottas attempted again on lap 40 and passed Räikkönen on the Kemmel Straight. One lap later, Bianchi retired with a failed gearbox.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
As Alonso slipstreamed Magnussen at 320 km/h (200 mph) on the Kemmel Straight and lapped Ericsson on lap 42, Magnussen turned right and Alonso put half of his Ferrari onto the grass to avoid a major crash. Alonso's loss of momentum allowed Button past him into Les Combes corner. Button failed to pass his teammate Magnussen at Rivage turn, allowing Alonso and Vettel to demote him to seventh. Alonso tried again to pass Magnussen on lap 43 at Les Combes corner though it encouraged Vettel to draw alongside him. He tried for a third time at Rivage corner but was put onto the grass and Vettel overtook Alonso.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race
Starting the final lap, Vettel overtook Magnussen into the La Source hairpin and Alonso attempted to pass the latter pass on the inside. Alonso hit the rear of Magnussen's car, breaking his front wing, and Button passed Alonso for seventh. Meanwhile, Ricciardo maintained the lead under pressure from Rosberg for his second successive win, and the third of his career. Rosberg in second followed 3.383 seconds later and Bottas took third. Off the podium, Räikkönen took his best result of 2014 in fourth and his highest finish since the 2013 Korean Grand Prix. Magnussen finished fifth on the road and Vettel sixth. Button, Alonso, Pérez and Kvyat were in seventh to tenth. Outside the top ten, Hülkenberg, Vergne, Massa, Sutil, Gutiérrez, Chilton, Ericsson and Bianchi were the final finishers.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
At the podium interviews, conducted by former team owner Eddie Jordan, Rosberg was booed by the crowd four times for his contact with Hamilton on lap two, which they perceived as intentional. He blamed the reaction on a small group of Hamilton's British support and urged them to acquaint themselves with the regulations and a drivers' code of conduct before booing. Ricciardo said he had to maintain his pace and not hit anything after Rosberg entered the pit lane.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Rosberg spoke of his confidence Mercedes could have dominated because of their quick pace and Bottas said it would be difficult for Williams to win because of Mercedes' outright speed. In the later press conference, Ricciardo said he had foreseen himself accruing enough points to put himself in contention for the Drivers' Championship. Rosberg said his strategy was altered because of the damage to his car and declined to reveal details of the meeting with Mercedes after the Hungarian Grand Prix concerning envisaging contact with Hamilton. Bottas stated a slow start caused other cars to delay him and called the duel with compatriot Räikkönen "a clean and fair fight".


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
The collision between Rosberg and Hamilton on lap two overshadowed the race. The stewards investigated the contact and declared it "a racing incident", with neither driver to blame. Hamilton claimed after a meeting that Rosberg admitted to have made wilful contact to "prove a point" and that Hamilton could have avoided the situation. Rosberg initially denied any wrongdoing, saying he discerned no risk in attempting the manoeuvre.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called the contact "absolutely unacceptable" and the team's non-executive chairman Niki Lauda echoed his colleague's view, "If these things happen at the end of the race when they are fighting, we can talk about it. But on the second lap, it is ridiculous." Rosberg denied Hamlton's version of the internal meeting two days after the race and that there was "a very good and important discussion after the race, everybody gave their opinion and now we move forward". The championship's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), said Hamilton's claims did not warrant a review under the FIA International Sporting Code, which states if "a new element was discovered" regardless of the stewards' decision, a second meeting had to be convened to address it.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Five days after the race Mercedes held a meeting between senior members of the team (including Wolff and technical director Paddy Lowe) and both drivers to determine what measures were to be taken to maintain their championship aspirations. Rosberg incurred an undisclosed punishment during the half-hour conference and he and Hamilton were allowed to continue battling each other for the rest of the season without the imposition of team orders favouring one driver over the other. Rosberg accepted responsibility for causing the contact from an "error of judgement" and apologised to Hamilton, Mercedes and Formula One fans.


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Hamilton admitted through a statement he made errors during the rivalry with Rosberg over the course of the season but believed it would be an error to apportion blame to one driver, "There is a deep foundation that still exists for me and Nico to work from, in spite of our difficult times and differences."


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
The stewards deemed Magnussen to have provided Alonso with inadequate space and forced him to go off the track on the Kemmel Straight while lapping Ericsson. They imposed a 20-second time penalty on Magnussen, demoting him from fifth to twelfth and elevating Alonso to seventh and Hülkenberg to tenth. Alonso said he was unconcerned since he was battling for position outside of the top five, "He was lapping a Caterham and we were all in the slipstream. I tried to overtake and he closed maybe a little bit too much because half the car was on the grass."


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Magnussen commented on the penalty, "Everyone around me had slightly fresher tyres and they're not the easiest guys to keep behind. So I just tried my best to defend my position as well as I could." The McLaren racing director Éric Boullier argued Magnussen's move needed to be embraced by Formula One and believed the driver had made adequate progress in 2014,


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
"Obviously it is part of the experience he is gaining over the season. He is very motivated. He is new to the category and it is nice to see the big boys a pushing a little bit to show him 'stay behind, kid'. It is part of the learning process, so it is good. I think it is not easy to step into F1, especially with a top team. There is a lot of pressure in delivering when there is no more testing. It is not easy."


2014 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
The race result increased Rosberg's lead in the Drivers' Championship to 29 points over his teammate Hamilton in second place. Ricciardo's victory kept him in third with 126 points, while Alonso's seventh-place finish moved him to eleven points ahead of Bottas in fifth. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes (with 411 points) maintained their lead over second-placed Red Bull (254 points). Ferrari in third place increased the gap over Williams in fourth to ten points as McLaren overtook Force India for fifth with seven races left in the season.


2014 Belgian Super Cup
The 2014 Belgian Super Cup was a football match that was played on 20 July 2014, between 2013–14 Belgian Pro League winners Anderlecht and 2013–14 Belgian Cup winners Lokeren, won by Anderlecht, winning their twelfth super cup.


2014 Belgian Super Cup
Anderlecht had played in eighteen previous editions of the Belgian Super Cup, winning in 1985, 1987, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012 and their most recent appearance in 2013. Lokeren had played in a Belgian Super Cup once before, two years previous in 2012, also facing Anderlecht and losing 3-2.


2014 Belgian federal election
Federal elections were held in Belgium on 25 May 2014. All 150 members of the Chamber of Representatives were elected, whereas the Senate was no longer directly elected following the 2011–2012 state reform. These were the first elections held under King Philippe's reign.


2014 Belgian federal election, Date
As part of the state reform adopted 19 December 2013, the date of election will from now on coincide with the European elections, which the Council of the EU has scheduled for 22–25 May 2014. The regional elections in Belgium already constitutionally coincide with the European elections, consequently Belgians will vote for three elections on the same day.


2014 Belgian federal election, Date
On 25 April 2014, a declaration to amend the Constitution was adopted, formally dissolving parliament and triggering new elections within 40 days.


2014 Belgian federal election, Electoral system
The 150 members of the Chamber of Representatives are elected in 11 multi-member constituencies, being the ten provinces and Brussels, with between 4 and 24 seats. Seats are allocated using the d'Hondt method, with an electoral threshold of 5% per constituency. Apportionment of seats is done every ten years, last by royal order of 31 January 2013, based on the population figures of 28 May 2012.


2014 Belgian federal election, Electoral system
Representatives elected from the five Flemish Region provinces, Antwerp (24), East Flanders (20), Flemish Brabant (15), Limburg (12) and West Flanders (16), automatically belong to the Dutch-speaking language group in parliament, whereas those elected from the five provinces of Wallonia, Hainaut (18), Liège (15), Luxembourg (4), Namur (6) and Walloon Brabant (5), form the French-speaking language group. The 15 members elected in Brussels may choose to join either group, though de facto only French-speaking parties reach the threshold.


2014 Belgian federal election, Electoral system
The 60-member Senate is composed of 50 representatives from the regional and community parliaments, plus 10 co-opted senators proportionally divided among parties based on the result of the federal election.


2014 Belgian federal election, Electoral system, Voters
All Belgian citizens aged 18 or over are obligated to participate in the election. Foreigners residing in Belgium (regardless of EU citizenship) cannot vote, whereas Belgian citizens living abroad may register to vote. Following the sixth state reform, they can no longer freely choose in which constituency their vote counts; instead the municipality is objectively defined by statutory criteria. Since the previous elections were snap elections, there was more preparation time now, allowing for significantly increased use of the option compared to 2010.


2014 Belgian federal election, Electoral system, Voters
151 Flemish municipalities and 2 Brussels municipalities voted electronically; the remaining 157 Flemish and 17 Brussels and all 262 Walloon municipalities voted by paper ballot.


2014 Belgian federal election, Background and reforms since last election
The previous 2010 election resulted in a victory for Flemish nationalist N-VA. The coalition formation stalemate went on for a record-breaking 541 days. Eventually, the negotiating parties agreed upon a sixth Belgian state reform and the Di Rupo Government was finally formed on 6 December 2011 and comprised PS, MR, CD&V, Open VLD, sp.a and cdH.


2014 Belgian federal election, Background and reforms since last election
The state reform has the following consequences for the election in 2014:


2014 Belgian federal election, Election campaign
The campaign topics largely focused on socio-economic reforms: job creation and unemployment, tax reform, pensions, ... This campaign also featured an unprecedented level of quantified programmes by political parties. For example, the N-VA released its "V plan" and CD&V its "3D plan".


