title: Miloš Teodosić

text: He captained the senior Serbian national team for the first time in his career at the EuroBasket 2015. In the first phase of the tournament, Serbia dominated Group B, with a 5–0 record, and then eliminated Finland and the Czech Republic in the round of 16 and quarterfinal games, respectively. However, they were stopped in the semi-final game by Lithuania 67–64, and Serbia eventually lost to the tournament's host team, France, in the bronze-medal game, by a score of 81–68. Over 9 tournament games, Teodosić averaged 11.8 points, 7.1 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game, on 34.1% shooting from the field overall and 22.2% shooting from the three-point line.


title: Miloš Teodosić

text: Teodosić represented Serbia at the 2016 Summer Olympics where they won the silver medal, after losing to the United States in the final game with 96–66.


title: Miloš Teodosić

text: Born to father Miodrag and mother Zorana, Teodosić has an older brother, Jovan, who is also a professional basketball player in Serbia. During an interview, Teodosić cited that he is very proud of his hometown, Valjevo. He is an avid Red Star fan. In 2008, Teodosić began dating Serbian volleyball player Maja Ognjenović. They got engaged in 2010, only to break up two years later.


title: Miloš Teodosić

text: On June 25, 2017, he married Serbian actress Jelisaveta Orašanin. The best man was Marko Pantelić, a former Serbian football player.


title: Miloš Teodosić

text: Teodosić stated that he wears the number 4 jersey because his favorite player during childhood was Dejan Bodiroga.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party (, ), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political party in Scotland. It is the second-largest party in the Scottish Parliament and the third-largest in Scottish local government. The party has the second-largest number of Scottish MPs in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and the seventh overall.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The Leader of the party is Douglas Ross. He replaced Jackson Carlaw, who briefly served from February to July 2020; Carlaw had in turn taken over from Ruth Davidson, who held the post from 2011 to 2019. The party has no Chief Whip at Westminster, which is instead represented by the Chief Whip of the Conservative Party in England.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: In the 2017 UK general election, the party increased its number of MPs to 13 on 28.6 percent of the popular vote – its best performance since 1983 and in terms of votes since 1979 – but it fell back to six Westminster seats in 2019. In the 2016 election for the Scottish Parliament the Scottish Conservatives gained 16 seats, making it the largest opposition party, with 31 of 129 seats. In the 2021 election for the Scottish Parliament the Scottish Conservatives maintained 31 seats and remained the largest opposition party.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Before 1912, the Conservative Party organised in Scotland. With the emergence of mass party political organisations in the second half of the 19th century, distinct organisations emerged in Scotland. The voluntary party organisation, the National Union of Conservative Associations for Scotland (mirroring the National Union of Conservative Associations), emerged in 1882, organising a distinct Conservative conference in Scotland.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: A previous organisation, the Scottish National Constitutional Association, existed from 1867, with the patronage of UK party leader Benjamin Disraeli. The Scotsman newspaper reported that following the 1874 election "Conservative Clubs and Working Men's Conservative Associations have spring up like mushrooms in all parts of [Scotland]".


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: From the Representation of the People Act 1884 until 1918, the Liberal Party was the dominant political force in Scotland, operating in a largely two-party system with the Scottish Conservatives. In 1886, the Liberal Unionists had broken away from the Liberal Party in opposition to William Gladstone's proposals for Irish Home Rule. Joint Liberal Unionist and Conservative candidates were run across the United Kingdom, but with the organisations of these parties remaining separate.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Following the merger of the Conservatives and Liberal Unionists to create the modern Conservative and Unionist Party in England and Wales, a committee was formed of the National Union of Conservative Associations for Scotland and regional Liberal Unionist associations which recommended a merger in Scotland. This was agreed in December 1912, creating the Scottish Unionist Association and the Unionist Party.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: From 1918 and through the 1920s, the Labour Party became more prominent, displacing the Liberals as one of the two main parties in Scottish politics. The Unionist Party had a number of electoral successes, topping the poll in Scotland in a number of elections from the 1930s to 1950s. During the period of its existence, the Unionist Party produced two Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom – Bonar Law and Alec Douglas-Home – and uniquely among parties in the post-war period, achieved more than half of the popular vote within Scotland in the 1931 general election and 1955 general election. The majority of the vote achieved in these two General Elections was combined with the National Liberal Party who later merged with the Conservative and Unionist Party in 1968 alongside the Unionist Party which had already merged into the Conservative and Unionist Party in 1965.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: While taking the Conservative whip in the House of Commons, the Unionist Party had a lengthy "unionist-nationalist" tradition, emphasising its Scottish identity within the United Kingdom and the British Empire. This was represented by elected members such as John Buchan (who said "I believe every Scotsman should be a Scottish nationalist") and those former Unionists who in 1932 founded the pro-home rule Scottish Party (which later merged with the National Party of Scotland to form the Scottish National Party).


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Following a decline in performance, coming second to the Labour Party in seats through first in votes at the 1959 general election and both votes and seats at the 1964 general election, the Unionist Party proposed a number of reforms which involved amalgamation with the Conservative and Unionist Party in England and Wales – taking place in 1965. The modern Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, as part of the wider UK Conservative Party, came into existence from this point.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: However its electoral fortunes continued to decline throughout the 1960s. Following Harold Wilson's failure to obtain a Labour majority in February 1974, a second general election was held in October of the same year which saw the party decline to below 25% of the vote and drop from 21 seats to 16. At the same time, the SNP were to gain an unprecedented 11 MPs, unseating a number of Conservative MPs in rural constituencies.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The party's fortunes recovered somewhat in 1979 under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, but her tenure as Prime Minister was to see the party's fortunes drop further from holding 22 seats in 1979 to 10 in 1987. The party increased its share of the vote and number of MPs to 11 in 1992 under John Major's leadership before dropping to 17.5% of the popular vote and failing to have any MPs returned from Scotland in 1997. It continued to return only a single MP from Scottish constituencies at the 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2015 general elections, before winning 13 seats in 2017.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Following the 2010 general election performance, the party commissioned a review under Lord Sanderson of Bowden to consider the party's future organisation. The Sanderson Commission's report recommended a single Scottish leader (replacing a leader of the Scottish Parliamentary group), reforms to governance and constituency structures, the creation of regional campaigning centres, greater focus on policy development and a new membership and fundraising drive.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The party's commitments to a devolved Scottish Assembly were to decline under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher. Previously the party had offered some support for a Scottish Assembly, including in the so-called Declaration of Perth in 1968 under UK party leader Edward Heath. John Major, while endorsing further powers for the Scottish Grand Committee and the Scottish Office did not support a devolved parliament. With the Labour Party's victory in 1997, referendums on devolution were organised in Scotland and Wales, both receiving agreement that devolved legislatures should be formed.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: In 1999, the first elections to a devolved Scottish Parliament were held. Following the Conservatives electoral wipe-out in Scotland in 1997, devolution provided the party with a number of parliamentary representatives in Scotland. Less than a year following the first Scottish Parliament election, a 2000 by-election was held in the Ayr constituency with John Scott winning the seat from Labour.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: In the party leadership elections in 2011, the previous deputy leader Murdo Fraser proposed disbanding the party and creating a new Scottish party of the centre-right, similar to the previous Unionist Party and compared this arrangement to the relationship between the Christian Social Union in Bavaria and the Christian Democratic Union in Germany. The move was opposed by the other three candidates. Victory went to the newly elected MSP Ruth Davidson who suggested that she would oppose further devolution beyond the new powers proposed by the Calman Commission.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The party was one of the three main Scottish political parties to join in the Better Together campaign opposing Scotland becoming independent in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Although a Conservative majority government was returned in Westminster in the 2015 general election, David Mundell remained their only MP elected in Scotland and was appointed Secretary of State for Scotland. He replaced Liberal Democrat incumbents who served during the 2010–15 Coalition government. The UK Government set about implementing the recommendations of the cross-party Smith Commission.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Annabel Goldie led the party into the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, having successfully campaigned in budget negotiations with the minority SNP Scottish Government for a number of concessions over the 2007–11 Scottish Parliament. This had resulted in commitments to 1,000 extra police officers, four-year council tax freeze and £60m town regeneration fund.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: With an SNP majority delivered, the Scottish Conservatives were reduced from 17 seats to 15, losing the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency to the SNP, seeing notional loses in Eastwood and Dumfriesshire to Labour. Following the election, Annabel Goldie resigned as leader and a leadership election was held in November 2011 – the first to appoint a Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, rather than the Scottish Parliament group, as required by the Sanderson Commission. Ruth Davidson was returned, beating the original front-runner and former deputy leader Murdo Fraser.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Davidson drove forward a number of the Sanderson Commission's reforms, including replacing the party's Banyan (or Indian Fig) tree logo with a "union saltire".


