2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
Al-Monitor reported that "Unlike Ankara's Western allies, Iran did not wait for the coup's failure to speak up. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced support for democracy in a Twitter message in the early hours of the unrest, writing "Stability, and democracy in Turkey are paramount". In a subsequent phone call after the failure of the coup attempt, President Hassan Rouhani told Erdoğan the coup attempt was "a test to identify your domestic and foreign friends and enemies."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
Mustafa Akıncı, President of Northern Cyprus, welcomed the fact that "no community in Turkey ... applauded the coup as they have done in the past." Azerbaijan strongly condemned the attempted military coup in Turkey and considered such actions unacceptable according to a statement from Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration and chief of the foreign relations department.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
European Commissioner dealing with Turkey's EU membership bid, Johannes Hahn, said it appears Turkey's government prepared arrest lists of political opponents before the coup attempt and had been waiting for the right time to act. In this sense, EU reported that as a  to put this issue in the category of terrorism become the violation of the fundamental rights and fundamental values of the citizens. Hence, it underlines a total divergence of opinions and mentality between EU and Turkey which reached a deadlock here especially after the 15th of July in 2016.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
On 19 July 2016, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press briefing that President Barack Obama has held a phone conversation with President Erdoğan: "The President used the phone call to reiterate once again the strong commitment of the United States to the democratically elected civilian government of Turkey. The President pledged any needed assistance to the Turkish government as they conduct and investigation to determine exactly what happened."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
On 20 July 2016, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: "Turkey has a large armed force, professional armed forces and ... I am certain they will continue as a committed and strong NATO ally." On a statement released on 10 August 2016, the Secretary General once more strongly condemned the attempted coup and reiterated full support for Turkey's democratic institutions. He also expressed support for the elected Turkish government and respect for the courage of the Turkish people for resisting the coup plotters.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
On 29 July 2016, the commander of U.S. Central Command, General Joseph Votel, denied statements by Turkey's president Erdoğan that he has supported the coup attempt in Turkey.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
On 1 August 2016, United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, General Joseph Dunford, visited Turkey and condemned the coup attempt. Dunford said: "The consistent theme throughout the day was a reaffirmation of the importance of the U.S.-Turkey relationship – the need for us to cooperate."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International, Greek maritime patrols for coup fugitives
On July, 20, there were reports that a group of Turkish military commandos coup fugitives would try to cross from Turkey to the island of Symi, in the southeastern Aegean, at Greece. These reports put the Greek armed forces on alert. Also, the Greek Coast Guard was on alert and increased the patrols in the area, especially after a group of inflatable dinghies and other vessels were seen departing from Datca, on the Turkish coast, in the direction of Symi, they monitored the movements of the Turkish vessels, which remained in Turkish waters.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International, Greek maritime patrols for coup fugitives
Furthermore, a contingent of the Greek Police was dispatched to Symi to conduct checks there. Athens had been anticipating a possible attempt by participants in the failed coup to come to Greece and took the reports seriously. Turkish F-16 fighter jets were also scrambled to check reports that missing Turkish coast guard vessels had appeared in Greek waters in the Aegean. Later on the day, the Turkish interior ministry denied reports that rebel soldiers might have "hijacked" a vessel to flee to Greece. The Greek armed forces remained on alert the throughout the day for potential coup fugitives.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes
According to Michael Rubin, from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Erdoğan had himself to blame for the coup. Following an increasingly Islamist agenda, Erdoğan had reportedly "dropped any pretense of governing for all Turks." After "fanning the flames" at the 2013 Gezi Park protests, he transformed the predominantly Kurdish-inhabited areas of southeastern Turkey "into a war zone reminiscent of the worst days of the 1980s." The biggest problem, according to Rubin, might have been Erdoğan's foreign policy, which managed to turn the initial "no problems with neighbors" doctrine into a situation where the country has problems with almost every neighbor and has even alienated some of its allies and friends.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes
British Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk warned that "too late did Erdoğan realize the cost of the role he had chosen for his country. It's one thing to say sorry to Putin and patch up relations with Netanyahu; but when you can no longer trust your army, there are more serious matters to concentrate upon." Even if this coup may have failed, Fisk expected another to follow in the months or years to come.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes
Turkish professor Akın Ünver described the coup d'état attempt as "more of a mutiny".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Peace at Home Council
The name of the "Peace at Home Council" – Yurtta Sulh Konseyi – is derived from Atatürk's famous saying 'Peace at Home, Peace in the World'. Journalist Ezgi Başaran said that "the statement of the junta, that was [...] read on the [...] government TV [channel] as the coup got under way, bore a strong resemblance to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's famous address to the Turkish Youth. [ ...] On the other hand, given that these references are too obvious, they may have been intentionally included to insinuate a Kemalist junta rather than a Gülenist one."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Peace at Home Council
The citizen journalism site Bellingcat published an analysis of the messages of a WhatsApp group consisting of high-ranking military officials who had taken part in the coup covering their activities including them killing several people. The messages were cross referenced with video footage. The group was named "Yurtta sulh" which refers to a peace at home speech and they seem secular and military with no references to Gülen or anything related during the several hours of messaging.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Peace at Home Council
News reports have suggested that the coup ringleader was Adil Öksüz. Some believe Öksüz to have been an operative with Turkish intelligence.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Timing
German Islamic studies scholar Rainer Hermann said the putschists tried to forestall a large-scale purge of judiciary and military, the implementation of which had already started on Saturday, the day after the coup attempt. According to Turkish investigative journalist Ahmet Şık, a list of officials to be purged had been ready compiled by the attorney-general of Izmir, Okan Bato, and was approved by President Erdoğan. According to this version, the putschists had to quickly bring forward their coup attempt before being disposed and arrested.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports
During and after the events, several politicians and commentators suggested that the government knew about the coup in advance and possibly directed it. The facts that the coup attempt began in the evening rather than at a more inconspicuous time and that the events were largely confined to Ankara and Istanbul contributed to doubts about the authenticity of the coup attempt. Journalists and opposition politicians branded it a 'tragic comedy' and 'theatre play'. Advocates of such theories pointed to how Erdoğan stood to gain from the coup attempt in terms of increasing his popularity and support for his calls for an executive presidency, while being able to legitimize further crackdowns on judicial independence and the opposition in general.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports
Other elements that were reported to support the theory included: no list of demands by the coup plotters, the organization and response of the police, the long lists of arrests that seemed to be ready surprisingly quickly (including arrests of 2,745 judges and 2,839 soldiers), and the obvious nature of the coup actions.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports
Fethullah Gülen, whom Erdoğan had said as being one of the principal conspirators, commented, "I don't believe that the world believes the accusations made by President Erdoğan. There is a possibility that it could be a staged coup and it could be meant for further accusations [against the Gülenists]." Journalist Cengiz Çandar, a veteran observer of Turkey's coups, said "I have never seen any with this magnitude of such inexplicable sloppiness."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports
Prominent Hizmet (Gülen movement) spokesman Alp Aslandogan said, referencing that the Turkish Air Force commander met with Erdoğan before 15 July, that certain legal documentation related to the coup seemed written beforehand, arguing that within "the indictment written by a prosecutor on the night of 15 July to 16 July, there were events there that didn't actually happen. Some events did happen, but those events didn't happen by the time the document started. It looks like a bigger plan was there, and part of the plan did not come to pass."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports, Evidence of pre-planning
The organization and spontaneous synchronization by large numbers of mosques was perceived to be unachievable unless there had been prior preparation, with journalists also pointing to how Erdoğan could have strategically used the call to prayer to invoke religious sentiment in a political situation as a veiled attack on state secularism.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports, Evidence of pre-planning
Thousands of arrests and purges were conducted by Turkish authorities between 16 and 18 July 2016. The sheer number of these arrests made at such a speed could only be done so if the "Turkish government had all those lists ready", as suggested by Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, on 18 July 2016. Hahn also said that because these lists were already available immediately after the coup, the "event was prepared" and the lists were to be used "at a certain stage".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports, Possible connections of the coup leaders to Erdoğan
Mehmet Dişli, who was seen giving orders to the coup plotters and who was the one who put a belt around Hulusi Akar's neck to make him sign, is the brother of Şaban Dişli, a former vice president of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and confidant of Erdoğan.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports, Possible government motives
Several social media users have compared the coup attempt to the Reichstag fire in 1933, which Adolf Hitler used as an excuse to suspend civil liberties and order mass arrests of his opponents. Politico correspondent Ryan Heath said that "the coup was staged to allow Erdoğan to purge the military of opponents and increase his grip on the country". Heath used Twitter to share comments from his Turkish source, who called the events of Friday night a "fake coup" which would help a "fake democracy warrior" (referring to Erdoğan). The source said: "Probably we'll see an early election [in] which he'll try to guarantee an unbelievable majority of the votes. And this will probably guarantee another 10–15 years of authoritarian, elected dictatorship."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports, Possible government motives
The New York Times reported that some Turkish citizens believed the coup attempt was staged by Erdoğan to improve his public image and popularity, while cracking down on political opponents and expanding his power. Critics found it suspect that reportedly no government officials were arrested or harmed during the attempted coup, which—among other factors—raised the suspicion of a false flag event staged by the Turkish government to crack down on opposition parties. Those in Turkey suggesting that the coup was staged are also being questioned by the government.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports, Possible government motives
Politicians and journalists who were skeptical of the authenticity of the coup plot said that in reality, a 'civil coup' had effectively been staged against the Armed Forces and Judiciary, both of which were extensively purged of stated Gülen supporters by the government shortly after the events.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports, Possible government motives
Skeptics said that the coup would be used as an excuse for further erosion of judicial independence and a crackdown on the opposition, giving the AKP greater and unstoppable power over all state institutions and paving the way for a more radical Islamist agenda at odds with the founding principles of the Turkish Republic.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports, Possible government motives
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said in late July 2016 that Turkish social media users who said the government was staging the coup faced investigation: "Just look at the people who are saying on social media that this was theatre. Public prosecutors are already investigating them. Most of them are losers who think it is an honor to die for Fethullah Gülen's command."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Staged coup reports, Possible government motives
On 12 July 2017, Stockholm Center for Freedom, a monitoring group with reported links to the Hizmet movement that tracks Turkey, published a controversial  stating that President Erdogan in fact orchestrated the coup bid as a false flag to consolidate his powers, set up his opposition for a mass persecution, and push Turkish Armed Forces into a military incursion into Syria. According to the report, it uncovered new evidence from 11 July 2016, four days before the planned coup bid, that a secret plan was circulated among select group of Armed Forces to give an appearance of a coup attempt. The plan was sanctioned by intelligence and military chiefs with the approval of Erdogan.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Allegations of CIA involvement
In early November 2017, Turkish authorities issued an arrest warrant for Henri J. Barkey, former Director of the Middle East Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, stating that he is an agent of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), that he was present in Istanbul during the 2016 Turkish coup attempt, and that he was one of the key organizers behind the coup attempt.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Allegations of CIA involvement
Around 1 December, the Istanbul prosecutor's office issued an arrest warrant for Graham E. Fuller, an American author and political analyst specializing in Islamic extremism after a long CIA career and holding the role of vice-chair of the United States National Intelligence Council. The prosecutor's office based the warrant on suspicion of Fuller helping to plan the coup attempt. Hürriyet stated that Turkish authorities believed that they had traced Fuller's location before the attempted coup and afterward when he left Turkey.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Causes, Allegations of CIA involvement
Barkey denied his reported role in the coup, stating, "These accusations are so ludicrous that they do not even deserve the term 'science fiction'."


