December 2010 in sports

Deaths in December[edit]

Sporting seasons[edit]

American football 2010[edit]

Auto racing 2010[edit]

Basketball 2010[edit]

Football (soccer) 2010[edit]

National teams competitions

International clubs competitions

Domestic (national) competitions

Golf 2010[edit]

Ice hockey 2010[edit]

Rugby union 2010[edit]

Snooker[edit]

Players Tour Championship

Winter sports[edit]

Days of the month[edit]

December 31, 2010 (Friday)[edit]

American football[edit]

NFL news:
- The Carolina Panthers announce that they will not renew the contract of head coach John Fox for the 2011 season.^[1]
NCAA bowl games:
- Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina: South Florida 31, Clemson 26
- Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas: Notre Dame 33, Miami 17
- Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee: UCF 10, Georgia 6
- Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta: Florida State 26, South Carolina 17

Cross-country skiing[edit]

Tour de Ski:
- Stage 1 in Oberhof, Germany:
  - Men's 3.75 km Freestyle Prologue: Marcus Hellner (SWE) 7:34.5 Alexei Petukhov (RUS) 7:36.5 Petter Northug (NOR) 7:37.4
    - World Cup Distance standings (after 6 of 17 races): (1) Alexander Legkov (RUS) 333 points (2) Dario Cologna (SUI) 276 (3) Lukáš Bauer (CZE) 253
    - World Cup Overall standings (after 10 of 31 races): (1) Legkov 533 points (2) Cologna 503 (3) Hellner 353
  - Women's 2.5 km Freestyle Prologue: Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) 6:39.0 Charlotte Kalla (SWE) 6:40.5 Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen (NOR) 6:43.8
    - World Cup Distance standings (after 6 of 17 races): (1) Marit Bjørgen (NOR) 410 points (2) Kowalczyk 365 (3) Kalla 215
    - World Cup Overall standings (after 10 of 31 races): (1) Bjørgen 760 points (2) Kowalczyk 589 (3) Arianna Follis (ITA) 428

Ice hockey[edit]

World Junior Championships in Buffalo and Lewiston, United States: (teams in bold advance to the semifinals, teams in italics advance to the quarterfinals)
- Group A:
  - Slovakia 0–6 Finland
  - United States 2–1 Switzerland
    - Final standings: United States 11 points, Finland 10, Switzerland 6, Slovakia 2, Germany 1.
- Group B:
  - Canada 5–6 (SO) Sweden
  - Czech Republic 3–8 Russia
    - Final standings: Sweden 11 points, Canada 10, Russia 6, Czech Republic 3, Norway 0.
Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland:
- Final: SKA Saint Petersburg 4–3 Team Canada
  - SKA Saint Petersburg win the Cup for the fourth time and the first since 1977.

December 30, 2010 (Thursday)[edit]

American football[edit]

NCAA bowl games:
- Armed Forces Bowl in University Park, Texas: Army 16, SMU 14
- Pinstripe Bowl in The Bronx: Syracuse 36, Kansas State 34
- Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee: North Carolina 30, Tennessee 27 (2OT)
- Holiday Bowl in San Diego: Washington 19, Nebraska 7

Basketball[edit]

NCAA women's basketball: Stanford 71, Connecticut 59
- The Huskies' Division I-record winning streak ends at 90 by the Cardinal, who were also the last team to beat the Huskies.

Cricket[edit]

Pakistan in New Zealand:
- 3rd T20I in Christchurch: Pakistan 183/6 (20 overs); New Zealand 80 (15.5 overs). Pakistan win by 103 runs; New Zealand win 3-match series 2–1.

Equestrianism[edit]

Show jumping:
- FEI World Cup Western European League:
  - 8th competition in Mechelen (CSI 5*-W): Jessica Kürten (IRL) on Myrtille Paulois Gregory Wathelet (BEL) on Cortes C Jos Lansink (BEL) on Casper van Spieveld
    - Standings (after 8 of 13 competitions): (1) Kevin Staut (FRA) 87 points (2) Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE) 57 (3) Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER) 50

Ice hockey[edit]

World Junior Championships in Buffalo and Lewiston, United States:
- Group A:
  - Switzerland 6–4 Slovakia
  - Germany 0–4 United States
    - Standings: United States 8 points (3 games), Finland 7 (3), Switzerland 6 (3), Slovakia 2 (3), Germany 1 (4).
- Group B:
  - Sweden 6–3 Czech Republic
  - Russia 8–2 Norway
    - Standings: Canada, Sweden 9 points (3 games), Russia, Czech Republic 3 (3), Norway 0 (4).
Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland:
- Semifinals:
  - SKA Saint Petersburg 4–3 (OT) Genève-Servette HC
  - HC Davos 0–4 Team Canada

December 29, 2010 (Wednesday)[edit]

Alpine skiing[edit]