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The Conservatives made little advance at the 2015 UK general election compared to 2010, with Scotland's sole Conservative MP David Mundell holding on to his Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale constituency with a reduced majority of just 798 votes ahead of the SNP's Emma Harper. The Conservatives made no seat gains at the election in Scotland, with Conservative targets such as Argyll and Bute; West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine and Angus being won by the Scottish National Party with an increased majority compared to 2010. In spite of this, the Conservatives narrowly missed out on having 2 MP's elected in Scotland, missing out in the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency by only 328 votes behind the SNP's Calum Kerr: this was the most marginal result in Scotland and the eighth most marginal result in the United Kingdom.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: At the 2016 Scottish Parliament election the Scottish Conservative campaign focused on providing strong opposition to the SNP government in Scotland, opposing calls for a second referendum on Scottish independence. The party manifesto focused on freezing business tax rates to promote economic growth and greater employment opportunities; investing in mental health treatment over the course of the next parliament; a commitment to building 100,000 affordable homes within 5 years and a re-introduction of the Right to Buy scheme in Scotland. The Scottish Conservatives were the only major party in Scotland to oppose higher taxes to the rest of the United Kingdom during the campaign as tax reductions came in force across the rest of the UK which were opposed by the SNP, Labour and Liberal Democrats.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: At the election the party saw major gains, particularly on the regional list vote. The Conservatives doubled their representation in the Scottish Parliament by taking 31 seats (compared to 15 in 2011), making them the leading opposition party in the Scottish Parliament ahead of Scottish Labour. On the constituency element of the vote the Conservatives held on to their three first past the post constituency seats (Ayr; Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire and Galloway and West Dumfries), making gains in Aberdeenshire West; Dumfriesshire; Eastwood and Edinburgh Central, where party leader Ruth Davidson stood for election. This marked the party's best electoral performance in Scotland since the 1992 UK general election.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Campaigning in opposition to proposals put forward by Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Parliament for a second referendum on Scottish independence to be held following the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union in a referendum held in 2016 which was not supported by a majority of Scottish voters, the Scottish Conservatives had their best ever election in Scotland in seat terms since 1983 at the 2017 general election. The Conservatives gained 12 MP's in Scotland to give them 13 in total. The party had their largest vote share in a general election in Scotland since 1979, taking a total of 757,949 votes (28.6%) in Scotland.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: David Mundell held on to his Dumfrieesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale seat with an increased majority of 9,441 votes (19.3%). The party also gained the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock; Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk; and Dumfries and Galloway constituencies to the south of the country, and gained East Renfrewshire on the outskirts of Glasgow.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The Conservatives also took a majority of seats in the North East of Scotland, gaining former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond's Gordon constituency, alongside Moray, the seat of the SNP's Westminster leader Angus Robertson. Other gains for the party in the North East included Aberdeen South; Angus; Banff and Buchan; and West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. The party took the Ochil and South Perthshire; and Stirling constituencies in central Scotland and missed out to the SNP in Perth and North Perthshire by just 21 votes.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The Scottish Conservatives retained their single seat in the European Parliament at the 2019 European Parliament election. Incumbent MEP Nosheena Mobarik was reelected.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: On 29 August 2019, Davidson stood down citing several political and personal reasons for her decision to resign as leader.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The Scottish Conservatives lost more than half of their seats in Scotland to the Scottish National Party in the December 2019 general election, with a 3.5% swing away from the party.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The lost seats were Aberdeen South; Angus; Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock; East Renfrewshire; Gordon; Ochil and South Perthshire; and Stirling.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Douglas Ross led the Scottish Conservatives into the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. The party lost two constituencies it was defending (Ayr and Edinburgh Central) to the SNP but retained the remainder of its constituency seats with an increased vote share in some which political analysts attributed in-part to tactical voting from Unionists and credited this with preventing the SNP from gaining an overall majority. The Scottish Conservatives also came close to winning Banffshire and Buchan Coast. The party also saw its highest result to date on the regional list with 23.5% of the vote, while losing 0.1% in the constituency vote. The Scottish Conservatives ultimately obtained 31 seats, the same as their result in the 2016 election, and remained in opposition at Holyrood.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: The Scottish Conservatives lost 63 seats at the 2022 Scottish local elections, shedding 5.6% of the vote and taking their total first preference vote to 19.7% in what was their worst performance electorally in nearly a decade. Some of their heaviest loses occurred in Glasgow, where their total representation went from 8 councillors to 2, and Perth & Kinross, where they lost 3 councillors and control of the council to The Scottish National Party. They also lost control of East Dunbartonshire and Angus, where they were in coalition with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, again to The Scottish National Party, who attracted a record share of the vote and councillors across Scotland. Douglas Ross blamed the poor performance on Partygate, while others said his leadership was partly to blame, due to his unclear stance on whether he supported Boris Johnson remaining in office or not.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Following the 2022 Local Elections, The Scottish Conservatives fortunes did not turn around. Much like the UK wide Conservative Party, the party have been struggling with low polling following Boris Johnson and Liz Truss' premiership controversies, with two polls in December 2022 showing support for the party plummeting to 13%, behind Scottish Labour who were averaging 25% and The Scottish National Party averaging 50%, along with rising support for Scottish Independence.


title: Scottish Conservatives

text: Douglas Ross' leadership authority suffered due to him u-turning on a number of policies, including scrapping the 45p tax rate, which he supported then supported the scrapping of the policy. Scottish Conservative MSP's were reported to have wanted to oust him due to the low polling and multiple u-turns, but it was subsequently revealed there isn't a mechanism in place for the Scottish Conservatives to oust their leader. <ref>