2016 Turkmenistan Cup
The 2016 Turkmenistan Cup (Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Kubogy 2016)  was the 23rd season of the Turkmenistan Cup knockout tournament. The cup winner qualified for the 2017 AFC Cup.


2016 Turks and Caicos Islands general election
General elections were held in Turks and Caicos Islands on 15 December 2016. The result was a victory for the People's Democratic Movement (PDM), with Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson becoming the islands' first female Premier. Following the election outgoing Prime Minister Rufus Ewing resigned as Progressive National Party (PNP) leader and quit politics.


2016 Turks and Caicos Islands general election, Electoral system
At the time of the election, the House of Assembly had 15 elected members and four appointed members. The 15 elected members were elected by two methods; ten were elected from single-member constituencies, with five elected on an at-large basis, with voters able to vote for up to five candidates at the national level. The four appointed members include one nominated by the Premier, one nominated by the Leader of the Opposition and two members appointed by the Governor.


2016 Turks and Caicos Islands general election, Campaign
A total of 31 candidates contested the 10 single-member constituencies; the PDM and PNP both ran full slates of 10 candidates, whilst the Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) had eight. The remaining three candidates were independents. There were also 21 candidates in the at-large constituency, five each from the PDM and PNP, four from the PDA and seven independents.


2016 Tuvalu A-Division
The 2016 Tuvalu A-Division was the 15th season of top flight association football in Tuvalu. The season started and finish on 2016.


2016 Twenty20 East Asia Cup
The 2016 East Asia Cup was a Twenty20 (T20) cricket tournament, which was held in Japan in November 2016. The matches were all played at the Sano International Cricket Ground in the city of Sano.


2016 Twenty20 East Asia Cup
The Twenty20 East Asia Cup is an annual competition featuring China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea that was first played in 2015 and alternates annually between a men's and women's event. This was the first edition of the men's event, after China won the inaugural women's edition in 2015. Matches did not have Twenty20 International status. Hong Kong was represented by the Hong Kong Dragons side, a team representing Hong Kong's Chinese community, instead of the full national side.


2016 Twenty20 East Asia Cup
South Korea defeated hosts Japan in the final on 6 November 2016 to win the East Asia Cup.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint
The 2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint was a motor racing event for V8 Supercars, held on the weekend of 1 to 3 April 2016. The event was held at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launceston, Tasmania, and consisted of one race of 120 kilometres and one race of 200 km in length. It was the second event of fourteen in the 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship and hosted Races 4 and 5 of the season. The event was the 44th running of the Tasmania SuperSprint.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint
Defending series champion Mark Winterbottom started from pole position in both races, but was unable to take victory in either race. Triple Eight Race Engineering teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup finished first and second in Race 4, ahead of Will Davison. Davison took victory in Race 5, passing both Van Gisbergen and Winterbottom in the closing laps after the latter pair went off the circuit due to oil dropped by Winterbottom's teammate Cameron Waters. Craig Lowndes finished second while Winterbottom recovered to take third. Van Gisbergen, after leading for most of the race, did not finish after getting stuck in a gravel trap. Davison's win elevated him to the championship lead, 15 points clear of Lowndes, with Whincup a further nine points behind in third.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Background
The event was the first to feature the revised SuperSprint race format, which was introduced for the 2016 season. A single 120 km race was held on Saturday, with drivers required to make a pit stop to change tyres. The 120 km race replaces the pair of 60 km races which had been held on the Saturday of SuperSprint events in 2015. It was also the first event held at the circuit following upgrades which had taken place across December 2015 and January 2016, which included the installation of new concrete barriers on the inside of the circuit and the reconditioning of the gravel traps.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Background
Following confusion over race start regulations at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, the rules regarding race starts under control of the safety car were amended. Previously, if a formation lap had not been completed, the race would not officially start until the safety car returned to the pit lane. The new rules stated that the race would start once the cars left the grid behind the safety car, regardless of whether or not the formation lap had been completed.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Background
Michael Caruso entered the event as the championship leader ahead of Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Practice
The first one-hour practice session was held on Friday morning. James Moffat set a time of 51.8869 to be fastest ahead of Whincup and Craig Lowndes. Whincup noted the impact of the circuit upgrades on the track condition, saying: "The side effect of the recent works is some loose dirt which has blown across the track, but I’m certainly not going to complain about that." Mark Winterbottom was quickest in the second one-hour session, which was held on Friday afternoon. His teammate Cameron Waters was second fastest ahead of Whincup, Shane van Gisbergen and Lowndes. The cars of Whincup and Chaz Mostert both had precautionary engine changes overnight, ahead of the third and final practice session on Saturday morning, which was 15 minutes in duration. Winterbottom was again fastest, with a time of 51.0978. Scott McLaughlin was second quickest ahead of Fabian Coulthard.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Qualifying – Race 4
Qualifying for Race 4 took place on Saturday afternoon and consisted of a single 15-minute session. Winterbottom continued his form from the practice sessions to take pole position with a time of 51.1530, two one-hundredths of a second faster than Lowndes. Both drivers went off the circuit during the session, with Winterbottom going off at Turn 2 and Lowndes at Turn 6. Van Gisbergen was third ahead of Lee Holdsworth and Will Davison. Nick Percat spun at Turn 4 late in the session which affected several drivers' laps.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 4
Race 4 was held on Saturday afternoon. McLaughlin's car experienced an engine problem prior to the start of the race, forcing him to start from the pit lane before repair work left him ten laps behind the leaders. Winterbottom held the lead from pole position ahead of Lowndes and Van Gisbergen. Holdsworth lost places in the early laps, while Whincup moved up to fifth place before being the first driver to make his compulsory pit stop at the end of lap 4.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 4
After other drivers made their pit stops in the following laps, Whincup emerged ahead of Van Gisbergen, Lowndes, Davison and Rick Kelly, while Winterbottom dropped back after a slow pit stop and going off the circuit to avoid Lowndes after he left the pit lane. Van Gisbergen passed Whincup for the effective race lead on lap 17.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 4
Brad Jones Racing pitted their drivers later in the race, with Jason Bright stopping on lap 20 and Tim Slade on lap 28. Tim Blanchard was the final driver to take his pit stop on lap 32, leaving Van Gisbergen in the lead ahead of Whincup, Lowndes, Davison and Rick Kelly. Davison passed Lowndes for third on lap 34, while Bright and Slade were taking advantage of their younger tyres to make up positions. Van Gisbergen went on to take victory over Whincup by nine tenths of a second, with Davison finishing another two tenths behind.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 4
Rick Kelly was able to pass Lowndes for fourth, while Bright made it up to sixth place. Waters finished seventh ahead of Slade, with Winterbottom and Mostert completing the top ten. Van Gisbergen's win was the 500th for Holden in the combined history of the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercars Championship.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Qualifying – Race 5
A single 20-minute qualifying session, held on Sunday morning, was used to determine the grid for Race 5. Davison set the fastest lap time during the session, but was given a two-place grid penalty for blocking James Courtney. As a result, pole position was awarded to Winterbottom, who set the second fastest time. Davison was unaware that he had impeded Courtney, saying: "I had no idea he was there." Van Gisbergen was third fastest, which would see him start from second on the grid, while Whincup was fourth ahead of Holdsworth and Mostert.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 5
Race 5 took place on Sunday afternoon. The race regulations required each car to take on at least 120 litres of fuel during the race. Winterbottom and Van Gisbergen battled for the lead in the opening laps, with Van Gisbergen taking the lead on lap 3. Whincup took advantage of Van Gisbergen's pass to move into second place. On lap 5, Percat and Chris Pither made contact on the exit of Turn 4, which sent Pither spinning into the wall, severely damaging his car.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 5
The safety car was deployed while Pither's car was retrieved and all of the drivers made their first pit stop, with the exception of Lowndes and Rick Kelly who had pitted on lap 1. Whincup lost multiple positions as he had to wait for Van Gisbergen's car to be serviced before he could complete his own pit stop. Van Gisbergen emerged in the lead ahead of Winterbottom, Rick Kelly, Lowndes and Mostert, while Whincup had dropped to 13th place.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 5
Van Gisbergen and Winterbottom continued to battle after the safety car returned to the pit lane, but Van Gisbergen was eventually able to build a lead. The safety car was called for the second time on lap 40, when Whincup became stuck in the gravel trap at Turn 4, having run wide following his second pit stop. All of the other drivers came into the pit lane to take on their remaining fuel requirement. Waters' car was taken into the garage with an engine problem which left him several laps off the lead.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 5
Shortly after the safety car period ended, Rick Kelly began suffering from brake problems, which slowly worsened and eventually forced him to retire from the race on lap 57. Blanchard retired from the race on lap 74, when his front splitter collapsed under the front of the car and caused him to go off the circuit at Turn 6 and become stuck in a gravel trap.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 5
Van Gisbergen looked set to take victory until lap 80, when Waters' car, which had returned to the circuit, suffered an engine failure on the run into Turn 4, depositing large amounts of oil onto the track. Andre Heimgartner and Whincup, immediately behind Waters, both went off the circuit and made heavy contact with each other. Heimgartner was beached in the gravel trap but Whincup was able to continue, while Moffat also spun. Van Gisbergen and Winterbottom both slid on the oil, with Van Gisbergen getting stuck in the gravel trap with his car against the barrier. This allowed Davison and Lowndes through into the top two positions, while Winterbottom recovered and assumed third place. Davison held on to take victory ahead of Lowndes and Winterbottom, with McLaughlin and Mostert completing the top five. Tander and Courtney finished sixth and seventh, having started 18th and 19th respectively.


