2006 FIFA World Cup statistics
These are the statistics for the 2006 FIFA World Cup which took place in Germany. This article will identify the goal scorers in all matches in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which players assisted in goals scored during the competition, overall scoring statistics, how matches concluded in the competition, match awards, clean sheets by teams participated, overall results, and the stadiums the games competed in.


2006 FIFA World Cup statistics, Goalscorers
Miroslav Klose of Germany was given the Golden Boot award, with five goals in the World Cup.


2006 FIFA World Cup statistics, Assists
These are the players who assisted in goals scored during the competition, involving how many by each player and which country they are from.


2006 FIFA World Cup statistics, Match awards, Man of the Match
Italy's Andrea Pirlo was awarded three Man of the Match awards, more than any other player.


2006 FIFA World Cup statistics, Match awards, Clean sheets
Italy's Gianluigi Buffon was the winner of the Yashin Award, with five clean sheets.


2006 FIFA World Cup statistics, Discipline
The tournament had a record number of yellow and red cards, breaking the previous record set by the 1998 World Cup. Players received a record-breaking 345 yellow cards and 28 red cards, with Russian referee Valentin Ivanov handing out 16 yellow and 4 red cards in the round of 16 match between Portugal and the Netherlands, in a match known as the Battle of Nuremberg. Portugal had two players suspended for each of the quarter-final and semi-final matches, respectively.


2006 FIFA World Cup statistics, Discipline
FIFA President Sepp Blatter hinted that he may allow some rule changes for future tournaments so that earlier accumulated bookings will not force players to miss the final, should their teams make it that far. The tournament also saw English referee Graham Poll mistakenly hand out three yellow cards to Croatia's Josip Šimunić in their match against Australia.


2006 FIFA World Cup statistics, Discipline
The high number of yellow and red cards shown also prompted discussion about the referees. FIFA Officials and President Sepp Blatter received criticism for allegedly making rules too rigid and taking discretion away from referees.


2006 FIFA World Cup statistics, Overall results, By team
Team(s) rendered in italics represent(s) the host nation(s). The competition's winning team is rendered in bold. (1) – Total games lost not counted in total games played (total games lost = total games won)(2) – Total number of games drawn (tied) for all teams = Total number of games drawn (tied) ÷ 2 (both teams involved)(3) – As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.


2006 FIFA World Cup statistics, Overall results, By confederation
Host nation(s) are situated in the region(s) rendered in italics. (1) – Total games lost not counted in total games played (total games lost = total games won)(2) – Total number of games drawn (tied) for all teams = Total number of games drawn (tied) ÷ 2 (both teams involved)(3) – As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.


2006 FIFA World Player of the Year
The 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year prize was awarded to Italian Fabio Cannavaro for the first time. He finished ahead of the retired Midfielder Zinedine Zidane, who won the Golden Ball at the World Cup and the winner of the last FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho in the final round of voting.


2006 FIFA World Player of the Year
The female FIFA soccer player of the year was Marta.


2006 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Final
The 2006 Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Final was held in São Paulo, Brazil in 2006. This was the fifth edition of the World Cup Final. From 2005 to 2006, a series of qualifying events were held, culminating in a final event, the World Cup Final. The different stages, sometimes referred to as World Cup Qualifiers, mostly served the purpose of awarding points to individual gymnasts and groups according to their placements. These points would be added up over the two-year period to qualify a limited number of athletes to the biennial World Cup Final event.


2006 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Final
The 2006 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Final was the seventh edition of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Final, held from November 17 to November 18, 2006 in Mie, Japan. The competition was officially organized by the International Gymnastics Federation as the last stage of a series of competitions through the 2005–2006 season.


2006 FIM Motocross World Championship
The 2006 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 50th F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season. In the MX1 class, Stefan Everts took his tenth world title in what was his final season in before retirement. In the MX2 class Christophe Pourcel won his one and only world title, while in MX3 Yves Demaria took his second crown.


2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup
The 2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup was the eighth edition of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, the second held under this name. It was run over ten rounds, starting on 23 April in Valencia, Spain, and ending on 8 October in Magny-Cours, France.


2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup
The riders' championship was won by Alessandro Polita on a Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6 entered by Celani Suzuki Italia. His main rivals throughout the season were Claudio Corti aboard a Yamaha Team Italia's R1 and two MV Agusta riders, Luca Scassa and Ayrton Badovini. These four Italian riders scored all the pole positions except for the Valencia round and all the race victories.


2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup
The manufacturers' championship was won by Suzuki, while the season also saw the first victory for MV Agusta at world level since the 1976 German motorcycle Grand Prix.


2006 FINA Diving World Cup
The 2006 FINA Diving World Cup was held in Changshu, China from July 19 to July 23, 2006.


2006 FINA Men's Water Polo World Cup
The 13th edition of the FINA Men's Water Polo World Cup was held in the Alfréd Hajós Swimming Pool on Margitsziget (Margaret Island) in Budapest, Hungary, from 13 to 18 June 2006.


2006 FINA Men's Water Polo World League
The 2006 FINA Men's Water Polo World League  was the fifth edition of the annual event, organised by the world's governing body in aquatics, the FINA. After a preliminary round and a semifinal round, the Super Final was held in Athens, Greece.


2006 FINA Men's Water Polo World League, Preliminary round
Three teams from each pool advanced to the semifinal round. The semifinal round hosts (Spain and the United States) were guaranteed qualification, as was the Super Final host (Greece).


2006 FINA Men's Water Polo World League, Semifinal round
Three teams from each pool advanced to the final round. The final round hosts (Greece) were guaranteed qualification.


2006 FINA Men's Water Polo World League, Super Final, Group round
The top two teams advanced to the final, while the other four played for bronze.


2006 FINA Synchronised Swimming World Cup
The 11th FINA Synchronised Swimming World Cup was held September 14–17, 2006 in Yokohama, Japan. It featured swimmers from 29 nations, swimming in four events: Solo, Duet, Team and (for the first time) Free Combination.


2006 FINA Synchronised Swimming World Cup, Participating nations
Nations who swam in one or more events at the 2006 Synchro World Cup were:


2006 FINA Synchronised Swimming World Cup, Final standings
Also ranked, but with no points listed were: 13th-Macau, 14th-China, 15th-Greece, 16th-Israel, 17th-Czech Republic, 18th-Slovakia, 19th-New Zealand, 20th-Vietnam, 21st-South Korea, 22nd-Kazakhstan, 23rd-Belarus, 24th-Liechtenstein, 25th-Uzbekistan, 26th-Malaysia, 27th-Costa Rica, 28th-Indonesia.


2006 FINA Synchronised Swimming World Trophy
The 1st FINA Synchronised Swimming World Trophy was held 2006 in Moscow, Russia. It featured swimmers from 8 nations, swimming in three events: Duet, Team and Free Combination.


2006 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup
The 2006 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup was the fourteenth edition of the event, organised by the world's governing body in aquatics, the International Swimming Federation (FINA). The event took place in Tianjin, PR China from August 8 to August 13, 2006. Participating teams were the eight best teams from the last World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (2005). The top-five qualified for the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia.


2006 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup, Final ranking
The top-five qualified for the 2007 World Water Polo Championship in Melbourne, Australia.


2006 FINA Women's Water Polo World League
The 2006 FINA Women's Water Polo World League was the third edition of the annual event, organised by the world's governing body in aquatics, the FINA. Four qualification tournaments were held, before the Super Final took off in Cosenza, Italy from July 26 to July 30, 2006.


2006 FINA World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships
The 10th FINA World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships was held 2006 in Foshan, China. The synchronised swimmers are aged between 15 and 18 years old, swimming in four events: Solo, Duet, Team and Free combination.


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships
The 4th FINA Open Water Swimming World Championships were held August 29-September 3, 2006 in Naples, Italy.


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships
The championships featured 98 swimmers from 29 countries competing in race distances of 5-kilometer (5K), 10-kilometer (10K) and 25-kilometer (25K). Event schedule:


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships, Team standings
The Championship Trophy point standing for the 2006 Open Water Worlds is:


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships, Team standings
The following 13 countries are listed in a tie for 16, with zero (0) points:


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships, Team standings
Note:  Serbia and Montenegro is the sole country with an entry not listed in the standings. Their lone entrant (Darjia Pop) did not finish the one event (Women's 10K) in which she was entered.