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Kevin Dominique Gameiro (born 9 May 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Strasbourg. He is a strong striker who is known for his clinical finishing, which compensates for his relatively light frame.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Gameiro began his football career playing for clubs along the Oise such as Marly-la-Ville and US Chantilly. In 2004, he moved to the Alsace region to join professional club Strasbourg. He made his professional debut in the 2004–05 season and appeared in the UEFA Cup with Strasbourg. After three seasons with the club, in August 2008, Gameiro signed a four-year deal with FC Lorient. With Lorient, he finished his first two seasons with the club as top scorer. In the 2009–10 season, Gameiro contributed to the team that achieved a 7th-place finish; the club's highest finish in Ligue 1 ever.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Gameiro is a former France youth international, having earned caps at under-18, under-20, and under-21 level. At under-20 level, he played on the team that won the 2007 edition of the Toulon Tournament. Gameiro scored a hat trick in the final and finished the competition as its top scorer. In August 2010, he was called up to the senior team for the first time and made his senior international debut on 3 September 2010 in a match against Belarus.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Gameiro was born in Senlis, a commune in Oise, north of Paris. His family came from Portugal. He began his football career playing for ES Marly-la-Ville not far from his hometown at the age of six. Prior to turning 13, he opted to remain in the region of Picardie and joined US Chantilly. While excelling at US Chantilly, Gameiro was spotted by former Strasbourg player and scout Jacky Duguépéroux who recommended the player join his former club. In 2004, Gameiro completed his move to the Alsatian club joining as a youth player.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Upon arrival, Gameiro was inserted onto the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France Amateur, the fourth level of French football. He spent the entire 2004–05 season playing with the team. Gameiro featured in 20 matches and scored four goals. In 2005, with Duguépéroux now managing the team, Gameiro made his professional debut on 10 September 2005 in a match against Paris Saint-Germain appearing as a substitute in the 59th minute of a 1–0, Ligue 1 defeat. On 14 December, Gameiro made his European debut in a UEFA Cup match against Serbian club Red Star Belgrade. With Strasbourg trailing 2–0 late in the match, Gameiro scored his first professional goal for the club in the 79th minute. In the final minutes of play, he scored the equalizing goal to draw the match at 2–2. The stalemate ensured Strasbourg won the group and the team later advanced to the Round of 16 where they suffered elimination losing 4–2 on aggregate to Swiss club FC Basel. A month later, Gameiro converted his third goal of the season in the team's 4–0 victory over Nancy in the Coupe de France. In league play, Gameiro scored his first career league goal on 4 February 2006 in a 2–1 loss to Lens. Three weeks later, his season was cut short after rupturing ligaments in one of his knees following a tackle from Troyes midfielder Blaise Kouassi. The injury required six months of rehabilitation, which resulted in Gameiro missing the Coupe Gambardella competition, which the Strasbourg under-19 team won, defeating Lyon 3–1 in the final at the Stade de France. Overall, Gameiro's season was a success, however, due to the club focusing more on Europe, the team suffered relegation to Ligue 2 for the 2006–07 season.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Due to undergoing rehabilitation on his knee, Gameiro made his debut with Strasbourg in Ligue 2 late in the season on 19 September 2006 in the club's 2–0 loss to Auxerre in the Coupe de la Ligue. He scored his first goal two months later in a 2–0 victory over Istres. Through the rest of the season, Gameiro alternated between the bench and the starting eleven. He only scored two goals, against Gueugnon and Istres, again, for the rest of the season as Strasbourg achieved promotion back to Ligue 1 courtesy of the club's 3rd-place finish. In his first full season as a professional, Gameiro scored six total goals in 36 total appearances. He scored in back-to-back matches during the early portion of the season against Auxerre and Toulouse, but went cold mid-season scoring only two goals. He scored his final two goals for the club in the final two matches of the season against Caen and Marseille. Strasbourg lost both matches., causing Strasbourg to again suffer relegation to Ligue 2.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Despite strong interest from Marseille, on 17 June 2008, Gameiro agreed to a four-year deal with Brittany-based outfit Lorient. The club paid Strasbourg a transfer fee of €3 million for his services. Gameiro was given the number 9 shirt and installed as the club's head striker. He made his club debut on 9 August 2008 playing the entire match in a 1–0 victory over Le Mans. Two weeks later, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 defeat to Valenciennes. On 25 October, he contributed to Lorient's 3–0 rout of Brittany rivals Nantes. The following month, Gameiro scored goals in back-to-back matches on two occasions. Lorient went undefeated in the four matches. In the Coupe de France, Lorient reached the Round of 16. Gameiro scored goals against Alençon and Tours in the Round of 64 and Round of 32, respectively. Gameiro continued his consistency during the spring portion of the season scoring goals against Sochaux, Grenoble, Marseille, and Nancy. Gameiro scored a double against the latter club. He finished the season with 39 total appearances and 13 goals. Lorient finished the season in 10th, tied for the club's highest finish ever in the first division.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Gameiro continued his rise in French football in the 2009–10 Ligue 1 season. He scored on his season debut on 8 August 2009 in a 2–1 win over Lille and converted another goal the following week against Montpellier in a 2–2 draw. A month later, he scored in back-to-back matches against Nancy and Grenoble as Lorient won both matches. Two weeks later, he scored in Lorient's 4–1 victory over Nice and, on 7 November, scored a double in the club's 5–0 thrashing of Boulogne. On 28 October, Gameiro scored the equalizing goal in Lorient's 2–2 stalemate with Grenoble converting the goal in injury time. The draw rose Lorient to 5th in the standings, the club's highest position that late in the season ever. On 27 January 2010, Gameiro scored the only goal in Lorient's upset victory over Lyon in the Coupe de la Ligue. Two weeks later, he scored in Lorient's 3–0 humiliation of Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. The following week, Gameiro scored in a 1–1 draw with Toulouse. His consistent form prompted analysts to declare that Gameiro should be considered for the French national team, however, prior to the friendly against Spain on 3 March, Gameiro picked up an injury, which led to coach Raymond Domenech not considering him for the squad. Gameiro finished the 2009–10 campaign by scoring seven goals in the final nine league matches. He scored a brace against Saint-Étienne and converted opening goals in wins over Bordeaux, Grenoble, and Lille. In the six matches he scored in, Lorient won five and ultimately finished the campaign in 7th place; the club's highest finish in Ligue 1 ever.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: In the 2010–11 season, Gameiro remained consistent. After missing the opening league match of the season, he returned to the team in mid-August. On 28 August, he scored the game-winning goal in a 2–0 victory over Lyon. In December, he played a part in all three goals in the team's 6–3 loss to Lille. Gameiro scored the team's opening goal in the 7th minute, netted his second just before half-time, and assisted on Lynel Kitambala's in the second half. In January 2011, Gameiro was the subject of intense transfer speculation. On 4 January, it was reported that the striker had reached an agreement on a contract with Spanish club Valencia. Despite the reported agreement, Lorient president Loïc Féry declared that while personal terms had been agreed, Valencia had never sent in a transfer fee offer for the player. Later in the month, French media reported that Lorient had accepted a bid from fellow Ligue 1 club Bordeaux. Bordeaux officials, however, revealed that Gameiro's preference was to play for Valencia. Ultimately, Gameiro remained with Lorient following the closure of the transfer window as Fery declared "our priority has always been to keep Kevin with us". Despite the speculation of a possible transfer, Gameiro remained potent on the field of play. Beginning in late January, he proceeded to go on a tear scoring seven goals in the team's four ensuing league matches. On 29 January, Gameiro scored both goals in a 2–0 win against Brest. In the next two weeks, he scored goals in a home win over Caen and an away defeat to Monaco. The impressive tally of goals culminated on 19 February 2011 when Gameiro scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 victory over Bordeaux.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: On 10 June 2011, media reports confirmed that Paris Saint-Germain had reached an agreement with Lorient for the transfer of Gameiro. The striker had previously favored a move to either Paris Saint-Germain or Valencia. Two days later, following a successful medical, the transfer was confirmed by Paris Saint-Germain. Gameiro agreed to a four-year contract and the transfer fee was priced at €11 million with future bonuses to be added later. Gameiro made his competitive debut for Paris Saint-Germain on 6 August 2011 in the team's opening 1–0 league defeat to Lorient. The following week, he scored his first goal for the club in its 1–1 draw with Rennes. On 18 August 2011, in Paris Saint-Germain's first leg UEFA Europa League playoff round tie against Luxembourger club Differdange, Gameiro scored the opening goal for the team in a 4–0 away win. Three days later, he again scored a goal in a 2–1 win over Valenciennes helping Paris Saint-Germain earn its first league win of the season. On 16 October, Gameiro achieved a hat trick in his side's 3–1 defeat of AC Ajaccio. Gameiro scored once more in 2011, against Sochaux, before his club thundered into the new year, remaining undefeated in 2012 as far as 31 March. Gameiro scored on 20 January, against Sablé-sur-Sarthe FC in Coupe de France play, 4 February, against Evian TG, and 11 March, against Dijon FCO. After this barrage of victories for his club, and assortment of goals for himself, Gameiro failed to score again in the 11/12 campaign.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Gameiro's first goal in the 12/13 campaign came 29 September 2012 against FC Sochaux, coupled with a second 22 minutes later. Gameiro scored thrice more in 2012, with goals coming against Stade de Reims, Evian TG, and Stade Brestois. Gameiro scored his first goal in 2013 against Toulouse FC, on 23 January, in Coupe de France play. Gameiro scored a notable assist when PSG squared off against Valencia CF in Champions League play, with Gameiro feeding Ezequiel Lavezzi for a 66th-minute goal, bequeathing PSG the aggregate victory. Gameiro's next goal came 29 March against Montpellier; 2013's final Gameiro goals were both scored against Gameiro's former outfit Lorient on 26 May. Given that Gameiro was transferred in the offseason, this occasion marked both his last scoring performance and last match for PSG.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: On 25 July 2013, Gameiro signed a contract with Sevilla for a fee of €10 million, agreeing to a five-year deal for the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán club. In his first training session with the club on 30 July, Gameiro limped off the field with a groin injury, forcing the French striker out of the club's third-round Europa League clash with Mladost Podgorica.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Gameiro scored his first goal for the Spanish side in their first-leg Europa League play-off tie against Śląsk Wrocław, a 4–1 home win on 22 August. On 1 September, Gameiro achieved a brace against Málaga CF, including a header, but this failed to bring victory to his side as the match ended in a 2–2 draw. Following this, Gameiro scored on five occasions, including a 1 December contest against Granada CF, in which he also garnered a yellow card. On 16 March 2014, Gameiro netted a double as Sevilla thrashed Real Valladolid 4–1.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Gameiro scored a goal in either half against Espanyol on 6 April, helping his side record a 4–1 league victory. On 10 April 2014, Gameiro came off the bench and scored Sevilla's fourth and final goal in a Europa League quarter-final second-leg match, securing a 4–2 aggregate victory over Porto and a spot in the semi-finals of the 2013–14 Europa League. In the 2013–14 La Liga Seville derby against Real Betis three days later, Gameiro scored twice more to give Sevilla a 2–0 away victory. In the final of the 2013–14 Europa League against Portuguese side Benfica on 14 May 2014, Gameiro came off the bench in extra time and scored the game-winning penalty kick to secure a 4–2 shoot-out victory for Sevilla.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: On 24 October 2015, Gameiro netted a hat-trick in a 2015–16 La Liga home match against Getafe CF, in which Sevilla won 5–0, his first La Liga hat-trick.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: On 18 May 2016, just 17 seconds into the second half of the 2016 UEFA Europa League Final against Liverpool, Gameiro scored Sevilla's equalizing goal a metre from the goal line after receiving a low cross from Mariano Ferreira Filho who had burst into the penalty box from the right. That was his eighth 2015-16 UEFA Europa League goal. Sevilla won the match 3–1 to become the first team to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League three times in a row. It was their fifth UEFA Cup/Europa League title overall.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: On 30 July 2016, Atlético Madrid reached an agreement with Sevilla for the transfer of Gameiro on a four-year contract for a reported €32 million rising to €40 million with add-ons.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: On 18 February 2017, Gameiro scored the fastest La Liga hat-trick in over 22 years, coming on a substitute in the 62nd minute in the match against Sporting de Gijón in a 4-1 victory.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: On 12 August 2018, Valencia CF reached an agreement with Atlético Madrid to sign Kevin Gameiro for €16 million.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: On 18 July 2021, Strasbourg announced the signing of Gameiro on a two-year deal bringing him back to his childhood club.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Gameiro represented France internationally at the under-18, under-20, and under-21 levels. He made his under-18 debut on 29 October 2004 in a friendly match against Russia. Gameiro made his lone other appearance with the under-18 team in the return match against Russia two days later. He established himself locally for his performance at the 2007 Toulon Tournament with the under-20 team. Gameiro scored five goals in four matches scoring only one goal in the group stage portion of the competition against Ivory Coast. In the semi-finals, Gameiro scored the only goal in the team's victory over Portugal. In the final against China, Gameiro netted a hat trick, which took only 33 minutes to complete in the team's 3–1 victory. Gameiro was named the Player of the Tournament for his performances. He made his under-21 debut on 26 March 2008 in a friendly against the Czech Republic. Gameiro, on his debut, netted the third goal in the team's 4–1 victory. Gameiro was called up for the under-21 team's 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification play-offs tie against Germany, but did not feature in either leg. France lost the tie 2–1 on aggregate. The negative result ended Gameiro's under-21 career.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: In August 2010, Gameiro was called up to the French senior team for the first time by new manager Laurent Blanc for the team's UEFA Euro 2012 qualification matches against Belarus and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He made his senior team debut in the match against Belarus appearing as a substitute in the second half. On 9 February 2011, Gameiro earned his second career cap in the team's 1–0 victory over Brazil. In his next appearance with the team against Ukraine on 6 June, he scored his first international goal netting the team's opener in a 4–1 win. On 7 October 2016, he scored a brace in the 2018 World Cup qualification match against Bulgaria, which France won 4–1.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: Due to having Portuguese heritage through his paternal grandfather, Gameiro was eligible to represent Portugal at the senior international level. In 2009, then-manager Carlos Queiroz declared that Gameiro was "an interesting player" and that he "would love to talk to him" regarding representing Portugal. However, Gameiro downplayed the talk, stating that he "didn't really have any links to the country" and that he preferred to represent France.


title: Kevin Gameiro

text: "Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gameiro goal."