2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint, Report, Race 5
The result saw Davison assume the championship lead ahead of Lowndes and Whincup, while Van Gisbergen dropped to seventh place, having led the points standings after Race 4.


2016 Tyrone Junior Football Championship
The Tyrone Junior Football Championship is an annual third tier Gaelic Football tournament organized by Tyrone GAA. The winners of the event then represent Tyrone in the Ulster Junior Club Football Championship. Brackaville are the reigning champions following the 2015 Tyrone Junior Football Championship having beaten Aghaloo in the final on a scoreline of 0-9 to 0-8. However, as the winners of the Tyrone Junior Football Championship gain automatic promotion to the Tyrone Intermediate Football Championship for 2016 they cannot defend their title.


2016 Tyrone Junior Football Championship, Teams
The 2016 Tyrone Junior Football championship is contested by 17 clubs from across the county of Tyrone.


2016 Tyrone Junior Football Championship, Fixtures, Ulster Junior Club Championship
The winners now progress onto the Ulster Junior Club Championship as the representatives of Tyrone.


2016 Tyrone Junior Football Championship, Fixtures, All-Ireland Junior Club Championship
The winners now progress onto the All-Ireland Junior Club Championship as the representatives of Ulster.


2016 Türk Telecom İzmir Cup
The 2016 Türk Telecom İzmir Cup was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the ninth edition of the tournament which is part of the 2016 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in İzmir, Turkey between 19 and 25 September 2016.


2016 Türk Telecom İzmir Cup, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Türk Telecom İzmir Cup – Doubles
Saketh Myneni and Divij Sharan were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2016 Türk Telecom İzmir Cup – Doubles
Marco Chiudinelli and Marius Copil won the title after defeating Sadio Doumbia and Calvin Hemery 6–4, 6–4 in the final.


2016 Türk Telecom İzmir Cup – Singles
Lukáš Lacko was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Cem İlkel.


2016 Türk Telecom İzmir Cup – Singles
Marsel İlhan won the title after defeating İlkel 6–2, 6–4 in the final.


2016 U-19 Asia Rugby Championship
The 2016 U-19 Asia Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams in Asia. The winners will secure a berth at the 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Trophy.


2016 U-19 Asia Rugby Championship, Top division
The top division will be hosted by Malaysia from 11–17 December 2016.


2016 U-19 Asia Rugby Championship, Division 1
Division 1 was hosted by the Philippines at the International School Manila in Taguig from 14–17 December 2016. The winner was promoted to the top division.


2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores
The 2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores (Spanish: Copa Libertadores Sub-20 2016) was the 3rd edition of the U-20 Copa Libertadores, South America's premier under-20 club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The tournament, which returned after a four-year hiatus having been temporarily discontinued since 2012, was held in the cities of Asunción and Luque, Paraguay, from 30 January to 14 February 2016.


2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores, Teams
The competition was contested by 12 teams: the title holder, the champion club from each of the ten CONMEBOL member associations, and one additional team from the host association Paraguay.


2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores, Teams
Players must be born on or after 1 January 1996. However, each team may include a maximum of five players born on or after 1 January 1995.


2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores, Venues
The tournament was played in four venues in two cities, all in the Metropolitan Area of Asunción:


2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores, Group stage
The draw of the tournament was held on 15 January 2016, 12:00 local time, at the headquarters of the Paraguayan Football Association in Asunción. For the group stage, the 12 teams were drawn into three groups of four. The two teams from Paraguay (Cerro Porteño and Libertad) and the title holder (River Plate) were seeded.


2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores, Group stage
In the group stage, the teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order:


2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores, Group stage
The winners of each group and the best runner-up among all groups advanced to the knockout stage.


2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores, Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, the winners of the semi-finals (Group A winner vs. Group C winner; Group B winner vs. Best runner-up) advanced to the final, while the losers played in the third place match. If tied after regulation time, the penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner (no extra time was played).


2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup
The 2016 U-23 World Baseball Cup was the second edition of the U-23 Baseball World Cup since its inception in 2014 as the U-21 Baseball World Cup. The competition took place in Mexico between Oct. 28 and Nov. 6, 2016. A total of 50 games were played in three host cities: Monterrey, Saltillo, and Cadereyta.


2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup
In the Gold Medal game, Japan defeated Australia with the score of 10:3. Korea defeated Panama with the score of 5:3 to win the Bronze Medal.


2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup, Venues
Monterrey, Saltillo, and Cadereyta are the three cities where games were played. In Monterrey, games were played at the 27,000-seat Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey, home of  Sultannes Monterrey of the Mexican Baseball League. In Saltillo, games were played at Estadio Francisco I. Madero, home of the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican Baseball League. In Caderetya, games were played at Unidad Deportiva Alfonso Martinez Dominguez.


2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup, Teams
World  No. 1 Japan, No. 3 Korea, No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 7 Venezuela, No. 8 Mexico, No. 13 Australia, No. 14 Czech Republic, No. 15 Panama, No. 18 Nicaragua, No. 27 Argentina, No. 33 Austria, and No. 36 South Africa.


2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup, Group stage
Two groups of six teams played in a round-robin format, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the Super Round. The bottom three teams from each group went to the consolation round. The rankings of teams in each group were determined by the win-loss record of all games played. If two or more teams had the same win-loss record, rankings were  determined as follows:


2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup, Opening round, Super Round
In the Super Round, each the three teams that advanced from Group A play one game against each of the three teams that advanced from Group B.


2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup, Opening round, Super Round
At the end of this round, four teams will qualify for the finals, based on the results of five total games: the two First Round games between the three qualified teams, plus the three games of the Super Round.


2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup, Opening round, Super Round
The first and second place teams will play in the Gold Medal Game, the third and fourth place teams will played in the Bronze Medal Game.


2016 U.S. Classic
The 2016 U.S. Classic, known as the 2016 Secret U.S. Classic for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of the U.S. Classic gymnastics tournament. The competition was held on June 4, 2016, at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.


2016 U.S. Classic
Historically, it was the first time the competition was held in the city of Hartford, or indeed the state of Connecticut. Additionally, being held in conjunction with the men's P&G U.S. Nationals, it was the first edition to have been combined with the event. The competition served as the start of the 2016 USA Gymnastics elite season and, although not officially, the start of the USA Gymnastics 2016 Olympics team selection process.


2016 U.S. Classic
Tickets for the event went on sale on January 15, 2016.


2016 U.S. Embassy protest in Manila
A protest that occurred in front of the U.S. embassy in Manila, Philippines led to a violent dispersal on October 19, 2016.


2016 U.S. Embassy protest in Manila, Protest
A protest, led by national minority groups, namely SANDUGO and Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya para sa Sariling Pagpapasya at Makatarungang Kapayapaan, gathered in front of the U.S. embassy in Manila. The protest was to demand an end to the Oplan Bayanihan, a counterinsurgency campaign and the pulling out of troops and militias from indigenous people's communities. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) secretary general Renato Reyes, Jr. said that the violent dispersal, which happened when the protest was about to conclude, was "planned and ordered" by a certain Col. Marcelino Pedroso.


2016 U.S. Embassy protest in Manila, Protest
The protest turned violent when a police vehicle accelerating back-and-forth hit several protestors. The incident of ramming was recorded by the media. It occurred after the protestors surrounded the vehicle and began hitting it with wooden police batons. Among them were three activists, who were taken to the hospital. It was reported that the police arrested 21 individuals and brought them to the MPD.


2016 U.S. Embassy protest in Manila, Investigation
The SANDUGO and KABATAAN party-list stated that a certain Col. Marcelino Pedroso of the Manila Police District (MPD) allegedly gave the go-ahead for the violent dispersal of the protestors, while others claim that PO3 Franklin Koh — the driver of the police vehicle — ordered the violent dispersal. Pedroso, however, denied the ordering of the dispersal.