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships – Men's 10K
The Men's 10K race at the 2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships was swum on Thursday, August 31, 2006 in Naples, Italy. It was the third event of the 2006 Open Water Worlds, and one of two events on August 31 (the other being the Women's 10K race). 39 men were entered in the event, 37 of whom swam.


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships – Men's 25K
The Men's 25K race at the 2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships was swum on Sunday, September 3, 2006 in Naples, Italy. It was the sixth and final event of the 2006 Open Water Worlds. 16 males were entered in the event, 15 of whom swam.


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships – Men's 5K
The Men's 5K race at the 2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships was swum on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 in Naples, Italy. It was the second event of the 2006 Open Water Worlds, and one of two events on August 29 (the other being the Women's 5K race). 30 men were entered in the event, 27 of whom swam.


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships – Women's 10K
The Women's 10K race at the 2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships was swum on Thursday, August 31, 2006 in Naples, Italy. It was the fourth event of the 2006 Open Water Worlds, and one of two events on August 31 (the other being the Men's 10K race). 31 females were entered in the event, 28 of whom swam.


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships – Women's 25K
The Women's 25K race at the 2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships was swum on Saturday, September 2, 2006 in Naples, Italy. It was the fifth event of the 2006 Open Water Worlds. 13 females were entered in the event, 12 of whom swam.


2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships – Women's 5K
The Women's 5K race at the 2006 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships was swum on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 in Naples, Italy. It was the first event of the 2006 Open Water Worlds, and one of two events on August 29 (the other being the men's 5K race). 27 women swam the event.


2006 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
The 8th FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) swam April 5–9, 2006 at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The I FINA World Youth Swimming Championships, more commonly referred to within the swimming community as the 2006 Youth Worlds, were held August 22–27, 2006, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the first time the event was held.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The meet took place at the Parque Aquático Júlio de Lamare, a traditional Brazilian pool, which the next year would host the water polo competitions of the 2007 Pan American Games. The meet was contested in a 50 m pool (i.e. "long course meters").


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The participants had to be 17 years or younger on the 31 December 2006 (i.e. born 1989 or later).


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
Mark James Holland a British Sprint and Intermediate distance Swimmer and Timekeeper has requested by email upon the 23rd


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
July 2020 and the 27th September 2020 that the FINA™ Bureau Executive Sports Department changes the FINA™ Bye Laws of the Junior age groups classifcations to include real Junior School aged Children  of the National Federations Educational Schools of ages 5 years up to 11 years and Senior Juniors of the ages 12 years up to 14 years, with those of 15 years, and to exclude the Junior Adult age classifications' of 16 years, 17 years and 18 years and 9 months.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The Junior Schools competition is the most popular and enthusiastic, albeit not as fast as Adults aged 16 to 17 and 18 to 85 years old, and potentially not as great a spectacle, to Television audiences to include, by a comparison to allowing  the Young Adults aged 14–18 years 9 months only to be allowed in a separate FINA™ World Championship.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The Universities World Championships allow slower Adults remaining in school education to compete in a separate World Championships to the tier 1 FINA™ Adult World Swimming Championships.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The Schools World Championships were the most important to establish for FINA™ .


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
Mark James Holland also requested the inclusion of the National Federations standard of a 25 metre short course sprint race events in all SW rule strokes, to be the main and the fastest race in swimming because it is the first race distance measured by FINA™ and the National Federations in Awards offered to Junior Schools Children and Adults learning to swim and compete.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The 25 metre Junior and Adult World Championship and Olympic swimming race is equal in Human effort and time to the 100 metre sprint running race of the IAAF. The most exciting and popular running race.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
Halving that distance to a new 25 metre race is equivalent to the most popular IAAF™ running race, in timing and excitement of pure velocity of the 100 metres running race of  9.58 S to 11.0 S in all of the FINA™ World championships and Its IOC™ FINA™ games.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The FINA™ SW9.1 SW5.1 SC Individual Medley 100 metre race is the main reason to allow the 25 metre SC sprint races in each stroke with the first competitive swimming experience of the FINA™ NF's speed awards 25m time trials.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
It is also very important to Junior Swimmers with less endurance and strength than Adults to have the fastest, shortest distance course possible to race.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
Mark James Holland also requested FINA™ allow and request from the IOC ™,  a Junior Olympic Games with FINA™ Swimming,  of all long course and short course events races,  including, the new, proposed, 25m sprint races of each stroke of SW5 Freestyle , SW6 Backstroke, SW7 Breaststroke and SW8 Butterfly.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
Mark James Holland requested these changes to the FINA™ racing competition laws because He was a naturally fast Swimmer in ASA GB UK Schools Swimming competitive swimming speed awards over 25 metres.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
Mark James Holland was selected by His School, the English Martyrs Roman Catholic Junior School, Red House ,  at age 9, to compete in the English Schools Swimming Association Borough of Sunderland Amateur Swimmers Annual Summer Gala against other Junior Swimmers aged 9 to 11 years  after setting His first personal records in the then new UK GB English ASA Speedo™ Speed Swimming Awards of 25 metre time trials in each stroke in His School's Physical Education swimming lessons of 13.30 S SW5 Freestyle, 14.10 S SW6 Backstroke and 15.64 S SW7 Breaststroke . The Fellow Competitors included the highly trained SAS Club Swimmer, Ian Wilson, then aged 11, ( one year older) His final year of true Junior Schools Swimming , later an Olympic Finalist of the 1500 m SW5 Freestyle, FINA™ World Cup Winner, and British National Record holder 1500 m.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
Mark James Holland competed in all FINA™ Swimming disciplines (except Polo and Octopush™), Swimming, Diving and Style / Synchronized Swimming in His first NF Gala for His Junior School, not a Swimming Club.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The FINA™  did not organise a Junior Schools World Championship (or a present day type FINA™ Junior World Championship for 14-18 year old Junior Adults) in 1982. I and many Swimmers, since, have been fast enough to compete in, and win, a Junior Championship, with a 25m race event programme, after the introduction of all FINA™ NF's competitive swimming speed awards with proper organisation, and funding of true Junior Swimmers competitions between 1981-2005.


2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
At present no Junior and Senior Children's IOC ™ Games are organised either. The IOC ™ Adult Games exclude many of the FINA™ 50 metre sprint races of the Swimming strokes and the 100 metres Individual Medley SC race event which is of four 25 metre races of each swimming stroke within one race.


2006 FIRA Women's European Nations Cup
With most of the senior nations preparing for the World Cup, FIRA organised a "" for the six leading nations who were not in the Six Nations. While it does not appear to be part of the Women's European Championship sequence, it was very similar to the European Championship, especially the Pool B competitions.


2006 FIRS Intercontinental Cup
The 2006 FIRS Intercontinental Cup was the ninth edition of the roller hockey tournament known as the Intercontinental Cup, played on April 1, 2006 at Alcoy, Spain. This edition rolled back to a one-legged final again. FC Barcelona won the cup, defeating Olimpia PC.


2006 FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix
The 2006 FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix was the 13th Summer Grand Prix season in ski jumping on plastic. Season began on 5 August 2006 in Hinterzarten, Germany and ended on 3 October 2006 in Oberhof.


2006 FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix
Other competitive circuits this season included the World Cup and Continental Cup.


2006 FIU Golden Panthers football team
The 2006 FIU Golden Panthers football team represented Florida International University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They participated as members of the Sun Belt Conference. The Golden Panthers played their home games in FIU Stadium in Miami, Florida. The team was coached by Don Strock in his fifth and final season as head coach, before resigning at the end of the year. The resignation was precipitated by his team’s brawl with the University of Miami in the seventh week of the season.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship
The 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship was held in Japan from 17 November to 3 December 2006. Like the previous edition, 24 teams participated in the tournament. Brazil won the Tournament (retaining their championship title), defeating Poland 3:0 in the final match. Bulgaria placed 3rd, defeating Serbia and Montenegro 3:1 in the 3rd place match. The Polish team dedicated this achievement to the deceased Polish volleyball player Arkadiusz Gołaś. The team honored him at the award ceremony, when they wore T-shirts with the number 16 and the words "Golas".