2014 Belgian federal election, Election campaign
One week before the election day, former CD&V Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene suddenly died while in France. Several debates were cancelled, and CD&V as well as all other Flemish parties suspended their campaign for a few days.


2014 Belgian federal election, Election campaign, Jewish Museum shooting
On 24 May, the day before the elections, a shooting occurred at the Belgian Jewish Museum in Brussels, with three people reported dead. Self-described anti-Zionist MP Laurent Louis suggested that the attack could be a false flag operation seeking to discredit him and his political party (Debout les Belges, or "Stand Up, Belgians") on the eve of the elections.


2014 Belgian federal election, Political parties, Current situation
In 2010, ten parties won seats in the Belgian Senate: Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V), Centre Démocrate Humaniste (cdH), Socialistische Partij Anders (sp.a), Parti Socialiste (PS), Open Vld, Mouvement Réformateur (MR), Groen, Ecolo, New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) and Vlaams Belang. In the Chamber of Representatives, the People's Party (PP) and Libertarian, Direct, Democratic (LDD) each also won one seat.


2014 Belgian federal election, Political parties, Current situation
During the legislation, the Francophone Democratic Federalists (FDF) separated from the MR party and are now represented in the Chamber with 3 representatives, but have no Senators. The PP Member of Parliament left the party and became an independent. One Vlaams Belang member of the Chamber and one Vlaams Belang member of the Senate left their party and decided to become independents.


2014 Belgian federal election, Political parties, Current situation
Thus, currently the ten major parties are represented in both the Chamber and the Senate; in addition, LDD and FDF are represented in the Chamber of Representatives.


2014 Belgian federal election, Political parties, Current situation
However, most of the major parties only operate in the Dutch-speaking or in the French-speaking constituencies. Voters who live in the provinces of Antwerp, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant, Limburg or West Flanders can only vote for CD&V, Groen, N-VA, Open VLD, sp.a and Vlaams Belang, apart from the minor parties – except when a French-speaking party would present a list in one of these provinces, which has not happened except for a FDF and a PP list in Flemish Brabant. In the provinces of Hainaut, Liège, Luxembourg, Namur and Walloon Brabant, voters can only vote for cdH, Ecolo, MR and PS, apart from the minor parties – except when a Dutch-speaking party would present a list in one of these provinces, which has not happened in this elections.


2014 Belgian federal election, Political parties, Current situation
In the constituency of Liège, the German-speaking parties CSP, Ecolo, PFF and SP all form one list with their French-speaking counterparts; the name of these lists only mention the French-speaking party. Therefore, the CSP politicians are on the cdH list, the Ecolo ones on the Ecolo list, PFF on the MR list and SP on the PS list. The other German-speaking parties (ProDG and Vivant) do not present a list due to their marginal chance of getting a seat in Parliament.


2014 Belgian federal election, Political parties, Current situation
In the constituency of Brussels-Capital, Ecolo and Groen formed one list under the name Ecolo. CD&V, N-VA, Open Vld, sp.a and Vlaams Belang will each present a single list.


2014 Belgian federal election, Political parties, Current situation
LDD only presented a list in West Flanders. FDF presented a list in all Walloon constituencies, in Brussels-Capital and in Flemish Brabant. PVDA-PTB presented a list in all eleven constituencies of Belgium, making it one of the few parties which are represented in the whole of Belgium.


2014 Belgian federal election, Political parties, Main candidates
The following candidates are the first on the respective party list (lijsttrekker / tête de liste) per constituency.


2014 Belgian federal election, Opinion polling
The results of the opinion polls are usually split into separate numbers for the three Belgian regions. Below, they are transposed to national figures.


2014 Belgian federal election, Results
At the Flemish side, Vlaams Belang and LDD suffered major losses; their votes went to N-VA, which increased its position as largest party. CD&V, Open Vld and Groen gained slightly as well, while sp.a lost slightly.


2014 Belgian federal election, Results
At the French-speaking side, PS, cdH and Ecolo suffer losses while MR gained as well as newcomers PTB-GO! and FDF.


2014 Belgian federal election, Government formation
On 27 May, King Philippe nominated Bart De Wever (N-VA) as informateur, meaning he is tasked with finding enough points of agreement for a possible coalition.


2014 Belgian federal election, Government formation
After five months of discussions, a centre-right coalition of four parties (CD&V, Open Vld, MR and N-VA) came to agreement on 7 October with Walloon Charles Michel as prime minister. Yet it is a Flanders-focused coalition that excludes Socialists from the government for the first time in 26 years. Michel would be Belgium's youngest prime minister after the 28 hours of discussions over achieving a balanced budget by 2018. The announcement was made by party colleague and Budget Minister Olivier Chastel on Twitter: "Charles Michel becomes prime minister."


2014 Belgian government formation
Following the simultaneous federal elections and regional elections of 25 May 2014, negotiations started to form a new Federal Government as well as new regional governments: a Flemish, Walloon, French Community and Brussels Government. A Government of the German-speaking Community was formed only a few days after the elections.


2014 Belgian government formation
The outgoing federal Di Rupo Government consisted of a tripartite of the three traditional "ideological families": Flemish and French-speaking Christian democrats (CD&V/cdH), liberals (Open Vld/MR) and socialists (sp.a/PS).


2014 Belgian government formation
The Michel Government formed during these negotiations consists of a centre-right coalition of the Flemish nationalists (N-VA), the Flemish Christian democrats (CD&V) and the liberal parties (Open Vld/MR); i.e. only one party at French-speaking side. The new Flemish Government reflects the same coalition, whereas the Walloon and French Community Governments are made up of the PS and cdH, main centre-left parties that now became opposition at federal level.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline
Prior to the elections, N-VA expressed its desire to start with the formation of a Flemish Government before a Federal Government, a so-called "confederal logic". Forming regional governments is politically easier. CD&V however stressed the importance of negotiating at both levels in parallel.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Informateur Bart De Wever (N-VA)
On 27 May, two days after the elections, King Philippe nominated Bart De Wever (N-VA) as informateur, meaning he is tasked with finding enough points of agreement for a possible coalition.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Informateur Bart De Wever (N-VA)
Likely federal government coalitions were either a coalition of N-VA, CD&V, Open Vld and MR, cdH, or a continuation of the current tripartite Di Rupo Government (CD&V, Open Vld, sp.a and PS, MR, cdH). That last coalition now had a majority support among Flemish parties, which was not the case during the Di Rupo Government. The first possibility (with N-VA and without PS/sp.a) would not have a majority among Francophone parties. Majorities in language groups are not required, but politically preferred.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Informateur Bart De Wever (N-VA)
On 5 June 2014, the PS and cdH announced, to the surprise of all others, they were starting negotiations to form a Walloon Government. For the French language group in Brussels, PS, cdH and FDF would form a government. Parallel to this, for the Dutch language group in Brussels, Open Vld, CD&V and sp.a agreed to form a coalition. However, upon learning that FDF would be part of the French-speaking coalition, Open Vld and CD&V refused to cooperate. Later, the two parties dropped their concerns, and continued negotiations.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Informateur Bart De Wever (N-VA)
The following day, N-VA and CD&V announced as a reaction they were starting negotiations for a Flemish Government. Outgoing Minister Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) and outgoing Minister-President Kris Peeters (CD&V) led the negotiations, whereas Bart De Wever continued with his role as federal "informateur".


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Informateur Bart De Wever (N-VA)
On 24 June 2014, "informateur" Bart De Wever sent a proposal to CD&V, MR and cdH to serve as a basis for the formation of a centre-right federal government. The text did not include any institutional changes, nor any far-reaching socio-economic reforms which would be unacceptable for French-speaking parties. CD&V and MR responded positively, whereas cdH rejected the text "due to a lack of trust between the parties". The media described cdH leader Benoît Lutgen as "Monsieur Non", referencing former cdH leader Joëlle Milquet who was nicknamed "Madame Non" in the 2007 government formation.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Informateur Charles Michel (MR)
The next day, the King relieved De Wever of his task as "informateur". The King then held consultations with the leaders of the main parties, and on 27 June 2014, he nominated Charles Michel (MR) as "informateur". Due to the cdH's rejection of a centre-right coalition, all options were open, but each possibility posed a number of difficulties. PS, the largest French-speaking party, preferred a continuation of the tripartite Di Rupo Government, a scenario rejected by a majority of the Flemish population and businesses.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Informateur Charles Michel (MR)
Another possibility was a "kamikaze coalition" or "Swedish coalition", whereby MR would be the only French-speaking party in a coalition with N-VA, CD&V and Open Vld. As "informateur", Charles Michel talked with party leaders as well as employers' organizations, trade unions and other stakeholders. On 4 July 2014, the King extended his task for ten days, and on 14 July he extended his task until 22 July.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Informateur Charles Michel (MR)
Meanwhile, regional government formations progressed steadily. The Brussels Government negotiation parties presented their coalition agreement on 14 July, and the Walloon/French Community negotiating parties presented their agreement on 18 July, both before the informal deadline of the National Holiday, 21 July 2014. On 20 July, the new Vervoort Brussels Government was sworn in. The Flemish Government formation however, initially aimed for 11 July (the Flemish Holiday) stalled in part due to the difficult budgetary situation, as well as the uncertainty regarding federal negotiations and disagreements between negotiating parties - the N-VA and CD&V.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Informateur Charles Michel (MR)
On 22 July 2014, the N-VA and CD&V announced they would take Open Vld on board for the Flemish Government negotiations. Open Vld always said they wanted to be either part of both the federal and Flemish governments, or part of neither. The move paved the way for a federal "Swedish coalition" made up of CD&V, N-VA, Open Vld and MR, with outgoing Flemish Minister-President Kris Peeters (CD&V) as possible Prime Minister. As the King already expected informateur Charles Michel (MR) that day, he relieved him of his task and appointed him and Kris Peeters as formateurs.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Formateurs Kris Peeters (CD&V) and Charles Michel (MR)
Kris Peeters (CD&V) and Charles Michel (MR) prepared a draft, which was presented to the four negotiating parties as a basis for a coalition agreement. Each party has three negotiators:


