2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, also known  as the Four-Day War, April War, or April clashes, began along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact on 1 April 2016 with the Artsakh Defence Army, backed by the Armenian Armed Forces on one side and the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on the other.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The clashes occurred in a region that is disputed between the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The region includes the former Soviet Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and surrounding areas, which are integral part of the Republic of Artsakh according to its Constitution. Azerbaijan claimed to prevent purported continuous Armenian shelling of civilian areas in Azerbaijan and started a military operation for this purpose. However, there was no evidence of Armenian shelling. Until the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the clashes were the worst since the 1994 ceasefire agreement signed by Artsakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The scale of the military actions, the number of forces and combat equipment involved, such as heavy artillery, including the use of cluster munitions, tanks, air forces and suicide drones, as well as the statements of Azerbaijani officials clearly indicate that the events of 2–5 April were not a spontaneous escalation, but a carefully planned and prepared military operation, aimed at resolving the Karabakh conflict by the use of force instead of peaceful means.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
A ceasefire was reached on 5 April between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow. The Nagorno-Karabakh authorities also welcomed the oral agreement. After the agreement, both sides accused each other of violations. Azerbaijan claimed to have regained 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) of land, while Armenian officials suggested a loss of 8 km2 (3.1 sq mi) of land of no strategic importance. However, the International Crisis Group reported that those heights were of strategic importance.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Officially Baku reported the loss of 31 servicemen without publishing their names. Nevertheless, Armenian sources claimed much higher numbers varying between 300 and 500. The Ministry of Defence of Armenia reported the names of 92 military and civilian casualties, in total.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The US State Department estimated that a total of 350 people, both military and civilian, had died. Official sources of the warring parties put those estimates either much higher or much lower, depending on the source.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Background
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War ended with a ceasefire agreement between the warring parties that came into effect on 12 May 1994. Since then, both Azerbaijan and Armenia have reported over 7,000 breaches of the ceasefire; more than 100 breaches of the ceasefire were reported and 12 Azerbaijani soldiers had been killed in 2015 alone. The April 2016 clashes were the most serious breach of the 1994 ceasefire until 2020.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Background
Among the possible reasons behind the escalation of the conflict was the worsening economy of Azerbaijan. The collapse of oil prices in 2015–16 have been frequently cited, with clashes being used to distract the Azerbaijani population from rising prices and unemployment. Alternatively, some Armenian sources blame Turkey for provoking violence. Some Turkish commentators have suggested a Russian strategy to destabilize the region.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Background
Azerbaijan has been openly preparing for offensive operations against Nagorno Karabakh for several years, as evidenced by the continuous massive military buildup, as well as the Azerbaijani authorities' numerous statements in favor of a military solution to the conflict. Thus, on 23 March 2015, Azerbaijan's Minister of Defence stated that the Azerbaijani military had accumulated the necessary weaponry to destroy 70 percent of opposing forces in a first strike.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Background
On 19 March 2016, President Aliyev stated: "To resolve the conflict, in the first place it is necessary for our country and army to become even stronger. A lot is being done in this direction. Today, we have gained full advantage on the line of contact." Furthermore, In his speech, president Aliyev openly accused the Minsk Group Co-Chairs of provocation against Azerbaijan and had stated that Azerbaijan's confidence in their activities had been completely undermined.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
The fighting focused mainly on the front line with a length of 257 km. Each side blamed the other for the outbreak of clashes around the towns of Aghdara, Tartar, Agdam, Khojavend, and Fuzuli. According to Armenian sources, on the night of 1 April and early morning of 2 April, the Azerbaijani side launched large-scale attacks along the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan. On 2 April, a 12-year-old Armenian boy was killed as a result of missile artillery attack from a BM-21 Grad near the border with Martuni. Two other children were wounded as well.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
On 2 April, Azerbaijani positions and inhabited places near the front line came under fire from Armenian military, armed with mortars and high caliber grenade launchers, that killed 2 people and wounded 10 civilians. According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence, during a rapid counter-offensive, the Armenian side's front defence line was broken in multiple places and several strategic heights and inhabited places were retaken (including the strategically important hill of Lalatapa). An AFP journalist confirmed that the Lalatapa heights were also under Azerbaijani control.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
The Azerbaijani side claimed that they had captured some areas, including heights near the village of Talysh, as well as the village of Seysulan. Unmanned aerial vehicle of Armenia was shot down in Fuzuli as well. However, the Ministry of Defence of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic says this claim is untrue. On 8 May the Armenia's First Channel release footage from military positions near Seysulan. 14,400 people living in villages were affected by clashes, but no internal displacement or immediate humanitarian need was reported.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
Armenian Ministry of Defence spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan sharply accused Azerbaijan of "launching an unprovoked coordinated ground offensive against Armenia’s forces", saying the Azerbaijani military used warplanes, tanks and artillery to try to make inroads into Nagorno-Karabakh. During the first day of fighting, Armenian forces claimed to have destroyed at least three Azerbaijani tanks, two military helicopters (including an Mi-24 and at least one armed Mil Mi-8/17) and two unmanned drones, photographs and videos of which surfaced on the internet. Armenian frontline positions were reinforced, heavy artillery was brought forward, and in the NKR capital Stepanakert reservists were called up.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
On 3 April, Armenian military authorities announced that NKR forces had recaptured positions around Talysh, which the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence claimed was untrue. On 6 April, news footage shown on Armenia's First Channel revealed Armenian journalists and NKR troops freely mingling on the streets of Talysh and Madagiz. On 8 April, news footage shown on an Azerbaijani TV channel showed the Azerbaijan military installations purported to be near the Talysh heights. On 11 April, news footage from Armenia's First channel showed the Talysh heights under the control of NKR troops.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
Again on 8 May, news footage from Civilnet showed journalist Tatul Hakobyan with some NKR soldiers at Talysh heights near Naftalan. Later, Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov stated that if shelling of Azerbaijani settlements by Armenian forces did not cease, Azerbaijan would consider launching an artillery bombardment on Stepanakert. On the same day, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence announced a unilateral end to hostilities. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence stated that should Armenian shelling pursue, Azerbaijan would continue its offensive.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
On 4 April, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence reported that an Armenian command and control center had been destroyed and released a video which captured footage of the attack. On 5 April, a strategically important military base in Madaghis which is on the main road leading to Aghdara city and a bus carrying "Yerkrapah" Armenian volunteers were fired. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence claimed that along with numerous military personnel, two high-ranking Armenian officers were killed as a result.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
The three deceased  Armenian lieutenant colonels, were identified as Roman V. Poghosyan, Alexan G. Arakelyan, and Gregorian K. Onik, along with one unidentified colonel. The same day, the Armenian defence ministry announced that an Azerbaijani drone, identified as an Israeli-made IAI Harop, attacked a bus carrying Armenian volunteers enlisting in military service to the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Martakert by slamming itself against it, killing seven people aboard including the heads of two rural communities within the NKR. It is believed to be the first ever combat use of the drone anywhere.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
An Israeli-made ThunderB surveillance drone was shot down on 2 April according to the NK defence force. Armenian officials later protested Israel's supply of weaponry to Azerbaijan. Some Azerbaijani sources claimed that Mataghis was under Azerbaijani control, citing Azerbaijan Ministry of Defence but Armenian side says this is not true because they repelled an Azerbaijani offensive allegedly backed by Turkey. Later Armenian side published video to prove that Mataghis remain in their control.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
On 5 April, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence announced that the mutual ceasefire agreement, which was got in Moscow by the head of Azerbaijan and Armenia's Armed Forces, was breached by Armenian forces which shelled Azerbaijani positions near Tap Qaraqoyunlu with 60, 82 and 120 mm mortars.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
According to Azerbaijani claims Armenian Armed Forces directed high caliber artillery fire at a mosque (in Əhmədağalı, one civilian dead), schools (in Seydimli, one schoolboy injured) and residential buildings as well as civilian infrastructure. Damage to houses in Azerbaijan by Armenian artillery fire was reported in the Russian press. According to Azerbaijan, on 7 April, Armenian armed forces shelled an ambulance evacuating injured Azerbaijani civilians near Aghdara-Goranboy. Also, according to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence, on 7 April, an Armenian "X-55" style drone was shot down by Azerbaijani forces while trying to fly over the frontline.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
The Ministry of Defence of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic published some aerial photos to prove that Azerbaijan deploys military units near populated areas and violated the Article 52 of Geneva Convention. During a BBC visit to Azerbaijan's side of frontline, a team of BBC journalists asked to see and ensure where the alleged military objects are placed but the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence refused for "safety reasons". On 8 April, artillery fire was exchanged between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, with the Armenians reporting two soldiers killed.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
A temporary ceasefire agreement mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and field assistants of the OSCE, allowed for both sides to collect dead and missing soldiers. On 14 April, the Azerbaijani government reported that one of its soldiers had been killed by Armenian forces on the line of contact. On 15 April, Nagorno-Karabakh reported one of its soldiers had been killed in action with Azerbaijani forces. A soldier of the Nagorno Karabakh military was reported killed in action with Azerbaijani forces on 19 April. Further skirmishes occurred on 21 April, killing another Nagorno-Karabakh soldier.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes
In the course of the clashes, mortar shells fired from the conflict area hit a village in the northwestern Iranian province of East Azerbaijan, but no casualties or damages were reported.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Anti-Azerbaijani sentiment in Armenia
During and after the First Nagorno-Karabakh War anti-Azerbaijani sentiment grew in Armenia, leading to harassment of Azerbaijanis there. On 16 January 2003 former president of Armenia Robert Kocharian said that Azerbaijanis and Armenians were "ethnically incompatible" and it was impossible for the Armenian population of Karabakh to live within an Azerbaijani state. Speaking on 30 January in Strasbourg, Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer said Kocharian's comment was tantamount to warmongering. According to a 2012 opinion poll, 63% of Armenians perceive Azerbaijan as "the biggest enemy of Armenia".