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, Host
Finals hosts Japan. The tournament was held in six Japan cities.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, Pools composition, First round
Teams were seeded in the first three positions of each pool following the serpentine system according to their FIVB World Ranking as of 7 September 2005. FIVB reserved the right to seed the hosts as head of pool A regardless of the World Ranking. All teams not seeded were drawn to take other available positions in the remaining lines, following the World Ranking. The draw was held in Tokyo, Japan on 29 November 2005. Rankings are shown in brackets except the hosts who ranked 16th.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, Marketing, Official song
The competition's official opening song was "Ready Go!" by Morning Musume .


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification
24 teams competed in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, with two places allocated for the hosts, Japan and the titleholder, Brazil. In the qualification process for the 2006 FIVB World Championship, the Five FIVB confederations were allocated a share of the 22 remaining spots.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification, Confederation qualification processes
The distribution by confederation for the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship was:


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (AVC)
The AVC qualification for the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship saw member nations compete for five places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (AVC), Draw
21 AVC national teams entered qualification. (Saudi Arabia later withdrew) The teams were distributed according to their position in the FIVB Senior Men's Rankings as of 15 January 2004 using the serpentine system for their distribution. (Rankings shown in brackets) Teams ranked 1–6 did not compete in the first round, and automatically qualified for the second round.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (AVC), Draw
Qatar (51) Jordan (—) Oman (—) United Arab Emirates (—) Maldives (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (AVC), Draw
Chinese Taipei (36) Indonesia (36) Macau (—) Philippines (—) Tonga (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (CAVB)
The CAVB qualification for the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship saw member nations compete for two places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (CAVB), Draw
13 CAVB national teams entered qualification. The teams were distributed according to their position in the FIVB Senior Men's Rankings as of 15 January 2004 using the serpentine system for their distribution. (Rankings shown in brackets) Teams ranked 1–6 did not compete in the first round, and automatically qualified for the second round.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (CEV)
The CEV qualification for the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship saw member nations compete for nine places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (CEV), Draw
35 CEV national teams entered qualification. The teams were distributed according to their position in the FIVB Senior Men's Rankings as of 15 January 2004 using the serpentine system for their distribution. (Rankings shown in brackets) Teams ranked 1–8 did not compete in the first and second rounds, and automatically qualified for the third round. Teams ranked 9–20 did not compete in the first round, and automatically qualified for the second round.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (CEV), Draw
Estonia (54) Israel (54) Bosnia and Herzegovina (62) Albania (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (CEV), Draw
Serbia and Montenegro (3) Greece (13)1st Pool G2nd Pool E


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (CSV)
The CSV qualification for the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship saw member nations compete for two places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (CSV), Draw
Seven CSV national teams entered qualification. The teams were distributed according to their position in the FIVB Senior Men's Rankings as of 15 January 2004 using the serpentine system for their distribution. (Rankings shown in brackets)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (NORCECA)
The NORCECA qualification for the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship saw member nations compete for four places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
20 NORCECA national teams entered qualification. The teams were distributed according to their position in the FIVB Senior Men's Rankings as of 15 January 2004 using the serpentine system for their distribution. (Rankings shown in brackets) Teams ranked 1–6 did not compete in the first round, and automatically qualified for the second round.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
Barbados (54) Netherlands Antilles (62) Jamaica (62) Cayman Islands (—) British Virgin Islands (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
Anguilla (—) Dominica (—) Saint Lucia (—) Saint Kitts and Nevis (—) Trinidad and Tobago (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
United States (6) Mexico (28) Puerto Rico (29)2nd Pool C1st Pool A


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
Canada (10) Cuba (18) Panama (35)1st Pool C1st Pool B


2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship squads
This a list of the all participating squads at the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, held in several cities in Japan from 17 November to 3 December 2006.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship
The 2006 FIVB Women's World Championship was the fifteenth edition of the competition, contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), the sport's global governing body. The final tournament was held from 31 October to 16 November 2006 in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship
The finals involved 24 teams, of which 22 came through qualifying competitions, while the host nation and reign champion qualified automatically. Of the 32 teams, 16 had also appeared in the previous tournament in 2002, while Cameroon, Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Serbia and Montenegro made their first appearances at a FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship
Russia won their sixth world title, defeating Brazil in five sets at the final. Serbia and Montenegro won the 3rd place match, defeating Italy in straight sets Yoshie Takeshita from Japan was elected the MVP.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Format
The tournament was played in three different stages (first, second and final rounds). In the First round, the 24 participants were divided in four groups of six teams each. A single round-robin format was played within each group to determine the teams group position, the four best teams of each group (total of 16 teams) progressed to the next round.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Format
In the Second round, the 16 teams were divided in two groups of eight teams. A single round-robin format was played within each group to determine the teams group position, matches already played between teams in the First round were counted in this round. The six best teams of each group (total of 12 teams) progressed to the next round.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Format
In the Final round, the 12 teams were allocated to semifinals for placement matches according to their Second round group positions. First and second of each group played the semifinals, third and fourth played the 5th-8th semifinals and fifth and sixth played the 9th-12th semifinals. Winners and losers of each semifinals played a final placement match for 1st to 12th places.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Pools composition
The drawing of lots for the qualified teams took place in Tokyo, Japan on 29 November 2005.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Results, Second round
The results and the points of the matches between the same teams that were already played during the first round are taken into account for the second round.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Results, Final round, 5th–8th place
Venues: Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium (OMCG) and Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (OPG), both in Osaka


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Statistics leaders
The statistics of each group follows the vis reports P2 and P3. The statistics include 6 volleyball skills; serve, reception, set, spike, block, and dig. The table below shows the top 5 ranked players in each skill plus top scorers as of 16 November 2006.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Statistics leaders, Best Scorers
Best scorers determined by scored points from attack, block, and serve.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Statistics leaders, Best Blockers
Best blockers determined by the average of stuff blocks per set.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Statistics leaders, Best Servers
Best servers determined by the average of aces per set.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Statistics leaders, Best Setters
Best setters determined by the average of running sets per set.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Statistics leaders, Best Diggers
Best diggers determined by the average of successful digs per set.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification
24 teams competed in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, with two places allocated for the hosts, Japan and the titleholder, Italy. In the qualification process for the 2006 FIVB World Championship, the Five FIVB confederations were allocated a share of the 22 remaining spots.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification, Confederation qualification processes
The distribution by confederation for the 2006 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship was:


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (AVC)
The AVC qualification for the 2006 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship saw member nations compete for four places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (AVC), Draw
11 AVC national teams entered qualification. (Afghanistan later withdrew) The teams were distributed according to their position in the FIVB Senior Women's Rankings as of 15 January 2004 using the serpentine system for their distribution. (Rankings shown in brackets)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (AVC), Draw
China (1) Chinese Taipei (25) Australia (27) Uzbekistan (47) Afghanistan (—) Jordan (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (AVC), Draw
South Korea (8) Thailand (16) Kazakhstan (34) Philippines (44) Tonga (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CAVB)
The CAVB qualification for the 2006 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship saw member nations compete for three places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CAVB), Draw
13 CAVB national teams entered qualification. The teams were distributed according to their position in the FIVB Senior Women's Rankings as of 15 January 2004 using the serpentine system for their distribution. (Rankings shown in brackets)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CAVB), Draw
Kenya (23) Algeria (33) DR Congo (56) Congo (—) Eritrea (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CEV)
The CEV qualification for the 2006 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship saw member nations compete for seven places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CEV), Draw
27 CEV national teams entered qualification. The teams were distributed according to their position in the FIVB Senior Women's Rankings as of 15 January 2004 using the serpentine system for their distribution. (Rankings shown in brackets) Teams ranked 1–6 did not compete in the first and second rounds, and automatically qualified for the third round. Teams ranked 7–12 did not compete in the first round, and automatically qualified for the second round.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CEV), Draw
England (—) Scotland (—) Serbia and Montenegro (39) Albania (—) Spain (39)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CEV), Draw
Portugal (47) Slovenia (47) Austria (—) Slovakia (—) Belarus (47)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CEV), Draw
Norway (58) Finland (47) France (58) Bosnia and Herzegovina (—) Belgium (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CSV)
The CSV qualification for the 2006 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship saw member nations compete for two places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CSV), Draw
5 CSV national teams entered qualification. The teams were seeded according to their position in the FIVB Senior Women's Rankings as of 15 January 2004. (Rankings shown in brackets)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (CSV), Draw
Brazil (3) Argentina (13) Peru (19) Ecuador (—) Uruguay (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (NORCECA)
The NORCECA qualification for the 2006 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship saw member nations compete for six places at the finals in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
19 NORCECA national teams entered qualification. The teams were distributed according to their position in the FIVB Senior Women's Rankings as of 15 January 2004 using the serpentine system for their distribution. (Rankings shown in brackets) Teams ranked 1–6 did not compete in the first round, and automatically qualified for the second round.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
Jamaica (47) Netherlands Antilles (58) Cayman Islands (—) British Virgin Islands (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
Barbados (39) Anguilla (—) Dominica (—) Saint Kitts and Nevis (—)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
Guatemala (—) Honduras (—) Nicaragua (—) Panama (—) Mexico (35)