Women's World Cup in Semmering, Austria:
- Slalom: Marlies Schild (AUT) 1:42.06 Maria Riesch (GER) 1:42.38 Christina Geiger (GER) 1:42.58
  - Slalom standings (after 4 of 10 races): (1) Schild 300 points (2) Tanja Poutiainen (FIN) 250 (3) Riesch 240
  - Overall standings (after 13 of 38 races): (1) Riesch 738 points (2) Lindsey Vonn (USA) 617 (3) Poutiainen 430
Men's World Cup in Bormio, Italy:
- Downhill: Michael Walchhofer (AUT) 1:59.66 Silvan Zurbriggen (SUI) 1:59.74 Christof Innerhofer (ITA) 2:00.02
  - Downhill standings (after 3 of 9 races): (1) Walchhofer 245 points (2) Zurbriggen 230 (3) Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) 109
  - Overall standings (after 11 of 38 races): (1) Zurbriggen 395 points (2) Walchhofer 394 (3) Ted Ligety (USA) 321

American football[edit]

NCAA bowl games:
- Military Bowl in Washington, D.C.: Maryland 51, East Carolina 20
- Texas Bowl in Houston: Illinois 38, Baylor 14
- Alamo Bowl in San Antonio: Oklahoma State 36, Arizona 10

Cricket[edit]

England in Australia:
- Ashes series:
  - Fourth Test in Melbourne, day 4: Australia 98 & 258 (85.4 overs); England 513. England win by an innings and 157 runs; lead 5-match series 2–1.
    - England retain The Ashes for the first time since 1986–87.
India in South Africa:
- 2nd Test in Durban, day 4: India 205 & 228; South Africa 131 & 215 (72.3 overs). India win by 87 runs; 3-match series level 1–1.

Football (soccer)[edit]

AFF Suzuki Cup Final, second leg (first leg score in parentheses):
- Indonesia 2–1 (0–3) Malaysia. Malaysia win 4–2 on aggregate.
  - Malaysia win the Cup for the first time.

Ice hockey[edit]

World Junior Championships in Buffalo and Lewiston, United States:
- Group A: Finland 5–1 Germany
  - Standings: Finland 7 points (3 games), United States 5 (2), Switzerland 3 (2), Slovakia 2 (2), Germany 1 (3).
- Group B: Norway 1–10 Canada
  - Standings: Canada 9 points (3 games), Sweden 6 (2), Czech Republic 3 (2), Russia 0 (2), Norway 0 (3).
Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland:
- Quarterfinals:
  - Genève-Servette HC 2–0 HC Spartak Moscow
  - Team Canada 4–3 (OT) HC Sparta Praha

Ski jumping[edit]

Four Hills Tournament:
- Stage 1 in Oberstdorf, Germany:
  - HS 137: Thomas Morgenstern (AUT) 289.6 points Matti Hautamäki (FIN) 273.1 Manuel Fettner (AUT) 264.0
    - World Cup standings (after 8 of 26 events): (1) Morgenstern 705 points (2) Andreas Kofler (AUT) 525 (3) Hautamäki 431

December 28, 2010 (Tuesday)[edit]

Alpine skiing[edit]

Women's World Cup in Semmering, Austria:
- Giant slalom: Tessa Worley (FRA) 2:09.66 Maria Riesch (GER) 2:10.28 Kathrin Hölzl (GER) 2:10.44
  - Giant slalom standings (after 4 of 8 races): (1) Worley 332 points (2) Viktoria Rebensburg (GER) 235 (3) Hölzl 200
  - Overall standings (after 12 of 38 races): (1) Riesch 658 points (2) Lindsey Vonn (USA) 617 (3) Elisabeth Görgl (AUT) 416

American football[edit]

NFL Week 16 (division champion in bold): Minnesota Vikings 24, Philadelphia Eagles 14
- The result earns the Eagles a home game for the Wild Card round of the playoffs and the Chicago Bears a first-round bye.
NCAA bowl games:
- Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Florida: North Carolina State 23, West Virginia 7
- Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona: Iowa 27, Missouri 24

Cricket[edit]

England in Australia:
- Ashes series:
  - Fourth Test in Melbourne, day 3: Australia 98 & 169/6 (66 overs); England 513 (159.1 overs; Jonathan Trott 168*, Peter Siddle 6/75). Australia trail by 246 runs with 4 wickets remaining.
India in South Africa:
- 2nd Test in Durban, day 3: India 205 & 228 (70.5 overs); South Africa 131 & 111/3 (27 overs). South Africa require another 192 runs with 7 wickets remaining.
Pakistan in New Zealand:
- 2nd T20I in Hamilton: New Zealand 185/7 (20 overs); Pakistan 146/9 (20 overs). New Zealand win by 39 runs; lead 3-match series 2–0.

Equestrianism[edit]

Dressage:
- FEI World Cup Western European League:
  - 6th competition in Mechelen (CDI-W): Edward Gal (NED) on Sisther de Jeu Hans Peter Minderhoud (NED) on Nadine Ulla Salzgeber (GER) on Wakana
    - Standings (after 6 of 10 competitions): (1) Salzgeber 74 points (2) Isabell Werth (GER) 57 (3) Richard Davison (GBR) 55

Ice hockey[edit]

World Junior Championships in Buffalo and Lewiston, United States:
- Group A:
  - Switzerland 0–4 Finland
  - United States 6–1 Slovakia
    - Standings (after 2 games): United States 5 points, Finland 4, Switzerland 3, Slovakia 2, Germany 1.
- Group B:
  - Canada 7–2 Czech Republic
  - Sweden 2–0 Russia
    - Standings (after 2 games): Canada, Sweden 6 points, Czech Republic 3, Russia, Norway 0.
Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland: (teams in bold advance to the semifinals)
- Group Torriani: SKA Saint Petersburg 4–1 HC Sparta Praha
  - Final standings: SKA Saint Petersburg 6 points, Genève-Servette HC 3, HC Sparta Praha 0.
- Group Cattini: HC Davos 3–2 Team Canada
  - Final standings: HC Davos 6 points, Team Canada 3, HC Spartak Moscow 0.