2016 U.S. Embassy protest in Manila, Investigation
On October 20, the Office of the Ombudsman charged 10 policemen after the protestors filed complaints against them related to the dispersal.


2016 U.S. Embassy protest in Manila, Investigation
In October 29, it was reported that 28 police officers from the MPD filed counter-charges against the protesters for illegal assembly, direct assault on a person in authority, physical injury, resisting arrest and malicious mischief.


2016 U.S. F2000 National Championship
The 2016 U.S. F2000 National Championship was the seventh season – since its revival in 2010 – of the U.S. F2000 National Championship, an open wheel auto racing series that is the first step in INDYCAR's Road to Indy ladder, and is owned by Andersen Promotions. A 16-race schedule was announced on October 27, 2015. The National class was re-introduced, for SCCA Formula Continental cars.


2016 U.S. F2000 National Championship
Australian Anthony Martin and his Cape Motorsports teammate Canadian Parker Thompson were neck and neck throughout the season. Ultimately Martin captured the championship on the back of seven wins compared to Thompson's four. Thompson finished on the podium in twelve of the sixteen races, one more than Martin. Brazilian Victor Franzoni won three races and was running at the finish of every race and finished third in points, fourteen points behind Thompson. Jordan Lloyd and Luo Yufeng also captured race victories.


2016 U.S. F2000 National Championship
Cape Motorsports won the team championship by a comfortable margin.


2016 U.S. F2000 National Championship
2016 was the final year for the Van Diemen-designed Formula Continental derived cars in Championship Class. In 2017 it will be replaced by a new bespoke design from Tatuus. The old cars will remain eligible for National Class.


2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The 2016 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held from January 15–24 in Saint Paul, Minnesota at the Xcel Energy Center and Bloomington Ice Garden. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing at the senior, junior, novice, intermediate, and juvenile levels. The results were part of the U.S. selection criteria for the 2016 Four Continents, 2016 World Junior Championships, and the 2016 World Championships.


2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Qualifying
Competitors qualified at regional and sectional competitions held from October to November 2015.


2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Qualifying
Following sectional competitions, U.S. Figure Skating published a list of skaters who had qualified or earned a bye. Skaters who subsequently withdrew included Jason Brown, Jordan Moeller, Joshua Farris, Richard Dornbush, and Lydia Erdman / Alexey Shchepetov.


2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Senior pairs
Tarah Kayne / Daniel O'Shea won both segments to win their first national title by nearly 15 points, with a total score of 211.65 points. Defending champions Alexa Scimeca / Chris Knierim earned silver with a total of 196.80 points. Marissa Castelli / Mervin Tran placed third in both segments to earn bronze, and Madeline Aaron / Max Settlage maintained their fourth-place standing from the short to earn pewter.


2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Senior ice dance
Maia Shibutani / Alex Shibutani overcame a 0.47 point deficit from the short dance to overtake defending champions Madison Chock / Evan Bates and win their first senior national title.


2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, International team selections, Winter Youth Olympics
The team for the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics was announced in October 2015.


2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, International team selections, Four Continents
The team for the 2016 Four Continents Championships was announced on January 24, 2016.


2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, International team selections, World Junior Championships
The team for the 2016 World Junior Championships was announced on January 24, 2016. Nathan Chen withdrew due to injury and was replaced by first alternate Tomoki Hiwatashi.


2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, International team selections, World Championships
The team for the 2016 World Championships was announced on January 24, 2016. Nathan Chen withdrew due to injury and was replaced by first alternate Grant Hochstein. On March 23, it was announced that Polina Edmunds withdrew due to an injury and first alternate, Mirai Nagasu will replace her.


2016 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships
The 2016 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships (also known as the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships for sponsorship purposes) was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 48th edition of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, and an ATP World Tour 250 event on the 2016 ATP World Tour. It took place at River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas, United States, from April 4 through April 10, 2016.


2016 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2016 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Doubles
Ričardas Berankis and Teymuraz Gabashvili were the defending champions, but Berankis chose not to compete this year and Gabashvilli chose to participate in Marrakesh instead. Bob and Mike Bryan won the title, defeating Víctor Estrella Burgos and Santiago González in the final, 4–6, 6–3, [10–8].


2016 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Singles
Jack Sock was the defending champion, but lost in the final to Juan Mónaco, 6–3, 3–6, 5–7.


2016 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2016 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships
The 2016 P&G U.S. National Gymnastics Championships was the 53rd edition of the U.S. National Gymnastics Championships and was held June 3–5, 2016, at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, for senior men and June 23–26, 2016, at the Chaifetz Arena in Saint Louis, Missouri, for women and junior men.


2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (gymnastics)
The 2016 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials, referred to as the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, was split into separate events for Women's Artistic Gymnastics and Men's Artistic Gymnastics. The women's event was held from July 8–10, 2016 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California and the men's event was held June 23–26, 2016 at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.


2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (gymnastics), Venue
The women's event was held at the SAP Center, which has a capacity of up to 19,190 spectators for concerts and hosted the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, which held both women's and men's artistic gymnastics events. It is home to the National Hockey League team, the San Jose Sharks. The men's event was held at Chaifetz Arena.


2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (gymnastics), Promotion
In February 2016, 2008 Olympian Shawn Johnson visited the San Jose area to promote the women's event. 2012 Olympian Jordyn Wieber visited St. Louis to promote the men's event in early June.


2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (gymnastics), Promotion, Ticket sales
On May 3, 2016, it was revealed that the competition had sold out.


2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (gymnastics), Olympic Team selection, Women's team
Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Gabby Douglas were selected to represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. MyKayla Skinner, Ragan Smith, and Ashton Locklear were selected as the three alternates.


2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (gymnastics), Olympic Team selection, Men's team
Sam Mikulak was automatically named to the Olympic team after scoring the highest four day all-around total from both Olympic trials and the 2016 National Championships. The selection committee then named Chris Brooks, Alex Naddour, Jacob Dalton, and John Orozco to the team. Danell Leyva, Akash Modi, and Donnell Whittenburg were named as the alternates.


2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (gymnastics), Olympic Team selection, Men's team
Two weeks after the Olympic Trials Orozco tore his ACL and meniscus. Levya was selected as his replacement.


2016 U.S. Open (golf)
The  2016 United States Open Championship was the 116th U.S. Open, held June 16–19 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont and Plum, Pennsylvania, suburbs northeast of Pittsburgh. Dustin Johnson won his first major championship.


2016 U.S. Open (golf)
Play was delayed on the first day due to heavy rainfall, forcing most of the field to play half a round behind schedule. Andrew Landry was a surprise leader after the first round before Johnson led the field in the second. Shane Lowry carded a 65 in the third round to take the overall lead into the final round. Despite a controversial penalty on the 5th green, Johnson took the title three strokes ahead of runners-up Lowry, Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Venue
This was the ninth U.S. Open at Oakmont and its twelfth major championship.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Field
About half the field consisted of players who were exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open. Each player is classified according to the first category in which he qualified, and other categories are shown in parentheses.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Field
Ángel Cabrera, Lucas Glover, Martin Kaymer (8,13,14), Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy (6,7,11,12,13,14), Geoff Ogilvy, Justin Rose (12,13,14), Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth (5,11,12,13,14)


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Field
Branden Grace (13,14), Dustin Johnson (12,13,14), Shane Lowry (13,14), Louis Oosthuizen (12,13,14), Charl Schwartzel (13,14), Cameron Smith, Brandt Snedeker (12,13,14)


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Field
Daniel Berger (13,14), Steven Bowditch, Paul Casey (13,14), Harris English (14), Jim Furyk (13,14), Bill Haas (13,14), Charley Hoffman (13,14), J. B. Holmes (13,14), Kevin Kisner (13,14), Brooks Koepka (13,14), Matt Kuchar (13,14), Danny Lee (13,14), Hideki Matsuyama (13,14), Kevin Na (13,14), Scott Piercy (13), Patrick Reed (13,14), Henrik Stenson (13,14), Robert Streb, Jimmy Walker (13,14)


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Field
An Byeong-hun (14), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (14), Rafa Cabrera-Bello (14), Kevin Chappell (14), Jamie Donaldson, Matthew Fitzpatrick (14), Sergio García (14), Emiliano Grillo (14), James Hahn (14), Billy Horschel (14), Smylie Kaufman (14), Kim Kyung-tae (14), Chris Kirk (14), Patton Kizzire, Søren Kjeldsen (14), Russell Knox (14), Anirban Lahiri (14), Marc Leishman (14), David Lingmerth (14), Ryan Moore (14), Andy Sullivan (14), Justin Thomas (14), Jaco van Zyl (14), Lee Westwood (14), Bernd Wiesberger (14)


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, First round
Play was suspended three times during the morning wave of players, all for dangerous weather conditions. At 4:40 pm EDT, play was called for the day with the second wave of players yet to tee off. Only three groups, nine players, finished their first rounds. Andrew Landry, who was ranked 624th in the world and had to go through local and sectional qualifiers, was the leader at 3 under par, with a birdie putt on his last hole, hole 9. Amateur Scottie Scheffler was the leader in the clubhouse at 1 under par.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, First round
After more rain overnight, nearly three inches (7.5 cm) total since Wednesday, play resumed at 7:30 am under mostly sunny skies and the round was completed shortly after 3 pm. Landry, the overnight leader, had a cushy end to his round: he only brought his putter to the course, to which he sank his birdie putt to lead at 4-under par. He would not play another hole for the rest of the day (see round 2).