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
United States (2) Puerto Rico (17) Canada (21)1st Pool C1st Pool B


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship qualification (NORCECA), Draw
Cuba (6) Dominican Republic (14) Costa Rica (30)2nd Pool C1st Pool A


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads
This article shows the rosters of all participating teams at the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in Japan.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Azerbaijan
The following is the Azerbaijani roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Brazil
The following is the Brazilian roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Cameroon
The following is the Cameroonian roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, China
The following is the Chinese roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Costa Rica
The following is the Costa Rican roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Cuba
The following is the Cuban roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Chinese Taipei
The following is the Taiwanese roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Dominican Republic
The following is the Dominican Republic roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Egypt
The following is the Egyptian roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Germany
The following is the German roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Italy
The following is the Italian roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Japan
The following is the Japanese roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Kazakhstan
The following is the Kazakhstani roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Kenya
The following is the Kenyan roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Mexico
The following is the Mexican roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Netherlands
The following is the Dutch roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Peru
The following is the Peruvian roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Poland
The following is the Polish roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Puerto Rico
The following is the Puerto Rican roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Russia
The following is the Russian roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Serbia and Montenegro
The following is the Serbia and Montenegro roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, South Korea
The following is the South Korean roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, Turkey
The following is the Turkish roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship squads, United States
The following is the American roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix
The FIVB World Grand Prix 2006 was the fourteenth edition of the annual women's volleyball tournament, which is the female equivalent of the Men's Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League
The 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League was the 17th edition of the annual men's international volleyball tournament, played by 16 countries from 14 July to 27 August 2006. The Final Round was held in Moscow, Russia.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads
This article show all participating team squads at the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League, played by 16 countries from 14 July to 27 August 2006. The Final Round was held in Moscow, Russia.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Argentina
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Brazil
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Bulgaria
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, China
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Cuba
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Egypt
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Finland
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, France
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Italy
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Japan
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, South Korea
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Portugal
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Serbia and Montenegro
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Russia
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, United States
The following is the  roster in the 2006 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2006 FIVB World Grand Prix squads
This article show all participating team squads at the 2006 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Grand Prix, played by twelve countries from August 16 to September 10, 2006 with the final round held in Reggio Calabria, Italy.


2006 FORU Cup
The 2006 FORU Cup was an international rugby union competition for countries and territories from Oceania with national teams in the developmental band. It was run by the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions, which is the administrative body for rugby in the Oceania region.


2006 FORU Cup
Teams competing included Niue, Tahiti, Cook Islands, and Vanuatu. The final was never played.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion
The Falk Corporation explosion refers to a large and fatal propane gas explosion at a Falk Corporation building in the industrial Menomonee River Valley neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, on December 6, 2006. Three people were killed and forty-seven others injured. Cars were reportedly flipped through the air and debris scattered over several blocks. An investigation of the cause of the disaster uncovered leaks in a pipe running below the building, which supplied propane to the heating system for the complex. Several parties involved in the explosion have launched legal action in connection to the accident.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Falk Corporation
The Falk Corporation manufactures large industrial gears, couplings, chains, bearings and other industrial components and equipment. Located in the Menomonee River Valley in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it is owned by Rexnord. The complex is more than 61 acres (250,000 m2), and has 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2) of buildings. 600 people were inside the complex at the time of the explosion. The building that exploded was located in one corner of the complex. The building that housed the propane tanks was two separate structures joined together. One of the buildings was used as a warehouse for storing components used in the manufacturing process, and was called the Annex. The other building, called the 2-2 building, was a maintenance facility. The two buildings between them housed six propane tanks and covered 50,000 square feet (5,000 m2).


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Falk Corporation, Previous disasters involving the Falk Corporation
The company was founded in 1856 as a brewery and the original plant was destroyed by fire. Three years later, the replacement brew house, grain elevator, malt house and refrigerator building were destroyed by a second fire. The remains of the business were sold, but one of the family's youngest sons rented part of the complex back and began a manufacturing business, and by 1900 the current compound had been constructed. In 1917 the Menomonee River overflowed its banks, filling the plant with at least 18 inches (460 mm) of muddy water. Cleanup operations took several weeks. During another flood in 1960 waters rose so fast that 75 workers were stranded and required rescue. Recovery operations took several weeks. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated four complaints in the ten years prior to the explosion, but none involved the propane systems.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Explosion and emergency response
Before the explosion, most of the workers had evacuated the building. Police Chief Nannette Hegerty stated that an evacuation had begun 10 to 14 minutes before the explosion. According to reports by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a Falk spokeswoman stated that the evacuation was limited to the area near a propane leak. The Journal's report also stated that a man said that he smelled gas about thirty minutes before the explosion occurred. Another worker reported a propane leak, and shut off the tank and issued a warning, but could still smell the gas. The Journal interviewed six employees who said they were never formally evacuated because it would have led them through the Annex building.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Explosion and emergency response
At 8:07 A.M. Central time the entirety of the dual building exploded. The explosion happened while workers were performing a test to switch to a back-up system heating system which used propane instead of gas to heat the facility.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Explosion and emergency response
The explosion killed three people and injured 47. It was later discovered that the people who were killed were attempting to repair the leak. Debris landed several blocks away from the site of the explosion and cars were hurled through the air by the force of the blast. The explosion caused widespread damage to an area approximately the size of two football fields. The Department of Neighborhood Services later carried out an inspection of the site; they discovered that buildings within a radius of approximately 500 feet (150 m) had sustained heavy damage, such as torn-off roofs and collapsed walls. Roughly thirty separate vehicles were destroyed in the blast.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Explosion and emergency response
The nearest fire station was just six blocks away. Firefighters were initially alerted by the force of the explosion buckling the fire station door. Originally it was thought that a car had struck the fire station, but when firefighters went outside, they quickly realized this was not the case. One of the drivers soon spotted smoke and a fire engine and a paramedic unit were dispatched to go to this smoke. These vehicles were the first rescuers on the scene and arrived just three minutes, forty seconds after the initial explosion. They immediately sent for the department's heavy urban rescue team. Ultimately, 125 firefighters in 34 vehicles, 52 police officers, multiple private ambulances and the American Red Cross all helped at the scene, which was classed by the fire service as a five-alarm emergency.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Investigation
A full investigation was launched into the accident by several government agencies, as well as legal representatives for the families of the deceased. The investigation determined that the leak was initially discovered by employees of the contractor J.M. Brennan Inc., who helped maintain plumbing, heating, air conditioning and ventilation equipment at the plant. These four employees noticed propane gas pooling as Falk employees started the propane system, which the factory uses as a backup fuel supply when natural gas is shut down during peak demand. These employees alerted other workers to the problem.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Investigation
There had been testing conducted on the system for a full 40 minutes prior to the explosion. It is also thought the leak came from an underground pipe that ran from propane tanks to the propane/air mixers, which convert the liquid propane into gaseous form, so that it is in a form usable by the boilers. This is backed up by the discovery of a small pocket of gas trapped below asphalt directly below the Annex building. Pressure testing of the pipe using nitrogen has since confirmed it was leaking. Subsequent excavation showed it had two separate leaks;  Metallurgists have examined the damaged sections of pipeline and determined that the pipe corroded. Falk's evacuation procedure will also feature prominently in the investigation.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Investigation
Based on one persons account, Rexnord accused J.M. Brennan employees of discouraging the evacuation. J.M. Brennan has adamantly denied this. Although they did not design it or install the entire system, J.M. Brennan acknowledged they installed parts of the system, including the pipeline, across 1962-1963. The case settled out of court. Falk also had a fatal explosion in 1964 which killed one person and damaged a car almost a mile from ground zero. Attorney Robert Habush, representing the families, says the line was installed by Brennan, in 1988.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Legal action
Although workers compensation laws deny workers the right to sue their employer, it is possible for them to sue a related third party. Within a week of the explosion Williams Bailey, a law firm based in Houston, Texas, placed half-page advertisements in a local newspaper. The adverts read "Were you seriously injured in last week's explosion? ", and directed potential clients to the company website. The advert also claims that the firm has extensive experience in explosion-related cases.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Legal action
Fran Deisinger, director of the Milwaukee Bar Association, said of the ad "It's a little disconcerting because it's such a terrible situation here that I think it probably rubs everybody a little wrong", adding that although he believed the ad to be in poor taste, it didn't breach any rules for lawyer advertising.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Legal action
Although it is unclear whether any workers contacted Williams Bailey, it is known that at least one injured man, and the families of the deceased, have hired personal injury lawyer Bob Habush to represent them, who once before worked on a high-profile industrial case when three people died as a result of a crane collapse in 1991. On February 7, 2007, he launched a suit against Brennan based on these allegations. J.M. Brennan responded with the following statement: "We are proud of our employees and the response they took in response to the explosion. And we're confident that the results of the official investigation will show that J.M. Brennan's work was reasonable and did not contribute to the cause of the explosion." The suit was settled out of court.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Aftermath
In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, Falk was forced to outsource some parts of the production process to other manufacturers, and are continuing to send regular updates of work in progress to customers, including emailing pictures of the products, which are made to order, as they are built. A fund was set up for victims of the explosion. Rexnord made an initial donation of $100,000; by December 2006, the fund had topped $325,000. A separate fund was also set up for the young children of one of the deceased.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Aftermath
The company had started to ship finished products again by December 20. By January 10, all 750 Falk Corporation employees had returned to work. The company intends to rebuild on the site. The explosion has, to date, cost Rexnord over $40 million in damage and lost sales. The company is insured for up to $2 billion per incident. When Christmas came, the Salvation Army donated toys to Falk employees for their children, to help with the cost of Christmas at a time when the families were still very distressed.