December 27, 2010 (Monday)[edit]

American football[edit]

NFL Monday Night Football, Week 16 (teams assured of playoff berths in italics): New Orleans Saints 17, Atlanta Falcons 14
NCAA bowl games:
- Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana: Air Force 14, Georgia Tech 7

Cricket[edit]

England in Australia:
- Ashes series:
  - Fourth Test in Melbourne, day 2: Australia 98; England 444/5 (136 overs; Jonathan Trott 141*). England lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the 1st innings.
India in South Africa:
- 2nd Test in Durban, day 2: India 205 (65.1 overs; Dale Steyn 6/50) & 92/4 (30.5 overs); South Africa 131 (37.2 overs). India lead by 166 runs with 6 wickets remaining.

Ice hockey[edit]

World Junior Championships in Buffalo and Lewiston, United States:
- Group A: Slovakia 2–1 (OT) Germany
  - Standings: Switzerland 3 points (1 game), United States, Slovakia 2 (1), Finland 1 (1), Germany 1 (2).
- Group B: Czech Republic 2–0 Norway
  - Standings: Sweden, Canada, Czech Republic 3 points (1 game), Russia 0 (1), Norway 0 (2).
Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland:
- Group Torriani: HC Sparta Praha 3–4 Genève-Servette HC
  - Standings: SKA Saint Petersburg 3 points (1 game), Genève-Servette HC 3 (2), HC Sparta Praha 0 (1).
- Group Cattini: Team Canada 6–1 HC Spartak Moscow
  - Standings: HC Davos, Team Canada 3 points (1 game), HC Spartak Moscow 0 (2).

December 26, 2010 (Sunday)[edit]

American football[edit]

NFL Week 16 (division champions in bold, teams assured of playoff berths in italics):
- Washington Redskins 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 17 (OT)
- Detroit Lions 34, Miami Dolphins 27
- St. Louis Rams 25, San Francisco 49ers 17
  - After the game, the 49ers fire head coach Mike Singletary and name defensive line coach Jim Tomsula as interim replacement.^[2]
- Kansas City Chiefs 34, Tennessee Titans 14
- Chicago Bears 38, New York Jets 34
- New England Patriots 34, Buffalo Bills 3
  - As well as sealing the AFC East, the Patriots clinch the #1 seeding and home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs.
- Baltimore Ravens 20, Cleveland Browns 10
- Denver Broncos 24, Houston Texans 23
- Cincinnati Bengals 34, San Diego Chargers 20
- Indianapolis Colts 31, Oakland Raiders 26
- Green Bay Packers 45, New York Giants 17
  - The Giants' loss clinches the NFC East for the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38, Seattle Seahawks 15
- The Minnesota Vikings–Philadelphia Eagles game originally scheduled for today was postponed to December 28 because of concerns over public safety in light of an incoming snowstorm that had been due to hit the Philadelphia metropolitan area prior to kick-off.
NCAA bowl games:
- Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit: FIU 34, Toledo 32
  - First bowl game appearance and first bowl game win for FIU.

Cricket[edit]

England in Australia:
- Ashes series:
  - Fourth Test in Melbourne, day 1: Australia 98 (42.5 overs); England 157/0 (47 overs). England lead by 59 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the 1st innings.
    - Australia's score is their second-lowest total at the MCG, and the lowest score in a home Ashes Test since 1936.
India in South Africa:
- 2nd Test in Durban, day 1: India 183/6 (56 overs); South Africa.
Pakistan in New Zealand:
- 1st T20I in Auckland: Pakistan 143/9 (20 overs; Tim Southee 5/18); New Zealand 146/5 (17.1 overs). New Zealand win by 5 wickets; lead 3-match series 1–0.
  - Southee bowls the third hat-trick in Twenty20 International cricket.

Football (soccer)[edit]

AFF Suzuki Cup Final, first leg:
- Malaysia 3–0 Indonesia

Ice hockey[edit]

World Junior Championships in Buffalo and Lewiston, United States:
- Group A:
  - Germany 3–4 Switzerland
  - Finland 1–2 (OT) United States
- Group B:
  - Russia 3–6 Canada
  - Norway 1–7 Sweden
Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland:
- Group Torriani: Genève-Servette HC 1–3 SKA Saint Petersburg
- Group Cattini: HC Davos 4–2 HC Spartak Moscow

December 25, 2010 (Saturday)[edit]

American football[edit]

NFL Christmas game, Week 16: Arizona Cardinals 27, Dallas Cowboys 26

Handball[edit]

Asian Women's Handball Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan:
- 3rd place playoff: Japan 25–26 China
- Final: Kazakhstan 33–32 South Korea
  - Kazakhstan win the title for the second time, repeating their 2002 final victory over South Korea.