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Xenophobia and anti-Armenian propaganda
The incitement of hatred against Armenians and promotion of hate speech is one of the main challenges of creating the necessary conditions to enhance the peace process of the Karabakh conflict settlement, as well as to establish an atmosphere of confidence between the people of the conflicting sides: Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Xenophobia and anti-Armenian propaganda
The problem of racism and xenophobia towards the Armenian population of  Azerbaijan was addressed and confirmed in a number of documents adopted by different international organizations, including the Concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD/C/AZE/4 dated 14 April 2005) as well as the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) reports on Azerbaijan dated 28 June 2002, 15 December 2006, 23 March 2011 and 17 March 2016, the Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities opinions on Azerbaijan dated 22 May 2003 and 9 November 2007.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
According to Armenian officials, residents of Talysh and Madagiz had been evacuated and provided with shelter in other parts of the region. Armenian and international reporters announced that after Talysh was retaken by Armenian troops, an elderly Armenian couple had been found shot in their home and their corpses had been mutilated. According to these reports, Azerbaijani soldiers also killed another elderly woman. Photographs of corpses with ears cut off revived memories of the atrocities of the 1988–1994 war observed a Le Monde reporter. According to the Russia's leading human rights lawyer, the head of the International Protection Centre Karinna Moskalenko, complaints about these facts of violence against the civilian population are already prepared to be sent to the European Court of Human Rights. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence denied these reports.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
On 4 April, it was reported that Azerbaijani forces decapitated the body of a Yazidi-Armenian soldier, Kyaram Sloyan, who had been killed in action, with videos and pictures of his severed head posted on social networks. According to The Sunday Times, it included "shocking souvenir photos of uniformed Azerbaijani soldiers posing with the severed head". Azerbaijani sources rejected this claim as false.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
On 3 May Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence denied this information and claimed that all the bodies of the Armenian soldiers were handed over in the presence of international observers, and no traces of violence were detected on the bodies. Sloyan's body was buried without its head on 5 April 2016, in his native village of Artashavan. On 8 April, through the mediation of the Red Cross, the Azerbaijani side returned Sloyan's head. Sloyan was interred for a second time the following day, to lay his head with his body.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
According to Regnum News Agency and KavNews Russian agency, during his visit to Terter, Agdam and Barda districts, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev awarded the Azerbaijani soldier, who allegedly "looks like" the soldier that had posed with the severed head of Sloyan. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan condemned the encouragement of the Azerbaijani serviceman who was depicted on another photo where the mutilated head of Sloyan was manifestly shown.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
On 8 April, Artak Beglaryan, a spokesperson for the NKR Prime Minister, posted a photo on his Twitter account showing the beheaded corpse of an Armenian soldier. He called the beheading in a Tweet a "barbaric act & Daesh/ISIS style war crime." According to the public report of the Human Right's defender (ombudsman) of NKR, "the facts of beheading Hayk Toroyan, Kyaram Sloyan, and Hrant Gharibyan by the Azerbaijani troops, as well as the torturing and mutilation of 18 NKR army members constitute grave breaches of customary international law".


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence denied these reports, as bodies of the Armenian soldiers handed over to Armenia have not been decapitated or desecrated. According to the Azerbaijani side, all the bodies of the Armenian soldiers were handed over in the presence of international observers, and no traces of violence were detected on the bodies.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
Relatives of three Armenian soldiers killed and beheaded during the escalation filed a complaint against Azerbaijan to the European Court of Human Rights. The plaintiffs demanded to recognize the case of inhumane treatment with regard to the bodies, lack of respect for their privacy, and discrimination based on nationality.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
In April 2016 the European Ombudsman Institute issued a statement that condemns any violation of human rights regarding civilians and attacks on civilian objects in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to their statement, "civilian citizens of Nagorno-Karabakh were inhumanly treated without any respect and by that offended in their dignity". "We are concerned by the information received, that peaceful civilians were killed in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlements through partly cruel and inhuman methods of execution. All these operations constitute gross violations of human rights; they are opposed to European human rights and human values; they significantly endanger the European system for the protection and promotion of human rights".


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe stated their intentions to report the beheadings and other human rights violations allegedly conducted by Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. The co-rapporteurs said: "We are going to submit a report to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights on the fact of murdering and beheading of a conscript, and then publicizing it."


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
HALO Trust reported that Azerbaijan had dropped rocket-dispensed cluster bombs around civilian settlements in NKR.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
On 17 May 2016 Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that on 11 May the Armenian military had used 122-mm calibre white phosphorus munitions prohibited by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons against Azerbaijani civilians and civilian objects. On May 11, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry jointly with the Foreign Ministry invited military attaches from 13 countries to visit the territory in the Askipara village where the Defense Ministry claims to have found a white phosphorus munition fired by Armenian forces. The usage of phosphorus munition by the Armenian military was also reported by Al Jazeera.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Claims of atrocities and of usage of prohibited munitions
Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor's Office initiated a criminal case upon the finding. NKR foreign ministry and Armenia defence ministry dismiss it as a falsification and distortion of the reality. Armenian media sources disclaimed it as a staged operation by Azerbaijan, citing absence of evidence of the presence of a shell or of a shell being used by Armenians, adding that this is a non-story as there is no evidence of any prohibited use.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Transfer of bodies
On 10 April, the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of the breakaway Nagorno Karabakh Republic said that of the 18 bodies of Armenian soldiers transferred that same day by Azerbaijan, all showed signs of torture or mutilation. The Commission called these acts "a flagrant manifestation of inhumanity, run counter to the laws and customs of war and are in grave violation of the international humanitarian law", adding that the Karabakh side will ensure that "such behavior of the Azerbaijani side is condemned in strongest terms by the international community and the specialized agencies".


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Clashes, Transfer of bodies
Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence denied the accusations and claimed that the transferred bodies of Azerbaijani servicemen had been mutilated by the Armenian side. The NKR State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons called this claim by Azerbaijan a cynical attempt to mislead the international community, observing that before the start of the exchange procedure, all the bodies of the dead soldiers had been examined in the presence of representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and no traces of abuse or ill-treatment had been discovered or registered on Azerbaijani soldiers.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Casualty estimates
According to the US State Department, Azerbaijan "took a huge number of casualties, including comparatively", although the number was not specified. Overall, a senior member of the US State Department estimated 350 casualties on both sides, including civilians.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Casualty estimates
Official estimates of the warring parties are far apart from each other. According to official statements of the involved sides, 91 Armenian and 31 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed during the clashes, and several pieces of military equipment from both sides were destroyed. Also according to official statements, ten civilians (6 Azerbaijani and 4 Armenian) were killed in the conflict. Azerbaijani Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov declared that 560 Armenian servicemen were killed during the clashes and Armenian casualties were 10 times higher than Azerbaijani casualties. Hasanov claimed these figures were pronounced by the Armenian parliamentary commission which was established to investigate April clashes.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Casualty estimates
Various non-official Azerbaijani sources, per research of social networks, put the actual number of Azerbaijani soldiers killed at 94, while two remain missing.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Casualty estimates
According to Christoph Bierwirth, UNHCR representative in Armenia, more than 2,000 people left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia amid the clashes.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Analysis
In the aftermath, there was no conclusive assessment on the outcome of the clashes. Neil Melvin, director of the armed conflict and conflict management programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, stated that "Azerbaijan suffered heavy losses for relatively minor territorial gains, this is nonetheless seen as a victory, after 25 years of a sense of having been defeated".


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Analysis
Several analysts noted that the clashes did not result in significant changes. Matthew Bodner wrote in The Moscow Times on 6 April that "the previous status quo has been more-or-less preserved." Independent Armenian journalist Tatul Hakobyan, who visited the fighting scene during the clashes, remarked that the death of scores of soldiers of both sides was "senseless" as no real change occurred. He stated: "Azerbaijan did not win and Armenia did not lose." Russian military expert Vladimir Yevseyev said that the Azerbaijani offensive, despite the initial victory, was not a success because the Azerbaijani side has numerous killed soldiers and destroyed tanks.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Analysis
The International Crisis Group assessment stated that Azerbaijan gained "small but strategically important pieces of land". Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer believes that Azerbaijan "won the first round of fighting". Former Minister of Defence of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Samvel Babayan stated that the territories gained by Azerbaijan have strategic importance, and that Armenia lost these territories within one hour. The governments of Armenia and of Nagorno-Karabakh rejected his criticism.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Analysis
Chatham House fellow Zaur Shiriyev, suggested that Azerbaijan prompted a "carefully controlled escalation [that] served to raise international awareness of the fragility of a status quo which Azerbaijan regards as unfavourable, in order to galvanize the international mediators and put pressure on Yerevan to be constructive at the negotiating table."