2006 Falk Corporation explosion, Aftermath
Milwaukee's state representative, Pedro Colón, has said that there were no laws in Wisconsin requiring the inspection of propane tanks, and is now pushing for adoption of such laws. In October 2008, the lawsuit went to trial in Milwaukee. After four weeks of trial, Rexnord was found to be primarily at fault for the explosion and J.M. Brennan was not liable for any of the damages.


2006 Falsterbo Swedish Coast Guard C-212 crash
On 26 October 2006, a CASA C-212 Aviocar aircraft of the Swedish Coast Guard crashed into the Falsterbo Canal, Sweden.


2006 Falsterbo Swedish Coast Guard C-212 crash, Accident
The accident aircraft was performing a low-level fly-by of the Skanör-Falsterbo Coast Guard Station while en route from Ronneby Airport to Malmö Airport.


2006 Falsterbo Swedish Coast Guard C-212 crash, Accident
The accident was observed by a group of schoolchildren who reported that the port wing fell off during a turn, making the aircraft fall into the sea. All four crewmembers died. The wreckage was subsequently recovered.


2006 Falsterbo Swedish Coast Guard C-212 crash, Accident
The Swedish Coast Guard grounded its remaining fleet of CASA C-212s within days after the accident. The remaining aircraft were sold to Uruguay.


2006 Falsterbo Swedish Coast Guard C-212 crash, Cause
The Swedish Accident Investigation Board determined the cause to be metal fatigue. The Swedish Coast Guard later replaced the aircraft with Bombardier Dash-8 Q300s because the remaining two aircraft were found to have the same issue.


2006 Family Circle Cup
The 2006 Family Circle Cup was the 34th edition of the Family Circle Cup women's tennis tournament. This WTA Tier I Event was held at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, United States and played on outdoor clay courts. Nadia Petrova won the singles title.


2006 Family Circle Cup, Finals, Doubles
Lisa Raymond /  Samantha Stosur defeated  Virginia Ruano Pascual /  Meghann Shaughnessy, 3–6, 6–1, 6–1


2006 Family Circle Cup – Doubles
The Doubles Tournament at the 2006 Family Circle Cup took place between April 10 and April 16 on the outdoor hard clay of the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, United States. Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur won the title, defeating Virginia Ruano Pascual and Meghann Shaughnessy in the final.


2006 Family Circle Cup – Singles
The Singles tournament at the 2006 Family Circle Cup took place between April 10 and April 16, 2006  on the indoor clay courts of the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, United States. Justine Henin-Hardenne was the defending champion, but lost to Patty Schnyder in the semifinals. Nadia Petrova won the title, defeating Patty Schnyder in the final.


2006 Fareham Borough Council election
The 2006 Fareham Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Fareham Borough Council in Hampshire, England. Half of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2006 Fareham Borough Council election, Election result
The results saw the Conservatives keep control of the council, after the party defended all the seats they had been holding. The Liberal Democrats held the 6 seats they had been defending, while Labour failed to win any seats with their vote share dropping to 8%. This meant the Conservatives had 22 seats, compared to 9 for the Liberal Democrats. The first British National Party candidate standing in Fareham finished with more votes than either of the Labour candidates in Portchester East and said the party would contest more seats at the next election. Overall turnout in the election was 40.86%, similar to the turnout in 2004.


2006 Faroe Islands Cup
The Faroe Islands Cup 2006 was played between March 18 and October 14, 2006. The cup was won by B36 Tórshavn.


2006 Faroe Islands Cup
Only first teams of Faroese football clubs were allowed to participate. The First Round involves teams from the second and third deild. Teams from the highest two divisions enter the competition in the 2nd Round.


2006 Faroe Islands Premier League
EB/Streymur were top of the league throughout most of the season, with HB Tórshavn, B36 Tórshavn and NSÍ Runavík staying in contention. With 4 matches left to play, EB/Streymur were 7 points ahead of second placed HB, but after 1 draw and 1 loss for EB/Streymur, HB managed to reduce that lead by 2 points by winning twice. By this time B36, KÍ and NSÍ were out of the title race. With one match left to play, HB Tórshavn's only chance of securing the title was if EB/Streymur lost to KÍ Klaksvík.


2006 Faroe Islands Premier League
In addition to that, HB had to win their match against ÍF. But as both matches were locked in stalemates and time was ebbing out, EB/Streymur were on the way to winning the title. But then, 82 minutes into the match between EB/Streymur and KÍ, events took a dramatic twist, as Paul Clapson put KÍ 1–0 up against EB/Streymur with a long range effort. But EB/Streymur were still champions at this stage, because HB didn't seem to be able to capitalize on the golden opportunity given by EB/Streymur and KÍ.


2006 Faroe Islands Premier League
88 minutes had gone in the match between HB and ÍF, and still HB hadn't scored the crucial goal that would hand them the title. But in a last desperate effort, HB's central defender Vagnur Mohr Mortensen joined the attack. A long high ball was sent into ÍF's penalty area on the left where Vagnur headed the ball over a stranded goalkeeper and into the goal for a 1–0 lead and, more importantly, secured HB the 2006 championship title. Deep into stoppage time, Rógvi Jacobsen added another and HB won 2–0.


2006 Faroe Islands Premier League, Results
The schedule consists of a total of 27 games. Each team plays three games against every opponent in no particular order. At least one of the games will be at home and one will be away. The additional home game for every match-up is randomly assigned prior to the season.


2006 Faʻasaleleʻaga No 2 By-election
A Samoan by-election was held in the Faʻasaleleʻaga No. 2 constituency on 24 September 2006. The by-election was precipitated by the election of Paʻu Sefo Paʻu being declared invalid. It was contested by six candidates, and won by Paʻu's daughter, Rita Paʻu Letoa.