December 24, 2010 (Friday)[edit]

American football[edit]

NCAA bowl games:
- Hawaiʻi Bowl in Honolulu: Tulsa 62, Hawaiʻi 35

Handball[edit]

Asian Women's Handball Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan:
- 7th place playoff: Iran 20–30 Thailand
- 5th place playoff: North Korea – Uzbekistan

December 23, 2010 (Thursday)[edit]

American football[edit]

NFL Thursday Night Football, Week 16 (team assured of playoff berth in italics): Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Carolina Panthers 3
NCAA bowl games:
- Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego: San Diego State 35, Navy 14

Basketball[edit]

Euroleague Regular Season, matchday 10: (teams in bold advance to the Top 16)
- Group A:
  - Caja Laboral 87–71 Partizan Belgrade
  - Asseco Prokom Gdynia 72–83 Maccabi Tel Aviv
  - Khimki Moscow 93–89 (OT) Žalgiris Kaunas
    - Final standings: Maccabi Tel Aviv 9–1; Caja Laboral, Žalgiris Kaunas, Partizan Belgrade 5–5; Khimki Moscow 4–6; Asseco Prokom Gdynia 2–8.
- Group B:
  - Unicaja Málaga 70–72 Brose Baskets
  - Real Madrid 94–45 Spirou Basket
  - Olympiacos Piraeus 89–82 Virtus Roma
    - Final standings: Olympiacos Piraeus 7–3; Real Madrid 6–4; Unicaja Málaga, Virtus Roma 5–5; Brose Baskets 4–6; Spirou Basket 3–7.
- Group C:
  - Fenerbahçe Ülker 93–61 Cholet Basket
  - KK Cibona Zagreb 77–94 Lietuvos Rytas
  - Regal FC Barcelona 73–72 Montepaschi Siena
    - Final standings: Montepaschi Siena 8–2; Fenerbahçe Ülker, Regal FC Barcelona 7–3; Lietuvos Rytas, Cholet Basket 4–6; KK Cibona Zagreb 0–10.

Handball[edit]

Asian Women's Handball Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan:
- Semifinals:
  - Kazakhstan 29–24 Japan
  - South Korea 31–26 China

December 22, 2010 (Wednesday)[edit]

American football[edit]

NCAA bowl games:
- Maaco Bowl Las Vegas in Whitney, Nevada: Boise State 26, Utah 3

Basketball[edit]

Euroleague Regular Season, matchday 10: (teams in bold advance to the Top 16)
- Group D:
  - CSKA Moscow 78–69 Efes Pilsen Istanbul
  - Power Electronics Valencia 78–77 Union Olimpija Ljubljana
  - Panathinaikos Athens 93–62 Armani Jeans Milano
    - Final standings: Panathinaikos Athens 7–3; Union Olimpija Ljubljana 6–4; Efes Pilsen Istanbul, Power Electronics Valencia 5–5; Armani Jeans Milano 4–6; CSKA Moscow 3–7.

Handball[edit]

Asian Women's Handball Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan: (teams in bold advance to the semifinals, and qualify for the 2011 World Championship)
- Group A:
  - China 46–17 Iran
  - Kazakhstan 35–31 North Korea
    - Final standings: Kazakhstan 6 points, China 4, North Korea 2, Iran 0.
- Group B: South Korea 22–22 Japan
  - Final standings: South Korea, Japan 5 points, Uzbekistan 2, Thailand 0.

December 21, 2010 (Tuesday)[edit]

Alpine skiing[edit]

Women's World Cup in Courchevel, France:
- Slalom: Marlies Schild (AUT) 1:34.95 Tanja Poutiainen (FIN) 1:35.73 Tina Maze (SLO) 1:36.93
  - Slalom standings (after 3 of 10 races): (1) Poutiainen & Schild 200 points (3) Maria Pietilä Holmner (SWE) 174
  - Overall standings (after 11 of 38 races): (1) Lindsey Vonn (USA) 581 points (2) Maria Riesch (GER) 578 (3) Elisabeth Görgl (AUT) 366

American football[edit]

NCAA bowl games:
- Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida: Louisville 31, Southern Miss 28

Basketball[edit]

NCAA women's basketball: Connecticut 93, Florida State 62
- The Huskies record their 89th consecutive win, giving them sole possession of the record for longest winning streak in Division I basketball history.

Freestyle skiing[edit]

World Cup in Beida Lake, China:
- Moguls men: Mikaël Kingsbury (CAN) 25.60 points Guilbaut Colas (FRA) 24.14 Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau (CAN) 24.05
  - Moguls standings (after 3 of 11 events): (1) Colas 240 points (2) Patrick Deneen (USA) 202 (3) Kingsbury 195
  - Overall standings: (1) Colas 48 points (2) Deneen 40 (3) Kingsbury 39
- Moguls women: Hannah Kearney (USA) 25.34 points Jennifer Heil (CAN) 25.26 Kristi Richards (CAN) 23.83
  - Moguls standings (after 3 of 11 events): (1) Kearney 280 points (2) Heil 200 (3) Richards 146
  - Overall standings: (1) Kearney 56 points (2) Heil 40 (3) Xu Mengtao (CHN) 36

Handball[edit]

Asian Women's Handball Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan: (teams in bold advance to the semifinals, and qualify for the 2011 World Championship)
- Group A:
  - China 33–27 North Korea
  - Kazakhstan 35–13 Iran
    - Standings (after 2 matches): Kazakhstan 4 points, China, North Korea 2, Iran 0.
- Group B:
  - South Korea 60–16 Uzbekistan
  - Japan 38–17 Thailand
    - Standings: South Korea, Japan 4 points (2 matches), Uzbekistan 2 (3), Thailand 0 (3).