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: Saint Nicholas Day, also called the Feast of Saint Nicholas, observed on 5 December or on 6 December in Western Christian countries, and on 19 December in Eastern Christian countries using the old church Calendar, is the feast day of Saint Nicholas of Myra; it falls within the season of Advent. It is celebrated as a Christian festival with particular regard to Saint Nicholas' reputation as a bringer of gifts, as well as through the attendance of church services.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: In the European countries of Germany and Poland, boys have traditionally dressed as bishops and begged alms for the poor. In Poland and Ukraine children wait for St. Nicholas to come and to put a present under their pillows provided that the children were good during the year. Children who behaved badly may expect to find a twig or a piece of coal under their pillows. In the Netherlands and Belgium children put out a shoe filled with hay and a carrot for Saint Nicholas' horse. On Saint Nicholas Day, gifts are tagged with personal humorous rhymes written by the sender. In the United States, one custom associated with Saint Nicholas Day is children leaving their shoes in the foyer on Saint Nicholas Eve in hope that Saint Nicholas will place some coins on the soles.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: The American Santa Claus, as well as the British Father Christmas, derive from Saint Nicholas. "Santa Claus" is itself derived in part from the Dutch "Sinterklaas", the saint's name in that language. However, the gift giving associated with these descendant figures is associated with Christmas Day rather than Saint Nicholas Day itself.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: Nicholas of Myra, according to Christian tradition, was born in Patar in Asia Minor. He is said to have made a pilgrimage to the Egypt to study theology under the Desert Fathers after which he was consecrated the Bishop of Myra. During the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians, Nicholas of Myra was imprisoned. He was released after Constantine the Great promulgated the Edict of Milan in 313, which allowed for the public practice of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Nicholas of Myra was known for his generosity through a Christian legend, in which he gave a poor father money in order to prevent his daughters from being taken into slavery, as the father did not have the funds for his daughters' dowries. It is said that Nicholas of Myra threw the money through the family's window, which landed in their shoes, which were drying near their fireplace.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: Nicholas of Myra died on 6 December 346, giving rise to the present Feast of Saint Nicholas. The saint was entombed in St. Nicholas Church, Demre, though in 1087, Italian soldiers transferred his remains to Itay, where they were enshrined in the Basilica di San Nicola and are held to this day. Saint Nicholas' tomb is said to exude the Oil of Saint Nicholas, which has attracted, throughout the centuries, Christian pilgrims who take the oil home in small bottles to use during prayer.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: Nicholas of Myra is the patron hallow of children, sailors, those undergoing financial problems, and victims of fire.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: In the 11th century, Christian nuns in Belgium and France initiated the practice of giving the poor gifts in the name of Saint Nicholas. This custom spread to Germany and Holland further spreading the Feast of Saint Nicholas and its associated customs.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: Among Albanians, Saint Nicholas is known as Shen'Kollë and is venerated by most Catholic families, even those from villages that are devoted to other saints. The Feast of Saint Nicholas is celebrated on the evening before 6 December, known as Shen'Kolli i Dimnit (Saint Nicholas of Winter), as well as on the commemoration of the interring of his bones in Bari, the evening before 9 May, known as Shen'Kolli i Majit (Saint Nicholas of May). Albanian Catholics often swear by Saint Nicholas, saying "Pasha Shejnti Shen'Kollin!" ("May I see Holy Saint Nicholas!"), indicating the importance of this saint in Albanian culture, especially among the Albanians of Malësia. On the eve of his feast day, Albanians will light a candle and abstain from meat, preparing a feast of roasted lamb and pork, to be served to guests after midnight. Guests will greet each other, saying, "Nata e Shen'Kollit ju nihmoftë!" ("May the Night of Saint Nicholas help you!") and other such blessings. The bones of Albania's greatest hero, George Kastrioti, were also interred in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Lezha, Albania, upon his death.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: In Greece, Saint Nicholas does not carry an especial association with gift-giving, as this tradition is carried over to St. Basil of Caesarea, celebrated on New Year's Day. St. Nicholas is the protector of sailors, he is considered the patron saint of the Greek Navy, military and merchant alike, and his day is marked by festivities aboard all ships and boats, at sea and in port. It is also associated with the preceding feasts of St. Barbara (4 December), St. Savvas (5 December), and the following feast of St. Anne (9 December); all these are often collectively called the "" Nikolobárbara"", and are considered a succession of days that heralds the onset of truly wintry cold weather in the country. Therefore, by tradition, homes should have already been laid with carpets, removed for the warm season, by St. Andrew's Day (30 November), a week ahead of the "Nikolobárbara".


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: In Serbia, and among the Serb people living across the world, Saint Nicholas is the most widely celebrated family patron saint, celebrated as the feast day ("Slava") of "Nikoljdan". Since Nikoljdan always falls in the fasting period preceding Christmas, it is celebrated according to the Eastern Orthodox fasting rules ("Post"). Fasting refers in this context to the eating of a restricted diet for reasons of religion. This entails the complete avoidance of animal-sourced food products (meat, milk, dairy products, and eggs). Fish may be eaten on certain days.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: In Bulgaria, Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated on 6 December as "Nikulden". Families invite relatives, sponsors, and neighbors for a meal of fish (usually "ribnik", a carp wrapped in dough) and two loaves of ceremonial bread, all of which are blessed at church or at home. The host wafts incense over the table, then lifts and breaks the bread. Bulgarians also observe 6 December as the name day for those with the names "Nikola", "Nikolay", "Kolyo", "Nikolina", "Neno", "Nenka", "Nikoleta" and "Nina".


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: In the Netherlands, the primary occasion for gift-giving is 5 December, when his feast day is celebrated. In Belgium, they celebrate "Sinterklaasfeest" (Dutch-speaking) or "la Saint-Nicolas" (French-speaking) on the morning of 6 December.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: In the days leading up to 5 or 6 December (starting when Saint Nicholas has arrived by steamboat around mid-November), young children put their shoes in front of the chimneys and sing "Sinterklaas" songs. Often they put a carrot or some hay in their shoes, as a gift to St. Nicholas' horse. In recent years the horse has been named "Schimmel" or "Amerigo" in the Netherlands and "Slecht Weer Vandaag" (bad weather today) in Flanders. The next morning they find a small present in their shoes, ranging from sweets to marbles or some other small toy. On the evening of 5 December, "Sinterklaas" impersonators (often parents or close by family) bring presents to children who have behaved well (or not; they often both receive presents) in the past year. In practice, just as with Santa Claus, all children receive gifts without distinction. This is often done by placing a bag filled with presents outside the house or living room, after which a neighbor or parent bangs on the door or window, pretending to be "Sinterklaas" assistant. Another option is to hire or ask someone to dress up as "Sinterklaas" and deliver the presents personally. "Sinterklaas" wears a bishop's robes including a red cape and mitre and is assisted by many mischievous helpers, called 'Zwarte Pieten' ("Black Petes") or "Père Fouettard" in the French-speaking part of Belgium, with black faces and colourful Moorish dress, dating back two centuries. In the past, it was said that the Zwarte Pieten took all the naughty children, put them into sacks, and Sinterklaas took them with him to Spain (it is believed that Sinterklaas comes from Spain, where he returns after 5 December), in order to scare the children. Therefore, many Sinterklaas songs still allude to a watching Zwarte Piet and a judging Sinterklaas.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: Surinam, a former colony of the Netherlands, has adapted the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: Recently, there has been a recurrent discussion about the perceived politically incorrect nature of Zwarte Piet. In particular Dutch citizens with an Afro background or African roots might feel offended by the Dutch slavery history connected to this emblem and regard the representation of Zwarte Piet as racist. Others state that the black skin color of Zwarte Piet originates in his profession as a chimney sweep, hence the delivery of packages through the chimney.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: In recent years, Christmas, along with Santa Claus, has been pushed by shopkeepers as another gift-giving festival, with some success; although, especially for young children, Saint Nicholas Eve is still much more important than Christmas. The rise of Father Christmas (known in Dutch as "de Kerstman") is often cited as an example of globalization and Americanisation.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: On the Frisian islands ("Waddeneilanden"), the Sinterklaas feast has developed independently into traditions very different from the one on the mainland.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: In Luxembourg, "Kleeschen" is accompanied by the "Houseker" a frightening helper wearing a brown monk's habit.


title: Saint Nicholas Day

text: <!---In highly Catholic regions, the local priest was informed by the parents about their children's behaviour and would then personally visit the homes in the traditional Christian garment and threaten to beat them with a rod.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: "White Wedding" is a song by Billy Idol that was released as the second single from his self-titled studio album in 1982. Although not Idol's highest-charting hit, it is often considered one of his most recognizable songs. In the US, it peaked at No. 10 on the "Billboard" Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart on 27 November 1982, then reached No. 36 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on 2 July 1983 after it was re-issued. In the UK, it reached No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart upon its re-release there in 1985, when it was re-issued to promote the "Vital Idol" remix album.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: "Cash Box" called it "a powerful entry" whose "ominous guitar intro" and "accusatory tone" command attention.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: The music video, featuring Idol attending a goth wedding, is one of his best-known. The bride is played by Perri Lister, Idol's sweetheart for real at the time. She is also one of the three dancers clad in black leather, who slap their buttocks in time with the clap track in the song as they shimmy downwards near the end. "That's the kind of thing they love in England", says Idol.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: In one scene, Idol forces a wedding ring made of barbed wire onto Lister's finger and cuts her knuckle. Lister insisted that her knuckle actually be cut in order for the scene to appear more realistic. MTV initially removed this scene from the video. Also controversial were the apparent Nazi salutes made by the crowd toward the couple. Director David Mallet says he was merely "playing with the power of crowd imagery" when he had the extras reach toward the bride and did not realize how it looked until after it was filmed.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: The song was featured in the 1998 film "The Wedding Singer" (in which Idol appears), on the American TV series "My Name Is Earl" and on the British TV series "Blackpool". It was also featured in the 1993 film "True Romance" during the scene where Alabama is being tattooed. It was also featured in the skate videos "CKY" and Toy Machine's Jump Off A Building.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: The line "It's a nice day to start again" was featured on the sticker on the front of Idol's 2005 album, "Devil's Playground".


title: White Wedding (song)

text: The song was remixed as (Trashcan Jack vs Billy Idol) "Club Wedding" (Frenetic) under Digital Dog's Jack Rokka guise. It has appeared on numerous dance compilations such as "Wild Bassline" (CD2 Mixed by Brooklyn Bounce) and "Clubland 12".


title: White Wedding (song)

text: The song is included in the video games "Rock Band 2", "Rock Band Unplugged", "Guitar Hero Van Halen", "Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy", "" and as DLC in "Rocksmith".


title: White Wedding (song)

text: The song was also used in an advertisement for British soap opera "Hollyoaks", promoting the week of a wedding storyline. It also featured in an episode of the 2004 BBC miniseries "Blackpool" as part of the story.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: The track also appeared on an advert for "Coronation Street" in 2003, promoting the climax of a bigamous storyline involving the character Peter Barlow. Barlow, portrayed by Chris Gascoyne, was seated at a table, reflectively spinning his two wedding rings around.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: On "The Colbert Report", a couple who had been prevented from wedding at the Jefferson Memorial, by the 2013 government shutdown, were married. The couple shared their first dance as Audra McDonald sang the song.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: The American metal band In This Moment was set to collaborate with Idol on the track "Black Wedding" off their sixth album "Ritual"; the song's chorus contains the line, "it's a nice night for a black wedding," an obvious homage to Idol's "White Wedding." Due to claimed scheduling difficulties, Rob Halford of Judas Priest was featured on the track instead.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison's side project – the US horror punk band Murderdolls – reached number 24 on the UK Singles chart in 2003 with their cover of "White Wedding."