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Second round
Play was suspended due to darkness at 8:43 pm with 27 players of the first wave still on the course and the second wave of players yet to tee off. Dustin Johnson completed his round and was tied for the lead with Andrew Landry, who had not started his second round yet, at 4 under par.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Second round
*Completed their second round on Saturday (had not yet started second round)


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Second round
The 27 members of the first wave resumed their rounds and the second wave began theirs at 7 am. The second round was completed after 2 pm; 67 players made the cut at 146 (+6) or better.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Second round
Amateurs: Rahm (+5), Scheffler (+7), Suh (+8), Burns (+9), Horsfield (+9), Hardy (+10), Mueller (+10), Crawford (+12), Bard (+15), Danielson (+19), Stachler (+24)


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Third round
The round began at 3 pm, on split tees in groupings of three; the final grouping of Dustin Johnson, Andrew Landry, and Scott Piercy teed off at 5:01 pm and completed 13 holes. Play was suspended due to darkness at 8:49 pm with Shane Lowry as the overnight leader at 5 under par, through 14 holes.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Third round
Play resumed at 7 am and Shane Lowry birdied 15 and 17 for a round of 65 (−5) to extend his lead to four strokes. Andrew Landry bogeyed 14 and 15, but birdied 17 and 18 to move into the final pairing. Daniel Summerhays birdied 15 and eagled 17 to climb into a tie for fourth. After 54 holes, the top eight players on the leaderboard were all seeking their first major title.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Final round, Summary
Play in the final round began at 10 am, in pairs from the first hole, with the final pair of Shane Lowry and Andrew Landry starting at 3:30 pm. Dustin Johnson shot a 69 and won his first major, three shots ahead of three runners-up. After finishing at five under par, Johnson was penalized a shot as he was judged to have made his ball move as he addressed it on the fifth green, despite being initially absolved of wrongdoing. His score was amended to four under par, but he still finished three strokes ahead. The top four of the leaderboard were the only ones left under par.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Controversy
During the final round of the tournament, there was a controversial incident on the fifth green that involved eventual winner Dustin Johnson. As he prepared to address the ball for a par putt, his ball moved slightly. Johnson stepped away, saying that he had not addressed the ball. After he spoke to an on-site rules official, he was told to carry on with his shot and sank the putt. Later, on the 12th tee, an official informed him that he might be penalized a stroke, but that no decision would be made until the round was complete.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Controversy
The penalty was ultimately assessed against Johnson which still left him three strokes ahead of three second-place finishers. Several of the world's top golfers, such as Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and Rickie Fowler, as well as many viewers on their local Fox stations and spectators at the course, took to social media to criticize the USGA for its decision.


2016 U.S. Open (golf), Media
For the second year, Fox Sports televised the championship in the United States. The first two rounds were on FS1 cable and over-the-air on Fox, with the last two rounds shown only on Fox. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it was carried by Sky Sports.


2016 U.S. Open 9-ball Championship
The 2016 US Open 9-Ball Championships 2016 was an international pool tournament in the discipline 9-Ball, from 16 to 22 October 2016 at Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. It was the 40th entry of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships. The American Shane Van Boening won the event with a 13–9 final victory against the Taiwanese Chang Jung-Lin to win his fifth US Open. van Boening's fifth title put him equal for the most wins with Earl Strickland. Third place went to Jayson Shaw .


2016 U.S. Open 9-ball Championship
Defending champion was the Cheng Yu-hsuan. However, after defeats against Hsieh Chia-chen and Antonio Lining, Yu-hsuan lost in the double elimination round without a win.


2016 U.S. Open 9-ball Championship, Tournament format
The tournament was played as a double-elimination tournament and as a race to 11 under winner break rules.


2016 U.S. Open Cup
The 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 103rd edition of the oldest ongoing competition in American soccer.


2016 U.S. Open Cup
On September 8, 2015 the United States Soccer Federation decided to prevent professional teams that were "majority owned by a higher-level Outdoor Professional League Team" from taking part in the competition. This rule prevented several United Soccer League teams (Bethlehem Steel FC, LA Galaxy II, New York Red Bulls II,  Orlando City B, Portland Timbers 2, Real Monarchs, Seattle Sounders FC 2 and Swope Park Rangers) from competing. New York Cosmos Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover stated that eligible New York Cosmos B would not enter as "the integrity of the tournament is more important". The Houston Dynamo staffed, but not owned, Rio Grande Valley FC Toros were also ruled ineligible by USSF at the request of the Dynamo.


2016 U.S. Open Cup
Major League Soccer (MLS) teams New York Red Bulls, Portland Timbers, and Seattle Sounders FC each entered their under-23 amateur sides. US Soccer announced that these MLS sides could not play their affiliated sides before the Open Cup Final. The same rule holds for the NASL's Indy Eleven and their amateur side Indy Eleven NPSL.


2016 U.S. Open Cup
The cash prize amounts were the same as those in 2015, with the champion receiving $250,000 and the runner-up $60,000. Also, the team from each lower division that advanced the furthest received $15,000. The champion of the tournament also received a berth in the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League.


2016 U.S. Open Cup, Qualification
All United States Division I (MLS), Division II (NASL), and Division III (USL) teams qualified automatically, except teams that are majority owned by a higher-level outdoor professional league team. This rule prevented United Soccer League teams Bethlehem Steel FC, LA Galaxy II, New York Red Bulls II, Orlando City B, Portland Timbers 2, Real Monarchs, Seattle Sounders FC 2 and Swope Park Rangers from competing. New York Cosmos B (NPSL) also stated that they would not enter the competition. The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros were ruled ineligible at the request of the Houston Dynamo. The New York Athletic Club (NPSL) withdrew before the access list was announced on February 5.


2016 U.S. Open Cup, Brackets
Host team listed firstBold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2016 U.S. Open Cup, Brackets
Host team listed firstBold winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2016 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, First Round
Draw announced April 6. All times local to game site.


2016 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Second Round
Draw announced April 6. All times local to game site.


2016 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Round of 16
Draw announced June 16. The fourth round winners were drawn into four 4-team brackets based on geographic considerations.


2016 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Quarterfinals
The eight round of 16 winners played the other survivor in their geographic arm of the bracket.


2016 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Semifinals
The draw to determine the semifinal hosts for the final teams from the eastern and western halves of the bracket took place on July 21 at Soccer House in Chicago and was conducted by U.S. Open Cup Commissioner Paul Marstaller. The semifinal matches were held on August 9–10.


2016 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Final
The hosting priority for the 2016 U.S. Open Cup Final took place subsequent to the semifinal host draw. The order went as follows: Chicago Fire, LA Galaxy, FC Dallas, New England Revolution.


2016 U.S. Open Cup Final
The 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final was played on September 13, 2016, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The match determined the winner of the 2016 U.S. Open Cup (LHUSOC), a tournament open to amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation. It was the 103rd edition of the oldest competition in United States soccer. This edition of the final was contested between FC Dallas and New England Revolution, both of Major League Soccer (MLS). The final is a rematch at the same venue of the 2007 Final, won by New England. For the second straight year, the match was broadcast in English on ESPN2 and in Spanish on Univision Deportes Network. A preceding program on ESPN2 ran late, and the game began on ESPNEWS.


2016 U.S. Open Cup Final
Dallas secured its berth in the final by defeating Oklahoma City Energy FC, Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, and LA Galaxy. New England's road to the final involved victories over Carolina RailHawks, the New York Cosmos, Philadelphia Union, and Chicago Fire. The venue for the final was determined by a draw before the semifinals. Dallas drew 3rd and New England 4th. Therefore, following the results of the semifinals, Toyota Stadium was determined to be the final's location.


2016 U.S. Open Cup Final
Both teams were seeking to end a long drought for a major trophy by winning a second LHUSOC, the only trophy either charter MLS franchise has won. Dallas would be the team to end their drought of 19 years by winning 4–2. It was the first time in four years that the home side won the final. As winners, FC Dallas qualified for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League.


2016 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, FC Dallas
When they were still known as the Dallas Burn, FC Dallas (FCD) won the 1997 Cup. Lamar Hunt later became the owner of the franchise, which was re-branded as FC Dallas. The team is still owned by Hunt Sports Group and is run by Lamar's sons, Clark and Dan. FC Dallas made a run to the final of both the 2005 edition and 2007 edition of The Cup. However, they lost both finals. FCD began the 2016 LHUSOC by hosting their USL affiliate Oklahoma City Energy FC and winning by penalties.


2016 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, FC Dallas
In the next round, they hosted the Colorado Rapids and won in added extra time with Maxi Urruti scoring the decisive goal. In the quarterfinals, FCD won at rivals Houston Dynamo 1–0 with the goal from Fabian Castillo. Castillo would leave the club following that game to go on loan at Turkish club Trabzonspor. In the semifinals after a scoreless 90 minutes, Dallas fell behind the LA Galaxy 1–0, but would score two goals off corner kicks late in added extra time to advance to the final. Dallas defender Atiba Harris was shown a yellow card during the match which meant he was suspended for the final due to yellow card accumulation.


2016 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, New England Revolution
New England Revolution have previously appeared in two US Open Cup finals, losing the 2001 Final and winning the 2007 Final against FC Dallas. The Revs' first two matches in the competition were road games at second division opponents from the NASL. First, they defeated the Carolina Railhawks 1–0 in added extra time with a goal from Zachary Herivaux. Then, they defeated the New York Cosmos 3–2. In the quarterfinals, they hosted the Philadelphia Union and won by penalties. They also hosted in the semifinals against the Chicago Fire and won 3–1.