Rugby union[edit]

Heineken Cup pool stage, matchday 4:
- Pool 6: Toulouse 36–10 Glasgow Warriors
  - Standings (after 4 matches): Toulouse 17 points, London Wasps 15, Glasgow Warriors 4, Newport Gwent Dragons 1.

Volleyball[edit]

FIVB Men's Club World Championship in Doha, Qatar:
- 3rd place: Paykan Tehran 3–2 Drean Bolívar
- Final: Trentino BetClic 3–1 Skra Bełchatów
  - Trentino BetClic win the title for the second straight time.
FIVB Women's Club World Championship in Doha, Qatar:
- 3rd place: Mirador 1–3 Bergamo
- Final: Fenerbahçe 3–0 Sollys Osasco
  - Fenerbahçe win the title for the first time.

December 20, 2010 (Monday)[edit]

American football[edit]

NFL Monday Night Football, Week 15 (division champion in bold): Chicago Bears 40, Minnesota Vikings 14
- The game was held at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium due to the collapse of the inflatable roof at the Metrodome.

Cricket[edit]

India in South Africa:
- 1st Test in Centurion, day 5: India 136 & 459 (128.1 overs; Sachin Tendulkar 111*); South Africa 620/4d. South Africa win by an innings & 25 runs; lead 3-match series 1–0.

Equestrianism[edit]

Show jumping:
- Olympia London International Horse Show in London (CSI 5*-W):
  - Grand Prix: Pénélope Leprevost (FRA) on Myss Valette Simon Delestre (FRA) on Oslo du Chalet Malin Baryard-Johnsson (SWE) on Reveur de Hurtebise

Handball[edit]

Asian Women's Handball Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan:
- Group A: Iran 22–47 North Korea
- Group B:
  - Japan 57–22 Uzbekistan
  - South Korea 38–11 Thailand

Rugby union[edit]

Heineken Cup pool stage, matchday 4:
- Pool 1: Edinburgh 24–22 Castres
  - Standings (after 4 matches): Northampton Saints 16 points, Castres 10, Edinburgh 7, Cardiff Blues 6.
Amlin Challenge Cup pool stage, matchday 4:
- Pool 2: Sale Sharks 13–15 Brive in Galashiels
  - Standings (after 4 matches): Brive 18 points, Sale Sharks 11, Petrarca 5, El Salvador 4.

Volleyball[edit]

FIVB Men's Club World Championship in Doha, Qatar:
- Semifinals:
  - Trentino BetClic 3–0 Paykan Tehran
  - Skra Bełchatów 3–0 Drean Bolívar
FIVB Women's Club World Championship in Doha, Qatar:
- Semifinals:
  - Fenerbahçe 3–0 Mirador
  - Bergamo 0–3 Sollys Osasco

December 19, 2010 (Sunday)[edit]

Alpine skiing[edit]

Women's World Cup in Val-d'Isère, France:
- Super Combined: Lindsey Vonn (USA) 2:07.80 Elisabeth Görgl (AUT) 2:08.26 Nicole Hosp (AUT) 2:08.49
  - Overall standings (after 10 of 38 races): (1) Vonn 581 points (2) Maria Riesch (GER) 578 (3) Görgl 366
Men's World Cup in Alta Badia, Italy:
- Giant slalom: Ted Ligety (USA) 2:31.99 Cyprien Richard (FRA) 2:32.13 Thomas Fanara (FRA) 2:32.54
  - Giant slalom standings (after 3 of 7 races): (1) Ligety 300 points (2) Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) 165 (3) Richard 142
  - Overall standings (after 10 of 38 races): (1) Ligety 321 points (2) Silvan Zurbriggen (SUI) 315 (3) Didier Cuche (SUI) & Michael Walchhofer (AUT) 294

Cricket[edit]

England in Australia:
- Ashes series:
  - Third Test in Perth, day 4: Australia 268 & 309; England 187 & 123 (37 overs; Ryan Harris 6/47). Australia win by 267 runs; 5-match series level 1–1.
India in South Africa:
- 1st Test in Centurion, day 4: India 136 & 454/8 (122.2 overs; Sachin Tendulkar 107*); South Africa 620/4d. India trail by 30 runs with 2 wickets remaining.
  - Tendulkar hits the 50th century of his Test career.