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Formateurs Kris Peeters (CD&V) and Charles Michel (MR)
A difficult political issue in the negotiations was the designation of the Belgian member of the Juncker Commission being formed. CD&V insisted on proposing Marianne Thyssen, a member of the European Parliament and the candidate preferred by Jean-Claude Juncker as they are from the same party and the Commission needs more female members. However, Kris Peeters was expected to become the next Prime Minister, giving CD&V the two most important political posts, which is unacceptable to the other parties. MR in its turn insisted on proposing Didier Reynders as European Commissioner.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Formateurs Kris Peeters (CD&V) and Charles Michel (MR)
After long negotiations the parties ultimately agreed to propose Marianne Thyssen, with the Prime Minister to be a liberal (MR or Open Vld). This was eventually agreed to be Charles Michel. His party, MR, will already get half of the ministers due to the Constitution requiring an equal number of Dutch- and French-speaking ministers. As a fluent Dutch speaker, unlike his predecessor, Elio Di Rupo, barriers to his appointment on language grounds were unfounded.


2014 Belgian government formation, Timeline, Formateurs Kris Peeters (CD&V) and Charles Michel (MR)
Despite the parties' ideological proximity and the lack of state reform as a topic, the negotiations lasted longer than anticipated. On 7 October 2014, after a round of negotiations of more than 24 hours, the parties finally finalised their coalition agreement and confirmed that Charles Michel will be head of government.


2014 Belgian regional elections
Regional elections were held in Belgium on 25 May 2014 to choose representatives for the Flemish Parliament, Walloon Parliament, Brussels Parliament and the Parliament of the German-speaking Community. These elections were held on the same day as the 2014 European elections as well as the 2014 Belgian federal election.


2014 Belgian regional elections
The Parliament of the French Community is composed of all elected members of the Walloon Parliament (except German-speaking members) and 19 of the French-speaking members of the Brussels Parliament.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament
All 124 members of the Flemish Parliament were elected. The five Flemish Region provinces (West Flanders, East Flanders, Antwerp, Flemish Brabant and Limburg) each are a constituency, plus the Brussels-Capital Region where those voting for a Dutch-language party can also vote in the Flemish election.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament
The incumbent Peeters II Government was made up of a coalition of CD&V, N-VA and sp.a. Minister-President Kris Peeters (CD&V) consistently polled as one of the most popular politicians in Flanders. He is a candidate to succeed himself as Minister-President. Other parties did not put forward an explicit candidate to be Minister-President.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament
Since the elections coincide with the federal elections, a lot of the campaigning and debates have been about federal matters. Nonetheless, the sixth state reform has transferred a lot of powers from the federal state to the regional level, such as child benefits.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament
Other major election topics include the reform of the secondary education, and mobility around Antwerp, in particular the Oosterweel Link.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament, Results
The winner is by far the N-VA, especially compared to the 2009 regional elections but also to the 2010 federal elections. Groen also gained votes, whereas CD&V, sp.a, Open Vld and especially Vlaams Belang lost votes. LDD did not compete and is no longer in parliament.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament, Results
The Union of Francophones (UF) narrowly reached the 5% election threshold in Flemish Brabant, thereby keeping their only seat.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament, Results
The incumbent government parties N-VA, CD&V and sp.a would have a large majority; it was however not expected that sp.a and N-VA will be together in a coalition.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament, Results
Initially, N-VA and CD&V were negotiating to form a Flemish Government. However, since Open Vld was needed for a federal coalition and they wanted to be in both or neither governments, they joined the Flemish negotiations. On 25 July 2014, the new Bourgeois Government was sworn in, led by Minister-President Geert Bourgeois (N-VA). Outgoing Minister-President Kris Peeters (CD&V) became minister in the federal Michel Government.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament, Results
Notes:1) FLA = Flanders, BRU = Brussels (Capital Region), TOT = total


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament, Results, In detail
The candidate receiving the most preference votes was Liesbeth Homans (N-VA) in Antwerp, with 159,965 votes, ahead of Kris Peeters (CD&V).


2014 Belgian regional elections, Flemish Parliament, Results, In detail
The highest percentage of votes in a municipality (apart from the French-speaking list in the Brussels Periphery) was achieved by N-VA in Schilde (near Antwerp city) with 51,27% of the votes.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Walloon Parliament
All 75 members of the Walloon Regional Parliament were elected. The elections took place in 13 electoral districts.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Walloon Parliament
The incumbent Demotte II Government, led by Rudy Demotte, is a coalition of the Socialist Party (PS), the Humanist Democratic Centre (cdH) and Ecolo. The Reformist Movement (MR) was the only opposition party.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Walloon Parliament, Results
PS, cdH, Ecolo lost votes, whereas MR gained votes and PTB-GO! as well as Parti Populaire are new parties in parliament.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Walloon Parliament, Results
Within two weeks following the elections, the Socialist Party and the Humanist Democratic Centre started negotiations for a new government.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Brussels Parliament
All 89 members of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region were elected. There are separate Dutch-language party lists and French-language party lists. Those voting for a Dutch-language party can also cast a vote for the Flemish Parliament election.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Brussels Parliament, Results
The winner is FDF, which became the third largest French-speaking party. MR, PS, Ecolo and cdH lost votes.


2014 Belgian regional elections, Brussels Parliament, Results
The candidates receiving the most preference votes were Didier Gosuin (FDF, 22,906), Vincent De Wolf (MR, 19,919), Joëlle Milquet (cdH, 19,416), Charles Picqué (PS, 16,859) and Rudi Vervoort (PS, 16,742).


2014 Belgian regional elections, Brussels Parliament, Results
The candidate receiving the most preference votes was Guy Vanhengel (Open Vld, 7,375), significantly above the second one, Els Ampe (Open Vld, 2,883).


2014 Belgian regional elections, German-speaking Community Parliament
All 25 members of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community were elected.


2014 Belgian regional elections, German-speaking Community Parliament
The incumbent government, led by Karl-Heinz Lambertz (SP), is a coalition of the Socialist Party (SP), the liberal Party for Freedom and Progress (PFF) and the regionalist ProDG. Only a few days after the elections, these parties agreed to continue their coalition government, but with Oliver Paasch (ProDG) as Minister-President since his party became bigger than SP.


2014 Belgium Tour
The 2014 Lotto-Belisol Belgium Tour  is the third edition of the Lotto-Belisol Belgium Tour, previous called Lotto-Decca Tour, a women's cycle stage race in Belgium. The tour was held from 11 to 15 September 2014. The tour has an UCI rating of 2.2.


2014 Belgium Tour
Ellen van Dijk, who won the two previous editions, did not compete in this edition because the race did not fit in her schedule.


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election
The local election for the City Assembly of Belgrade, capital of Serbia, was held on 16 March 2014, alongside parliamentary election. The election was scheduled in late 2013, after the mayor Dragan Đilas lost a non-confidence motion in the assembly. Twenty-three parties and coalitions ran for 110 seats in the Assembly, with 5% election threshold required to win seats.


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election
According to the final results, parliamentary winner Serbian Progressive Party also won 43.62% votes in Belgrade, and an absolute majority of 63 seats. Only three more lists surpassed the threshold: Democratic Party of Dragan Đilas with 15.7% of votes (22 seats), Socialist Party of Serbia with partners took 11.49% (16 seats) and Democratic Party of Serbia won 6.39% (9 seats).


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Background
The aftermath of the 2012 elections was radical; then's incumbent president Boris Tadić lost to the oppositions counter-opponent Tomislav Nikolić. This effectively led to a change of the ruling majority with the Progressives ousting and replacing the Democrats (see for more detail: Government of Ivica Dačić).


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Background
The result of the local elections, however, were considerably in favor of the Democrats and it was easy enough for mayor Dragan Đilas to secure a second term with a coalition of his coalition (DS along with its minor partners, the Social Democratic Party of Serbia and the Serbian Renewal Movement) with the SPS-PUPS-JS, lacking but a single vote for a majority.


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Background
Over the following months there were some serious changes within the DS, with early party elections and Tadic's stepping down from the race acceding defeat and settling with an honorary presidential title, and Djilas becoming party leader; it was quickly followed by significant party-purges of those that took part in the 2008–2012 government due to political responsibility.