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Analysis
British journalist Thomas de Waal, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War, does not believe that the Azerbaijani offensive was meant as a full-scale military operation but rather as a limited attempt to bring the conflict back on the international agenda and put Armenia under pressure. He believes that after the April violence, the conflict is unlikely to return to its semi-quiet state and that a new round of fighting would be harder to contain than previous conflicts.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Analysis
Christine Philippe-Blumauer noted, "Russian official reactions suggest that Russian troops would not actually decide to intervene in favor of the Armenian side, should the conflict scale-up to a fully-fledged war yet again."


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Analysis
The OSCE Minsk Group organized a meeting only after several days the conflict sparked, and the parties declared the ceasefire even before the meeting took place.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Analysis
Following the conflict, Russia started to increase political and economic ties with both Azerbaijan and Armenia. In Yerevan, Gazprom agreed to increase gas supply to Armenia, and decreased the price of gas, which was already low. In Baku, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had a discussion about a railway line from Russia to Iran through Azerbaijan. Dmitry Rogozin, a deputy prime minister said that Moscow is the biggest supplier of arms to both sides and will continue to be so in the future.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Analysis
People who worked on the settlement process said that none of the sides would have trust in a permanent peace established by Russia alone. As the former US ambassador to the Minsk Group, Mr Bryza puts it, "The key to resolving this is to get the two presidents to have sufficient trust in each other, and Russia is not going to be able to do that".


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Official statements
Armenian Ministry of Defence Spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan stated that the Azerbaijani attempted to take part of northern Karabakh with a "blitzkrieg", which failed. After a ceasefire was reached NKR Defence Army Colonel Victor Arustamyan said that one military position was left under Azerbaijani control, which was of no strategic significance.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Official statements
On 24 April President Serzh Sargsyan acknowledged that Azerbaijani troops had taken very small pieces of land in the north and south of the contact line, which he said had no strategic importance for Armenian forces, who had not attempted to reclaim them to avoid additional loss of life. On 17 May Sargsyan stated that the Armenian side had lost control of "800 hectares of land having neither tactical nor strategic importance".


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Official statements
On 26 April 2016 Sargsyan fired 3 senior Armenian army officials, including the chiefs of the Logistics, the Intelligence and the Communications Departments, a move which was apparently influenced by the public criticism of the high death toll among the Armenian soldiers.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Official statements
President Sargsyan stated that Armenia would formally recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh "if the military operations continue and acquire a large scale." On 5 May 2016 the Government of Armenia approved the bill on recognition of the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It was announced, that the recognition of the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is "due to the results of discussions between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, [and] considering further developments, including external factors."


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Official statements
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initially claimed the clashes were a "great victory" for Azerbaijan.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Official statements
Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence claimed that the Azerbaijani armed forces remain in control of strategic heights near the village of Talysh. Responding to Sargsyan's claim on the Armenian troops' loss of 800 ha of territory, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence stated that the Azerbaijani military took control of 2000 hectares of territory. In the opinion of analyst Rizvan Huseynov, an article posted on the website of the state oil company owned media CBC claimed, "Nearly 5% of occupied territories returned" (nearly 57,290 hectares of territory).


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Official statements
Azerbaijani opposition websites say Azerbaijan long-serving chief of general staff Najmaddin Sadigov may be replaced over 4-day war by the First Corps Commander and deputy Nizami Osmanov, but this was refuted by the Ministry of Defence spokesman.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Military awards
A number of Armenian military servicemen were awarded by orders and medals of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Junior sergeant Robert Abajyan was posthumously awarded with Hero of Artsakh which is the highest honorary title of NKR. He became the youngest person ever to hold the title at 19 years old.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Military awards
19 April 2016 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed orders on awarding honorary titles, orders and medals to a group of Azerbaijani military servicemen. Among them Lieutenant Colonel Shukur Hamidov, Lieutenant Colonel Murad Mirzayev and Major Samid Imanov were awarded with the medal of National Hero of Azerbaijan. Colonel Mais Barkhudarov was awarded with the rank of general-major by the Azerbaijani President because of his personal participation in the military operation over Lalatapa height.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Political harassment
Ali Karimli, the leader of Azerbaijani Popular Front party, who criticized the Azerbaijani government over its actions during the clashes, became a subject of a series of protests (the latest one held on 12 April in front of Karimli's house), organized by the authorities. The protesters also demanded to exile him from the country. According to the human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev, attacks against Karimli are simply diverting attention from truly important issues and testing technologies to distract people's justified anger caused by the serious consequences of wrong decisions.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aftermath, Political harassment
Russian TV channel Dozhd reported that the Azerbaijani authorities launched a criminal case against the direction and journalists of the Azerbaijani independent channel Meydan TV because of the publication of the list of Azerbaijani soldiers killed during the clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh. Their list consisted of 94 names, while the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan confirmed only 31 deaths. According to the Meydan TV chief editor Emin Milli, each person on their list really died in the clashes, and he stated that the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan could not deny this information.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, International reactions, Other states
The societal reactions to the April clashes were different in Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijan, the clashes surged patriotism in the public, and thousands of people volunteered to fight, yet the Ministry of Defence did not allow them to do so. Even people with the critical voice could not hide their surprise at the intense and quick social mobilization. For this reason, the declaration of the ceasefire on 5 April led to the sense of disappointment in the public.


2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, International reactions, Other states
In Armenia, following the ceasefire, demonstrations took place in Yerevan, which were caused by the anti-Russian attitudes that objected to Moscow's arms sales to Baku. Even though the Armenian officials firstly emphasized the effective performance of the Armenian army, there was a growing public disappointment about the complacency and corruption in the army. Out-of-date equipment and poor communication lines were believed to be the cause for the death of many Armenian soldiers within the first few hours of the clashes. After the declaration of the ceasefire, four high-ranking army officials were dismissed from their position.


2016 Nagoya Grampus season
The 2016 Nagoya Grampus season was Nagoya Grampus' 24th season in the J.League Division 1 and 34th overall in the Japanese top flight. Takafumi Ogura managed the team until 23 August, when he was replaced with Boško Gjurovski. Nagoya Grampus finished the season in 16th place, being relegated to J2 League for the first time in their history, whilst being knocked out of the Emperor's Cup at the Second Round stage by Nagano Parceiro and the failing to progress from their J.League Cup group.


2016 Nagoya Grampus season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Nagrota army base attack
The Indian Army base in Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir was attacked on 29 November 2016 by a group of  militants. During the ensuing gun battle, seven Indian soldiers, including two officers and all three militants were killed.


2016 Nagrota army base attack, Background
Since the killing of Burhan Wani, Kashmir has seen an increase in violence and civic disobedience. This also increased tensions since the 2016 Uri attack and the ensuing Indian retaliatory surgical strike operation.


2016 Nagrota army base attack, Attack
On the morning of 29 November at around 5:30 IST, three militants dressed in Indian police uniforms attacked the Indian Army's 166 Field Regiment unit in the town of Nagrota, near the Jammu city in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Four Indian Army soldiers, including an officer were killed in the initial gun battle.


2016 Nagrota army base attack, Attack
The militants then divided themselves into two groups, entered the living quarters of the base and opened fire with AK-47s and grenades. They took into hostage at least two infants, two women and over a dozen soldiers. A stand-off then ensued with the security forces. According to a statement from the Defence public relations office, "there was [a] hostage-like situation which was successfully neutralised." In the resultant gun battle, all three militants were killed and the hostages were freed by the Indian Army. Three more Indian soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the rescue operation.


2016 Naivasha traffic fireball
The Naivasha traffic fireball occurred on 11 December 2016 when a small truck (allegedly a Canter) carrying explosive chemicals lost control due to an unmarked road bump and exploded on a main highway near Naivasha, Kenya. The explosion caught up 10 other vehicles including a military vehicle and killed 43 people and injuring more than 50 people, according to the Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre.


2016 Naivasha traffic fireball
Speculations pointed the cause of the explosion to be an oil tanker. This was picked up by both local and international media. It was later proved that the cause was a Mitsubishi Canter with Ugandan registration carrying highly flammable industrial chemical substance.


2016 Nakhon Ratchasima Mazda F.C. season
The 2016 season is Nakhon Ratchasima Mazda's 2nd season in the Thai Premier League since 2015.


2016 Nakhon Ratchasima Mazda F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Nakhon Ratchasima Mazda F.C. season, Foreign Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Nakhon Ratchasima Mazda F.C. season, Transfers
First Thai footballer's market is opening on December 27, 2015 to January 28, 2016Second Thai footballer's market is opening on June 3, 2016 to June 30, 2016


2016 Nampala attack
The 2016 Nampala attack was an armed assault against a Malian Army base in the Niono Cercle subdivision of the Ségou Region of Mali on 19 July 2016, that left at least 17 government soldiers dead and 35 others injured. The Macina Liberation Front, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the ethnic Fula (or Fulani) militant group 'National Alliance for the Protection of Fulani Identity and the Restoration of Justice' (ANSIPRJ) claimed joint responsibility.