2006 Fed Cup
The 2006 Fed Cup was the 44th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women's tennis.


2006 Fed Cup
The final took place at Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium, on 16–17 September. The home team, Belgium, lost to Italy, 2–3, giving Italy their first title in their first final and Belgium's second final.


2006 Fed Cup, World Group Play-offs
The four losing teams in the World Group first round ties (Austria, France, Germany and Russia), and four winners of the World Group II ties (China, Croatia, Czech Republic and Japan) entered the draw for the World Group Play-offs.


2006 Fed Cup, World Group II
The World Group II was the second highest level of Fed Cup competition in 2006. Winners will advance to the World Group Play-offs, and losers played in the World Group II Play-offs.


2006 Fed Cup, World Group II Play-offs
The four losing teams from World Group II (Argentina, Indonesia, Switzerland and Thailand) played off against qualifiers from Zonal Group I. Two teams qualified from Europe/Africa Zone (Israel and Slovakia), one team from the Asia/Oceania Zone (Australia), and one team from the Americas Zone (Canada).


2006 Fed Cup, Americas Zone, Group II
Venue: Parque del Este, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (outdoor hard)


2006 Fed Cup, Rankings
The rankings were measured after the three points during the year that play took place, and were collated by combining points earned from the previous four years.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone
The Americas Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2006 Fed Cup.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone, Group I
The eight teams were divided into two pools of four teams. The teams that finished first in the pools played-off to determine which team would partake in the World Group II Play-offs. The four nations coming last or second-to-last in the pools also played-off to determine which would be relegated to Group II for 2007.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone, Group II
The six teams were divided into two pools of three teams. The teams that finished first and second in the pools played-off to determine which team would advance to Group I for 2007.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from the Americas. Using the positions determined in their pools, the eight teams faced off to determine their placing in the 2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I, the top countries of each pool played for first to second, while the bottom two of each pool competed for fifth to eighth. The team that ended up placing first overall advanced to World Group II Play-offs, whilst those coming in seventh were relegated down to Group II for the next year.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs, Promotional Play-Offs
The first placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds advanced to the World Group II Play-offs, where they would get a chance to advance to the World Group II for next year.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs, Third to Fourth Play-off
The second placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in a tie. The winner of the tie was allocated third place in the Group while the loser was allocated fourth.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs, Relegation Play-Offs
The last and second-to-last placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The losing team of the rounds were relegated to Group II for next year.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Pool A
Group A of the 2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group I of the 2006 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams played for advancement to the World Group II Play-offs, while the bottom teams faced potential relegation to Group II.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Pool B
Group B of the 2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group I of the 2006 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams played for advancement to the World Group II Play-offs, while the bottom teams faced potential relegation to Group II.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from the Americas. Using the positions determined in their pools, the seven teams faced off to determine their placing in the 2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II. The top two teams advanced to Group II for the next year.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Play-offs, Promotional Play-Offs
The first and second placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds advanced to Group II for 2007.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Play-offs, Fifth to Sixth Play-Offs
The last-placed teams from each pool were drawn in head-to-head rounds to find the fifth and sixth placed teams.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Pool A
Group A of the 2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group II of the 2006 Fed Cup. Three teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams played for advancement to the 2007 Group I.


2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Pool B
Group B of the 2006 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group II of the 2006 Fed Cup. Three teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams played for advancement to the 2007 Group I.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone
The Asia/Oceania Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2006 Fed Cup.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone, Group I
The seven teams were divided into one pool of four teams and one pool of three teams. The teams that finished first in the pools played-off to determine which team would partake in the World Group II Play-offs. The four nations coming last or second-to-last in the pools also played-off to determine which would be relegated to Group II for 2007.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone, Group II
The four teams played in one pool of four, with the two teams placing first and second in the pool advancing to Group I for 2006.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from Asia and Oceania. Using the positions determined in their pools, the nine teams faced off to determine their placing in the 2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I, the top country of each pool played for first and second placings, while the bottom two of each pool competed for fifth to eighth. The team that ended up placing first overall advanced to World Group Play-offs, whilst those coming in seventh were relegated down to Group II for the next year.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs, Promotional Play-Offs
The first placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds advanced to the World Group II Play-offs, where they would get a chance to advance to the World Group II for next year.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs, Third
As there was only three teams from Pool A as opposed to the four from Pool B, the second-placed team from Pool B ( Chinese Taipei) had no equivalent to play against. Thus the Taiwanese were automatically allocated third place.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs, Relegation Play-Offs
The last and second-to-last placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The losing team of the rounds were relegated to Group II for next year.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Pool A
Group A of the 2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I of the 2006 Fed Cup. Three teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams played for advancement to the World Group II Play-offs, while the bottom teams faced potential relegation to Group II.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Pool B
Group B of the 2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I of the 2006 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams played for advancement to the World Group II Play-offs, while the bottom teams faced potential relegation to Group II.


2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II – Pool
The Pool of the 2006 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II composed of four teams competing in a round robin competition. The top two teams qualified for Group I next year.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone
The Europe/Africa Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2006 Fed Cup.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group I
The seventeen teams were divided into three pools of four teams and one pool of five. The top teams of each pool played-off against each other to decide which two nations progress to World Group II Play-offs. The four nations coming last played-off against each other to decide which teams are relegated to Group II for 2006.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group II
The seven teams were divided into one pool of three teams and one pool of four. The top two teams of each pool played-off against each other to decide which two nations progress to Group I for 2007. The four nations coming third in each pool then played-off to determine which team would join the fourth-placed team from the four-team pool in being relegated down to Group III for 2007.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group III
The eleven teams were divided into one pool of five teams and one pool of six. The top two teams of each pool played-off against each other to decide which two nations progress to Group II for 2007.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from Europe and Africa. Those that qualified for this stage placed first and second in their respective pools, and also last in their pools.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Play-offs
The eight top teams were then randomly paired up the team from a different placing of another group for a play-off tie, with the winners being promoted to the World Group II Play-offs. The four bottom teams were also randomly paired up in play-off ties with the losers being relegated down to Group II for 2007.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Pool A
Group A of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I of the 2006 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom team proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top team played for advancement to the World Group II Play-offs, while the bottom team faced potential relegation to Group II.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Pool B
Group B of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I of the 2006 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom team proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top team played for advancement to the World Group II Play-offs, while the bottom team faced potential relegation to Group II.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Pool C
Group C of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I of the 2006 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom team proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top team played for advancement to the World Group II Play-offs, while the bottom team faced potential relegation to Group II.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Pool D
Group D of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I of the 2006 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom team proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top team played for advancement to the World Group II Play-offs, while the bottom team faced potential relegation to Group II.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II were the final stages of the Group II Zonal Competition involving teams from Europe and Africa. Using the positions determined in their pools, the seven teams faced off to determine their placing in the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II. The top two teams advanced to Group I, and the bottom two teams were relegated down to the Group III for the next year.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Play-offs, Promotional Play-Offs
The top two teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds advanced to Group I for next year.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Play-offs, Relegation Play-Offs
Because there was one extra player in Pool B, the last-placed team of that pool ( Latvia) was automatically relegated down to Group III. The third-placed teams of each pool were then placed against each other in a tie, where the losing team would join the Latvians in relegation.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Pool A
Group A of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II of the 2006 Fed Cup. Three teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams played for advancement to Group I, while the bottom team faced potential relegation to Group III.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Pool B
Group B of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II of the 2006 Fed Cup. Three teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams played for advancement to Group I, while the bottom team faced potential relegation to Group III.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III – Pool A
Group A of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III was one of two pools in the Europe/Africa zone of the 2006 Fed Cup. Five teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team advanced to Group I for 2007.


2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III – Pool B
Group B of the 2006 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III was one of two pools in the Europe/Africa zone of the 2006 Fed Cup, an international women's tennis competition. Six teams competed in a round-robin competition. The top team, Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby qualified for entry to Group II of the Europe/Africa_Zone for 2007.


2006 Fed Cup World Group
The World Group was the highest level of Fed Cup competition in 2006. Eight nations competed in a three-round knockout competition. Russia was the defending champion, but they were upset in the first round by Belgium. The Belgians made the final, but they were defeated in the final by Italy.