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Background
Subsequent changes as a result were a swift decline of the DS in the opinion polls (including withdrawal from politics of a significant number of individuals, as well as a fraction breaking off and forming a new political party under the leadership of former minister Dušan Petrović called Together for Serbia) and SNS' plummeting. It led to after restructuring the government only PUPS remaining in support of Đilas by late 2013, with more and more pressure for an early election in Belgrade.


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Background
In the end he was outvoted in late September 2013 and the government named a provisional team to administer the capital city until early elections, headed by acting mayor Siniša Mali who is closely associated with the SNS. Many parties and individuals participated in the provisional local government, but the DS withdrew from it early on; the long-lasting enforced government was perceived by the Democrats as a tyrannical act aimed at weakening their position and strengthening the Progressives' chances. As per the constitution and according laws, elections for Belgrade were finally scheduled in early 2014 for 16 March 2014.


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Background
This led to a chain of results with the Progressives deciding to go on early parliamentary elections simultaneously, bringing down Ivica Dačić's government.


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Electoral lists
The following are the electoral lists in the capital city so far proclaimed by the City Electoral Commission:


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Campaign
All lists endorse the forthcoming Pride parade in Belgrade, except for the DSS.


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Campaign
The Representative Organizations of the Disabled Persons of Belgrade had signed a Protocol with the DS.


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Opinion polls
According to a poll of the "Nina Media" research agency and TV Prva conducted after elections were scheduled in early 2014:


2014 Belgrade City Assembly election, Results
The following are the final results proclaimed by the City Electoral Commission:


2014 Belk Bowl
The 2014 Belk Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on December 30, 2014, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States. The thirteenth annual Belk Bowl, it matched the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference against the Louisville Cardinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The game started at 6:45 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2014–15 bowl games played at the conclusion of the 2014 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by Charlotte-based department store chain Belk. The Bulldogs won the matchup by a final score of 37–14.


2014 Belk Bowl, Teams
The game featured the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference against the Louisville Cardinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Georgia was runner-up in the SEC Eastern Division, whereas Louisville was third in the ACC Atlantic Division.


2014 Belk Bowl, Teams
The game represented the first overall meeting between these two teams.


2014 Belk Bowl, Teams, Georgia Bulldogs
After finishing their regular season with a 9–3 record, the Bulldogs accepted their invitation to play in the game.


2014 Belk Bowl, Teams, Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia became the first representative of the SEC to ever play in the Belk Bowl. In addition to this being Georgia's first Belk Bowl, it was also the Bulldogs' 50th bowl game in program history.


2014 Belk Bowl, Teams, Louisville Cardinals
After finishing their regular season with a 9–3 record, the Cardinals accepted their invitation to play in the game.


2014 Belk Bowl, Teams, Louisville Cardinals
The game was Louisville's second Belk Bowl; before they joined the ACC, the Cardinals played in the 2011 game (the first under the bowl's current name and sponsorship), losing to the NC State Wolfpack by a score of 31–24.


2014 Belk Bowl, Records
According to UGA, "Nick Chubb was named the Belk Bowl MVP and finished with 269 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. His 269 yards was a career-high, SEC bowl record, marked his eighth-straight 100-yard rushing game and was the second-highest single game rushing total in Georgia history." Also, a 41-yard field goal by Marshall Morgan that gave the Bulldogs a 30-14 lead set a single-season record for Georgia in points scored. Including the bowl game, UGA scored 537 points over the course of the season.


2014 Belk Bowl, Records
Chubb also set three Belk Bowl records: rushing attempts, rushing yards, and "Longest Non-Scoring Run" (82 yards).


2014 Belkin Pro Cycling season
The 2014 season for the Belkin Pro Cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.


2014 Belmont Stakes
The 2014 Belmont Stakes was the 146th running of the Belmont Stakes. It was run on June 7, 2014, and was televised on NBC. California Chrome had a chance to complete the third leg of the Triple Crown after his victories in the 2014 Kentucky Derby and the 2014 Preakness Stakes. However, it was Tonalist who won the race. Commissioner placed second and Medal Count took third. California Chrome finished in a tie for fourth with Wicked Strong.


2014 Belmont Stakes
The purse money for the Belmont was $1,500,000, an increase of $500,000 from the 2013 race. Attendance of 102,199 was the third highest in Belmont Stakes history. The 2014 race set a record for the New York Racing Association (NYRA) for the amount of money bet, with an on-track handle of $19,105,877 and all-sources handle of $150,249,399. It had the second-highest television viewership to the 2004 broadcast.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Field
The only three horses to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown were Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome, Ride On Curlin, and General a Rod. Returning from the Kentucky Derby, having skipped the Preakness, were Commanding Curve (who was second in the Derby), Wicked Strong, Medal Count, and Samraat. "New shooters" who had not run in either of the previous Triple Crown races included Tonalist, Matterhorn, Matuszak, and Commissioner. Tonalist and Commissioner had run first and second at Belmont Park in the Peter Pan Stakes. Matterhorn had run fourth in that race.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Field
Derby runners Danza and Intense Holiday were anticipated to run but for various reasons did not. Preakness runners Kid Cruz and Social Inclusion were other possible runners who were not entered.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
Morning line favorite California Chrome stumbled slightly out of the gate and bumped with another horse in his bid to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1978. Commissioner and General a Rod challenged for the early lead and jockey Victor Espinoza elected to ease California Chrome into third place at the first rail. California Chrome stayed back, falling to fourth then fifth as the race went on. Entering the final turn, he went outside of a surging Tonalist as the race went four horses wide. Espinoza pressed the horse, but California Chrome was unable to gain ground.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
Entering the home stretch Commissioner was still in the lead. However, Tonalist continued to surge and beat Commissioner to the line by a head, with a winning time of 2:28.52. A slight surge brought California Chrome into a  dead heat for fourth with Wicked Strong, but left him 1.5 lengths behind the winner. Medal Count placed third, a length back from Tonalist. Most of the crowd had hoped to see California Chrome win and sat quietly when the race ended.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
Winning jockey Joel Rosario said the win was bittersweet as he had been rooting for California Chrome to win the Triple Crown. Tonalist had last raced in the Peter Pan Stakes on May 10, a race he won at Belmont Park, and was making just his fifth career start. He became the first horse to win the Peter Pan/Belmont double since A.P. Indy in 1992.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
California Chrome's loss extended the longest Triple Crown drought in history. He became the twelfth straight horse to fail in the Belmont after winning the first two legs of the contest. (A thirteenth horse, I’ll Have Another, did not compete in the Belmont due to injury.) Espinoza felt that something wasn't right with California Chrome when the horse didn't break boldly, and he held the horse back a bit instead of going to the lead.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
Midway through the race he took the horse to the outside to give him running room, but the horse did not unleash his usual burst of speed. "As soon as he came out of the gate, he wasn't the same", Espinoza remarked after the race. Initial post-race analysts thought that California Chrome had stepped on his own feet, or "grabbed a quarter" in equestrian parlance, as he had some blood on his right front heel.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
Further review of the video and photos of the race showed that the horse next to him, Matterhorn, accidentally stepped on California Chrome as both horses broke from the gate. As a result, he had run the race with a "chunk" of tissue taken out of his right front heel, and also had a cut on his tendon that was not serious.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
Trainer Art Sherman said that both injuries would heal, probably in two or three weeks, but after that, he wanted to turn out California Chrome on pasture for a rest period of six or seven weeks, adding "Hey listen, we'll be here to fight another day, I'm just happy he's all in one piece."


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
After the race, California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn said the horses who had not taken part in the Kentucky Derby or Preakness Stakes took "the coward's way out". He predicted he would not see another Triple Crown winner in his lifetime due to fresh horses coming in at each stage of the contest; including Tonalist, six of the last eight Belmont winners did not compete in the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Two days later, he apologized for the remarks, saying he wanted to tell the owners of Tonalist, "Congratulations, you've got a fantastic horse ... He won the race fair and square. He deserved to win."


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
Other horses and their connections generated assorted pre- and post-race drama. Dale Romans, trainer of third-place finisher Medal Count, expressed concern that General a Rod, who finished seventh, was late to the test barn prior to the race, and that trainer Michael Maker had given the horse an unfair advantage by doing so. Romans thought the late arrival should have been penalized by the horse being scratched. However,  New York Racing Association officials found that General a Rod completed all pre-race testing and had no unfair advantage. Further, spotty cell phone service and other communication glitches contributed to the confusion.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Race description
Ride On Curlin, who was one of the other horses to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown, was eased in the stretch because he began bleeding from his lungs; he did not finish the race. Trainer Billy Gowan later said the severity was a "three out of 10", and that the horse recovered from the race eating well and with sound legs, but that he would give the horse a rest for at least 30 to 45 days.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Attendance, entertainment, and betting handle
Attendance of 102,199 was the third highest in Belmont Stakes history, topped only by 2002 and 2004. The 2014 race day featured a total of 10 stakes races and set a record for the New York Racing Association (NYRA) for amount of money bet, with an on-track handle of $19,105,877 and all-sources handle of $150,249,399. The previous record for Belmont Park was set at the Breeders' Cup when it was held there on October 29, 2005 with on-track  wagering of $14,742,520 and $124,009,593 for all sources. The previous record for Belmont Stakes day was set in 2004 with 14,461,402 on track and $110,994,390 from all sources.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Attendance, entertainment, and betting handle
Entertainers for the day included Frank Sinatra, Jr., singing "New York, New York" live in the post parade, with additional performances by LL Cool J and Dee Riscoli, from the cast of Wicked.