2016 Nampala attack, Background
Following the 2011 Libyan Civil War, Tuaregs fighting in the Libyan Arab Republic's Libyan Army fled to northern Mali with large stockpiles of heavy weapons. The ensuing insurgency quickly led to the Azawadi declaration of independence and consequent armed Islamist insurgency by MOJWA and Ansar Dine against the secular MNLA. This led to Operation Serval being launched by France in January 2013, followed by Operation Barkhane in 2014 once major fighting was over.


2016 Nampala attack, Background
The country remained in a fragile state even after the French intervention, with militants attacking staging attacks in the capital Bamako as well as in Kidal during March 2015. In November of that same year a co-ordinated attack against the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako resulted in more than 20 casualties, most of them hostages. A week later militants attacked a MINUSMA base in Kidal, killing 3 and injuring dozens.


2016 Nampala attack, Background
Attacks continued at a steady pace during 2016. Militants attacked and briefly captured a MINUSMA police base in Timbuktu on 5 February, killing a high-ranking Malian commander, while suffering four casualties themselves. On 11 February suspected Islamist militants attacked a customs post in the town of Mopti, central Mali, killing two civilians and a customs officer. A truck bombing at a MINUSMA base in Kidal killed at least 5 UN peacekeepers and injured more than 30 others on 12 February. Gunmen attacked a military checkpoint in Léré on 24 February, killing at least three soldiers and wounding two others.


2016 Nampala attack, Background
On 12 April three French soldiers were killed and another was wounded when a bomb exploded under their vehicle near Tessalit. MINUSMA suffered two major attacks during May - five Chadian peacekeepers were killed and three others wounded in an ambush near Aguelhok on the 18th, while five Togolese soldiers were killed and another was injured in a similar attack near Sévaré on the 29th. On 1 June four UN mission staff were killed in two separate mortar attacks near Gao, including a Chinese peacekeeper, as well as a French expert and two local security guards. Two Malian soldiers were killed in an attack near Dinangourou on 10 July, while the deputy mayor of the Ouro Modi commune was shot on the following day in Mopti.


2016 Nampala attack, Attack
The attack took place in the early hours of 19 July 2016, at a Malian Army camp near the town of Nimpala, in the rural commune of Nampalari near the border with Mauritania, about 500 km northeast of the capital Bamako. A group of heavily armed men reportedly overran the base, and set parts of it on fire, as Malian troops retreated to nearby Diabaly in order to regroup, according to Army spokesman Souleymane Maiga. The attackers also partially burned and looted the nearby town of Nampala, before fleeing.


2016 Nampala attack, Attack
A group called the Macina Liberation Front, reportedly linked to Ansar Dine, initially claimed responsibility for the attack on social media. The same group had previously claimed several attacks on the army during 2015. Later a representative of ANSIPRJ contacted The Associated Press and claimed they had carried out the attack in response to attacks by government forces against Fula civilians. The group's spokesman Oumar Aldjana claimed they had gained possession of several trucks and stockpiles of ammunition, and that only three of the militants had been wounded during the assault.


2016 Nampala attack, Attack
Malian Army spokesman Maiga later confirmed that three groups had staged the co-ordinated attack, with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb attacking from the north, the Macina Liberation Front waited in ambush outside town, and the ethnic Fula group joining from the southeast.


2016 Nampala attack, Reactions
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta called a security meeting together with the country's Prime Minister Modibo Keita and the commanders of the Armed Forces.


2016 Nampala attack, Reactions
Defence Minister Tièman Hubert Coulibaly later appeared on state television to confirm the death toll, saying that the armed forces will "make sure that this coordinated terrorist attack ... is met with an appropriate response".


2016 Nampala attack, Reactions
On 20 July the government declared a three-day period of mourning for the 17 soldiers killed and extended a state of emergency for 10 days across the entire country.


2016 Nana Trophy
The 2016 Nana Trophy was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the fifth edition of the tournament and part of the 2016 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $50,000 in prize money. It took place in Tunis, Tunisia, on 2–8 May 2016.


2016 Nana Trophy, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Nana Trophy – Doubles
María Irigoyen and Paula Kania were the defending champions, but both players chose not to participate.


2016 Nana Trophy – Doubles
Arina Rodionova and Valeriya Strakhova won the title, defeating Irina Khromacheva and İpek Soylu in the final, 6–1, 6–2.


2016 Nana Trophy – Singles
María Irigoyen was the defending champion, but chose to participate in Madrid instead.


2016 Nana Trophy – Singles
Ons Jabeur won the title, defeating Romina Oprandi in the final, 1–6, 6–2, 6–2.


2016 Naples municipal election
Municipal elections were held in Naples on 5 June 2016.


2016 Naples municipal election, Voting system
The voting system is used for all mayoral elections in Italy, in the city with a population higher than 15,000 inhabitants. Under this system voters express a direct choice for the mayor or an indirect choice voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives 50% of votes, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. This gives a result whereby the winning candidate may be able to claim majority support, although it is not guaranteed.


2016 Naples municipal election, Voting system
The election of the City Council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a preference vote: the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of the seats for each party is determined proportionally.


2016 Naples municipal election, Parties and candidates
This is a list of the parties (and their respective leaders) which participated in the election.


2016 Naples municipal election, Results
According to the Italian electoral law 1993 for the municipalities, if a defeated candidate for mayor obtained over 3% of the votes, he/she is automatically elected communal councillor (Lettieri, Valente and Brambilla); the elected mayor is not a member of municipal council, but De Magistris votes in the municipal council.


2016 Nasirnagar Violence
The 2016 Nasirnagar violence was an attack on the minority Hindu community by Islamic extremists in Nasirnagar Upazila, Bangladesh over an allegedly defamatory social media post by a Hindu fisherman against Islam on 30 October 2016. The attack left 19 temples and approximately 300 houses vandalized and over 100 people injured.


2016 Nasirnagar Violence, Further reading
This terrorism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .


2016 National Assembly for Wales election
Secretary of State for WalesRt Hon Simon Hart MP (C)


2016 National Assembly for Wales election
The 2016 National Assembly for Wales election was held on Thursday 5 May 2016, to elect members (AMs) of the National Assembly for Wales, now known as the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru). It was the fifth election for the National Assembly, the third election taken under the rules of the Government of Wales Act 2006 and the first since the Wales Act 2014.


2016 National Assembly for Wales election
The governing Labour Party's share of the vote fell by over 7% and 29 Labour AMs were elected, one fewer than in 2011 and two short of an overall majority. Plaid Cymru became the Assembly's second largest party and the official opposition to the Welsh Government with 12 seats, one more than before. The 11 Conservative AMs were elected, three fewer than in 2011. Although they did not win a single constituency, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) had 7 members elected through the regional lists vote. The Liberal Democrats had only one AM returned, down from five.


2016 National Assembly for Wales election
The election was held on the same day as elections for the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Mayor and Assembly of London and in numerous local authorities in England. The by-election for the Westminster seat of Ogmore was also held on the same day. This election and elections to the other devolved chambers were delayed by a year from 2015 to 2016 as a result of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011. Elections to the Welsh Assembly have now also been permanently moved to a five-year cycle under the Wales Act 2014.


2016 National Assembly for Wales election, Electoral method
In general elections for the National Assembly for Wales, each voter has two votes in a mixed member system. The first vote is for a candidate to become the Assembly Member for the voter's constituency, elected by the first past the post system. The second vote is for a regional closed party list of candidates. Additional member seats are allocated from the lists by the d'Hondt method, with constituency results being taken into account in the allocation. The overall result is approximately proportional.


2016 National Assembly for Wales election, Electoral method
Previously it was not allowed to stand in both a constituency and a regional list, but this rule was abolished by the Wales Act 2014. The Act also introduced a ban on dual mandates with the House of Commons: an Assembly Member is no longer allowed also to be an MP.


2016 National Assembly for Wales election, Electoral method
British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens living in Wales aged 18 or over on election day were entitled to vote.


2016 National Assembly for Wales election, Retiring AMs
The following, previously incumbent AMs, did not run for re-election:


2016 National Assembly for Wales election, Constituency nominations
NB: AMs in office (i.e. incumbents) before the election are bolded. Winners are highlighted with party colours.


2016 National Assembly for Wales election, Results, New members
23 of the members elected to the Assembly in the election were not members of the previous Assembly.


2016 National Camogie League
The 2016 National Camogie League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Irish Daily Star National Camogie League, was held in spring 2016 and won by Kilkenny.


2016 National Camogie League, Format, League structure
The 2016 National Camogie League consists of three divisions: 11 in Division 1, 12 in Division 2 and 5 in Division 3; 1 and 2 are divided into two groups. Each team plays every other team in its group once. 3 points are awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.


2016 National Camogie League, Format, League structure
If two teams are level on points, the tie-break is:


2016 National Camogie League, Format, League structure
If three or more teams are level on league points, rankings are determined solely by points difference.