Cross-country skiing[edit]

World Cup in La Clusaz, France:
- Men's 4 x 10 km relay: Switzerland (Toni Livers, Dario Cologna, Remo Fischer, Curdin Perl) 1:42:14.6 Russia I (Evgeniy Belov, Alexander Legkov, Petr Sedov, Maxim Vylegzhanin) 1:42:45.4 Norway I (Eldar Rønning, Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Petter Northug) 1:42:48.4
- Women's 4 x 5 km relay: Norway I (Vibeke Skofterud, Therese Johaug, Kristin Størmer Steira, Marit Bjørgen) 58:38.7 Italy (Virginia de Martin Topranin, Marianna Longa, Silvia Rupil, Arianna Follis) 59:35.3 Sweden (Sara Lindborg, Anna Haag, Maria Rydqvist, Charlotte Kalla) 1:00:02.8

Equestrianism[edit]

Show jumping:
- FEI World Cup Western European League:
  - 7th competition in London (CSI 5*-W): Michael Whitaker (GBR) on Amai Billy Twomey (IRL) on Tinka's Serenade Kevin Staut (FRA) on Le Prestige de Hus
    - Standings (after 7 of 13 competitions): (1) Staut 78 points (2) Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE) 57 (3) Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER) 50
- CSI 4* Frankfurt:
  - Grand Prix (Masters League Final): Janne Friederike Meyer (GER) on Lambrasco Denis Lynch (IRL) on Lantinus Ludger Beerbaum (GER) on Chaman
Dressage:
- FEI World Cup Western European League:
  - 5th competition in Frankfurt (CDI-W): Ulla Salzgeber (GER) on Herzruf's Erbe Isabell Werth (GER) on El Santo NRW Matthias Alexander Rath (GER) on Sterntaler-UNICEF
    - Standings (after 5 of 10 competitions): (1) Salzgeber & Werth 57 points (3) Catherine Haddad (USA) 54

Football (soccer)[edit]

AFF Suzuki Cup Semi-finals, second leg (first leg score in parentheses):
- Indonesia 1–0 (1–0) Philippines. Indonesia win 2–0 on aggregate.

Freestyle skiing[edit]

World Cup in Innichen, Italy:
- Ski Cross men: Scott Kneller (AUS) Alex Fiva (SUI) John Teller (USA)
  - Ski Cross standings (after 2 of 11 races): (1) Patrick Gasser (SUI) 120 points (2) Kneller 112 (3) Andreas Matt (AUT) 109
  - Overall standings: (1) Patrick Deneen (USA) & Jia Zongyang (CHN) 36 points (3) Guilbaut Colas (FRA) 32
- Ski Cross women: Fanny Smith (SUI) Ashleigh McIvor (CAN) Heidi Zacher (GER)
  - Ski Cross standings (after 2 of 11 races): (1) Anna Holmlund (SWE) 150 points (2) Smith 145 (3) McIvor 116
  - Overall standings: (1) Hannah Kearney (USA) & Xu Mengtao (CHN) 36 points (3) Holmlund 30

Golf[edit]

European Tour:
- South African Open in Durban, South Africa:
  - Winner: Ernie Els (RSA) 263 (−25)
    - Els wins his 26th European Tour title.

Handball[edit]

European Women's Championship in Herning, Denmark:
- Bronze Medal Match: Denmark 15–16 Romania
  - Romania qualify for the 2011 World Championship.
- Final: Norway 25–20 Sweden
  - Norway win the title for the fourth successive time and fifth overall.
Asian Women's Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan:
- Group A: China 22–25 Kazakhstan
- Group B: Thailand 25–31 Uzbekistan

Nordic combined[edit]

World Cup in Ramsau, Austria:
- HS 98 / 10 km: Mario Stecher (AUT) 24:22.3 Tino Edelmann (GER) 24:30.9 Eric Frenzel (GER) 24:32.5
  - Overall standings (after 6 of 12 races): (1) Jason Lamy-Chappuis (FRA) 435 points (2) Stecher 386 (3) Mikko Kokslien (NOR) 355

Rugby union[edit]

Heineken Cup pool stage, matchday 4:
- Pool 1:
  - Edinburgh – Castres — postponed to December 20 due to heavy snow in Edinburgh
  - Cardiff Blues 19–23 Northampton Saints
    - Standings: Northampton Saints 16 points (4 matches), Castres 9 (3), Cardiff Blues 6 (4), Edinburgh 3 (3).
- Pool 5: Leicester Tigers 22–22 Perpignan
  - Standings (after 4 matches): Scarlets 15 points, Leicester Tigers 13, Perpignan 12, Benetton Treviso 1.
- Pool 6:
  - Toulouse – Glasgow Warriors — postponed to December 21 due to weather-related travel delays
  - London Wasps 37–10 Newport Gwent Dragons
    - Standings: London Wasps 15 points (4 matches), Toulouse 12 (3), Glasgow Warriors 4 (3), Newport Gwent Dragons 1 (4).
Amlin Challenge Cup pool stage, matchday 4:
- Pool 2:
  - Sale Sharks – Brive — postponed to December 20 due to frozen pitch
  - El Salvador 37–16 Petrarca
    - Standings: Brive 14 points (3 matches), Sale Sharks 10 (3), Petrarca 5 (4), El Salvador 4 (4).
- Pool 3: Newcastle Falcons 26–24 Exeter Chiefs in Galashiels
  - Standings (after 4 matches): Montpellier 13 points, Exeter Chiefs 11, Newcastle Falcons 8, Bourgoin 6.
- Pool 4: Overmach Parma 6–44 Leeds Carnegie
  - Standings (after 4 matches): Stade Français 19 points, Leeds Carnegie 14, București Oaks 4, Overmach Parma 1.
- Pool 5: Gloucester 18–24 La Rochelle
  - Standings (after 4 matches): La Rochelle, Agen 15 points, Gloucester 11, Rovigo 0.