2014 Belmont Stakes, Attendance, entertainment, and betting handle
The three living jockeys who have won the Triple Crown—Ron Turcotte, Jean Cruguet, and Steve Cauthen—all attended, the first time all of them had appeared together in a very long time. They signed autographs, and collectively gave entrants the command "Riders up!" at the saddling paddock.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season
The 2014 Bemidji Axemen season was the team's first season as a professional indoor football franchise and first in the Indoor Football League (IFL). One of nine teams competing in the IFL for the 2014 season, the Bemidji, Minnesota-based Axemen were members of the United Conference.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season
Founded in August 2013 as an expansion team, the Bemidji Axemen began play in February 2014 with the start of the 2014 IFL season. Under the leadership of co-owners Chris Kokalis and Ross Ladehoff plus head coach Robert Fuller, the team plays their home games at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Off-field moves
On October 14, 2013, the Axemen announced Robert Fuller as the team's first head coach. Fuller has eight years of indoor football experience, including the last two seasons as head coach of the Green Bay Blizzard. He was honored as the Indoor Football League Coach of the Year in both 2011 and 2012.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Off-field moves
Bemidji acquired their field turf from a defunct IFL team in Ohio and refurbished and repainted the surface before their first home exhibition game. On January 20, 2014, the team announced that naming rights for the field were sold to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe for their Palace Casino and Hotel. As such, the team plays its home games on "Palace Casino Field inside the Sanford Center".


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Off-field moves
The team is working with medical and athletic training services provider Sanford Bemidji to monitor the condition of players for potential treatment of concussions and brain injuries.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Roster moves
On September 20, 2013, the Axemen announced the signing of their first player, kicker Scott Enos. He played college football with the University of Hawaii and his professional experience includes a stint with the Cedar Rapids Titans.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Roster moves
The team held public tryouts on November 23–24, 2013, at the West Saint Paul Regional Athletics Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. On December 3, the team announced the signing of offensive lineman Chuck Palonis, linebacker Jory Johnson, wide receiver Maurice Patterson, and defensive lineman Maurice Hamption.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Roster moves
On December 14, Bemidji signed defender DeQuan Starling, wide receiver Darnell Williams, and quarterback Joshua Aakre. The team also announced that they had acquired wide receiver Ryan Balentine in a trade for future considerations with the Green Bay Blizzard.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Awards and honors
On February 26, 2014, the IFL announced its Week 1 Players of the Week. Bemidji Axemen defensive back DeQuan Starling received an Honorable Mention for defense. On March 5, 2014, the IFL announced its Week 2 Players of the Week. Bemidji Axemen defensive back and kick returner De'Markus Washington each received an Honorable Mention for special teams play.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Awards and honors
On March 19, 2014, the IFL announced its Week 4 Players of the Week. Bemidji Axemen quarterback Hunter Wanket was named as the Offensive Player of the Week. Wide receiver Ryan Balentine received an Honorable Mention for offense, linebacker Jory Johnson received an Honorable Mention for defense, and kick returner De’Markus Washington received a second Honorable Mention for special teams play. On March 26, 2014, the IFL announced its Week 5 Players of the Week. Bemidji Axemen wide receiver Nick Truesdell received an Honorable Mention for offense. Linebacker Jory Johnson received a second Honorable Mention for defense.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Awards and honors
On April 2, 2014, the IFL announced its Week 6 Players of the Week. Bemidji Axemen linebacker Jory Johnson received his third Honorable Mention this season for defense. Kicker Zach Pulkinen received an Honorable Mention for special teams play. On April 16, 2014, the IFL announced its Week 8 Players of the Week. Bemidji Axemen defensive back De’Markus Washington received his third Honorable Mention of the season, but first for defense rather than special teams play. On April 23, 2014, the IFL announced its Week 9 Players of the Week. Bemidji Axemen wide receiver Ryan Balentine received an Honorable Mention for offense. Defensive lineman Montez Robinson received an Honorable Mention for defense. Kicker Zach Pulkinen received an Honorable Mention for special teams play.


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Schedule, Regular season
♥ Rescheduled from April 26 due to arena scheduling conflicts


2014 Bemidji Axemen season, Roster
Rookies in italics updated June 5, 201425 Active, 5 Inactive


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans
The 2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans were a series of flight bans at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel due to the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, FAA flight bans
On 21 July 2014, the United States State Department advised U.S. citizens to "consider the deferral of non-essential travel to Israel" in consideration of the firing of rockets into different parts of Israel (including cities).


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, FAA flight bans
On 22 July, a rocket landed about a mile from Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. Delta Air Lines diverted a flight which was in the air to Paris. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines suspended all flights to Tel Aviv indefinitely, and US Airways also cancelled flights. After this, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibited U.S. airlines from flying to or from the airport for up to 24 hours and cited "the potentially hazardous situation created by the armed conflict in Israel and Gaza."


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, FAA flight bans
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) stated that it "strongly recommends" that airlines do not fly into or out of the Tel Aviv airport. On 23 July, the FAA extended its prohibition for another 24 hours, however halfway through the extension, 36 hours into the flight ban, the FAA lifted their ban.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, FAA flight bans
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg flew to Ben Gurion on El Al on the 23rd of July in order to prove that Israel's airports are safe and to show his solidarity with Israel. He told CNN, "The fact that one rocket falls far away from this airport – a mile away – doesn't mean you should shut down air traffic into a country and paralyze the country."


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Israel's reaction
Shortly after the FAA announcement, Yisrael Katz, the Israeli Transportation Minister, stated that "Ben-Gurion airport was safe from for take-offs and landings, and that there was no security concern for passenger planes." Israel previously stated that the Iron Dome has successfully intercepted "about 90% of rockets headed toward populated or strategic areas". Israel's Civil Aviation Authority wrote a document which said that Israel is taking efforts to avoid commercial airline cancellations of flights going into Ben-Gurion Airport. It submitted the document to Transportation Minister Katz, indicating that the airport was safe for landings and departures.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Israel's reaction
One significant measure taken by the aviation authorities to increase the level of safety at Ben Gurion during the Gaza operation was to route all commercial traffic through the airspace north of the airport and away from the direction of Gaza. This move was facilitated by frequently employing runway 03/21, a new runway at the airport that was completed less than two months before the conflict began.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Israel's reaction
In response to the cancellations, on 23 July, Israel offered to open up Ovda Airport (in southern Israel, 60 km (37 mi) north of Eilat) to international flights, due to its distance from Gaza. There was crowding and chaos at the airport after it opened; 5,000 people were expected to pass through the airport on 24 July. Among the airlines flying to the airport were Air Europa, Air Méditerranée, and Neos. The Iron Dome intercepted a rocket over Eilat (which is farther south than the Ovda airport) on 24 July.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Airlines responses
Some airlines which cancelled flights include Aegean Airlines, Aeroflot, Air Baltic, Air Berlin, Air Canada, Air France, Air Serbia, Air Sinai, Alitalia, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Cyprus Airways, Delta Air Lines, easyJet, Finnair, Germanwings, Iberia, KLM, Korean Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Meridiana, NIKI, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Pegasus Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Scandinavian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Tailwind Airlines, TAROM, TUIfly, Transaero, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, Wizzair, and Vueling.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Airlines responses
Other airlines, such as Korean Air and Norwegian Air Shuttle, had already cancelled flights before the rocket strike.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Airlines responses
El Al followed these cancellations by stating that there is "no chance" that they will cancel any flights. Arkia, Azerbaijan Airlines, Belavia, Bluebird Airways, British Airways, Bulgaria Air, Czech Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Israir, Rossiya Airlines, Thai Airways, Siberia Airlines, Yakutia Airlines and Ukraine International Airlines also continued flying.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Airlines responses
El Al announced that four planes would be sent to Istanbul to retrieve those who were stranded there because of flight cancellations.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Airlines responses
Over the 23rd and 24 July period, both the FAA and the EASA lifted the ban on the flights to Israel, while some carriers, such as Air France, chose not to renew their coverage yet.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Airlines responses
Aeroflot and TAROM resumed flights on 23 July, Air Berlin, Air Canada, Air Méditerranée, Alitalia, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, easyJet, FedEx Express, Iberia, LOT Polish Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Transaero, UPS Airlines, and US Airways renewed usual service on 24 July, Air France, Finnair, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Vueling Airlines, and Wizz Air renewed regular service on 25 July, Air Berlin, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Germanwings, Lufthansa, Norwegian Air Shuttle, and Swiss International Air Lines resumed flights on 26 July, and Air Sinai and Egyptair resumed flights on 3 August.


2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans, Later threats
On 20 August, Hamas threatened to fire additional rockets at Ben Gurion on 21 August as 06:00. Their warning stated that all airlines should cancel their flights. In response to the warnings, Royal Jordanian canceled their flights to Ben Gurion.


2014 Bendigo Women's International (1)
The 2014 Bendigo Women's International (1) was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 7th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2014 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $50,000 in prize money. It took place in Bendigo, Australia, on 3–9 November 2014. This was the first of two Bendigo events, the second tournament was held a week later.