2016 National Camogie League, Format, Finals, promotions and relegations
The top two teams in each group in Division 1 contest the National Camogie League semi-finals.


2016 National Camogie League, Format, Finals, promotions and relegations
The top two teams in each group in Division 2 contest the Division 2 semi-finals.


2016 National Camogie League, Format, Finals, promotions and relegations
The top four teams in Division 3 contest the Division 3 semi-finals.


2016 National Coalition Party leadership election
The National Coalition Party leadership election, 2016 was held in Lappeenranta, Finland on June 11, 2016 to elect the chair of the National Coalition Party. In the election, Alexander Stubb, the incumbent party chair and Minister of Finance, was defeated by Petteri Orpo, the Minister of the Interior. Elina Lepomäki, a Member of the Parliament, finished third. After the leadership election, Orpo took Stubb's post as the Minister of Finance.


2016 National Coalition Party leadership election
This was the first time when an incumbent chair of the National Coalition Party lost a leadership election.


2016 National Football League (Ireland)
The 2016 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Football League, was the 85th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams. Thirty-one Gaelic football county teams from the island of Ireland, plus London, competed. Kilkenny did not participate.


2016 National Football League (Ireland)
Setanta and TG4 provided live coverage of the league on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons respectively. RTÉ Two broadcast a highlights programme, League Sunday, on Sunday evenings.


2016 National Football League (Ireland)
Dublin won their 12th title in total and their 4th in a row, defeating Kerry in the final on a score of 2-18 to 0-13.


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Format, League structure
The 2016 National Football League consisted of four divisions of eight teams. Each team played every other team in its division once, usually four home and three away or three home and four away. Two points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Tie-breaker
If three or more teams were level on points, score difference was used to rank the teams.


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Finals, promotions and relegations
The top four teams in Division 1 contest the National Football League semi-finals (first plays fourth and second plays third) with the winners progressing to the final. The bottom 2 teams are relegated to Division 2.


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Finals, promotions and relegations
The top two teams in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 are promoted and contest the finals of their respective divisions. The bottom two teams in Divisions 2 and 3 are relegated.


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Division 1, Table
Compete in Division 1 semi-finals  Automatic relegation to Division 2


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Division 1, Table
1Donegal, Mayo, Monaghan and Cork are ranked by scoring difference.


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Table
Compete in Division 2 final and automatic promotion to Division 1  Automatic relegation to Division 3


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Table
1Fermanagh, Meath, Derry and Armagh are ranked by scoring difference.


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Division 3, Table
Compete in Division 3 final and automatic promotion to Division 2  Automatic relegation to Division 4


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Division 3, Table
2Sligo are ranked ahead of Tipperary by scoring difference as the head-to-head between the teams was a draw.


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Division 4, Table
Compete in Division 4 final and automatic promotion to Division 3


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Division 4, Table
1Carlow are ranked ahead of Wicklow because they won the head-to-head between the teams by 0-17 to 0-14.


2016 National Football League (Ireland), Division 4, Table
2Waterford are ranked ahead of Leitrim because they won the head-to-head between the teams by 0-17 to 1-13.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on January 31, 2016. The game was held in Nashville, Tennessee, at Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators. This was Nashville's first time hosting the NHL All-Star Game.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game
For this edition, the all-star game was replaced with a four-team, three-on-three, single-elimination tournament, with one team representing each of the league's four divisions. The all-stars from the Pacific Division won the four-team tournament. Team captain John Scott, an enforcer voted into the game through a fan vote, scored two goals and was given the game's most valuable player award.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Format
On November 18, 2015, the NHL announced significant changes to the All-Star Game format, replacing the previous two-team format with a 3-on-3 tournament between All-Star teams representing the league's four divisions; the Atlantic division played the Metropolitan, while the Central played the Pacific. Each game was played in two 10-minute halves, and went directly to a shootout in the event of a tie. The winners of the two semi-final games played in a championship game to determine the winner of the competition.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
National Hockey League staff and associates voted internally to determine the rosters. Fan voting was altered to match the new divisional format. Voting determined the captains of each division, with the condition the player plays in the division they captain. This change was likely due to recent exploitation of the older method. For example, the fan votes in the 2015 All-Star Game were dominated by Chicago Blackhawks players and Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons, who was voted in following a heavy campaign in his native country of Latvia.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr tried to get fans to not vote for him; at age 43, he stated that he preferred to rest during the All-Star break rather than play in the 3-on-3 format. Girgensons also stated that he did not believe that he deserved an All Star spot this year since he only recorded four points up to that point in the season.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
Following weeks of fan voting, the four captains were announced on January 2, 2016. Jagr was selected to lead the Atlantic, along with Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (Metropolitan), Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks (Central) and John Scott of the Arizona Coyotes (Pacific).


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
Scott received the most votes of any player, despite having only recorded one point in 11 games played with the Coyotes (Scott spent much of the season in the AHL, or as a healthy scratch) and scoring five goals in his entire career up to that point. The situation was compared to Rory Fitzpatrick's All Star campaign in 2007, in which fans vote for a player who would not conventionally be chosen as an All-Star. Despite this, both Scott and the NHL honoured the results.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
Scott was traded out of the Pacific Division and demoted out of the league on January 15, 2016 in a move that sent Scott to the Montreal Canadiens, who in turn assigned him to the American Hockey League's St. John's IceCaps; the trade was expected to make him ineligible to serve as captain in the All-Star Game, but the NHL announced shortly after the trade that he would be permitted to participate as a free agent for the Pacific Division.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
The rest of the rosters were revealed on January 6, 2016, with each of the NHL's 30 teams being represented by at least one player at the time the rosters were set (Arizona, whose lone All-Star was Scott, would ultimately not be represented). The coaches for each division's team were determined by the teams with the highest point percentage in each division following the completion of games on January 9, 2016.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
The coaches with each distinction included: Gerard Gallant (Florida Panthers) for the Atlantic Division, Lindy Ruff (Dallas Stars) for the Central Division, Darryl Sutter (Los Angeles Kings) for the Pacific Division, and Barry Trotz (Washington Capitals) for the Metropolitan Division. On January 21, 2016, the NHL announced the addition of country music stars Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, Charles Kelley, and Chris Young as celebrity coaches to each team; Amy Grant replaced Kelley before the game.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
Injury replacements were announced on January 28, 2016, with Evgeny Kuznetsov replacing teammate Ovechkin, who was out with a lower-body injury, and James Neal replacing Jonathan Toews, who was out due to illness. To replace Ovechkin's captaincy, John Tavares was awarded the "C".


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
† Ovechkin was replaced by Kuznetsov due to a lower-body injury.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Uniforms
After the previous game featured black and neon green uniforms with chrome logos, the NHL opted to go with a more traditional design for this game. Once again, the dark uniform was black and the light uniform was white, but the trim colors included dark gray and golden yellow, with the uniform numbers featuring a two-tone beveled design. Both jerseys featured gray upper sleeves and a gray panel on the back containing the nameplate. The three stars of the Flag of Tennessee were featured on the collar of the jersey and the right pants leg.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Uniforms
Because only two jersey designs were used, all four divisional teams were issued jerseys in both colors. In the first game, the Atlantic Division wore black against the Metropolitan Division in white, while in the second game, the Pacific Division wore white against the Central Division in black. For the final game, the Atlantic and Pacific Division teams switched jersey colors, with the Atlantic now wearing white against the black-clad Pacific.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities
Alongside the 3-on-3 tournament the NHL hosted several other events during the All-Star weekend.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities, NHL All-Star Skills Competition
The competition was held on January 30, 2016 and was broken up into six events: Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater, Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge, DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting, Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay, AMP Energy NHL Hardest Shot, and the Discover NHL Shootout. Teams Atlantic and Metropolitan combined to represent the Eastern Conference, and teams Central and Pacific combined to represent the Western Conference.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities, Fastest Skater
In this event, four pairs of skaters raced each other simultaneously on parallel short-courses on the rink. The fastest skater in the head-to-head match-ups received the chance to skate a full lap of the outside border of the rink, in the direction of their choosing, in an attempt to break Mike Gartner's record (13.386).The winner of each match-up scored one point, the team with the fastest skater scored a bonus point, and an extra bonus point was awarded for breaking Mike Gartner's record.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities, Breakaway Challenge
In this competition, competitors skated with the puck and attempted to score on the opposing team's goalie. Each competitor had two chances. The winner was judged on their presentation, style, creativity, and flair. NHL penalty shot rules did not apply. The winner was determined by fan-vote through Twitter and was rewarded one point for their team. The winner, P.K. Subban, donned a wig, black hockey-pants, an old hockey helmet, and a Jaromir Jagr jersey, skated in, and slid the puck into the net, after initially hitting the post, completing his best Jagr impression with a salute to the crowd. Runner-up Brent Burns was joined by his son Jagger, and Sharks teammate Joe Pavelski and his son Nathan. Former teammates Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo staged a mock argument in the net to leave it empty while Jagger got the puck from Nathan and scored.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities, Breakaway Challenge
While all other lineups were submitted by the team captains, this event also allowed fan-vote via Twitter to secure a guaranteed spot in the event for an eligible player of their choice. Voting was open from January 26, 2016 to January 28, 2016


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities, Accuracy Shooting
In this event, competitors were positioned in front of the net, and were passed the puck from two players situated behind the goal line. The players had to hit targets at the four corners of the net in the fastest time. The event consisted of four head-to-head match-ups, with one shooter from each team per round. The winner of each match-up scored one point and the player who hit all four targets in the fastest time scored a bonus point.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities, Challenge Relay
In this competition, teams of 14 players and 2 goalies were selected from each side to compete in a timed relay event which consisted of four relays with five challenges each: One Timers, Passing, Puck Control, Stick-Handling, and Goalie Goals. Each player on the team had one skill to complete before the next player could start. The goal was to complete the relay in the fastest time. The team with the fastest time in each heat scored one point, and the team with the fastest overall time scored one bonus point.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities, Hardest Shot
In this competition, players skated in from the blue line, and slapped a puck placed 30 feet from the net as fast as possible into the net. The event consisted of four head-to-head match-ups where each player attempted two shots, with the fastest of their two shots recorded. The winner of each match-up scored one point, and the team with the player who had the fastest speed scored one bonus point.