Ski jumping[edit]

World Cup in Engelberg, Switzerland:
- HS 137: Andreas Kofler (AUT) 265.1 points Thomas Morgenstern (AUT) 258.8 Adam Małysz (POL) 255.1
  - Standings (after 7 of 26 events): (1) Morgenstern 605 points (2) Kofler 480 (3) Matti Hautamäki (FIN) 351

Swimming[edit]

World Championships (25 m) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates:
- Men:
  - 100m freestyle: César Cielo (BRA) 45.74 CR Fabien Gilot (FRA) 45.97 Nikita Lobintsev (RUS) 46.35
  - 200m backstroke: Ryan Lochte (USA) 1:46.68 CR Tyler Clary (USA) 1:49.09 Markus Rogan (AUT) 1:49.96
  - 100m individual medley: Ryan Lochte (USA) 50.86 Markus Deibler (GER) 51.69 Sergey Fesikov (RUS) 51.81
  - 50m breaststroke: Felipe França Silva (BRA) 25.95 CR Cameron van der Burgh (RSA) 26.03 Aleksander Hetland (NOR) 26.29
  - 200m butterfly: Chad le Clos (RSA) 1:51.56 Kaio de Almeida (BRA) 1:51.61 László Cseh (HUN) 1:51.67
  - 1500m freestyle: Oussama Mellouli (TUN) 14:24.16 Mads Glæsner (DEN) 14:29.52 Gergely Gyurta (HUN) 14:31.47
  - 4 × 100 m medley relay: United States (Nick Thoman, Mihail Alexandrov, Ryan Lochte, Garrett Weber-Gale) 3:20.99 CR Russia (Stanislav Donets 48.95 CR, Stanislav Lakhtyukhov, Yevgeny Korotyshkin, Nikita Lobintsev) 3:21.61 Brazil (Guilherme Guido, Felipe França Silva, Kaio de Almeida, César Cielo) 3:23.12
    - Lochte wins his third gold medal of the day and sixth of the championships.
- Women:
  - 50m backstroke: Zhao Jing (CHN) 26.27 CR Rachel Goh (AUS) 26.54 Mercedes Peris (ESP) 26.80
  - 200m breaststroke: Rebecca Soni (USA) 2:16.39 CR Sun Ye (CHN) 2:18.09 Rikke Møller Pedersen (DEN) 2:18.82
    - Soni wins her third gold medal of the championships.
  - 100m butterfly: Felicity Galvez (AUS) 55.43 CR Therese Alshammar (SWE) 55.73 Dana Vollmer (USA) 56.25
  - 50m freestyle: Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) 23.37 Hinkelien Schreuder (NED) 23.81 Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (BAH) 24.04
    - Kromowidjojo wins her third gold medal of the championships.
  - 200m freestyle: Camille Muffat (FRA) 1:52.29 CR Katie Hoff (USA) 1:52.91 Kylie Palmer (AUS) 1:52.96

December 18, 2010 (Saturday)[edit]

Alpine skiing[edit]

Men's World Cup in Val Gardena, Italy:
- Downhill: Silvan Zurbriggen (SUI) 1:57.21 Romed Baumann (AUT) 1:57.27 Didier Cuche (SUI) 1:57.31
  - Downhill standings (after 2 of 9 races): (1) Zurbriggen 150 points (2) Michael Walchhofer (AUT) 145 (3) Klaus Kröll (AUT) 90
  - Overall standings (after 9 of 38 races): (1) Zurbriggen 315 points (2) Walchhofer 294 (3) Baumann 259
Women's World Cup in Val-d'Isère, France:
- Downhill: Lindsey Vonn (USA) 1:51.42 Nadja Kamer (SUI) 1:52.10 Lara Gut (SUI) 1:52.22
  - Downhill standings (after 3 of 9 races): (1) Vonn 260 points (2) Maria Riesch (GER) 207 (3) Elisabeth Görgl (AUT) 155
  - Overall standings (after 9 of 38 races): (1) Riesch 533 points (2) Vonn 481 (3) Görgl 286

American football[edit]

NCAA bowl games:
- New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque: BYU 52, UTEP 24
- Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho: Northern Illinois 40, Fresno State 17
- New Orleans Bowl in New Orleans: Troy 48, Ohio 21
NCAA Division I Football Championship (FCS) Semifinal (seed in parentheses): (3) Delaware 27, Georgia Southern 10
NCAA Division II National Football Championship in Florence, Alabama: Minnesota-Duluth 20, Delta State 17
- The Bulldogs win their second national championship in three years.
NCAA Division III National Football Championship in Salem, Virginia: Wisconsin-Whitewater 31, Mount Union 21
- The Warhawks win their third national title in four years, taking them to 3–3 in the two teams' six consecutive matchups.