2016 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match
The Revolution got on the scoreboard early in the match. Following a Dallas turnover, striker Juan Agudelo received the ball and was able to turn past defender Matt Hedges near the top of the penalty box. He took a shot that beat goalkeeper Chris Seitz to Seitz's right. Maxi Urruti answered for Dallas less than ten minutes later. Mauro Diaz put a ball into the box that Urruti was able to get to before former FCD defender Je-Vaughn Watson could. After taking a touch, Urruti volleyed a shot past goalkeeper Brad Knighton to Knighton's right to even the game.


2016 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match
Late in the first half, Dallas took the lead when Hedges headed in a ball sent into the box by Diaz after New England could not fully clear a Dallas corner. The situation continued to deteriorate for the Revs as they were forced to make two substitutions due to injury. Gershon Koffie was replaced by Kei Kamara, and Watson was replaced by Chris Tierney. Just before the half ended, Hedges drew a penalty in stoppage time as the assistant referee ruled that Jose Goncalves had pulled Hedges down inside the box. Knighton guessed correctly and dove to his right, but Diaz's penalty kick had enough pace to get under Knighton's body for a 3-1 Dallas halftime advantage.


2016 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match
In the second half, New England pressed to try and get a goal to get back into the game. However, a Dallas counter attack led to a second goal by Urruti, who finished a breakaway following another assist by Diaz. Urruti nearly completed a hat-trick later in the game, but hit the post on one attempt and was ruled offside on another. The Revolution would get one goal back as Agudelo scored his second goal with a far side tap-in of Teal Bunbury's cross from the right side. However, Dallas did not concede any further and claimed a 4–2 victory.


2016 U.S. Open Cup qualification
The 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament proper will feature teams from all five tiers of men's soccer of the American Soccer Pyramid.


2016 U.S. Open Cup qualification
Starting with the 2016 tournament, US Soccer took over the qualifying process that used to be handled by each association. According to US Soccer, all teams within the Division I, II, & III professional leagues will qualify automatically as in past years. Any national league not in the top three divisions can apply to use previous year's league standings as their qualification method. Remaining teams will participate in up to five qualifying rounds to determine entrants into the tournament proper. In prior years, slots were allocated and the individual associations created tournaments and qualifiers to determine their representatives. Final slot allocation will be determined when team registration has concluded.


2016 U.S. Open Cup qualification
As of September 8, 2015, US Soccer has made the decision to ban all lower division teams that are majority owned by a higher division team. This means Bethlehem Steel, LA Galaxy 2, New York Red Bulls 2, Orlando City B, Portland Timbers 2, Real Monarchs, Seattle Sounders 2, and Swope Park Rangers (all from the United Soccer League) will not qualify for the 2016 tournament. On November 5, 2015, New York Cosmos Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover stated that eligible New York Cosmos B would not enter as "the integrity of the tournament is more important". Just before the tournament, USL side Rio Grande Valley FC Toros and their MLS parent Houston Dynamo asked that RGVFC be banned from the tournament by US Soccer. While RGVFC is not owned by the Dynamo, the MLS side staffs and coaches the Toros.


2016 U.S. Open Cup qualification, Local Qualifying Track (56), Third qualifying round
On February 3, teams scheduled for the Third Qualifying Round received letters from USSF advising them that due to the withdrawal of some professional teams (the USL clubs mentioned above), the round was cancelled and all twelve teams had qualified for the First Round of the main tournament along with the two teams who had received prior byes.


2016 U.S. Open Cup qualification, Local Qualifying Track (56), Third qualifying round
Teams scheduled to play in the Third Qualifying Round before cancellation


2016 U.S. Open Cup qualification, National League Track, Premier Development League (15)
On September 16, 2015, US Soccer announced the 15 PDL sides for the US Open Cup listed below. 2015 league results were used to determine the qualifying teams.


2016 U.S. Open Cup qualification, National League Track, National Premier Soccer League (13)
On September 13, 2015, the NPSL announced the 13 NPSL sides for the US Open Cup listed below. Detroit City was added later as a late addition at-large berth due to the withdrawal of New York Cosmos B. 2015 league results were used to determine the qualifying teams.


2016 U.S. Open Grand Prix Gold
The 2016 U.S. Open Grand Prix Gold, is the tenth Grand Prix's badminton tournament of the 2016 BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. The tournament will be held in Los Angeles, California, United States on 5 – 10 July 2016 and has a total purse of $120,000.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Democratic presidential caucuses
The 2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Democratic presidential caucuses were held on June 4 in the U.S. territory of the United States Virgin Islands as one of the Democratic Party's primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Democratic presidential caucuses
Neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party held any other primaries on that day, with the Republican Party's own Virgin Islands caucus having taken place on March 10.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Democratic presidential caucuses
Seven of Virgin Islands' 12 Democratic delegates are pledged to presidential contenders based on the results of the voting in the Virgin Islands Territorial Convention. A mandatory 15 percent threshold is required in order for a presidential contender to be pledged National Convention delegates.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Democratic presidential caucuses
The At-Large delegates are to be pledged proportionally to presidential contenders based on the Caucus results on each of the three islands: four from St Thomas and St. John jointly, and three from St. Croix. Hillary Clinton won the Virgin Islands Democratic Caucuses.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Democratic presidential caucuses
This is the only primary where Bernie Sanders receives zero delegates. In 2008, the primary of the same place was where Hillary Clinton received zero delegates.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Republican presidential caucuses
The 2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Republican presidential caucuses took place on March 10 in the U.S. territory of the United States Virgin Islands as one of the Republican Party's primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Republican presidential caucuses
While on the same day, neither the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party held any other primaries, the Democratic Party's own Virgin Islands caucuses took place only on June 4.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Republican presidential caucuses
Six of Virgin Islands' nine Republican delegates were elected during a Presidential caucus. Territorial Caucuses met from noon to 6 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John as a Convention to vote for Presidential Preference and select at-large delegates to the Republican National Convention.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Republican presidential caucuses
Three party leaders -- the National Committeeman, the National Committeewoman, and the chairman of the Virgin Islands's Republican Party -- attended the convention by virtue of their position. On election day all six delegates were voted to be uncommitted to the national convention in Ohio. This means that they will decide whom to support at the convention. All 6 delegates were disqualified by the territorial party and were replaced. Rubio received 2 delegates, 2 delegates were uncommitted, Ted Cruz received 1, and Donald Trump received 1. This decision is being contested.


2016 U.S. Virgin Islands Republican presidential caucuses, Results
All delegates decided to back Trump after he was determined as the presumptive nominee.


2016 U.S. Women's Open
The 2016 U.S. Women's Open was the 71st U.S. Women's Open, held July 7–10 at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, California, southeast of San Jose.


2016 U.S. Women's Open
The U.S. Women's Open is the oldest of the five current major championships and the third of the 2016 season. It has the largest purse in women's golf at $4.5 million, and was televised by Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports.


2016 U.S. Women's Open
Brittany Lang won her first major title in a playoff over Anna Nordqvist.


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field
The championship was open to any female professional or amateur golfer with a USGA handicap index not exceeding 2.4. Players qualified by competing in one of twenty 36-hole qualifying tournaments held at sites across the United States and at international sites in China, England, Japan, and South Korea. Additional players were exempt from qualifying because of past performances in professional or amateur tournaments around the world. The USGA received a record 1,855 entries for the championship.


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Exempt from qualifying
Many players are exempt in multiple categories. Players are listed only once, in the first category in which they became exempt, with additional categories in parentheses ( ) next to their names. Golfers qualifying in Category 13 who qualified in other categories are denoted with the tour by which they qualified.


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Exempt from qualifying
Choi Na-yeon (10,15,16), Chun In-gee (9,11,13-KLPGA,15,16), Paula Creamer (10,15), Ji Eun-hee (10,15,16), Cristie Kerr (10,12,15,16), Ryu So-yeon (9,10,15,16), Michelle Wie (10)


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Exempt from qualifying
Lydia Ko (8,10,11,12,15,16), Brittany Lincicome (15,16), Lexi Thompson (11,12,15,16), Yoo Sun-young (10)


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Exempt from qualifying
Pernilla Lindberg (10), Shiho Oyama (15,16), Jane Park (10), Morgan Pressel (10,15,16) Amy Yang (10,15,16)


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Exempt from qualifying
Marina Alex, Baek Kyu-jung, Chella Choi (12,15,16), Carlota Ciganda (15,16), Austin Ernst, Sandra Gal, Julieta Granada, Jaye Marie Green, Wei Ling Hsu, Charley Hull (15,16), M. J. Hur, Karine Icher, Jang Ha-na (11,12,15,16), Ariya Jutanugarn (12,15,16), Moriya Jutanugarn, Danielle Kang, Kim Kaufman, Christina Kim, In-Kyung Kim, Kim Sei-young (11,15,16), Jessica Korda (12,15,16), Candie Kung (15,16), Brittany Lang (15,16), Alison Lee (15,16), Ilhee Lee (15), Lee Mi-hyang (15), Min Lee, Minjee Lee (11,12,15,16), Mirim Lee (15,16), Caroline Masson, Catriona Matthew, Maria McBride, Sydnee Michaels, Mika Miyazato (15,16), Azahara Muñoz (15,16), Haru Nomura (11,12,15,16), Anna Nordqvist (15,16), Ryann O'Toole, Lee-Anne Pace (15,16), Park Hee-young (16), Pornanong Phatlum (15,16), Gerina Piller (11,15,16), Beatriz Recari, Lizette Salas (15), Alena Sharp, Jenny Shin (11,12,15,16), Kelly Shon, Jennifer Song, Angela Stanford, Kris Tamulis (12), Mariajo Uribe, Karrie Webb (15), Sakura Yokomine


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
Additional players qualified through sectional qualifying tournaments taking place in May and June at sites in the United States, China, South Korea, England, and Japan.