2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities, Shootout
18 skaters and three goaltenders from each team will participate in the three-round shootout, with each round using six skaters and one goalie from each team. Teams received two minutes per round, to score as many goals as possible. NHL shootout rules applied to each scoring attempt. One point was awarded for each goal scored, except for players one and three from each team who were designated "Discover puck players", and goals scored by these players counted as two.


2016 National Hurling League
The 2016 National Hurling League was the 85th season of the National Hurling League for inter-county hurling teams since its establishment in 1925. The fixtures were announced on 16 November 2015. The season began on 13 February 2016, and finished on 8 May 2016.


2016 National Hurling League
Waterford came into the season as defending champions of the 2015 season. Kerry entered Division 1 as the promoted team from the 2015 season.


2016 National Hurling League
Clare won the title for the first time since 1978 after a 1-23 to 2-19 win against Waterford in a replay.


2016 National Hurling League, Format
Thirty four teams compete in the 2016 NHL – six teams in the top five divisions (Divisions 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B & 3A) and four teams in Division 3B. Thirty one county teams from Ireland take part (Cavan do not). Fingal, London and Warwickshire complete the lineup.


2016 National Hurling League, Format
Each team plays all the other teams in their division once, either home or away. 2 points are awarded for a win, and 1 for a draw.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 1A
Waterford came into the season as defending champions of the 2015 season. Kerry entered Division 1 as the promoted team.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 1A
On 8 May 2016, Clare won the title following a 1-23 to 2-19 win over Waterford in a replay of the final. It was their first league title since 1978 and their fourth National League title overall.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 1A
Galway, who actually finished above Cork, were relegated from Division 1A after losing the relegation play-off to Cork by 2-22 to 0-25. Clare, who were undefeated in Division 1B, secured promotion to the top tier.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 1A
Kilkenny's T. J. Reid was the Division 1 top scorer with 2-61. Clare's Patrick Kelly was the top goalkeeper having kept 4 clean sheets.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 1A, Structure
The 12 teams in Division 1 were divided into two groups of six teams named Division 1A and Division 1B. Each team played all the others in its group once. Two points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw. The first four teams in 1A and 1B advanced to the league quarter-finals with the top team in Division 1A playing the fourth team in Division 1B, the second team in Division 1A playing the third in Division 1B, etc.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 2A
On 26 March 2016, Westneath won the title after a 0-10 to 0-8 win over Carlow. It was their first league title since 2008 when they claimed the Division 2 title in the old system.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 2A
London's Kevin O'Loughlin was the Division 2A top scorer with 3-37.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 2B
On 26 March 2016, Armagh won the title after a 0-20 to 1-15 win over Down. It was their first league title since 2006 when they claimed the Division 3 title in the old system. The victory also secured promotion to Division 2A for 2017.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 2B
Armagh's Ryan Gaffney was the Division 2B top scorer with 0-53.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 3A
On 26 March 2016, Roscommon won the title after a 4-15 to 0-7 win over Monaghan. It was their first league title since 2011 when they claimed the Division 3B title in the old system. The victory also secured automatic promotion to Division 2B for 2017.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 3A
At the other end of the table, Warwickshire were relegated after losing all five of their group stage games. They had secured promotion in 2015 but will return to Division 3B in 2017.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 3A
Tyrone's Damian Casey was the Division 3A top scorer with 2-52. Roscommon's Noel Fallon was the top goalkeeper having kept 3 clean sheets.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 3B
On 26 March 2016, Fermanagh won the title after a 2-13 to 3-8 win over Longford. It was their first league title since 2013 when they also claimed the Division 3B title.


2016 National Hurling League, Division 3B
Longford's Joe O'Brien was the Division 3B top scorer with 3-22. Longford's Reuben Murray was the top goalkeeper having kept one clean sheet.


2016 National Invitation Tournament
The 2016 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The annual tournament was played on campus sites for the first three rounds, with the Final Four and championship game being held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The tournament began on Tuesday, March 15 and ended on Thursday, March 31. An experimental rule allowing players six personal fouls instead of five was approved for use in all national postseason tournaments except for the NCAA Tournament. The NIT Selection Show aired at 8:30 PM EDT on Sunday, March 13, 2016 on ESPNU. George Washington were the champions over Valparaiso 76-60. The Colonials victory was their first-ever NIT title.


2016 National Invitation Tournament, Participants, Automatic qualifiers
The following fifteen teams earned automatic berths into the 2016 NIT field by virtue of having won their respective conference's regular season championship but failed to win their conference tournaments and did not receive an at-large NCAA bid.


2016 National Invitation Tournament, Participants, Seeds
The first four teams left out of the NCAA tournament were the top seeds in the four regions, as in last year's tournament. They were St. Bonaventure, South Carolina, Monmouth and Valparaiso.


2016 National Invitation Tournament, Schedule
The NIT began on Tuesday March 15. The first three rounds were played on campus sites. The Final Four began on Tuesday, March 29 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and ended there with the championship game on Thursday, March 31.


2016 National Invitation Tournament, Bracket
^Florida was not able to host home games at the O'Connell Center due to arena renovations.


2016 National Invitation Tournament, Media
ESPN, Inc. had exclusive television rights to all NIT games. It will telecast every game across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN3 (ESPNews was used for the Valparaiso-Florida State game). Since 2011, Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the semifinals and championship. In 2016 Scott Graham and Kelly Tripucka provided the call.


2016 National League Championship Series
The 2016 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff in which the Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League (NL) pennant and the right to play in the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. As the Division Series winner with the best regular season record in the National League, the Cubs earned home-field advantage regardless of opponent. The series was the 47th in league history. FS1 televised all of the games in the United States.


2016 National League Championship Series
The Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in the World Series in seven games, after overcoming a 3–1 series deficit, winning their first World Series championship in 108 years, ending the Curse of the Billy Goat.


2016 National League Championship Series, Background
The 2016 NLCS was the Cubs' second consecutive NLCS appearance and fifth overall. Chicago lost its first four NLCS appearances, in 1984, 1989, 2003, and most recently were swept in the 2015 National League Championship Series. This was the first time the Cubs have made back-to-back NLCS appearances. The Cubs had not won a World Series championship since 1908 or played in the World Series since 1945.


2016 National League Championship Series, Background
This was the Dodgers' 11th overall appearance in the NLCS. Los Angeles was in the NLCS for the first time since losing the 2013 National League Championship Series to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers split their previous ten NLCS appearances, with their most recent victory in 1988, the same year they last appeared in and won the World Series.


2016 National League Championship Series, Background
This was the second postseason meeting between the Cubs and the Dodgers. Their only other postseason series was the 2008 National League Division Series, in which the Dodgers swept the Cubs in three games, this postseason matchup would happen again in the 2017 NLCS, with the Dodgers winning four games to one.


2016 National League Championship Series, Background
The Cubs won the regular season series 4 games to 3. Chicago won three of the four games played at Wrigley Field from May 30 to June 2, while Los Angeles took two out of three games played at Dodger Stadium from August 26 to 28.