Biathlon[edit]

World Cup 3 in Pokljuka, Slovenia:
- Men's 10 km Sprint: Björn Ferry (SWE) 27:25.9 (0+0) Tarjei Bø (NOR) 27:31.0 (1+0) Michael Greis (GER) 27:34.6 (0+0)
  - Sprint standings (after 3 of 10 races): (1) Bø 154 points (2) Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) 127 (3) Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) 115
  - Overall standings (after 7 of 26 races): (1) Bø 329 points (2) Svendsen 306 (3) Bjørndalen 265
- Women's 7.5 km Sprint: Magdalena Neuner (GER) 23:05.2 (0+2) Anastasiya Kuzmina (SVK) 23:16.4 (0+1) Kaisa Mäkäräinen (FIN) 23:22.2 (1+0) Olga Zaitseva (RUS) 23:22.2 (0+0)
  - Sprint standings (after 3 of 10 races): (1) Mäkäräinen 156 points (2) Darya Domracheva (BLR) 122 (3) Helena Ekholm (SWE) & Kuzmina 116
  - Overall standings (after 7 of 26 races): (1) Mäkäräinen 354 points (2) Ekholm 289 (3) Anna Carin Zidek (SWE) 257

Bobsleigh[edit]

World Cup in Lake Placid, United States:
- Two-man: Simone Bertazzo/Sergio Riva (ITA) 1:51.40 (55.61 / 55.79) Alexandr Zubkov/Dmitry Trunenkov (RUS) 1:51.44 (55.63 / 55.81) Karl Angerer/Alex Mann (GER) 1:51.53 (55.53 / 56.00)
  - Standings (after 4 of 8 races): (1) Manuel Machata (GER) 811 points (2) Zubkov 803 (3) Bertazzo 747
- Women: Sandra Kiriasis/Stephanie Schneider (GER) 1:54.08 (57.06 / 57.02) Cathleen Martini/Christin Senkel (GER) 1:54.41 (57.08 / 57.33) Helen Upperton/Shelley-Ann Brown (CAN) 1:54.60 (57.34 / 57.26)
  - Standings (after 4 of 8 races): (1) Kiriasis 885 points (2) Martini 827 (3) Bree Schaaf (USA) 720

Cricket[edit]

England in Australia:
- Ashes series:
  - Third Test in Perth, day 3: Australia 268 & 309 (86 overs; Michael Hussey 116, Chris Tremlett 5/87); England 187 & 81/5 (27 overs). England require another 310 runs with 5 wickets remaining.
India in South Africa:
- 1st Test in Centurion, day 3: India 136 & 190/2 (44.1 overs); South Africa 620/4d (130.1 overs; Jacques Kallis 201*, Hashim Amla 140, AB de Villiers 129). India trail by 294 runs with 8 wickets remaining.

Cross-country skiing[edit]

World Cup in La Clusaz, France:
- Men's 30 km Freestyle Mass Start: Maxim Vylegzhanin (RUS) 1:18:53.5 Petter Northug (NOR) 1:18:53.6 Alexander Legkov (RUS) 1:18:53.9
  - Distance standings (after 5 of 17 races): (1) Legkov 293 points (2) Dario Cologna (SUI) 244 (3) Vylegzhanin 235
  - Overall standings (after 9 of 31 races): (1) Legkov 493 points (2) Cologna 471 (3) Vylegzhanin 325
- Women's 15 km Freestyle Mass Start: Marit Bjørgen (NOR) 42:29.6 Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) 42:30.6 Kristin Størmer Steira (NOR) 42:40.5
  - Distance standings (after 5 of 17 races): (1) Bjørgen 410 points (2) Kowalczyk 315 (3) Therese Johaug (NOR) 177
  - Overall standings (after 9 of 31 races): (1) Bjørgen 760 points (2) Kowalczyk 539 (3) Arianna Follis (ITA) 414

Football (soccer)[edit]

AFF Suzuki Cup Semi-finals, second leg (first leg score in parentheses):
- Vietnam 0–0 (0–2) Malaysia. Malaysia win 2–0 on aggregate.
FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates:
- Third place playoff: Internacional 4–2 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
- Final: TP Mazembe 0–3 Internazionale
  - Internazionale win the Cup for the first time and become the fourth successive European team to win the tournament.

Freestyle skiing[edit]

World Cup in Beida Lake, China:
- Aerials men: Qi Guangpu (CHN) 245.74 points Jia Zongyang (CHN) 245.17 Renato Ulrich (SUI) 232.72
  - Aerials standings (after 2 of 8 events): (1) Jia 180 points (2) Qi 136 (3) Warren Shouldice (CAN) 130
  - Overall standings: (1) Patrick Deneen (USA) & Jia 36 points (3) Guilbaut Colas (FRA) 32
- Aerials women: Xu Mengtao (CHN) 181.53 points Cheng Shuan (CHN) 176.95 Xu Sicun (CHN) 162.14
  - Aerials standings (after 2 of 8 events): (1) Xu Mengtao 180 points (2) Zhang Xin (CHN) & Cheng 140
  - Overall standings: (1) Hannah Kearney (USA) & Xu Mengtao 36 points (3) Zhang & Cheng 28
World Cup in Innichen, Italy:
- Ski Cross men: Patrick Gasser (SUI) Andreas Matt (AUT) Thomas Zangerl (AUT)
- Ski Cross women: Anna Holmlund (SWE) Kelsey Serwa (CAN) Nikol Kucerova (CZE)

Handball[edit]

European Women's Championship in Herning, Denmark:
- 5th place match: Montenegro 19–23 France
- Semifinals: (winners qualify for 2011 World Championship)
  - Romania 23–25 Sweden
  - Denmark 19–29

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