2006 Fed Cup World Group II
The World Group II was the second highest level of Fed Cup competition in 2006. Winning nations advanced to the World Group Play-offs, and the losing nations were demoted to the World Group II Play-offs.


2006 Fed Cup World Group II Play-offs
The 2006 World Group II Play-offs were four ties which involved the losing nations of the World Group II and four nations from the three Zonal Group I competitions. Nations that won their play-off ties entered the 2007 World Group II, while losing nations joined their respective zonal groups.


2006 Fed Cup World Group II Play-offs, Israel vs. Indonesia
Indonesia was scheduled to play against {Israel on 15–16 July in Ramat HaSharon, but the Indonesians withdrew in protest to the violence that occurred in the Gaza Strip at that time of the year. Israel thus progressed to the 2007 World Group II, while Indonesia was relegated back down to Zonal Competition.


2006 Fed Cup World Group Play-offs
The World Group Play-offs were four ties which involved the losing nations of the World Group first round and the winning nations of the World Group II. Nations that won their play-off ties entered the 2007 World Group, while losing nations joined the 2007 World Group II.


2006 Ferentari riot
A small riot took place in Ferentari–Zăbrăuți area of Bucharest, Romania on the evening of November 14, 2006. Ferentari is Bucharest's poorest district, with a bad reputation with respect to crime.


2006 Ferentari riot, Events preceding the riot
The riot took place after four Roma children were asphyxiated in the basement of an apartment block in the Zăbrăuți area on November 13, as a result of a fire caused by candles. The children had lived with their mother in their dwelling for more than two years, and were obliged to light the basement with candles as they had no access to electricity.


2006 Ferentari riot, Events preceding the riot
According to the administrator of the apartment block, none of the building's inhabitants had formal access to electricity for four years, with many people connecting themselves illegally to the electricity grid.


2006 Ferentari riot, The riot
The riot occurred because Electrica, the electricity provider company, decided to cut the electricity of some blocks, due to energy theft and consumer debts. However, power outages occurred for several blocks, including few consumers without debts. In most flats there was no central heating and people were using electric radiators (which are costly to operate). There were also some apartments with air conditioners, so the total debts (not including the stolen energy) rose to €400,000. The stolen energy was estimated to €430,000 per month.


2006 Ferentari riot, The riot
According to the protesters, the local council of Sector 5 had repeatedly refused to authorize their re-connection to the grid. This led to around 200 inhabitants from the Zăbrăuți area to violently protest against their situation, by torching tires, blocking traffic in the area and breaking the window of a fire truck, while calling for the electricity supply to be restored. However, only 20% of the inhabitants of the area had any papers proving ownership or rent over the said flats, with the rest being squatters.


2006 Ferentari riot, The riot
The electricity provider was criticized for not cutting the energy in summer, so that people could make plans for winter.


2006 Ferentari riot, The riot
Both the electricity provider and Bucharest 5th Sector Mayor, Marian Vanghelie, were criticized by then-Prefect of Bucharest Mioara Mantale for concluding electricity supply contracts for those blocks, as they were built as temporary shelter for construction workers, and were never finalized. Apart from electricity, they do not have a fresh water supply, sewage, or heating.


2006 Ferentari riot, The riot
Vanghelie said he would not make any concessions. President Traian Băsescu also commented on the events: "I stand by my previous statement. Bucharest is not for everyone. Every one of us must pay [our bills]!" (Romanian: Îmi mențin ideea pe care am mai spus-o. Bucureștiul nu este un oraș în care poate locui oricine. Toți trebuie să plătim! ).


2006 Ferentari riot, Outcome
Realitatea TV was presenting a news broadcast about the riot at the same time with the planned show about the latest ranking of the richest Romanians made by the publication "Capital", at which Cristian Țânțăreanu and Gigi Becali were invited to speak about their wealth. Cristian Țânțăreanu said the ranking contained the 300 richest Romanians and there were about 300 people protesting, so why shouldn't every one of them help one of the poor people who were protesting.


2006 Ferentari riot, Outcome
Gigi Becali said he would donate enough money to help all the protesting people, but he doesn't have time to make sure that the respective people would also go to work (clean their buildings, etc. ), as Țânțăreanu suggested. At that time Becali didn't know how much money this would cost him; he was later informed it was about €400,000, which he paid.


2006 Ferentari riot, Outcome
Becali was criticized for this, as it might be unfair for the ones who only through effort managed to pay the energy bills. Alex Savitescu, said "crime becomes not only understood, accepted, but rewarded".


2006 Ferentari riot, Outcome
According to a poll made by students from SNSPA (The National School for Political and Administrative Studies) two days after the protests, if elections where to be held the following Sunday, 93% of people from Zăbrăuți would go to vote and 70% would vote for Gigi Becali as President, and 55.1% would vote for his party, the New Generation Party – Christian Democratic (PNG). At the meeting where people were thanking him, he said


2006 Ferentari riot, Outcome
Pe mine mă cheamă Becali. Cuvântul meu e literă de Evanghelie. Nu o să pot să fac toată țara asta, o să fac toată țara asta când o să devin președinte și o să mă doară inima de români (My name is Becali. My word is as good as the word of the Holy Scripture. I cannot do the same for everyone in this country now but I will do so when I become president and as president I'll feel the grief of the Romanian people).


2006 Fiesta Bowl
The 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2006, was the 35th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, sponsored by Frito-Lay through its Tostitos tortilla chip brand. The game featured the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes, and resulted in a 34–20 Ohio State win.


2006 Fiesta Bowl
Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith became the frontrunner of the 2006 Heisman race, after he completed 19 of his 28 passes for 342 yards, including 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Notre Dame's Brady Quinn completed 29 out of his 45 passes for 286 yards.


2006 Fiesta Bowl
Notre Dame got the first score of the game, with a 20-yard touchdown run by Darius Walker. Then Ohio State responded on a 6-play, 86-yard drive capped off with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. In the second quarter, off a wide-receiver reverse, Ginn rushed 68 yards to the left side for a touchdown. Then with just over 2 minutes to go in the half, Troy Smith found Santonio Holmes for an 85-yard touchdown pass, and Ohio State led 21–7 at half-time.


2006 Fiesta Bowl
In the second half, Notre Dame scored on Darius Walker's second rushing touchdown of the game, to make the score 21–13 in favor of Ohio State. Notre Dame's defense forced two Ohio State field goals to make the score 27–13. With five minutes left to go in the game, Darius Walker got his third rushing touchdown of the game, bringing the Irish within 27–20. On third and five, with Ohio State using up the clock, the Buckeyes scored on a 60-yard touchdown run by Antonio Pittman to clinch the victory.


2006 Fiesta Bowl, Selection of teams
The Fiesta Bowl this season was supposed to choose either the Big 12 Conference champion or the Pacific-10 Conference champion as part of the BCS tie-ins for this season. The Rose Bowl served as the BCS National Championship Game this season, and the Pac-10 conference tie-in moved to the Fiesta Bowl as a result. Unlike the 2001 season, the Fiesta Bowl would not be allowed to match the Big 12 and Pac-10 champions, it could choose only one of them.


2006 Fiesta Bowl, Selection of teams
However, neither the Big 12 or Pac-10 champions would be available to the Fiesta Bowl in the end, as those teams, the Texas Longhorns and the USC Trojans, would finish in the top 2 of the BCS standings and meet in the Rose Bowl.


2006 Fiesta Bowl, Selection of teams
None of the other conference champions that earned an automatic bid were available either, as those teams would go to the Orange and Sugar Bowls. The Fiesta Bowl was left to take the 2 teams that earned BCS at-large bids, Ohio State of the Big Ten Conference and independent Notre Dame.


2006 Fijian coup d'état
The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 was a coup d'état carried out by Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, against the government of President Josefa Iloilo. Iloilo was removed as president, but he was later reinstated by Bainimarama on 4 January 2007. The coup occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005–06 Fijian political crisis.


2006 Fijian coup d'état
Fiji had seen four definitive coups in the past two decades. At the heart of the previous three of these lay the tensions between the ethnic Fijians and Indian Fijians. Religion played a significant role; the majority of ethnic Fijians belong to the Methodist church, whereas the majority of the Indians are Hindu. In each coup, one of the sides sought to establish reduced rights for the Indian Fijians; the other side sought to grant greater rights to the Indian Fijians.