2016 National League Championship Series, Background
With the Cubs' and Dodgers' appearances, the winning team was guaranteed to end a pennant drought of at least 28 years. The last time an NLCS had two teams that had pennant droughts of more than 25 years was 1989, when the Giants had a 27-year drought and the Cubs a 44-year drought.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
With Clayton Kershaw needed to unexpectedly close out the 2016 National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals and Rich Hill having to start that game on three days' rest, the Dodgers turned to Kenta Maeda to open this series. Opposing him was Cubs' ace Jon Lester. Chicago got to Maeda early. Dexter Fowler singled to lead off the first and scored on Kris Bryant's double. Jason Heyward tripled to lead off the second and scored on Javier Báez's double. Baez moved to third on a wild pitch, then stole home to make it 3–0 Cubs.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
He became the first Cub to steal home in the postseason since 1907. Lester pitched well, allowing only one run (a pinch-hit home run by Andre Ethier in the fifth) in six innings. In the top of the eighth, the Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs on two singles and walk off Mike Montgomery and Pedro Strop.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Aroldis Chapman in relief struck out Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig, but Adrián González tied the game with a two-run single to center In the bottom of the inning, Miguel Montero's pinch-hit grand slam off Joe Blanton was followed by a Dexter Fowler homer on the next pitch to put the Cubs back in front 8–3.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Dodgers got a run off Héctor Rondón in the ninth when Joc Pederson singled with one out and scored on Andrew Toles's double, but Chase Utley lined into an inning-ending double play as Game 1 marked the Cubs' first victory in a National League Championship Series since Game 4 of 2003. They had previously lost seven straight NLCS games.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Game 2 featured a matchup between two of the league's stingiest pitchers in 2016, in terms of earned run average. Clayton Kershaw and Kyle Hendricks were the top two in ERA in baseball, although the former didn't have enough innings to qualify. The start marked the fourth appearance in ten games for Kershaw in the 2016 playoffs. For Hendricks, this was his first appearance since being struck on the forearm by a line drive by Ángel Pagán in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
The game lived up to the billing of a pitcher's duel. Kershaw pitched seven shutout innings and the Dodgers edged the Cubs, 1–0, to even up the series at one. There were just five hits. The only run scored in the second inning on a home run by Adrián González. Hendricks pitched 5+1⁄3 innings of one-run ball, while four Cub relievers allowed three baserunners over 3+2⁄3 innings. Kenley Jansen, whose previous outing in the NLDS was a seven-out, 51-pitch outing, got the first six-out save of his career. It was the Dodgers' first six-out save in a postseason since Jay Howell in Game 4 of the 1988 World Series. Jansen needed just 18 pitches as the Dodgers tied the series at a game apiece.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Game 2 was the Cubs' second 1–0 game of the postseason and first loss since Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox blanked them in the 1918 World Series opener at Comiskey Park. This was also the first time the Dodgers had won a Championship Series game on the road since Game 5 of the 1988 NLCS against the Mets.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
This was Jake Arrieta's first start at Dodger Stadium since his no-hitter on August 30, 2015. Opposing him was journeyman Rich Hill, a former Cub.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
The Dodgers opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning. Andrew Toles led off with a single to left, advanced to second base on a ground out by Hill, then scored with two outs on a Corey Seager single to left field. Yasmani Grandal made the score 3–0 in the fourth with a two-run homer to right field. The Dodgers tacked on another in the sixth as Justin Turner drilled a homer to center field, chasing Arrieta from the game. Hill, meanwhile, pitched six innings, limiting the Cubs to two hits and two walks with six strikeouts on 93 pitches.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Joe Blanton threw an inning in the seventh and Grant Dayton and Kenley Jansen combined to do so in the eighth. In the bottom of the eighth, against reliever Mike Montgomery, Yasiel Puig singled with one out and came around to score on a double down the left-field line by Joc Pederson, improving the Dodgers' lead to 5–0. Pederson would steal third base and score on a Grandal groundout, making it 6–0. Jansen pitched the ninth to end the game.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
This was the first time the Dodgers shut out a team back-to-back in the postseason in their history. It was just the fourth time in LCS history a team posted consecutive shutout wins. It marked the first time the Cubs had been blanked in back-to-back games since May 27–28, 2014. The Cubs hitting slump continued as the 2-3-4-5 hitters went 3–27 in the two shutouts. The win gave the Dodgers a 2–1 series lead.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Looking to break their two-game scoring drought, the Cubs sent playoff veteran John Lackey to the mound while the Dodgers went with Julio Urías, the youngest pitcher to start a game in postseason history. The Cubs' struggles continued as Urías held them without a hit through three innings. In the bottom of the second, the Dodgers had a scoring chance denied as Adrián González was thrown out at the plate by Jason Heyward after an Andrew Toles single. Dodger manager Dave Roberts called a video review but the call stood. In the fourth, the Cubs' bats began to awaken.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Ben Zobrist notched their first hit with a leadoff bunt. Javier Báez and Willson Contreras followed with singles to score Zobrist, the first Cub run in 22 innings. A Heyward groundout scored another run and left Contreras at third for Addison Russell. On a 2–0 pitch, Russell broke out of his slump with a two-run homer to put the Cubs up 4–0. Urías was lifted one batter later. In the top of the fifth, Anthony Rizzo's home run on a full count made it 5–0. Back-to-back walks to begin the bottom of the fifth forced Lackey from the game.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Reliever Mike Montgomery gave up a single to load the bases before striking out Corey Seager. A single off Montgomery's glove by Justin Turner brought in two runs, and the Dodgers reduced the lead to 5–2. Montgomery retired the next two batters to end the threat. In the top of the sixth, the Cubs blew the game open. Russell singled and reached second on a throwing error. Montgomery and Dexter Fowler both singled to score Russell. Following a Kris Bryant walk, Rizzo's single scored two runs to make it 8–2.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Following a single by Zobrist to load the bases, Báez hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Joc Pedersen, whose throw to home got by the catcher. Bryant and Rizzo both came home, ballooning the lead to 10–2. The Cub bullpen shut down the Dodgers and the series was tied at two games apiece.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Game 1 starters Jon Lester and Kenta Maeda returned. Chicago started the scoring in the first inning on a single by Dexter Fowler and an RBI double by Anthony Rizzo, but the Cubs left runners on base in the first, second, fourth, and fifth innings without another run. The Dodgers tied the game in the fourth following a Howie Kendrick double and steal of third. Adrián González hit a ball to Rizzo, who could not field it cleanly, Kendrick scoring. The Dodgers lifted Maeda in the fourth inning. In the sixth, Javier Báez continued his strong post-season by singling.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Addison Russell homered to center field to break the deadlock and put the Cubs up 3–1. After stranding two more runners in the seventh, the Cubs broke the game open in the eighth. Russell reached on an error and pinch hitter Willson Contreras singled. Also pinch-hitting, Albert Almora, Jr. bunted the runners over, Dexter Fowler following with a run-scoring infield single.. An infield single by Kris Bryant scored Contreras. A walk by Ben Zobrist loaded the bases for Baez, whose bases-clearing double put the Cubs up 8–1.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
The Dodgers scored a run in the bottom of the eighth off Pedro Strop on a double by Carlos Ruiz. Cub closer Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth. He allowed a run-scoring single by Josh Reddick and a sacrifice fly by Andrew Toles to make the score 8–4, but induced Justin Turner to ground out to end the game. The win put the Cubs on the brink of the World Series as the series moved back to Wrigley Field.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Cubs pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Aroldis Chapman combined to allow only two hits and one walk, facing the minimum 27 batters, the first time this had occurred in postseason play since Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. The Cubs won the series four games to two and won the pennant for the first time since 1945, clinching a pennant at home for the first time since 1932. Hendricks pitched 7+1⁄3 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and walking none. After he allowed a single in the eighth, Chapman entered and forced a double play to end the eighth and a double play grounder by Yasiel Puig to end the game, series, and the Cubs' 71-year pennant drought.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras each hit home runs and Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist, and Dexter Fowler each drove in a run as the Cubs jumped to a 5–0 lead in the fifth inning. Of the four Dodgers to reach first base, none reached second: Andrew Toles (single, first inning), Josh Reddick (single, eighth inning), and Carlos Ruiz (walk, ninth inning) were all retired on double plays. Reddick reached on a fielding error in the second inning but was picked off at first by Hendricks. As a result, the Cubs faced the minimum number of batters, 27, to complete a nine-inning Major League Baseball game, a rarity in a postseason contest. (Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series was the only other occurrence.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
The Dodgers' World Series drought reached 28 years with the loss. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw could not repeat his Game 2 magic, giving up five runs and two home runs, being replaced in the sixth inning. Relief pitcher Kenley Jansen shut out the Cubs for three innings in the loss.


2016 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Javier Báez and Jon Lester won NLCS co-Most Valuable Player honors. Baez hit 7 for 22 in the series (.318), with five runs batted in. Lester achieved a 1.38 ERA in two starts, winning Game 5.


2016 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
Roughly 300,000 Chicago Cubs fans took to the streets outside Wrigley Field from Saturday night into Sunday to celebrate the team’s first pennant since 1945, city officials estimated. 11 days later, fans would have an even bigger celebration as the Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years, defeating the Cleveland Indians in seven games.


2016 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
Both the Cubs and Dodgers would meet again in the National League Championship Series in 2017, with the roles reversed this time around. The Dodgers, bolstered by the addition of rookie of the year and MVP candidate Cody Bellinger, a breakout season from Chris Taylor, and a trade deadline acquisition of ace starting pitcher Yu Darvish, won 104 games, the most by a National League club since the 2004 Cardinals. The Cubs struggled with injury and a World Series hangover, but still managed to pull away and win the National League Central. In the series, the Dodgers steamrolled through the Cubs in five games. Their 20-plus run differential for the entire series was tied for the fourth largest in a postseason series.


2016 National League Division Series
The 2016 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2016 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1-3) and a fourth team—the winner of a one-game Wild Card playoff— played in two series. FS1 and MLB Network carried all the games in the United States.