2014 Bendigo Women's International (1), Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2014 Bendigo Women's International (1) – Doubles
Erika Sema and Yurika Sema were the defending champions, however, they chose not to participate.


2014 Bendigo Women's International (1) – Doubles
Jessica Moore and Abbie Myers won the title, defeating Naiktha Bains and Karolina Wlodarczak in an all-Australian final, 6–4, 6–0.


2014 Bendigo Women's International (1) – Singles
Casey Dellacqua was the defending champion, however she chose not to participate.


2014 Bendigo Women's International (1) – Singles
Eri Hozumi won the title, defeating Risa Ozaki in an all-Japanese final, 7–6(7–5), 5–7, 6–2.


2014 Bendigo Women's International (2)
The 2014 Bendigo Women's International (2) was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 8th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2014 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $50,000 in prize money. It took place in Bendigo, Australia, on 10–16 November 2014. This was the second of two Bendigo events, the first tournament was held a week before.


2014 Bendigo Women's International (2), Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2014 Bendigo Women's International (2), Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw as a lucky loser:


2014 Bendigo Women's International (2) – Doubles
Monique Adamczak and Olivia Rogowska were the defending champions, having won the event in 2013, however both players chose not to participate.


2014 Bendigo Women's International (2) – Doubles
The Australian-duo Jessica Moore and Abbie Myers won the title, defeating Thai-sisters Varatchaya and Varunya Wongteanchai, 3–6, 6–1, [10–6].


2014 Bendigo Women's International (2) – Singles
Casey Dellacqua was the defending champion, having won the event in 2013, however she chose not to participate.


2014 Bendigo Women's International (2) – Singles
Liu Fangzhou won the title, defeating fifth seed Risa Ozaki in the final, 6–4, 6–3.


2014 Bentiu massacre
The 2014 Bentiu massacre occurred on 15 April 2014 in the town of Bentiu, in the north of South Sudan, during the South Sudanese Civil War. The attack has been described by The Economist as the "worst massacre" of the civil war.


2014 Bentiu massacre, Prelude
Prior to the attack, people had sought refuge in places of worship and healing, while a local radio station featured rebel commanders warning certain ethnic groups, except the Nuers, that they were coming for them, calling on the other groups to rape the non-Nuer women.


2014 Bentiu massacre, Attack
UN human rights investigators said that after rebels wrested Bentiu from government forces in heavy battles, the gunmen spent two days hunting down those who they believed opposed them. The killers, identified by the United Nations as forces of the Nuer-led SPLM/A-IO, went from place to place, from mosque to church to hospital, separating people by ethnicity and religion and shooting the ones left behind.


2014 Bentiu massacre, Attack
Civilians were killed in the town's main hospital, in a Catholic church and especially in the Kali-Ballee mosque, where hundreds had taken shelter and where the rebels "separated individuals of certain nationalities and ethnic groups and escorted them to safety, while the others were killed," according to a UN report. One of those who only barely escaped death during the massacre was the prominent former warlord and pro-government commander Peter Par Jiek.


2014 Bentiu massacre, Attack
A week after the attack, bodies still littered the streets.


2014 Bentiu massacre, Casualties
South Sudan's government said the death toll from the massacre exceeded 400. In the main mosque alone, "more than 200 civilians were reportedly killed and over 400 wounded," the UN mission in the country said.


2014 Bentiu massacre, Casualties
According to a source, many of the victims were Sudanese, in particular traders from Darfur as well as soldiers from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a Sudanese rebel group from Darfur accused of supporting the South Sudanese government. According to the source, JEM fighters removed their uniforms and hid in the mosque, before being shot. However, a Sudanese human rights group rejected this claim, saying those killed were unarmed civilians.


2014 Bentiu massacre, Casualties
Many other victims were civilians as well as SPLA soldiers belonging to the Dinka people, an ethnic group which had traditionally supported Kiir's government.


2014 Bentiu massacre, Aftermath
Rebel leader Riek Machar said his forces were not behind the killings and rebel spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said, "the government forces and their allies committed these heinous crimes while retreating."


2014 Bentiu massacre, Aftermath
The massacre at Bentiu greatly increased the animosity of Dinkas against ethnic Nuer in Bahr el Ghazal which had previously been largely peaceful and unaffected by the civil war. Families of Dinka soldiers killed at Bentiu attacked a Nuer SPLA soldier at Mapel, Western Bahr el Ghazal, in April 2014, resulting in inter-tribal clashes and the massacre of up to 200 Nuer soldiers by Dinka soldiers. This violence led to the mass desertion of Nuer SPLA members in Bahr el Ghazal who then fled north into Sudan in course of a long march.


2014 Berlin Marathon
The 2014 Berlin Marathon was the 41st edition of the Berlin Marathon. The marathon took place in Berlin, Germany, on 28 September 2014 and was the fourth World Marathon Majors race of the year.


2014 Berlin Marathon
The men's race was won by Kenyan athlete Dennis Kimetto in a world record time of 2:02:57, breaking the previous record of Wilson Kipsang by 26 seconds. Kimetto's performance means that the last six men's world records at the distance have all been set at the Berlin Marathon. Runner-up Emmanuel Mutai also surpassed Kipsang's old mark, finishing in 2:03:13. En route to his second-place finish, Mutai set a world record at the 30K distance (1:27:37).


2014 Berlin Marathon
The women's race was won by Tirfi Tsegaye of Ethiopia in a time of 2:20:18 hours.


2014 Berlin Marathon
Finishing third in a time of 2:21:14, Shalane Flanagan became the second fastest American woman at the marathon distance. Flanagan passed the 25K mark in 1:22:36, surpassing Janet Bawcom's previous American 25K record of 1:24:36.


2014 Best of Nollywood Awards
The 2014 Best of Nollywood Awards was the 6th edition of the ceremony and took place in Port Harcourt, Nigeria on October 16, 2014. The event was hosted by Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi and Fred Amata with special performances from Wizkid and Okey Bakassi.


2014 Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel
The 2014 Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 70th edition of the Austrian Open Kitzbühel, and part of the World Tour 250 series of the 2014 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Tennis stadium Kitzbühel in Kitzbuehel Austria, from July 27 through August 2.


2014 Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2014 Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2014 Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel – Doubles
Martin Emmrich and Christopher Kas were the defending champions, but chose not to participate together. Emmrich played alongside Lukáš Rosol, but lost to Daniele Bracciali and Andrey Golubev in the semifinals. Kas teamed up with Philipp Kohlschreiber, but lost to Henri Kontinen and Jarkko Nieminen in the quarterfinals. Kontinen and Nieminen won the title, defeating Bracciali and Golubev in the final, 6–1, 6–4.


2014 Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel – Singles
Marcel Granollers was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Dominic Thiem. David Goffin won the title, defeating Thiem in the final, 4–6, 6–1, 6–3.


2014 Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2014 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team
The 2014 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represented Bethune-Cookman University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Brian Jenkins and played their home games at Municipal Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC. They finished the season 9–3, 6–2 in MEAC play to finish in a five-way tie for the MEAC championship. However, they did not earn the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs and did not receive an at-large bid.


2014 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team
On December 16, Jenkins resigned to take the head coaching position at Alabama State. He finished at Bethune-Cookman with a five year record of 46–14.


2014 Bexley London Borough Council election
The 2014 Bexley Council election took place on 22 May 2014 to elect members of Bexley Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2014 Bexley London Borough Council election, Overall results
The Conservatives retained control of the council, winning 45 seats (-7). However, both Labour (+4) and UKIP (+3) gained seats from the Conservatives.


2014 Bhutan National League
The 2014 Bhutan National League was the third season of national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced the A-Division (Bhutan) in 2013. Again, the A-Division provided the qualifiers, with the top four teams in that competition being awarded places in the National League alongside regional teams. The league was sponsored by Coca-Cola. Druk United won the Championship on goal difference from Ugyen Academy and, as a result of the abolition of the AFC President's Cup, will be the first team from Bhutan to take part in the AFC Cup.


2014 Bhutan National League, A-Division
The 2014 season started on 8 March 2014 and ended on 4 May 2014. Druk United won the A-Division and were joined in the National League by Thimpu City, Druk Pol and Druk Star.


2014 Bhutan National League, A-Division, Results
Note 1: The notion of home and away fixtures in the A-Division is moot as all games are played at Changlimithang Stadium. As such, for the purpose of this table, the first result chronologically has been deemed that team's "home" game and the second the "away" game.


2014 Bhutan National League, National League
This season, the federation increased the prize money from Nu 400,000 to 700,000 for the winners. First runners up would be given  Nu 400,000, up by 200,000 from last year and the second runners up would be awarded Nu 200,000, double from last year’s prize. No place is awarded to the team finishing in first place this season for the AFC President's Cup. This is because 2014 is the final edition of the cup to be held.


2014 Bhutan National League, National League
Instead, the six teams which qualify for the 2014 AFC President's Cup final stage will enter the 2015 AFC Cup play-offs, and from 2015 onwards, centralized qualifiers will determine six teams which enter the AFC Cup play-offs. Since Ugyen Academy lost all three of their games in the 2014 competition, there will be no Bhutanese representative in the AFC Cup until at least 2016.