title: White Wedding (song)

text: Deathstars made a version of White Wedding as a bonus track for their debut album Synthetic Generation. This version, played in A minor on instruments tuned down two whole steps, is a diminished fifth below the standard B minor version.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: In the episode "Dyeing is Easy, Comedy is Hard" (S04E15) of "Will & Grace" (2002), Will Truman references this song when Elliot, Jack McFarland's son, appears with a short blond hair.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: In the TV series “American Horror Story”, the song played in season 9, episode 2 of 1984, during the wedding massacre scene featuring Emma Roberts’ character.


title: White Wedding (song)

text: Alternative rock band Queens of the Stone Age album Era Vulgaris featured a cover of the song as a bonus track on two extended versions of the CD.


title: I Marine Expeditionary Force

text: The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.


title: I Marine Expeditionary Force

text: I Marine Expeditionary Force is the largest of the three MEFs in the Fleet Marine Force and is often referred to as the "Warfighting MEF" for its consistent involvement and contributions in major armed conflicts. It is presently commanded by Lt. Gen. George W. Smith Jr. The deputy commander is Brig. Gen. Ryan S. Rideout.


title: I Marine Expeditionary Force

text: Pronunciation of the Roman numeral designator: As a Roman numeral the capital letter "I", representing one, is properly pronounced as "One". However, there are some who erroneously pronounce the number as either "First", or either intentionally, or unknowingly, pronounce it as "Eye", as in the letter "I".


title: I Marine Expeditionary Force

text: The convention of using Roman numerals to designate a MEF, which is itself the Marine Corps equivalent organization to an Army corps, stems from the U.S. Army practice that began in the American Civil War, and continues today, of numbering corps (two or more divisions with supporting troops, and sometimes including separate brigades, regiments, groups, or battalions, all under a unified corps headquarters, usually commanded by a lieutenant general) with Roman numerals. Corps, themselves being the first-level sub-unit of a "field army", or a numbered, or named, army (e.g., First U.S. Army, or the Army of the Potomac).


title: I Marine Expeditionary Force

text: During the First World War, the 4th Marine Brigade, as part of the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division, came under the U.S. Army I Corps, American Expeditionary Forces. With the expansion of the Marine Corps to six divisions and five air wings during the Second World War, the Marine Corps created two "Amphibious Corps", I Marine Amphibious Corps (later re-designated as III Amphibious Corps) and V Amphibious Corps, continuing the custom begun by the Army. Modern Marine Expeditionary Forces, or MEFs (for a time known as Marine "Amphibious" [italics added] Forces, or MABs) continue the U.S. Marine Corps legacy as corps-equivalent organizations designated by Roman numerals.


title: I Marine Expeditionary Force

text: When directed, I MEF deploys and is employed as a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) in support of Combatant Commander (COCOM) requirements for contingency response or Major Theater War; with appropriate augmentation, serves as the core element of a Joint Task Force (JTF); prepares and deploys combat-ready MAGTF's to support COCOM presence and crisis response; and supports service and COCOM initiatives as required.


title: Aimi Yoshikawa

text: Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, in 1994, Yoshikawa debuted as a model in August 2012 with the gravure video "Aimi Yoshikawa Rising Star Debut" (新星 Debut 吉川あいみ). In December 2012, her switch from mainstream modeling to adult videos (AV) was announced. She made her AV debut in January 2013 in "Aimi Yoshikawa AV DEBUT". In December 2013, she was awarded best actress at SOD Awards.


title: Aimi Yoshikawa

text: In 2013, Yoshikawa made her acting debut in a mainstream film in "Goddotan Kiss Patience Championship - The Movie", a comedy based on the popular variety show "Goddotan". In 2014, she played the main role of "Hazuki Luna" in "Ai LOVE Movies! Hen", a 2014 live-action adaptation of the manga series "Ikenai! Luna-sensei" (“"Watch-out! Luna teacher"").


title: Aimi Yoshikawa

text: A prolific actress, Yoshikawa made appearances in over 280 videos during her AV career in a large variety of roles, including S&M and lesbian roles as well. On November 8, 2018, Yoshikawa announced on Instagram that she would retire from the industry on December 31, 2018, but continue her career as a hostess.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagaana is a traditional theatre, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form. It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during the period of the Bhakti movement. It is sometimes simply called "Aata" or "āṭa" (meaning "the play"). This theatre style is mainly found in coastal regions of Karnataka in various forms. Towards the south from Dakshina Kannada to Kasaragod of Tulu Nadu region, the form of Yakshagana is called ' and towards the north from Udupi up to Uttara Kannada it is called '. Both of these forms are equally played all over the region.(Not sure about this one but) Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn. Its stories are drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other epics from both Hindu and Jain and other ancient Indic traditions.


title: Yakshagana

text: "Yakshagana" literally means the people ("gana") who are the "yaksha" (nature spirits). Yakshagana is the scholastic name in Kannada (used for the last 200 years) for art forms formerly known as "kēḷike, āṭa, bayalāṭa," and "daśāvatāra". The word Yakshagana previously referred to a form of literature primarily in Kannada (starting from the 16th century). Of late Yakshaganas in Tulu and even now in Telugu are available. Performance of this Yakshagana literature or the play is called āṭa. It is now no longer believed that the word Ekkalagaana refers to Yakshagana.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana has a separate tradition of music, separate from Karnataka Sangeetha and the Hindustani music of India. Yakshagana and Karnatak Sangeetha may have a common ancestor are not decedents of one another.


title: Yakshagana

text: A typical Yakshagana performance consists of background music played by a group of musicians (known as a "himmela"); and a dance and dialogue group (known as the "mummela"), who together enact poetic epics on stage. The himmela is made up of a lead singer ("bhagawatha")—who also directs the production—and is referred to as the "first actor" ("modalane vesha"). Additional himmela members are players of traditional musical instruments, such as the "maddale" (hand drum), the "pungi" (pipe), the "harmonium" (organ), and the "chande" (loud drums). The music is based on "ragas", which are characterised by rhythmic patterns called "mattu" and "tala" (or musical meter in Western music).


title: Yakshagana

text: A Yakshagana(ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ) performance typically begins in the twilight hours, with an initial beating of the drums of several fixed compositions, called "abbara" or "peetike". This may last for up to an hour before the actors finally arrive on the stage. The actors wear resplendent costumes, head-dresses, and face paints.


title: Yakshagana

text: A performance usually depicts a story from the "Kavya" (epic poems) and the "Puranas" (ancient Hindu texts). It consists of a story teller (the "bhagawatha") who narrates the story by singing (which includes prepared character dialogues) as the actors dance to the music, portraying elements of the story as it is being narrated. All components of Yakshagana—including the music, the dance, and the dialogue—are improvised. Depending on the ability and scholarship of the actors, there will be variations in dances as well as the amount of dialogue. It is not uncommon for actors to get into philosophical debates or arguments without falling out of character. The acting in Yakshagana can be best categorised as method acting. The performances have drawn comparison to the Western tradition of opera. Traditionally, Yakshagana will run through dusk to dawn.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana is popular in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Kasaragod, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikkamagaluru . Yakshagana has become popular in Bengaluru in recent years, particularly in the rainy season, when there are few other forms of entertainment possible in the coastal districts.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana can refer to a style of writing, as well as the written material itself. It was probably used for poems enacted in bayalaata (or "open theatre drama"), such as the ballads of Koti and Chennayya. Yakshagana in its present form is believed to have been strongly influenced by the Vaishnava Bhakti movement. Yakshagana was first introduced in Udupi by Madhvacharya's disciple Naraharitirtha. Naraharitirtha was the minister in the Kalinga Kingdom. He also was the founder of Kuchipudi.


title: Yakshagana

text: The first written evidence regarding Yakshagana is found on an inscription at the Lakshminarayana Temple in Kurugodu, Somasamudra, Bellary District, and is dated 1556 CE. A copy is available at the University of Madras. The inscription mentions land donated to the performers of the art, so as to enable people to enjoy "tala maddale" programs at the temple. Another important piece of evidence is available in the form of a poem authored by Ajapura Vishnu, the "Virata Parva", inscribed on a palm-leaf found at Ajapura (present day Brahmavara). Another historic palm-leaf manuscript, dated 1621 CE, describes "Sabhalakshana".


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana bears some resemblance to other members of the 'traditional theatre family:' "Ankhia Nata" (found in Assam); "Jathra" (in Bengal); "Chau" (Bihar, Bengal); "Prahlada Nata" (Orissa); "Veedhinatakam" & "Chindu" (Andhra); "Terukoothu Bhagawathamela" (Tamil Nadu), and "Kathakali" (Kerala). However, some researchers have argued that Yakshagana is markedly different from this group.


title: Yakshagana

text: Experts have placed the origin of Yakshagana somewhere in the period of the 11th to 16th centuries CE. Yakshagana was an established performance art form by the time of the noted Yakshagana poet, Parthi Subba (c. 1600). His father, Venkata, is attributed by some to be the author of the great Hindu epic, Ramayana, although historian Shivaram Karanth counters these claims (made most notably by historians Muliya Thimmappa and Govinda Pai) and argues that it is Subba, who was in fact its author. Venkata is the probable founder of the tenkuthittu (southern) style of the art.


title: Yakshagana

text: Troupe centers, such as Kudlu and Kumbla in the Kasaragod District, and Amritheshwari, Kota near Kundapura, claim to have had troupes three to four centuries ago, indicating that the art form almost certainly had begun to take shape by circa 1500.


title: Yakshagana

text: The Yakshagana form of today is the result of a slow evolution, drawing its elements from ritual theatre, temple arts, secular arts (such as Bahurupi), royal courts of the past, and the artists' imaginations—all interwoven over a period of several hundred years.