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
May 16 at Shady Oaks Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
May 16 at Terravita Golf & Country Club, Scottsdale, Arizona


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
May 16 at The Heritage Golf Course at Westmoor, Westminster, Colorado


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
May 17 at TPC at The Woodlands (Player Course), The Woodlands, Texas


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
May 23 at Quail Ridge Country Club (South Course), Boynton Beach, Florida


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
May 23 at Oak Park Country Club, River Grove, Illinois


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
May 24 at Canoe Brook Country Club (North Course), Summit, New Jersey


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
May 25 at Carolina Trace Country Club (Lake Course), Sanford, North Carolina


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
May 31 at Industry Hills Golf Club (Eisenhower Course), City Of Industry, California


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
June 2 at Goose Creek Golf Club, Mira Loma, California


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Qualifiers
June 3 at Sugar Mill Country Club, New Smyrna Beach, Florida


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Qualifying and field, Alternates added to field
The following players were added to the field before the start of the tournament when spots reserved for exemptions in various categories were not used, and to replace players who withdrew from the tournament.


2016 U.S. Women's Open, Round summaries, Playoff
The three-hole aggregate playoff was held on the final three holes, and any additional play in sudden-death was to occur on the final hole. Both players made pars on the first two holes, but it was soon determined that Nordqvist had slightly moved sand prior to her approach shot from the fairway bunker on 17, a two-stroke penalty (rule 13-4b). The players were told of the penalty by a rules official midway through the par-5 final hole, after Nordqvist's third shot but before Lang's.


2016 U.S. prison strike
The 2016 U.S. prison strike was a prison work stoppage that began on September 9, 2016, the 45th anniversary of the Attica uprising. The strike occurred in 24 states, and over 24,000 prisoners took part in the strike. The involvement of 24,000 prisoners made this strike the largest ever recorded in the U.S. Within a week, inmates from approximately 20 prisons participated. Organizations involved in coordinating the strike included the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee and the Free Alabama Movement.


2016 U.S. prison strike
The issues behind the prison strike included unfair use of prison labor, poor wages, and unsatisfying living conditions. The main goal of the strike was to end constitutional servitude, that is, prison slavery to which inmates are subjected. According to the 13th Amendment in the Constitution of the United States of America, people convicted of crimes can be formally enslaved.


2016 U.S. prison strike
Despite the high number of striking prisoners, the strike received little mainstream media coverage.


2016 U.S. prison strike, Organizations involved
The Free Alabama Movement and the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee actively participated in the prison strike. The strike originated in Alabama within a band of prisoners at Holman Prison. Members of the Free Alabama Movement requested adequately paid labor. The group of inmates used their role as workers as leverage to protest within the prison system.


2016 U.S. prison strike, Organizations involved
The main goal of the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee is to protest the living conditions inmates endure. The Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee is associated with the Industrial Workers of the World. Many members of the Industrial Workers of the World are also inmates in prison. Both organizations were part of the prison strike. The Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee was formed to address injustices in the prison system. On July 31, 2014, the organization's statement of purpose was created in order to organize and unite prisoners.


2016 U.S. prison strike, Organizations involved
There are five components to the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee's Statement of Purpose, which lay out the goals of the organization, advocate for prisoner solidarity, and advocate for the needs of inmates. Cellular devices were used to organize the groups of strikers.


2016 U.S. prison strike, Inmates
Inmates in 40 to 50 prisons planned to participate in the strike, and over 24,000 inmates were involved. Inmates residing in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Oregon, and Georgia participated. Prisoners in Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, and Washington also contributed to the strike. Protests in South Carolina, Michigan, and Florida occurred as well. The use of concealed cellphones helped to coordinate the strike and unite the strikers. Supporters from outside sources aided in its organization.


2016 U.S. prison strike, Inmates
Protest actions included the inmates refusing to perform labor and pushing the prisons into a state of lockdown. Orders from a Florida prison were ignored on September 12, 2016, and caused a temporary lockdown. In Michigan, the inmates who worked in the kitchen did not appear at their work posts. Approximately 400 prisoners ignored their tasks and marched. That institution eventually attained a lockdown status after the facility received an impairment. Inmates in South Carolina and Alabama voiced their concerns and requested an end to unfair prison labor, low wages, and poor living conditions.


2016 U.S. prison strike, Causes
While different prison inmates have diverse reasons for striking, the main issues behind the prison strike included unfair use of prison labor, low wages, and unsatisfying living conditions. The labor of the inmates includes maintaining the prison: indoor cleaning, paperwork, cooking, and outdoor maintenance. Inmates are not entitled to any insurance, and prisoners can be forced to work for free, as the 13th Amendment allows unpaid labor in prisons.


2016 U.S. prison strike, Causes
From Nixon’s presidency to the present day, much of the increase in both the number and percentage of Americans who are incarcerated can be attributed to the War on Drugs. As a result of increased enforcement of 1970s-era drug laws, enhanced sentencing guidelines, and racial profiling, 40 percent of people incarcerated in the United States are now African American. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world.


2016 U.S. prison strike, Causes
Inmates in 20 or more prisons across the United States participated in the largest prison strike to ever take place, resulting in financial loss for companies that take advantage of absolute minimum wages.


2016 U.S. prison strike, Causes
The inmates involved in the strike feel the current prison system is dysfunctional. In prisons in Michigan, inmates receive wages from $0.75 to $3.73 daily. The wage levels caused the inmates to join the strike by participating in a work stoppage. Approximately 40 prisoners were involved. In South Carolina prisons, inmates are “compensated” through the skills they learn on the job, rather than through U.S. currency. One inmate in a South Carolina prison believes the 13th Amendment is the reason for the prisoners’ alleged dehumanization. Approximately 200 prisoners in a South Carolina prison joined the strike to protest the prison’s invocation of the 13th Amendment and the resulting labor and wage conditions.


2016 U.S. prison strike, 13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was added to the U.S Constitution after the U.S. Civil War. Its stated purpose was to put an end to slavery in America, yet the amendment explicitly includes a provision to permit slavery for persons convicted of a crime. The striking inmates interpreted the 13th Amendment as a reason for their poor wages and living conditions.


2016 U.S. prison strike, 13th Amendment
Prison systems continue to enforce mandatory work stations that provide few financial advantages for inmates. Prison labor generates an estimated $2 billion per year. The strikers called for increased wages and for a change to the 13th Amendment.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident
On January 12, 2016, two United States Navy riverine command boats were seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy after they entered Iranian territorial waters near Iran's Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf. Initially, the U.S. military claimed the sailors inadvertently entered Iranian waters owing to mechanical failure, but it was later reported that they entered Iranian waters because of navigational errors. The U.S. secretary of state, John Kerry, called the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif within five minutes. His call was followed by multiple other phone calls between the two ministers. The sailors had a brief verbal exchange with the Iranian military and were released, unharmed, 15 hours later.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident
The release was hailed by the Obama administration as an unintended benefit of the new diplomatic relationship. Iran released pictures of captured US sailors. Some U.S. Republican 2016 presidential candidates such as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump criticized the U.S. response to the detention, which they deemed too weak.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
On January 12, 2016, two United States Navy riverine command boats cruising from Kuwait to Bahrain with a combined crew of nine men and one woman on board strayed into Iranian territorial waters which extend three nautical miles around Farsi Island in Persian Gulf. Patrol craft of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy seized the craft and detained the crew at a military base on Farsi Island.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
According to military sources, the two RCBs were on a routine transit from Kuwait to Bahrain, which serves as the home port for Task Force 56 under the Fifth Fleet. They left Kuwait at 12:23 p.m local time and were scheduled to refuel with the U.S. Coast Guard Island Class Patrol Cutter USCGC Monomoy (WPB-1326) at 5 p.m. During the transit one RCB developed an engine problem, and both boats stopped to solve the mechanical issue. During this time they drifted into Iranian waters.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
At 5:10 p.m. the boats were approached by the two small Iranian center-console craft followed by two more boats. There was a verbal exchange between the Iranian and U.S personnel and the officer commanding the RCBs allowed the Iranian sailors to come aboard and take control. The Iranian forces made the sailors kneel with their hands behind their heads. The RCBs reported their engine failure to Task Force 56, and all communications were terminated after the report.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
A U.S. search-and-rescue effort was launched leading to "robust bridge-to-bridge communications" with Iranian military vessels, wherein the Iranians informed U.S. Navy cruiser USS Anzio at 5:15 p.m that "the RCBs and their crew were in Iranian custody at Farsi Island and were safe and healthy." By the time a search-and-rescue effort got under way (it included sending a U.S. Navy and U.S Coast Guard vessel inside Iranian territorial waters over concern U.S. sailors could have been lost overboard), the sailors were already ashore.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
John Kerry spoke with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at least five times by telephone. He called Zarif within five minutes. He states he "gave him a very direct statement about what would happen if we didn't have their release very quickly." Zarif called back within 20 minutes with assurances that the sailors would be released soon and that they were being "well taken care of." John Kerry has stated that in his other phone calls about the situation he "made it crystal clear" how serious it was and that "it was imperative to get it resolved."


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
The sailors had a brief verbal exchange with the Iranian military and were released unharmed along with all their equipment  the next day on January 13 after 15 hours, and they departed the island at 08:43 GMT on their boats. They later were escorted by a U.S Coast Guard patrol cutter, while U.S. Navy overwatched and supported. The Pentagon oversaw the escort on high alert.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
The IRGC stated that they released the sailors after their investigation concluded the "illegal entry into Iranian water was not the result of a purposeful act."