2016 National League Division Series
The Dodgers defeated the Nationals in five games and reached the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2013.


2016 National League Division Series
The Cubs won the Division Series three games to one and advanced to the NLCS for the second consecutive year. This was the first and only playoff series loss of the Bruce Bochy-led Giants.


2016 National League Division Series
The Cubs went on to defeat the Dodgers in the NLCS, then win the 2016 World Series over the American League champion Cleveland Indians. Their first World title since 1908.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco
This was the second postseason meeting between the Cubs and Giants. Their last meeting was in the 1989 National League Championship Series, which the Giants won in five games. However, they did meet in a Wild Card tiebreaker in 1998 where the Cubs advanced, beating the Giants 5–3.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 1
The Cubs began postseason play with starter Jon Lester on the mound facing Johnny Cueto for the Wild Card Game-winning Giants. In the pitching duel, Lester scattered five hits in eight innings of work, shutting out the Giants. Cueto also blanked the Cubs allowing only two hits until the eighth inning, when Javier Baez's home run into the left-field basket put the Cubs up 1–0. Aroldis Chapman in the ninth gave up a double to Buster Posey, but earned the save as the Cubs took a 1–0 series lead.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 2
In Game 2, the host Cubs scored in the first inning on a Ben Zobrist single off former Cub Jeff Samardzija. Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks had the key hit in the second inning, driving in two runs with a single up the middle. Kris Bryant drove in the Cubs' fourth run two batters later, ending Samardzija's day. In the top of the third, the Giants answered, scoring two runs on back-to-back doubles by Joe Panik and pinch-hitter Gregor Blanco and a sacrifice fly by Brandon Belt.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 2
Hendricks was hit in the arm by an Ángel Pagán line drive, forcing him to leave the game. Reliever Travis Wood ended the Giants' rally and, in the bottom half of the fourth, hit a home run to put the Cubs up 5–2. The homer was the first by a relief pitcher in a postseason game since 1924. The Cub bullpen of Carl Edwards Jr., Mike Montgomery, and Héctor Rondón shut down the Giants with Aroldis Chapman getting another save.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 3
The Cubs looked to sweep the series with Jake Arrieta facing the Giants' Madison Bumgarner. The host Giants were trying to extend a streak to 10–0 in their last 10 elimination games. Arrieta hit a three-run homer in the top of the second, putting the Cubs up 3–0. They threatened to chase Bumgarner in the third inning with singles by Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell, but failed to score. San Francisco scored in the third following a Denard Span double and again in the fifth after Span's triple.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 3
In the eighth, Travis Wood gave up a single and Héctor Rondón walked a batter. Closer Aroldis Chapman came in early to seek a six-out save, but gave up a two-run triple to Conor Gillaspie to give the Giants' their first lead of the series. Chapman was lifted after getting only one out. The Giants added a run on a single by Brandon Crawford. In the ninth, trailing 5–3, Dexter Fowler led off with a walk and Kris Bryant hit a two-run home run off Giants' closer Sergio Romo. Mike Montgomery took over in the ninth for the Cubs and held the Giants scoreless for four innings. In the 13th, the Giants' Crawford leadoff double was followed by a Joe Panik walk-off double to continue the series.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 4
With the Giants looking to continue their streak of wins in elimination games to 11, the Cubs sent John Lackey to the mound against Matt Moore. Lackey allowed a leadoff double to Denard Span and a sacrifice fly by Buster Posey to give San Francisco an early 1–0 lead. David Ross answered for Chicago in the third with a home run, becoming the oldest catcher ever to homer in a postseason game. A run-scoring to single by Moore with the bases loaded and a force-out grounder by Span in the fourth put the Giants up 3–1.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 4
The Cubs bounced back with a run in the top of the fifth on a three-base throwing error by Brandon Crawford and a sacrifice fly by Ross. Justin Grimm relieved Lackey in the bottom of the fifth and surrendered a single to Posey and double by Crawford that just missed being a home run. Travis Wood entered and gave up a single to Conor Gillaspie and sacrifice fly to Joe Panik as the Giants went up 5–2. Moore cruised through the next three innings before being lifted to start the ninth, a Game 5 appearing inevitable.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 4
However, the Giants ended up using five pitchers in the inning. Kris Bryant singled, Anthony Rizzo walked, and Ben Zobrist doubled to make it 5–3. With runners on second and third, Cubs manager Joe Maddon decided to pinch-hit for Addison Russell (and his 95 RBIs) with Chris Coghlan. Giants manager Bruce Bochy countered with lefty reliever Will Smith and Maddon switched to rookie catcher Willson Contreras instead.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 4
Contreras promptly singled up the middle to tie the game at 5. Jason Heyward's attempted sacrifice bunt was too hard and Contreras was forced out at second, but Gold Glove winner Crawford's throw to first ended up in the dugout, allowing Heyward to reach second. Javier Baez singled up the middle to complete the Cub comeback for 6–5 lead. Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to end the game and series. His three saves and four save opportunities tied and set Division Series records, respectively.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 4
It marked the biggest comeback in postseason-clinching history, the Cubs becoming the fourth team to rally from three runs down in the ninth to win a postseason game and the first to do so in regulation. This was the Giants' CD first postseason series defeat at home since AT&T Park opened in 2000.


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 4
This was Chicago’s first ever playoff win on the West Coast. The Cubs had lost 10 straight games as the visiting team on the West Coast until beating the Giants in Game 4 (three games in 1984 NLCS, three games in the 1989 NLCS, two games in the 2007 NLDS, one game in the 2008 NLDS, and Game 3 of the 2016 NLDS).


2016 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Game 4
Joe Maddon stated in the off-season, after the Cubs won the World Series and broke the Curse of the Billy Goat, that Game 4 rally in the ninth of the NLDS was the most significant moment of the Cubs championship run. Maddon theorized all the pressure would have been on the Cubs having to face an experienced Giants team and Johnny Cueto in a potential winner-take-all Game 5 at Wrigley Field.


2016 National League Division Series, Washington vs. Los Angeles
This was the second postseason meeting between the Dodgers and the Nationals franchise. Their most recent meeting was in the 1981 National League Championship Series, in which the Dodgers won the National League pennant over the then-Montreal Expos in five games.


2016 National League Division Series, Washington vs. Los Angeles, Game 1
Plans called for retired pitcher Liván Hernández to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, but after Hurricane Matthew′s effects on Florida made it impossible for Hernández to fly to Washington, the host team surprised the fans at Nationals Park by having Nationals starting catcher Wilson Ramos, whose season had ended with a knee injury on September 26, throw it instead. The game provided an historic first: When Dusty Baker and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts exchanged lineup cards before the game, it became the first postseason game in the Major League Baseball history in which two African-American managers faced one another in the postseason.


2016 National League Division Series, Washington vs. Los Angeles, Game 1
The game was billed as a marquee matchup between two of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball, Clayton Kershaw for the Dodgers and Max Scherzer for the Nationals, but neither was particularly sharp. With rookie catcher Pedro Severino behind the plate, Scherzer gave up a home run to the second batter, Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager, on his sixth pitch of the game. In the third inning, after Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley drove in Andrew Toles with an RBI single, Scherzer gave up a two-run home run to Justin Turner, giving Los Angeles a 4–0 lead. The Dodgers did not score again; Scherzer allowed no more runs before leaving the game after six innings, and the Washington bullpen also held the visitors scoreless.


2016 National League Division Series, Washington vs. Los Angeles, Game 1
Kershaw pitched five innings and held onto the lead, but the Nationals repeatedly pushed him to the brink, while his frequent discussions on the mound with Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal incited boos from the crowd. In the second inning, after Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman singled and Anthony Rendon reached first on a fielder's choice, a Dodger error allowed Severino to reach safely and load the bases, but Scherzer popped out to end the inning.


2016 National League Division Series, Washington vs. Los Angeles, Game 1
In the third, Rendon singled to drive in two runs as part of what promised to be a big inning, cutting the Dodgers′ lead to 4–2, but Danny Espinosa struck out to end the inning with two men on base. Severino doubled in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Trea Turner to bring Washington within 4–3, but in the fifth, with Jayson Werth and Rendon on base, Espinosa again struck out to end the inning. Although he provided his typically reliable defense, Espinosa's strikeouts left six men on base and brought three rallies to an end.


2016 National League Division Series, Washington vs. Los Angeles, Game 1
Kershaw left the game after five innings and 101 pitches, having given up three runs, all earned, on eight hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Los Angeles's  bullpen followed with four innings of shutout ball, but the Nationals had ample opportunities to tie the game. In the seventh inning, Murphy walked with one out, but then got a poor jump in an attempt to steal second and was thrown out.


2016 National League Division Series, Washington vs. Los Angeles, Game 1
In the eighth, Clint Robinson doubled in the first postseason plate appearance of his career and speedy Michael A. Taylor pinch-ran, but Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen struck out pinch-hitter Chris Heisey on a called third strike to end the inning. It was the Nationals' last scoring threat; they had the tying run on base in four of the game's last five innings without being able to score a single run, and left nine men on base during the game. The Dodgers won 4–3 to take a 1–0 lead in the series.