2006
New record again in the Olympic season with 37 participants: ARG, AUS, AUT, BEL, BLR, CAN, CHN, COL, CZE, DEN, ESP, EST, FIN, FRA, GBR, GER, HUN, IND, IRE, ITA, JAP, KAZ, KOR, LAT, MEX, MGL, NED, NOR, POL, PRK, ROM, RUS, SWE, SWI, TPE, UKR, USA. Thus we need a preliminary round of 5 matches. The 2nd round participants from last year, BLR, GER, FRA, JAP, ITA, CAN, NOR, SWI, FIN, USA, RUS, AUT, NED, IRE, BEL and POL, are exempt. The draw is: CZE-DEN, MGL-EST, SWE-GBR, HUN-ESP, ARG-MEX. The results of the matches:
Czechia-Denmark 10-1, unlucky draw
Mongolia-Estonia 10-1
Sweden-Britain 11-0
Hungary-Spain 9-1
Argentina-Mexico 5-2, Latino clash
The first round proper then consists of: ARG, AUS, AUT, BEL, BLR, CAN, CHN, COL, CZE, FIN, FRA, GER, HUN, IND, IRE, ITA, JAP, KAZ, KOR, LAT, MGL, NED, NOR, POL, PRK, ROM, RUS, SWE, SWI, TPE, UKR, USA. The quarter-finalists from last year, NED, CAN, NOR, GER, RUS, POL, USA and JAP, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. Here is the draw: BLR-CAN, COL-KAZ, GER-CZE, MGL-LAT, ITA-AUS, AUT-NOR, KOR-FRA, FIN-IRE, SWI-TPE, POL-SWE, BEL-IND, HUN-JAP, RUS-ARG, ROM-UKR, USA-PRK, CHN-NED. The matches:
Belarus-Canada 0-11
Colombia-Kazakhstan 0-11, but happily back after 73 years
Germany-Czechia 10-1, unlucky draw
Mongolia-Latvia 9-0, tend to get lucky draws
Italy-Australia 11-0
Austria-Norway 0-11
South Korea-France 11-0
Finland-Ireland 11-0
Switzerland-Taiwan 10-1
Poland-Sweden 6-5
Belgium-India 10-0
Hungary-Japan 0-11, the Hungarians don’t have a lot to offer these days
Russia-Argentina 11-0
Romania-Ukraine 10-1
USA-North Korea 11-0
China-Netherlands 3-8, tend to have unlucky draws, unlike their northern neighbours
Then the second round consists of: BEL, CAN, FIN, GER, ITA, JAP, KAZ, KOR, MGL, NED, NOR, POL, ROM, RUS, SWI, USA. The semi-finalists from last year, NOR, RUS, CAN and USA, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw: POL-SWI, FIN-GER, RUS-KAZ, NED-JAP, NOR-BEL, ITA-KOR, MGL-CAN, USA-ROM. The matches proceed as follows:
Poland-Switzerland 11-0
Finland-Germany 2-9
Russia-Kazakhstan 10-1, again!
Netherlands-Japan 9-2
Norway-Belgium 11-0
Italy-South Korea 9-2
Mongolia-Canada 0-11
USA-Romania 11-0
The quarter-final consists of: CAN, GER, ITA, NED, NOR, POL, RUS, USA. The finalists from last year, RUS and USA, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is as follows: RUS-ITA, POL-NOR, GER-CAN, USA-NED. Results of the matches:
Russia-Italy 4-7
Poland-Norway 3-8
Germany-Canada 0-11, slaughtered
USA-Netherlands 6-5
Semi-final draw: USA-CAN, NOR-ITA. Matches:
USA-Canada 5-6, again worthy of a final
Norway-Italy 5-6, first final!
Bronze final: USA-Norway 8-3
FINAL: Canada-Italy
37,51- 37,86 (1-0) 1.13,11- 1.14,21 (2-0) 1.51,79- 1.55,54 (3-0) 3.53,34- 4.09,52 (4-0) 6.48,97- 7.23,09 (5-0) 34,62- 35,24 (6-0) 1.08,02- 1.09,28 (7-0) 1.42,97- 1.44,02 (8-0) 3.41,96- 3.40,23 (8-1) 6.14,01- 6.10,23 (8-2) 13.10,58-13.10,60 (9-2)
Final result 9-2
Statistics:
NOR GOLD 46x RUS GOLD 36x NED GOLD 16x FIN GOLD 4x JAP GOLD 3x SWE GOLD 2x GDR GOLD 2x GER GOLD 2x CAN GOLD 2x USA GOLD 2005 AUT Silver 5x HUN Silver 2x CZE Silver 1955 CHN Silver 1965 ITA Silver 2006 LAT bronze 1940 GBR bronze 1949 PRK bronze 1963 SWI 4th 4x POL 4th 3x FRA 4th 2x DEN 4th 1912 BEL 4th 1946 KOR 4th 1982 KAZ 4th 1994 EST QF 5x ROM QF 2x UKR QF 2x LIT QF 1927 AUS QF 1974 BLR 2R 3x MGL 2R 3x POR 2R 2x IRE 2R 2005 NZL 1R 13x YUG 1R 5x MEX 1R 5x ARG 1R 4x GRE 1R 2x BOS 1R 2x ESP 1R 2x IND 1R 2x ISV 1R 1972 IRN 1R 1993 PAN 1R 1995 RSA 1R 1998 HKG 1R 2003 SER 1R 2004 COL 1R 2006 TPE 1R 2006 ISR PR 5x ICE PR 2x