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
At first it was suggested that a mechanical failure in at least one of the boats led them to the Iranian waters, then it was verified that both boats returned to base under their own power. However, American military officials could not explain how they had lost contact with both of the boats.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards naval forces claimed that the U.S. apologized to Iran for incident. However, the U.S. government has stated that no apology was made.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
According to the Fars News Agency on January 26, "the American ships were 'snooping' around in Iranian waters," on the basis of the sailors' GPS data collected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy. On January 29 Fars News Agency stated "it was proved that the US marines had strayed into Iranian waters only due to the failure of their navigation devices and equipment."


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
U.S. Central Command stated, "A post-recovery inventory of the boats found that all weapons, ammunition and communication gear are accounted for minus two SIM cards that appear to have been removed from two handheld satellite phones." The statement did not account for navigation equipment. A Navy command investigation continues and more details will be provided when it is completed.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
Tasnim News Agency reported Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy Commander Admiral Ali Fadavi said in a February 1 parliamentary session, "We have extracted extensive information from their [American sailors'] laptops and cell phones," and that the information can be made public if a decision is made to that effect.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
According to the IRGC, when the Iranian forces seized the two boats, aircraft carriers USS Harry S. Truman and Charles de Gaulle had been patroling in the international waters southeast and northeast of Farsi island, respectively, which IRGC Navy commander Ali Fadavi described it as "unprofessional behavior for forty minutes."


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
According to Brig. Gen. Farzad Esmaili, commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, after the IRGC Navy reported the capture of the U.S. Navy boats, the Air Defence switched on its missile systems and the Air Force fighter jets also scrambled.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
Three American F-18 fighters, a radar plane and a maritime patrol aircraft flew over the U.S. aircraft carriers and began to approach Farsi island, conducted "bullying" behavior, and refused to respond to the signals, but made a contact later when the Iranian missiles zeroed on them and realized that they had "less than 30 seconds to decide before Iran's missiles are fired."


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Incident
The U.S. Navy disciplined and/or reprimanded nine of the Navy men involved in the incident, ranging from higher commanders to sailors present on the boats.


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Treatment of American military personnel
On the same day the American crewmembers were released with their vessels, Iran released a series of images and videos that, among other things, showed the U.S. Navy sailors on their knees with their hands clasped behind their heads as they were being apprehended on their vessels. Two of the videos featured one of the Americans, apparently the Navy lieutenant commanding the boats, apologizing and praising Iran's treatment: "It was a mistake that was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake....


2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, Treatment of American military personnel
The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here and we thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance." According to Politico, these pictures and footage further "inflam[ed] the American debate over [the sailors'] capture, including the question of whether the U.S. had formally apologized for entering Iranian territory." A Defense Department official said that the lieutenant's filmed apology was probably intended to defuse a potentially volatile situation.


2016 U18 International Curling Championships
The 2016 Optimist U18 International Curling Championships were held from March 31 to April 3 at the Saville Sports Centre and Jasper Place Curling Club in Edmonton, Alberta.


2016 UBA Pro Basketball League season
The UBA Pro Basketball League season  is the 3rd season of the UBA Pro Basketball League. The Phase-1 of the season began on 28 February 2016 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune.


2016 UBA Pro Basketball League season
UBA has partnered with Emmy Award winning broadcaster Paul Crane who has covered sports at the highest levels in the United States for over three decades, to present the Pro Basketball League 2016. Steve Graham, executive producer of the League, has been involved with six past Olympic Games, international triathlons, auto racing and international volleyball games in his career.


2016 UBA Pro Basketball League season
Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty and BJP MP and President of the Maharashtra State Basketball Association Poonam Mahajan were the chief guests of the opening ceremony that held on 18 February 2016 at the Pune’s Balewadi Stadium. Basketball Federation of India is extended its support to this event, and former international player, Norman Isaac of BFI.


2016 UBA Pro Basketball League season
Delhi Capitals were crowned champions of Season 2 after beating defending champions Chennai Slam by 2-1 in the best-of-three final series. Vinay Kaushik was named MVP.


2016 UBA Pro Basketball League season, Format
The UBA schedule has each of its teams playing an equal number of regular season games with their won-loss records used to qualify for the league’s post-season. Each team will play each of its division opponents four times along with one cross division opponent, which will rotate each season. Each division will stage a one game play-in between its second and third place teams with the winner to face the first place team in a best-of-three semi final followed by a best-of-three final between the division winners to determine the UBA Champion.


2016 UBA Pro Basketball League season, Teams
There are currently 8 franchise teams competing in the tournament divided into two divisions:


2016 UBA Pro Basketball League season, Brackets
Note: 1: Play-offs will be One-game playoff. 2: Semi-finals and Finals will be best of three games.


2016 UC Davis Aggies football team
The 2016 UC Davis Aggies football team represented the University of California, Davis during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth year head coach Ron Gould and played their home games at Aggie Stadium. They are a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 3–8, 2–6 in Big Sky play to finish in a four way tie for ninth place.


2016 UC Davis Aggies football team
On November 21, head coach Ron Gould was fired. He finished at UC Davis with a four year record of 12–33.


2016 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team
The 2016 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team represents the University of California, Santa Barbara in the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Gauchos played their home games at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, on campus in Santa Barbara, California. Andrew Checketts was in his fifth season as Gauchos baseball head coach.


2016 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team, Rankings
^ Collegiate Baseball ranks 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. † NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * New poll was not released for this week so for comparison purposes the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.


2016 UCF Knights football team
The 2016 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Knights were members of the East Division of the American Athletic Conference (The American) and played their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium on UCF's main campus in Orlando, Florida. They were led by first-year head coach Scott Frost. They finished the regular season 6–6, 4–4 in American Athletic Conference play, finishing in third place in the East Division. They were invited to the Cure Bowl, where they lost to Arkansas State.


2016 UCF Knights football team
This was the second season where UCF would be bowl eligible just one year after going winless. The 2016 season served as a transition between the winless 2015 season and the undefeated season one year later in 2017.


2016 UCF Knights football team, Game summaries, South Carolina State
In Scott Frost's first game as head coach of UCF, the Knights broke a 13-game losing streak with their first win since December 4, 2014 at East Carolina. The Knights dominated defensively, recording their first shut out since November 28, 2014 at USF, and their first home shutout since October 29, 2011 vs Memphis. The Knights also forced 3 turnovers, including two fumbles and an interception by Shaquill Griffin. Additionally, the four field goals scored by Matthew Wright are the best of his career. Offensively, the 38 points scored by UCF are the most since November 22, 2014.


2016 UCF Knights football team, Game summaries, South Carolina State
UCF has also recorded two rushing touchdowns for the first time since 2014, one by Justin Holman and one by Dontravious Wilson. Justin Holman had a slow first half only finishing 6-of-17 passes, but after a strong second half performance of 8-of-11 passes, Holman finished 14–28 for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushing for 40 yards and a touchdown. Tre'Quan Smith and Tristan Payton have also scored touchdowns.


2016 UCF Knights football team, Game summaries, at Michigan
In a game plagued with special team and quarterback problems, Michigan took an early 31–0 lead into the second quarter. Justin Holman struggled tremendously in the passing game, only completing 3 of his 11 passes for just 19 yards, and fumbled the ball. After Holman went down with an injury just before halftime, Nick Patti came in, also going 3-for-11 for 37 yards. Additionally, Michigan blocked two punts and a field goal attempt in the first quarter.


2016 UCF Knights football team, Game summaries, at Michigan
Despite the trouble, there were some bright spots, mainly in the running game. UCF outrushed the Wolverines 275–119 yards, including an 87-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter by Adrian Killins, UCF's longest rushing touchdown since November 3, 2007 against Marshall. Additionally, Dontravious Wilson scored a 34-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.


2016 UCF Knights football team, Game summaries, Maryland
This game was the first start for McKenzie Milton as quarterback for UCF. Milton finished with 21-for-36 for 260 yards and 1 interception leading UCF to their first overtime game since October 9, 2014 vs BYU as well as their first double-overtime game since October 13, 2012 vs Southern Miss. Some of his key plays were a 31-yard touchdown pass to Tre'Quan Smith to force double-overtime, as well as a 7-yard quarterback keeper that gave UCF a 14–10 lead in the third quarter.


2016 UCF Knights football team, Game summaries, Maryland
Unfortunately, Milton's turnovers were costly as he fumbled the ball in double-overtime with what seemed to be an incomplete pass, but the officials ruled it as a fumble and the Knights lost in a heartbreaker. Additionally, this was also the highest attendance in Bright House Networks Stadium since September 20, 2014 vs Bethune-Cookman.


2016 UCF Knights football team, Game summaries, at FIU
In McKenzie Milton's second start as UCF's quarterback, the Knights returned to the win column with their highest scoring game since November 22, 2014 against SMU and the most in an away game since October 27, 2012. UCF would score on their first drive with a run from Dontravious Wilson, and would complete a 2-point conversion to Jordan Franks, going up 8–0. FIU would then score next to make it 8–7.


2016 UCF Knights football team, Game summaries, at FIU
That would be the last time FIU scored until the fourth as the Knights would counter with a 45–0 run by just into the fourth quarter, which included 2 more rushing touchdowns from Wilson, his career high, a 21-yard touchdown pass caught by Jordan Akins, and a 61-yard run by Adrian Killins. The 3 rushing touchdowns by Wilson are also the most by a UCF player since Storm Johnson's Fiesta Bowl game.


2016 UCF Knights football team, Game summaries, at FIU
UCF would also record 501 yards of offense, the most since November 14, 2014 against Tulsa, and 6 rushing touchdowns, the most since September 3, 2011 against Charleston Southern. Additionally, the defense, while only recording one turnover, an interception by Drico Johnson, stepped up against FIU, with Shaquem Griffin recording a career-high 2 sacks in the game.