2014 Bhutan National League, National League
The national league has struggled to attract spectators though, with only around fifty people attending matches, even when top teams are involved. This is in contrast to prior years when large crowds would come to Changlimithang even for inter-school tournaments and this downturn in spectator numbers has been attributed to the widespread availability of foreign leagues on television providing a much greater level of entertainment. Additionally, difficulties in obtaining visa's for foreign players to play in the National League inhibit its attraction to local spectators. Thimphu City attempted to bring a player in from the English Premier League, but were unable to do so because of visa issues.


2014 Bhutan National League, National League, Teams
A total of six teams competed in the league: four teams representing Thimphu, who qualified as a result of their final positions in the 2014 A-Division, and two teams representing other districts.


2014 Bhutan National League, National League, Results
A number of the results above are disputed. Druk United v Thimphu City was also reported as a 5–0 win for Druk United, not 4–0. Druk Pol were reported to have beaten Bhutan Clearing 6–1, not 6–0. The match between Druk United and Bhutan Clearing may have finished 4–0 to Druk United, not 4–1. Some reports indicate that Thimphu City in fact scored two goals in their away match against Ugyen Academy and lost 4–2 not 4–0 and Bhutan Clearing have been reported as losing 5–1 not 5–0 in their home fixture against Druk United.


2014 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2014 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament was held from May 21 through May 25 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The annual tournament determined the conference champion of the Division I Big 12 Conference for college baseball. TCU won the tournament for the first time, earning the league's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2014 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament
The tournament has been held since 1997, the inaugural year of the Big 12 Conference. Among current league members, Texas has won the most championships with four. Among original members, Baylor and Kansas State have never won the event. Iowa State discontinued their program after the 2001 season without having won a title. West Virginia, a new member of the league in 2013, had also have yet to win the Tournament, as of 2014.


2014 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The top eight finishers from the regular season were seeded one through eight, and then played a two-bracket double-elimination tournament leading to a winner-take-all championship game.


2014 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Outstanding Player
TCU designated hitter Jerrick Suiter, one of the Horned Frogs' six all-tournament selections, was named Most Outstanding Player.


2014 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2014 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament is the postseason women's basketball tournament for the Big 12 Conference to be held from March 7 to 10, 2014 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at Chesapeake Energy Arena.


2014 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2014 tournament is already guaranteed to make history as for the first time ever, every game will be televised nationally.


2014 Big 12 Conference Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2014 Big 12 Conference Women's Soccer Tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Big 12 Conference held on November 5, 7 and 9, 2014. The seven-match tournament was held at the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri with a combined attendance of 2,451. The 8-team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The West Virginia Mountaineers defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the championship match to win their second conference tournament since joining the league.


2014 Big 12 Conference football season
The 2014 Big 12 Conference football season was the 19th season of college football player for the Big 12 Conference. It was part of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season.


2014 Big 12 Conference football season, All-Big 12 Teams
The 2014 Coaches All-Big 12 team. Selections are made by the league's 10 head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their own players.


2014 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2014 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big 12 Conference held from March 12 to 15 in Kansas City, Missouri at Sprint Center.


2014 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeding
The Tournament consisted of a 10 team single-elimination tournament with the top 6 seeds receiving a bye.


2014 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2014 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament was held at MCU Park in Brooklyn, New York from May 21 through May 25. The event, held at the end of the conference regular season, determined the champion of the Big East Conference for the 2013 season. Xavier won the event for the first time and earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2014 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The tournament used a modified double-elimination format and featured the top four finishers of the Big East's seven teams.


2014 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Outstanding Player
Mitch Elliott was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Elliott was an outfielder for Xavier.


2014 Big East Conference Men's Soccer Tournament
The 2014 Big East Men's Soccer Tournament was the second men's soccer tournament of the new Big East Conference, formed in July 2013 after the original Big East Conference split into two leagues along football lines. Including the history of the original conference, it was the 19th edition of the Big East tournament.


2014 Big East Conference Men's Soccer Tournament
Held from November 11–16, 2014 at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, it determined the Big East Conference champion, and the automatic berth into the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. The tournament was won by the Providence Friars who defeated the Xavier Musketeers in the Big East final.


2014 Big East Conference men's soccer season
The 2014 Big East Conference men's Futbol season was the second soccer season for the recently realigned Big East Conference. Including the history of the original Big East Conference, this was the 19th season of men's soccer under the "Big East Conference" name.


2014 Big East Conference men's soccer season
The defending champions were the Marquette Golden Eagles who defeated the Providence Friars by a score of 3 – 2 in the 2013 Big East Men's Soccer Tournament final. The Creighton Bluejays claimed the 2014 Big East Conference Regular Season Championship after defeating Providence by a score of 3 – 0 on November 7, 2014 and posting a conference record of 7 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie. The 2014 Big East Men's Soccer Tournament was won by the Providence Friars who defeated the Xavier Musketeers in the Big East final.


2014 Big East Conference men's soccer season, Tournament
Held from November 11–16, 2014 at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, the 2014 Big East Men's Soccer Tournament determined the Big East Conference Champion, and the conference's automatic berth into the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. Seeding for the tournament is based on regular season conference records. The participating teams according to seed were: #1 Creighton, #2 Xavier, #3 Georgetown, #4 Providence, #5 Villanova, and #6 Marquette. The Tournament was won by Providence who defeated Xavier in the Big East final.


2014 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2014 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, officially known as the 2014 Big East Championship, was the 35th overall edition of the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, but the first of the current Big East Conference. It determined the recipient of the conference's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament, as well as one of the two (or more) officially recognized conference champions for the 2013–14 Big East Conference men's basketball season (like most NCAA Division I conferences, the Big East recognizes both the regular-season and tournament winners as conference champions). It was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.


2014 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2013 tournament was the last tournament for the Big East in its original form. Following a prolonged period of turnover in the conference membership, culminating in a split of the conference along football lines effective in July 2013, the Big East name was assumed by the seven schools of the original Big East that do not sponsor FBS football (a group colloquially called either the "Basketball 7" or the "Catholic 7"). The FBS schools retained the old Big East's structure and charter and joined with several other schools to form the American Athletic Conference. As part of the deal, the new Big East retained the rights to the conference tournament in New York City, even though The American is the old Big East's legal successor.


2014 Big East Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2014 Big East Women's Basketball Tournament, officially known as the 2014 Big East Championship, was the 35th overall edition of the Big East Women's Basketball Tournament, but the first of the current Big East Conference. It determined the recipient of the conference's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament.


2014 Big East Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2013 tournament was the last tournament for the Big East in its original form. Following a prolonged period of turnover in the conference membership, culminating in a split of the conference along football lines effective in July 2013, the Big East name was assumed by the seven schools of the original Big East that do not sponsor FBS football (a group colloquially called either the "Basketball 7" or the "Catholic 7").


2014 Big East Women's Basketball Tournament
The new Big East tournament was hosted by DePaul University, with the First Round taking place on the school's Chicago campus at McGrath-Phillips Arena while the quarterfinals through the finals took place at Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont. The semifinals and the championship aired nationwide on Fox Sports 1. The FBS schools of the old Big East retained the original conference structure with a new name, American Athletic Conference.


2014 Big League World Series
The 2014 Big League World Series took place from July 23–30 in Easley, South Carolina, United States. Clearwater, Florida defeated Guayama, Puerto Rico in the championship game.


2014 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2014 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament ran from March 14–16, 2014. The champion Weber State Wildcats received an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament.


2014 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
Unlike most Division I conference tournaments in basketball, the Big Sky tournament does not involve all of the conference's teams. With the addition of North Dakota and Southern Utah to the conference for the 2012–13 season, expanding the number of teams from 9 to 11, the tournament expanded from six teams to seven. As in previous years, qualifying was based on overall conference record. The number of teams that failed to qualify also increased by one, going from three to four. All tournament games were played at the site of the regular-season champion. The men's tournament also returned to a Thursday-Friday-Saturday format. The field was re-seeded after the first round so the #1 seed played the lowest remaining seed, while the highest remaining seeds faced off in the other semifinal.


2014 Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2014 Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Tournament will run from March 14–16, 2014. The champion of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament.


2014 Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, Format
Unlike most Division I conference tournaments in basketball, the Big Sky tournament does not involve all of the conference's teams. With the addition of North Dakota and Southern Utah to the conference for the 2012–13 season, expanding the number of teams from 9 to 11, the tournament expanded from six teams to seven. As in previous years, qualifying is based on overall conference record. The number of teams that fail to qualify also increased by one, going from three to four. All tournament games will be played at the site of the regular-season champion. The women's tournament remains with a Thursday-Friday-Saturday format. The field will be re-seeded after the first round so the #1 seed played will play the lowest remaining seed, while the highest remaining seeds will face off in the other semifinal.


2014 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2014 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament was held from May 20–24. The top eight regular season finishers of the conference's twelve teams met in the double-elimination tournament theld at Winthrop Ballpark on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Campbell won their third tournament title, and first since returning to the league in 2012, to earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2014 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The division winners will be seeded one and two, and the next six finishers from the regular season, regardless of division, will be seeded three through eight based on conference winning percentage only. The teams will play a two bracket, double-elimination tournament with the winners of each bracket facing off in a single elimination final.


2014 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player
Ryan Thompson was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. Thompson was a pitcher for Campbell.