title: Yakshagana

text: Early Yakshagana poets included Ajapura Vishnu, Purandaradasa, Parthi Subba, and Nagire Subba. King Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar II (1704–1714) authored 14 Yakshaganas in various languages in the Kannada script. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1794–1868) also wrote several Yakshagana prasanga, including "Sougandhika Parinaya". Noted poet, Muddana, composed several Yakshagana prasanga's, including the very popular "Rathnavathi Kalyana".


title: Yakshagana

text: In the 19th century, Yakshagana began to move away from the strict traditional forms. Practitioners of the day produced a number of new compositions. Also, a large number of troupes arose across coastal Karnataka.


title: Yakshagana

text: The early 20th century saw the birth of 'tent' troupes, giving performances to audiences made up of common people who were admitted by ticket. These troupes were responsible for the commercialisation of Yakshagana. The genre saw major changes in form and organisation. Electrical lights replaced the gas lights; seating arrangements improved; the inclusion of folk epics, Sanskrit dramas, and fictional stories formed the modern thematic base of the discipline. Popular entertainment became the criterion, replacing the historic classical presentations. Tulu, the language of the southern part of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district's was introduced; increasing popularity with the common people.


title: Yakshagana

text: At this time, writer Kota Shivaram Karanth, experimented with the dance form by introducing Western musical instrumentation. He reduced the time of a Yakshagana performances from 12 hours to under three hours, incorporated movie plot lines, and added Shakespearean themes. Today, female artists perform in Yakshagana shows.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana is related to other performance art forms prevalent in other parts of Karnataka and the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Yakshagana defies simple classification into categories such as folk, classical, or rural. It can be included in each or all of these, depending upon the rules used for classification. It is more varied and dynamic than most dance forms. Yakshagana can, however, be classified as one of many traditional dance forms. While it prevails primarily in the coastal areas of Karnataka, other dance forms (such as Doddata) are today often called by the same name. Several forms of traditional theatre – "Mudalpaya" (of southern Karnataka); "Doddata" (of northern Karnataka); "Kelike" (on the border with Andhra Pradesh); and "Ghattadakore" (of Kollegal—in the Chamarajnagar District), may be included in this category. Among them, the "Ghattadakore" is a direct branch of the coastal form of Yakshagana, while "Mudalapaya" is the most closely connected form.


title: Yakshagana

text: There is a form called "Yakshaganamu" in Andhra Pradesh, which exhibits some resemblance to the Yakshagana forms of the Karnataka plateau region and is less sophisticated as a visual art.


title: Yakshagana

text: One of the traditional variations, the "tenkutittu" style, is prevalent in Dakshina Kannada, Kasaragod District, western parts of Coorg (Sampaje), and few areas of Udupi district. The influence of Karnatic Music is apparent in tenkutittu, as evidenced by the type of maddale used and in bhaagavathike. Yakshagana is influenced more by folk art blended with classical dance aspects. In tenkutittu, three iconic set of colors are used: the "Raajabanna", the "Kaatbanna", and the "Sthreebanna".


title: Yakshagana

text: The himmela in the tenkutittu style is more cohesive to the entire production. Rhythms of the chande and maddale coupled with the "chakrataala" and "jaagate" of the bhaagavatha create an excellent symphonic sound. The dance form in tenkutittu strikes the attention of the audience by 'Dheengina' or 'Guttu'. Performers often do "dhiginas" (jumping spins in the air) and will continuously spin (sometimes) hundreds of times. Tenkutittu is noted for its incredible dance steps; its high flying dance moves; and its extravagant "rakshasas" (demons).


title: Yakshagana

text: Tenkutittu has remained a popular form and has its own audience outside the coastal areas. The Dharmasthala and Kateelu durgaparameshwari melas (the two most popular melas) have helped to popularise this form. Several creative tenkutittu plays have been composed by noted scholars, such as Amritha Someshwara.


title: Yakshagana

text: The "Badagutittu" style is prevalent in North Canara (Uttara Kannada District) and the northern parts of Udupi district from Kundapura to Byndoor. The Badagutittu school of Yakshagana places more emphasis on facial expressions, "matugarike" (dialogues), and dances appropriate for the character depicted in the episode. It makes use of a typical Karnataka chande.


title: Yakshagana

text: The Badagutittu style was popularised by Shivram Karanth's, "Yakshagana Mandira," presented at Saligrama Village in Dakshina Kannada as a shorter more modern form of Yakshagana.


title: Yakshagana

text: Keremane Shivarama Hegde, the founder of the Yakshagana troupe, Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, is an exponent of the Badagutittu style of Yakshagana. He is also the first Yakshagana artist to receive the Rashtrapati Award from the president of India. He hails from the Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada (North Canara) District.


title: Yakshagana

text: There were more than 30 string-puppet troupes in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district during the period 1910–1915 in places such as Basrur, Barkur, Kokkarne, Mudabidri.


title: Yakshagana

text: The presentation of the puppetry in Yakshagana style is highly stylised and adheres strictly to the norms and standards of Yakshagana. The puppets (generally 18 inches high) wear costumes similar to those worn by live actors of Yakshagana, and have the same elaborate make-up, colorful headgear, and heavy jewellery. The puppeteer is known as the "Suthradhara." The content in the Yakshagana puppetry, is also mainly drawn from the ancient epics.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana puppetry has existed for centuries. The modern form of the art, however, was largely moulded by the brothers Laxman, Narasimha, and Manjappa Kamath; who hailed from Uppinakudru village, Kundapur taluk. Devanna Padmanabha Kamath, the grandson of Laxman Kamath infused new life into the art and performed shows all over India. Later, Kogga Devanna Kamath improved this subgenre even further, being recognised with the Tulsi Samman and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards. His son, Bhaskar Kogga Kamath, is currently performing shows while training others in the art of Yakshagana puppetry. K. V. Ramesh is a leading puppeteer from Kasaragod. He leads the Yakshagana puppet troupe Shri Gopalakrishna Yakshagana Gombeyata Sangha.


title: Yakshagana

text: The second half of the 20th century saw experiments and adoptions of this art into other venues. One notable effort was that of Shivarama Karantha, who produced and exhibited "Yakshagana ballet", using and training local artists. Some of the changes brought about by Karanth, however, attracted criticism. One legal decision even banned any public performance of his experimental ballets being billed as "Yakshagana."


title: Yakshagana

text: The artists pray to lord Ganesha before their performance. Yakshagana also ends with a prayer to Ganesha


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana Rāga refers to melodic framework used in Yakshagana. It is based on pre-classical melodic forms that comprise a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is founded. Ragas in Yakshagana are closely associated with a set of melodic forms called mattu. In the Yakshagana tradition, rāgas are associated with different times of the night throughout which the Yakshagana is performed.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana Tala (Sanskrit tāla) are frameworks for rhythms in Yakshagana that are determined by a poetry style called "Yakshagana Padya". Tala also decide how a composition is to be enacted by the dancers. It is similar to tala in other forms of Indian music, but differs from them structurally. Each composition is set to one or more talas, rendered by the himmela percussion artists play.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana poetry (Yakshagana Padya or Yakshagana Prasanga) is a collection of poems written to form a music drama. The poems are composed in well known Kannada metres, using a frame work of ragas and talas. Yakshagana also has its own metre (or "prosody"). The collection of Yakshagana poems forming a musical drama is called a "Prasanga". The oldest surviving parasanga books are believed to have been composed in the 15th century. But many compositions have been lost to time. There is evidence showing that oral compositions were in use before the 15th century. The narratives of the surviving historic Yakshagana Prasangas are now often printed in paperback.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagna costumes are rich in color. The costumes (or "vesha") in Kannada depend on characters depicted in the play (prasanga). It also depends on the Yakshagana style ("").


title: Yakshagana

text: Traditionally, Badagutittu Yakshagana ornaments are made out of light wood, pieces of mirror, and colored stones. Lighter materials, such as thermocol, are sometimes used today, although ornaments are still predominantly made of woodwork.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana costumes consist of headgear (Kirita or Pagade), Kavacha that decorates the chest, Buja Keerthi (armlets) that decorate the shoulders, and belts (Dabu)—all made up of light wood and covered with golden foil. Mirror work on these ornaments helps to reflect light during shows and add more color to the costumes. Armaments are worn on a vest and cover the upper half of the body. The lower half is covered with kachche, which come in unique combinations of red, yellow, and orange checks. Bulky pads are used under the kachche, making the actors' proportions different in size from normal.


title: Yakshagana

text: The character, Bannada Vesha, is used to depict monsters. This often involves detailed facial makeup taking three to four hours to complete. Males play the female roles in traditional Yakshagana. However, more recently, yakshagana has seen female artists, who perform in both male and female roles.


title: Yakshagana

text: The maddale is a percussion instrument and, along with the chande, is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in the Yakshagana ensemble. It is played in a similar fashion as Mridangam.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana bells or cymbals, are a pair of finger bells made of a special alloy (traditionally five metal). They are made to fit the tone of the bhagawatha's voice. Singers carry more than one set, as finger bells are available in different keys, thus enabling them to sing in different pitches. They help create and guide the background music in Yakshagana.


title: Yakshagana

text: The Chande is a drum and, along with the maddale, is an important rhythmic accompaniment in the Yakshagana ensemble.


title: Yakshagana

text: Over the centuries, hundreds of artists performed Yakshagana and some of them have gained star value, like Kuriya Vithala Shastry, Soorikumeru Govinda Bhat, Chittani Ramachandra Hegde, Naranappa Uppoor, Balipa Narayana Bhagawat, Karki Krishna Hasyagara and Kalinga Navada.


title: Yakshagana

text: As most troupes are associated with temples, training in the art has been confined to temple premises. The Govinda Pai Research Institute, located at MGM College, runs a "Yakshagana Kalakendra" in Udupi trains youngsters in this ancient dance form. It also does research work on language, rituals, and dance art forms. Srimaya Yakshagana Kalakendra, Gunavante which was founded by Shri Keremane Shambhu Hegde, is another notable Yakshagana Gurukula that trains Yakshagana students .


