1948
The Olympic Games helps a little, but only up to 19, including one debutant: AUT, BEL, CAN, CZE, DEN, FIN, GBR, HUN, ITA, JAP, KOR, NED, NOR, POL, ROM, SWE, SWI, URS, USA. Thus we need a preliminary round of 3 matches. The quarter-finalists from last year, CZE, HUN, NOR, NED, FIN, URS, JAP and SWE, are exempt. The draw is: BEL-POL, ROM-ITA, GBR-AUT. The matches:
Belgium-Poland 2-7
Romania-Italy 0-5
Britain-Austria 5-0
The first round proper then consists of: CAN, CZE, DEN, FIN, GBR, HUN, ITA, JAP, KOR, NED, NOR, POL, SWE, SWI, URS, USA. The semi-finalists from last year, NOR, CZE, URS and SWE, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw: CAN-JAP, KOR-NOR, CZE-ITA, SWE-HUN, POL-DEN, URS-USA, FIN-NED, GBR-SWI. The matches proceed as follows:
Canada-Japan 4-4;distances: 5-7—Canada win
Korea-Norway 0-11, unlucky draw
Czechoslovakia-Italy 11-0
Sweden-Hungary 11-0
Poland-Denmark 7-1
USSR-USA 9-2, unlucky draw
Finland-Netherlands 10-1, unlucky Dutch draw again, but Finland for once avoids NOR or URS
Britain-Switzerland 5-0
The quarter-final consists of: CAN, CZE, FIN, GBR, NOR, POL, SWE, URS. The finalists from last year, NOR and URS, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is as follows: FIN-POL, CAN-CZE, NOR-GBR, SWE-URS. Results of the matches:
Finland-Poland 10-0
Canada-Czechoslovakia 3-7
Norway-Britain 11-0
Sweden-USSR 4-7, time for the Swedes to get unlucky
Semi-final draw: NOR-CZE, FIN-URS. Matches:
Norway-Czechoslovakia 11-0, copy of last year
Finland-USSR 3-8
Bronze final: Czechoslovakia-Finland 1-10
FINAL: Norway-USSR
49,4 - 49,3 (0-1) 1.45,5 - 1.42,2 (0-2) 2.41,0 - 2.41,0 (0.5-2.5) 5.38,7 - 5.34,9 (0.5-3.5) 10.07,8 - 9.44,8 (0.5-4.5) 42,8 - 43,3 (1.5-4.5) 1.30,3 - 1.30,5 (2.5-4.5) 2.17,6 - 2.23,2 (3.5-4.5) 4.59,1 - 5.01,0 (4.5-4.5) 8.25,2 - 8.34,6 (5.5-4.5) 17.24,9 -17.51,8 (6.5-4.5)
Final result 6.5-4.5
Statistics:
NOR GOLD 43x URS GOLD 5x FIN GOLD 4x NED GOLD 2x SWE GOLD 2x AUT Silver 4x FRG Silver 2x HUN Silver 2x JAP Silver 1936 USA bronze 2x CZE bronze 1895 CAN bronze 1897 LAT bronze 1940 SWI 4th 3x FRA 4th 1902 DEN 4th 1912 GBR 4th 1914 ITA 4th 1945 BEL 4th 1946 EST QF 5x POL QF 3x LIT QF 1927 ROM 1R 2x AUS 1R 1936 COL PR 1933 KOR 1R 1948