2014 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2014 Big South Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big South Conference that took place from March 5–9, 2014, at the HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina. Both semifinal games were broadcast on ESPN3, and the championship game was televised on ESPN2.


2014 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
All 12 teams were eligible for the tournament. Seeding was decided by divisions – the top two teams with the best overall conference records in each division received the top four seeds in the championship and first-round byes. The remaining seeds were determined based on division finish. In the event of a tie for a particular seed, the seed was determined within each division.


2014 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The #1 seeds of each division faced the winner of the game between the #4 seed from the opposite division and the #5 seed from the team's same division in the quarterfinal round. Similarly, the #2 seeds of each division faced the winner of the #3 seed from the opposite division and the #6 seed from the same division. The semifinal round featured the winner of the #1 seeds' quarterfinal games against the winner of the game featuring the #2 seeds from the opposite division.


2014 Big South Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2014 Big South Women's Basketball Tournament was the postseason women's basketball tournament for the Big South Conference, taking place from March 4–9, 2014, at the HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina. Both semifinal games and the championship were broadcast on ESPN3 with the preliminaries airing online via Big South Network.


2014 Big South Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, Format
All 11 Conference teams were eligible for the tournament. Seeding was determined by their record, with various tiebreakers used to eliminate a tie.


2014 Big Ten Baseball Tournament
The 2014 Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament was held at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, NE from May 21 through 25. The eight team, double-elimination tournament determined the league champion for the 2014 NCAA Division I baseball season. Indiana won their second consecutive, and fourth overall, tournament championship and claimed the Big Ten Conference's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. The event was aired on the Big Ten Network. This was the first time the event was held in Omaha and the first time it featured eight teams.


2014 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The 2014 tournament was an 8 team double-elimination tournament. The top eight teams based on conference regular season winning percentage earned invitations to the tournament. The teams then played a double-elimination tournament leading to a single championship game. This was the first year of this format in the Big Ten.


2014 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Outstanding Player
Kyle Schwarber, an outfielder for Indiana, was named Tournament Most Valuable Player.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season
The 2014 Big Ten Conference football season was the 119th season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The conference began its season on Thursday, August 28, as Minnesota and Rutgers opened their seasons. The remainder of the teams in the conference began their season on August 30.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season
This was the Big Ten's first season with 14 teams as Maryland and Rutgers joined the conference. It was also the first season with the two seven-team divisions; when Maryland and Rutgers joined, the conference reorganized its divisions on a pure geographic basis. The six schools in the Central Time Zone were joined by Purdue in the new West Division, with the other schools making up the East Division. Under the new setup, the only protected cross-division rivalry game will be Indiana–Purdue.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season
Ohio State routed Wisconsin, 59–0, to win 2014 Big Ten Football Championship Game in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes then advanced to the first ever College Football Playoff where they defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game and then defeated Oregon in the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship to claim their eighth national championship in school history.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season
For the first time in several years, the Big Ten finished the season with two consensus top-five teams. In addition to Ohio State's consensus national title, Michigan State finished the season as the consensus #5 team in the nation.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, Bowl games
Rankings are from AP Poll. All times Eastern Time Zone.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, All-Conference Players
Honorable Mention: Illinois: V’Angelo Bentley, Mikey Dudek, Teddy Karras, Mason Monheim, Jihad Ward; Indiana: Antonio Allen, Dan Feeney, Collin Rahrig, Bobby Richardson, Shane Wynn; Iowa: Andrew Donnal, Jordan Lomax, John Lowdermilk, Drew Ott, Tevaun Smith; Maryland: Cole Farrand, Andre Monroe; Michigan: Brennan Beyer, Will Hagerup, Raymon Taylor; Michigan State: Ed Davis, Jeremy Langford, Josiah Price, Marcus Rush, Mike Sadler; Minnesota: Cameron Botticelli, Josh Campion, Theiren Cockran, Tommy Olson; Nebraska: Zaire Anderson, Jake Cotton, Sam Foltz, Nate Gerry, Alex Lewis, Josh Mitchell; Northwestern: Chi Chi Ariguzo, Justin Jackson, Dean Lowry, Nick Van Hoose, Brandon Vitabile, Dan Vitale; Ohio State: Darryl Baldwin, Cameron Johnston, Joshua Perry, Devin Smith, Evan Spencer; Penn State: Adrian Amos, Deion Barnes, DaeSean Hamilton, Jesse James, Jordan Lucas; Purdue: Landon Feichter, Paul Griggs; Rutgers: Leonte Carroo, Kaleb Johnson; Wisconsin: Vince Biegel, Rafael Gaglianone, Dallas Lewallen, Tyler Marz, Joe Schobert, Marcus Trotter, Dan Voltz.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, All-Conference Players
Honorable Mention: Illinois: Taylor Barton, V’Angelo Bentley, Ted Karras, Mason Monheim; Indiana: Antonio Allen, Dan Feeney, Collin Rahrig, Bobby Richardson, Jason Spriggs, Shane Wynn; Iowa: Quinton Alston, Austin Blythe, Jake Duzey, John Lowdermilk, Desmond King, Louis Trinca-Pasat; Maryland: Sean Davis, Stefon Diggs, Cole Farrand, Darius Kilgo, Yannick Ngakoue; Michigan: Brennan Beyer, Blake Countess, Devin Funchess, Raymon Taylor; Michigan State: Ed Davis, Taiwan Jones, Jeremy Langford, Josiah Price, Marcus Rush, Mike Sadler; Minnesota: Cameron Botticelli, Josh Campion, Theiren Cockran, Eric Murray, Tommy Olson; Nebraska: Zaire Anderson, Kenny Bell, Maliek Collins, Corey Cooper, Jake Cotton, Alex Lewis, Josh Mitchell; Northwestern: Chi Chi Ariguzo, Ibraheim Campbell, Cameron Johnston, Brandon Vitabile, Dan Vitale; Ohio State: Darryl Baldwin, Vonn Bell, Ezekiel Elliott, Cameron Johnston, Devin Smith, Michael Thomas, Adolphus Washington; Penn State: Adrian Amos, Deion Barnes, Jesse James, Austin Johnson, Jordan Lucas, Angelo Mangiro, Trevor Williams; Purdue: Landon Feichter, Robert Kugler, Frankie Williams; Rutgers: Darius Hamilton, Kaleb Johnson, Kemoko Turay; Wisconsin: Sam Arneson, Rafael Gaglianone, Darius Hillary, Dallas Lewallen, Tyler Marz, Joe Schobert, Marcus Trotter


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, All-Americans
There are many outlets that award All-America honors in football. The NCAA uses five official selectors to also determine Consensus and Unanimous All-America honors. The five teams used by the NCAA to compile the consensus team are from the Associated Press, the AFCA, the FWAA, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. A point system is used to calculate the consensus honors. The point system consists of three points for first team, two points for second team and three points for third team. No honorable mention or fourth team or lower are used in the computation.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, All-Americans
The teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named a Consensus All-American. If there is a tie at a position in football for first team then the players who are tied shall be named to the team. A player named first-team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is recognized as a Unanimous All-American.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, All-Americans
Joey Bosa, Tevin Coleman, Melvin Gordon and Brandon Scherff were declared Unanimous All-Americans for 2014 having been named to the First Teams by all five selectors recognized by the NCAA (Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp, Sporting News)


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, Academic All-Americans
Six Big Ten student-athletes were named to the Capital One Academic All-America first or second teams in football as announced by CoSIDA. The Big Ten has now led all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences in Academic All-Americans for 10 straight seasons, with 78 honorees over that time span.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, Academic All-Americans
First Team: Mark Murphy, Indiana; Mike Sadler, Michigan State; Maxx Williams, Minnesota; Davie Milewski, Rutgers. Second Team: Mark Weisman, Iowa; Jacoby Boren, Ohio State.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, Academic All-Americans
To be eligible for the award, a player must be in at least his second year of athletic eligibility, be a first-team or key performer and carry a cumulative 3.30 grade point average (GPA).


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, 2015 NFL Draft
35 Big Ten athletes were selected in the 2015 NFL Draft.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, 2015 NFL Draft
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2015 draft.


2014 Big Ten Conference football season, 2015 NFL Draft
NFL Draft Selections by NCAA ConferenceSEC – 54ACC – 47Pac-12 – 39Big Ten – 35Big 12 – 25American – 11Mountain West – 10C-USA – 6Sun Belt – 3Independents – 2MAC – 0Non-FBS Conferences – 24


2014 Big Ten Conference men's soccer season
The 2014 Big Ten Conference men's soccer season was the 24th season of men's varsity soccer in the conference.


2014 Big Ten Conference men's soccer season
Penn State Nittany Lions were the two-time defending regular season champions, while the Indiana Hoosiers were the defending tournament champions.


2014 Big Ten Conference men's soccer season, Changes from 2013
Rutgers and Maryland joined the conference from the American Athletic Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference respectively.


2014 Big Ten Conference men's soccer season, Preseason
Newcomers Maryland was picked to win the conference ahead of Penn State.


2014 Big Ten Football Championship Game
The 2014 Big Ten Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 6, 2014 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the fourth annual Big Ten Football Championship Game and it determined the 2014 champion of the Big Ten Conference. The game featured the Ohio State Buckeyes, champions of the East Division, and the West Division champion Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin was favored by 4.5 points over Ohio State, but Ohio State won by a score of 59–0.