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana is finding new popularity outside India. Amateur troupes have emerged in California, USA and Ontario, Canada. "Yakshamitra in Canada", "Yakshagana Kalavrinda", "Yaksharanga in the U.S." "Yakshaloka Boston" are a few examples of these international troupes.


title: Yakshagana

text: "Yakshamitra" founded in 2008 in Toronto, Canada, is the first full pledged Yakshagana mela outside India. It is the first to use local live music himmela for their performances. The other troupes usually use a recorded background himmela for their shows.


title: Yakshagana

text: "Yakshaloka USA" was founded in New England by Raghuram Shetty in 1995 and used recorded audio for shows. Being the first build a local Yakshagana troupe ("Yakshaloka Boston") in North America and introduce (Southern style) Yakshagana to this continent, he trained thousands of local Americans and inspired 5 Yakshagana troupes (Massachusetts, Washington, Florida, Northern and Southern California). Including shows like Sindh World Conference 2000, AKKA 2002, Saint Peters-burg Folk Festival 2005, Irvine Global Village 2014 etc. Yakshaloka USA has showcased hundreds of multi-lingual shows in major theatres across USA in both styles of Yakshagana. Yakshaloka promotes vibrant ancient Indian art by creating unique shows of its own, presentations in schools and Universities including worlds leading acting schools in Hollywood, training kids and adults from all over the world, joining hands with visiting artists (E.g.: Northern style legend Chittani Ramachandra Hegde troupe 2006), and sponsoring/facilitating leading artists (E.g.: Southern style legend Dr Puttur Shridhara Bhandary 2013).


title: Yakshagana

text: "Yakshaloka Boston" troupe has mainly the artists from Boston area and visiting artists from various parts of USA and India. The troupe has given many shows in the east coast, Midwest, southern USA.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yaksharanga in the USA started after the visit of Yakshagana artist, Sri Chittani Ramachandra Hegde. His performance at the age of 74 was so inspiring that art lovers decided to continue his art thousands of miles away from its home. Sri Kidayuru Ganesh, who accompanied Sri Chittani, stayed back for a couple of months to train a new generation of Yakshagana artists. The initial result was a performance of Yakshagana "Sudanvarjuna Kalaga". Hegde won the Padmashri Award in 2012 for his lifetime contribution to the art. Yaksharanga has since performed many shows around California.


title: Yakshagana

text: Yakshagana Troupe, "Shri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, Keremane," headed by Shri Keremane Shambhu Hegde and Shri Keremane Shivanand Hegde, toured the U.S., and performed more than 22 programs throughout North America. The troupe visited 12 countries. This troupe was one of the first few troupes that took Yakshagana (in its traditional form) outside India (referring to their performance at Hilton Hotel, Bahrain in 1983).


title: Yakshagana

text: There are about 30 full-fledged professional troupes, and about 200 amateur troupes in Yakshagana. Professional troupes go on tour between November to May, giving about 180-200 shows. There are about one thousand professional artists and many more amateurs. Further there are off season shows during the wet season, the anniversary shows, school and college students Yakshagana and of course the Talamaddale performances. Yakshagana commercial shows witness 12,000 performances per year in Karnataka generating a turnover of Rs. Six crore.


title: Carl Frampton

text: Carl Frampton (born 21 February 1987) is a Northern Irish former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2021. He is a former two-weight world champion, having held the WBA (Unified) and IBF super-bantamweight titles between 2014 and 2016, and the WBA (Super) featherweight title from 2016 to 2017. He also held the WBO interim featherweight title in 2018. At regional level, he held the European and Commonwealth super-bantamweight titles between 2011 and 2014.


title: Carl Frampton

text: By winning the featherweight world title in 2016, Frampton became the first boxer from Northern Ireland to have held world titles in two weight classes. This earned him Fighter of the Year awards from "The Ring" magazine, the Boxing Writers Association of America and ESPN.


title: Carl Frampton

text: In December 2019, Frampton was ranked as the world's fourth-best active super-featherweight by BoxRec and fifth-best active featherweight by "The Ring". He retired after losing in his WBO junior-lightweight title fight against Jamel Herring.


title: Carl Frampton

text: Amateur boxing in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is governed by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. As an amateur, Frampton fought out of the Midland Boxing Club in Tiger's Bay and won the Irish senior flyweight title in 2005 and added the Irish featherweight title in 2009, beating David Oliver Joyce in the final.


title: Carl Frampton

text: He also claimed a silver medal at the 2007 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships in Dublin, losing to France's Khedafi Djelkhir in the final.


title: Carl Frampton

text: Frampton is one of Ireland's most successful amateur boxers of recent years, winning 114 of his fights and losing only 11 times.


title: Carl Frampton

text: Later commenting on his decision to box for the Irish team, Frampton, who grew up in a Unionist area of Belfast, said "I get asked all the time, 'would you have liked to have boxed for Great Britain?' And the answer is 'no'. I was looked after by Irish boxing from pretty much 11 years old and was very proud to box for Ireland." He added, "it's very humbling to know that so many people are supporting me from all over Ireland and mainland UK."


title: Carl Frampton

text: Frampton turned professional after his victory in the 2009 Irish featherweight finals. In June 2009, fought his first professional fight at the Olympia, Liverpool, in England and beat Sandor Szinavel with a second-round knock-out on a card that included Grzegorz Proksa and Ajose Olusegan. In January 2010, he was named Ireland's Prospect of the Year at the Irish National Boxing Awards. In September 2010 he recorded an "electrifying" win over the Ukrainian Yuri Voronin in front of an Ulster Hall crowd which included Daniel Day-Lewis. The win led the "Belfast Telegraph" to liken him to a "reincarnation" of Barry McGuigan.


title: Carl Frampton

text: In December 2010, Frampton won his first professional title, the BBBofC Celtic super-bantamweight title, with a second-round TKO win over Scottish boxer Gavin Reid in the Ulster Hall. Following his victory, Frampton described the super-bantamweight division as being "super-hot" and named Scott Quigg and Rendall Munroe as potential opponents. He then went on to get a fourth-round TKO win over Venezuelan Oscar Chacin, and later fought his first defence of his BBBofC Celtic title against Welshman Robbie Turley in June 2011, winning by a unanimous decision after ten rounds.


title: Carl Frampton

text: Carl fought Australian Mark Quon as a replacement for Kiko Martinez on 10 September for the Commonwealth super-bantamweight title at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast winning by a fourth-round TKO stoppage. On 28 January 2012, he successfully defended his Commonwealth title against Kris Hughes in the York Hall, with the fight having to be stopped in the seventh round. According to the BBC, Frampton controlled the contest from the start and was never threatened by his opponent. On 17 March 2012, Frampton once again defended his title against Ghana's Prosper Ankrah and won by a second-round TKO stoppage. After his victory Frampton challenged the British champion Scott Quigg saying that "I don't know if he wants it but, if he does, he should tell his promoter".


title: Carl Frampton

text: Frampton then beat fellow unbeaten contender Raúl Hirales, Jr. (previously 16–0, 8 KO's) of Mexico by a unanimous decision and won the vacant IBF Inter-continental super-bantamweight title on the undercard of Carl Froch vs. Lucian Bute in Nottingham, UK. The fight took place on 26 May 2012. On 22 September 2012, Frampton took on former two-time world champion Steve Molitor. The fight took place in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on a card that included Martin Lindsay and Paul McCloskey. Frampton scored an impressive sixth-round TKO and had the former champion on the canvas three times during the bout. After the fight, Frampton announced that he was willing to "fight anyone" and that he was "ready for a world title fight".


title: Carl Frampton

text: On 9 February 2013, Carl Frampton faced hard-punching Spaniard Kiko Martinez in front of 8,000 of his home fans in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast. Martínez, the European champion, had previously knocked out Bernard Dunne in 86 seconds to win the title and had never been knocked down. Frampton won by TKO in Round 9, winning the European super-bantamweight title and retaining the IBF Inter-Continental super-bantamweight title. After the fight Frampton said "I just want the people of Belfast to be proud of me", and described his beaten opponent as "hard as nails". In August 2014, Martinez won the IBF title with a sixth-round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Colombian Jonatan Romero.


title: Carl Frampton

text: On 19 October 2013, Frampton defended his EBU and IBF Inter-Continental titles in an IBF title eliminator against IBF fourth-ranked Jeremy Parodi. The fight took place in front of a maximum capacity 9,000 fans at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast. Frampton knocked Parodi out with a body shot at the end of the sixth round. On 4 April 2014 Frampton faced the Mexican Hugo Cazares at the Odyssey Arena in a final eliminator for Leo Santa Cruz's WBC super-bantamweight title. In front of a sold-out crowd of 9,000 Frampton knocked out Cazares in the second round, with a left hook to the head.


title: Carl Frampton

text: Frampton challenged for his first world title on 6 September 2014 in a rematch against Kiko Martinez (31-4, 23 KOs). Martinez's IBF super-bantamweight title was at stake and the bout took place in an outdoor arena at the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. In the build-up to the fight, Frampton said of Martinez: "He's very emotional and that's what makes him dangerous... he's a hot-head, he can be very easily agitated but he's coming to win". Fighting in front of a crowd of 16,000 Frampton knocked Martinez down in the fifth round and won by unanimous decision, with two scores of 119-108 and one score of 118–111, winning his first world title. Interviewed after the fight Frampton said "I've got the world title. I feel a bit emotional – it has been a long time coming, it has been a hard road. I intend to hang on to it for a very long time." He went on to call for a unification fight with the WBA champion Scott Quigg, saying "I'll fight him in Manchester, I'll fight him anywhere". After the fight, Barry McGuigan said of his protégé "This kid could end up as the best Irish fighter there has ever been."


title: Carl Frampton

text: As result of his performances Frampton was nominated for the 2014 RTE Sports Person of the Year. In 2015, he was named Britain's Coolest Man by ZOO Magazine beating the likes of David Beckham, Tom Hardy and Ed Sheeran to get the award. Frampton said after receiving the award,


title: Carl Frampton

text: "I couldn't believe it when they told me, I thought it was a wind-up! But it's great, especially as it's ZOO readers and the people of Britain who have voted for me. It's also great for the sport of boxing."


title: Carl Frampton

text: Frampton was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to boxing.


