1966
A Further reduction to 24 participants in this season, the lowest since 1961: AUS, AUT, BEL, CAN, CHN, CZE, FIN, FRA, FRG, GBR, GDR, HUN, ITA, JAP, NED, NOR, NZL, POL, PRK, ROM, SWE, SWI, URS, USA. Thus we need a preliminary round of 8 matches. The quarter-finalists from last year, FIN, NOR, URS, NED, CHN, GDR, FRG and HUN are exempt. The draw is: SWE-ROM, ITA-CZE, AUT-JAP, GBR-USA, PRK-SWI, NZL-CAN, FRA-AUS, BEL-POL. The matches:
Sweden-Romania 10-0
Italy-Czechoslovakia 7-3
Austria-Japan 4-6
Britain-USA 0-10
North Korea-Switzerland 4-6
New Zealand-Canada 0-10
France-Australia 9-1
Belgium-Poland 0-9
The first round proper then consists of: CAN, CHN, FIN, FRA, FRG, GDR, HUN, ITA, JAP, NED, NOR, POL, SWE, SWI, URS, USA. The semi-finalists from last year, FRG, CHN, NOR and URS, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw: NED-GDR, FRG-FIN, NOR-CAN, URS-SWE, HUN-CHN, SWI-USA, JAP-FRA, ITA-POL. The matches proceed as follows:
Netherlands-East Germany 10-0
West Germany-Finland 5-5; distances: 10-9 — Finland win
Norway-Canada 10-0, again!
USSR-Sweden 7-3
Hungary-China 4-6
Switzerland-USA 4-6
Japan-France 7-3
Italy-Poland 6-4
The quarter-final consists of: CHN, FIN, ITA, JAP, NED, NOR, URS, USA. The finalists from last year, CHN and URS, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is as follows: ITA-NED, FIN-NOR, CHN-JAP, URS-USA. Results of the matches:
Italy-Netherlands 1-9
Finland-Norway 2-8, again!
China-Japan 2-7, the East is less red
USSR-USA 9-1
Semi-final draw: URS-NED, NOR-JAP. Matches:
USSR-Netherlands 5-5; distances: 9-10 — USSR win
Norway-Japan 7-3
Bronze final: Netherlands-Japan 9-1
FINAL: USSR-Norway
45,5 - 47,5 (1-0)
1.35,3 - 1.36,4 (2-0)
2.25,0 - 2.32,8 (3-0)
5.08,3 - 5.33,1 (4-0)
40,2 - 40,5 (5-0)
- - 1.25,8 (5-1)
2.08,0 - 2.06,9 (5-2)
4.32,4 - 4.28,1 (5-3)
7.43,9 - 7.33,1 (5-4)
15.51,4 -15.32,2 (5-5)
Final result 5-5; distances: 9-10 — USSR win
Statistics:
NOR GOLD 45x URS GOLD 21x FIN GOLD 4x NED GOLD 2x SWE GOLD 2x AUT Silver 4x FRG Silver 2x HUN Silver 2x JAP Silver 2x CZE Silver 1955 USA Silver 1964 CHN Silver 1965 CAN bronze 1897 LAT bronze 1940 GBR bronze 1949 PRK bronze 1963 SWI 4th 3x POL 4th 2x FRA 4th 2x DEN 4th 1912 ITA 4th 1945 BEL 4th 1946 GDR 4th 1964 EST QF 5x LIT QF 1927 KOR QF 1949 ROM 1R 8x AUS 1R 7x MGL 1R 2x NZL PR 7x ICE PR 2x RSA PR 2x COL PR 1933 ESP PR 1957