title: Carl Frampton

text: In December 2014, it was announced that Frampton would make his first defence of his title on 28 February 2015 against American Chris Avalos (25-2, 19 KOs) at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ITV decided to pick up the bout in the UK. For the fight, Frampton sparred with then-unbeaten Horacio "Violent" García, who later fought each other in 2017. A sell-out crowd of 11,000 filled the arena. Frampton defended his world title against Avalos in a one-sided, fifth-round knockout, where referee Foster waved off the contest at 1 minute, 33 seconds. The fight averaged 1.1 million viewers and peaked at 1.9 million viewers on ITV.


title: Carl Frampton

text: It was announced that Frampton would make a second defence of his IBF World title on 18 July at the Don Haskins Convention Center, El Paso, Texas against 22-year-old Alejandro González Jr. live on ITV. Gonzalez, who was a massive underdog, scored two knockdowns in the first round and appeared to ruin Frampton's plans. Frampton shook off the knockdowns, came back strong and rolled to a decisive unanimous decision in a highly entertaining fight that headlined the Premier Boxing Champions card on CBS. Despite the anxious early moments, Frampton won 116–108, 116-108 and 115–109 on the scorecards. Referee Mark Calo-Oy warned González for hitting Frampton with a low blow in the second round and then took away a point when he did it again in the third round. Frampton controlled the fight from there on. According to CompuBox punch statistics, Frampton connected on 246 of 692 blows (36 percent), whilst Gonzalez landed 145 of 593 (24 percent). The fight averaged 1.7 million viewers and peaked at 2.4 million at 10:55pm on ITV.


title: Carl Frampton

text: On 27 February 2016, Frampton fought his long-awaited opponent, undefeated WBA super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (31-0-2, 23 KOs) in front of a sell-out crowd in Manchester. In a close fight, Frampton won by split decision with the judges scoring the fight 113–115, 116–112, 116–112. Frampton was in full control of the first half of the fight, during which Quigg simply could not find his range, however Quigg finally came alive down the stretch as the contest turned into a desperate tussle, but Frampton gave as good as he got.


title: Carl Frampton

text: In March 2016, several press releases announced that Frampton did not intend to face Guilerrmo Rigondeaux in his next bout. On 11 March 2016 the WBA wrote to Frampton inquiring whether the press releases were accurate and requested he confirm his intentions on or before 18 March 2016. The WBA received no response. Additionally, Rigondeaux's representatives were not approached by anyone on Frampton's behalf to negotiate a bout. "In light of Frampton's announced intention to face an opponent other than his mandatory", says WBA championships chairman Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, "and for failing to respond to WBA inquiries as to his intent, Frampton's recognition as Champion is removed."


title: Carl Frampton

text: Frampton moved up a weight class to fight undefeated Mexican Léo Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 22 KO's) for the WBA (Super) featherweight title at the Barclays Centre in New York City on 30 July 2016. In a potential fight of the year candidate, Frampton became the first two-division world champion in the history of Northern Ireland as he dethroned Santa Cruz via a 12-round majority decision win before an crowd of 9,062. One judge scored it a 114–114 draw but the others made Frampton the winner, 116-112 and 117–111. Frampton had a higher accuracy rate, despite both fighters landing equal numbers of punches. According to CompuBox stats, Frampton landed 242 of 668 punches (36 percent), whilst Santa Cruz connected on 255 of 1,002 blows (25 percent). In the post fight, Frampton said he wanted to defend the title in his home city and did not want to rule out a rematch. In the post-fight, Frampton said, "It's a dream come true. I had the dream of winning a world title, but I never thought I'd win in two divisions. It was a tough fight. I wanted a fight the people could remember. I respect Santa Cruz a lot. He was a true warrior." Frampton vowed to break records and become the first Irishman to win world titles at three different weights. The fight averaged 480,000 and peaked at 549,000 viewers.


title: Carl Frampton

text: As discussed immediately following the first bout, a rematch between Frampton and Santa Cruz was finalised in October. There was talks the fight would take place in Frampton's home town of Belfast; however, the venue was confirmed to be at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the first time Frampton would fight there since becoming a professional. The date was set for 28 January 2017. 10,085 were in attendance as Frampton lost his title by majority decision. Santa Cruz and Frampton immediately discussed interest in a third fight, possibly in Belfast. Frampton earned a purse of $1 million compared to $900,000 that Santa Cruz received. Frampton only landed 133 of his 592 punches thrown (22%) whereas Santa Cruz landed 230 of his 884 thrown (26%). Nielsen Media Research reported the fight averaged 587,000 and peaked at 643,000 viewers.


title: Carl Frampton

text: On 14 May 2017, Frampton was ranked number two by the WBA at super featherweight, which indicated to many that he might be moving up to become a three-weight world champion. By the end of May, talks had begun for a fight against IBF champion Lee Selby. Frampton's promoter Barry McGuigan said the fight would happen, but not immediately due to Selby having a mandatory fight next. On 15 June, Frampton labelled Selby a 'time-waster' and announced that he would be returning to the ring in Belfast on 29 July against an unnamed opponent. Cyclone Promotions confirmed that Frampton would fight 23-year-old Mexican boxer Andrés Gutiérrez (35-1-1, 25 KOs) at the SSE Arena in Belfast in a WBC eliminator. A day before the fight, Frampton weighed 1 lb. over the 126-pound limit. Therefore, the fight was to go ahead without being an eliminator. Frampton apologised to his fans for the turn of events


title: Carl Frampton

text: Later that day, Gutiérrez slipped in his hotel shower and suffered a gash to his chin. It was also reported that he had knocked out some teeth in the process and bruised his head. The fight was, therefore, cancelled. McGuigan was said to be disappointed, but told ticket holders to retain their tickets as the card could be rescheduled. Cyclone Promotions, together with the SSE Arena and the Gutiérrez camp, said they would work quickly to reschedule the fight.


title: Carl Frampton

text: On 17 August 2017, the fight was called off completely. The news came after reports circulated that Frampton would be parting ways with long-time promoter Cyclone Promotions. A date in November was considered but was unsuitable for both boxers. Frampton officially announced the split with Cyclone Promotions on 22 August 2017. The tweet made no mention of whether he would still be trained by Shane McGuigan.


title: Carl Frampton

text: In early September, rumours circulated that Frampton would hire former boxer Jamie Moore as his trainer. On 6 September, Frampton confirmed Moore as his new trainer. On 19 September, Frampton announced he had signed a deal with MTK Global, who would work on his behalf as advisors. On 23 September it was rumoured that Frampton would sign with British promoter Frank Warren. After splitting with Cyclone, Frampton made it known that he would only sign with a promoter who could guarantee him a stadium fight in Ireland. A day later, Frampton revealed he had joined Warren: "I had interest from America and the UK but it really came down to two very similar offers from Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren. I'm desperate to kick on and have a fight before Christmas and I can confirm I will be fighting in Belfast." He wanted to secure a world title in the first half of 2018.


title: Carl Frampton

text: At the official press conference of the promotional announcement, it was announced that Frampton would fight an unnamed opponent on 18 November 2017 in Belfast at the SSE Arena. According to Warren, this would pave the way for a world title fight at Windsor Park in May/June 2018. On 4 October, it was confirmed that Frampton would fight Mexican boxer Horacio García (33-3-1, 24 KOs) in a ten-round bout. Speaking about the fight, Frampton said, “I asked for a ten-round fight. I would have been happy to be doing twelve rounds but speaking to my team after the bad year I’ve had and the long layoff they thought it was only fair to come back with a ten rounder before we target the big names.” This would mark Frampton's first fight in Belfast since February 2015, when he made his first defence of the IBF super-bantamweight title.


title: Carl Frampton

text: The fight was fought at 127 pounds. García's stablemate Canelo Álvarez was introduced to the crowd of 10,000 pro-Frampton fans. Frampton, in what was not his best performance in a long time, decisioned a brave and tough opponent in García after ten rounds. The three judges' scored the fight 98–93, 97-93 and 98–93. Some at ringside had the fight closer, but had Frampton winning nonetheless. Frampton started off strong, however ring-rust became an issue. From the fourth round, García repeatedly trapped Frampton against the ropes and worked him over with body shots. In round 7, Frampton was dropped after García landed a left hook. Referee Victor Loughlin, who was stood behind Frampton when the punch landed, started to count. From Loughlin's point of view, it was a punch that dropped Frampton. Replays showed that it could have been ruled a legitimate slip. Frampton admitted he let himself get into a battle. He said, "I thought it was a good fight and everyone would have enjoyed that more than me. I was boxing lovely at the start then I let him drag me into a fight. I wanted it to be a hard fight, that has got the rust off, the cobwebs have gone and I want one of the big boys. I will let the team decide who I fight next." Frampton and Warren both stated that there would be another fight in the Spring of 2018, followed by a Summer fight at Windsor Park.


title: Carl Frampton

text: In December 2017, Frank Warren announced Frampton would next fight on 7 April 2018 in Belfast with former four-weight world champion Nonito Donaire (38-4, 24 KOs) as a potential opponent. Negotiations began on 19 December between Donaire's promoter Richard Schaefer and Frank Warren. On 21 December, the fight was officially announced by Frank Warren via the BoxNation Facebook page to take place on 21 April 2018 at the SSE Arena, Belfast. A month before the fight, it was announced that the WBO interim title would be at stake.


title: Carl Frampton

text: Frampton put on a defensive performance and beat Donaire in a unanimous decision, becoming the WBO interim featherweight champion. All three judges scored the fight 117-111 for Frampton. Frampton fought well to get a strong lead and after the sixth round started to fight on the backfoot. In the later rounds, Donaire had more success hurting Frampton on a number of occasions, landing a hard left hook in round 11.


title: Carl Frampton

text: Donaire was cut over his right eye after an accidental clash of heads in round 7, with the referee failing to call a time-out. After the fight, Frampton said on live television, "I didn't have to get involved in a fight there, as you saw in the last round Nonito Donaire is a dangerous motherfucker. I survived the round and stuck to my game plan. The only thing on my mind is Windsor Park and I can't wait to get there." According to CompuBox Stats, Frampton landed 164 of 557 punches thrown (29%) and Donaire landed 104 of his 447 thrown (23%).