2006 Fijian coup d'état
The church in Fiji frequently played a significant role in politics – senior leaders of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma supported the coup of 2000 and the subsequent proposal to pardon those involved. Even the possibility of declaring Fiji a theocratic Christian state was proposed in the past. This has brought Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama, leader of the December 2006 coup, in conflict with the Methodist church in the past.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Background to the conflict
A long-running conflict between the government and military of the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Fiji) reached crisis point in early December 2006. The catalysts for the unrest were three bills under consideration by the Fijian parliament, one of which would question the illegality of the Fiji coup of 2000 and offer pardons to some of the rebels who participated in it. Nine demands were handed down from Commodore Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama to Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase largely pertaining to issues concerning these bills. Bainimarama gave an ultimatum to Qarase to concede to these demands or to resign from his post by Friday 1 December. This was then deferred to Monday 4 December.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Background to the conflict
After weeks of preparations by the military, on 4 December, a well orchestrated military presence made itself known in Suva by setting up strategic road blocks, making public demonstrations of their presence and seizing weapons from opposing factions, including the police. On 5 December, many key government ministers and chief executives were placed under house arrest and President Ratu Josefa Iloilo allegedly signed an order dissolving Parliament, though he later made a press statement denying having done so. Two Australian soldiers died in a Blackhawk helicopter crash after Australia moved three warships to waters near Fiji in case evacuation of foreign nationals became necessary.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Origins
The current crisis has its origins in the Fiji coup of 2000. The 2000 coup was aimed at the multi-ethnic Government led by Mahendra Chaudhry. The proponents of the coup were an armed faction not closely associated with the military, who opposed their actions. After Bainimarama declared martial law and resolved the crisis by force, an interim government was sworn in, headed by current prime minister Laisenia Qarase. The Prime Minister was democratically elected in elections in 2001 and 2006, and had since began to take actions that have provoked the displeasure of the military.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Origins
Three contentious bills have recently come before parliament: the Reconciliation Tolerance and Unity Bill, Qoliqoli Bill and the Land Tribunal Bill, all three of which were considered objectionable by the opponents of the 2000 coup. Perhaps the most significant of these has been the RTU bill, which would grant an amnesty to some of those involved or being investigated for involvement in the coup of 2000, including individuals who are presently officials within government.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Origins
There was friction concerning these bills and a truce was brokered by Vice-President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi on 16 January 2006, which cooled the 2005–06 Fijian political crisis. Nonetheless, relations between the government and the military remained strained.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Origins
On 22 September 2006, Commodore Bainimarama attacked government policies in a speech at Ratu Latianara Secondary School. News service Fiji Village reported that he claimed that government leniency towards perpetrators of the 2000 coup had created a culture of disrespect for the law, to which he attributed the increasing incidents of rape, homicide, and desecration of Hindu temples. He also criticized the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma, for supporting the government.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Origins
The next day Prime Minister Qarase accused the Commodore's statements of being unconstitutional, and announced his intention to refer the matter to the Supreme Court for a judgement on the proper role of the military.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Origins
The Methodist Church also reacted strongly to the Commodore's suggestion that government policies could take Fiji back to paganism and cannibalism. Reverend Ame Tugaue, the General Secretary of the Church, commented that the Commander appeared to be ignoring the fact that it was the influence of Christianity that had abolished cannibalism in Fiji.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Origins
On 25 September, military spokesman Major Neumi Leweni said that the government's proposed court action was a threat to the nation, and that the military was united in its resolve to prosecute persons implicated in the 2000 coup and in its opposition to legislation proposing amnesty for such offenders. He also reiterated the opposition of the military to the "Qoliqoli Bill", which proposed to hand control of seabed resources to ethnic Fijians.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Origins
The Fiji Sun quoted Bainimarama on 25 September as saying that his speech at Ratu Latianara Secondary School had been based on the advice of United States General John Brown. The same afternoon, however, United States Ambassador Larry Dinger told the Fiji Village News that Bainimarama had misunderstood Brown's intentions. The military must never challenge the rule of a constitutional government, Dinger insisted. Brown feels that his words of encouragement were misconstrued and may have led to the coup. Leweni subsequently denied that the Fijian military stance on the Qoliqoli Bill had been influenced by Brown.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Origins
Neumi Leweni called on the Qarase government to resign on 6 October 2006, saying that the government had lost all semblance of credibility, integrity and honesty and that the country was sinking into an economic and financial abyss.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Ultimatum handed down, crisis imminent
On 16 October 2006, Bainimarama issued a three-week ultimatum for the government to meet nine demands, or resign.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Ultimatum handed down, crisis imminent
The nine demands mainly center around: the 2000 coup proponents being brought to justice; withdrawing any political machinations which would potentially further economic inequality based on racial grounds; denying intervention by foreign authority (mentioning by name Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes, an Australian national); dropping the court proceedings regarding the military's statements from earlier in the year and formally addressing concerns about government spending and internal governance.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Ultimatum handed down, crisis imminent
A week and a half later, on 31 October 2006, the military staged exercises around Suva and closed off the city's army barracks. The military said that the exercises were not threatening.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Ultimatum handed down, crisis imminent
Meanwhile, Qarase and President Iloilo attempted to fire Bainimarama, who was in Iraq inspecting Fijian peacekeeping troops, but their nominee for his replacement declined the position and Major Neumi Leweni said the Army remained loyal to Bainimarama. Bainimarama in response repeated his call for the government to meet his demands or step down.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Ultimatum handed down, crisis imminent
ABC News in Australia reported claims that Qarase had told Iloilo that the government would step down if Bainimarama was not removed. The Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said there was a real risk of a coup in Fiji. Australia sent naval ships to Fiji to assist in the evacuation of Australian citizens should a coup occur.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Ultimatum handed down, crisis imminent
On 4 November, Qarase suspended amnesty provisions for the leaders of the 2000 coup from the Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill, saying that they will investigate further whether the provisions were unconstitutional. Up to this point, this was the only concession made to the military's demands.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Escalation
The crisis came to a head when, on 26 November, during a private trip to New Zealand, Bainimarama called up 1,000 reserve troops to the Fijian Army, and reiterated his intention to topple the Fijian government. This came shortly after police revealed that he would soon be charged with sedition.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Escalation
Qarase flew to New Zealand on 28 November to meet with Bainimarama. The night before the meeting, Bainimarama said "It's very simple. He [Qarase] comes with a yes or a no to our demands, full stop. He's going to be wasting his time debating issues with me. The meeting's going to be the shortest meeting he's ever attended in his life." The meeting lasted two hours, but no resolution was reached. Both men returned to Fiji after the meeting.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Escalation
On 30 November, Qarase partially conceded to some of the demands: He agreed to suspend the three bills mentioned amongst the demands, and to drop them altogether if a review found them unconstitutional; he recognized that the 2000 coup had been illegal; he agreed to accept the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions not to lay sedition charges against military leaders; and he agreed to review the position of the Police Commissioner Hughes.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Escalation
Bainimarama rejected this compromise and reiterated his ultimatum that Qarase must accept all demands by noon the following day or be overthrown by the military.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Escalation
After the deadline passed on 1 December, Qarase said that the deadline had been extended until 3 December, due to the annual rugby union game played between the National Police and the military, but Bainimarama denied that there was an extension. He said he intended to begin a "clean up" campaign of government. Qarase and his government moved to secret locations.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Escalation
On 3 December, Bainimarama announced that he had taken control of Fiji, but Qarase emerged from hiding and said he was still in charge. Radio New Zealand reported on 3 December that Fiji's civil service was still taking its instructions from the civilian administration, and quoted Stuart Huggett, the head of the civil service, as anticipating no change to that.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Coup and deposition of the government
Fijian troops confiscated arms at the headquarters of the armed police division in Nasinu on 4 December. Troops later surrounded the Nasova Police Academy in Suva and removed weapons from the armoury.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Coup and deposition of the government
Acting Police Commissioner Moses Driver said the military action was unlawful and unnecessary. Military commander Bainimarama was quoted as saying that the military had taken this action as "we would not want to see a situation whereby the police and the military are opposed in an armed confrontation".


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Coup and deposition of the government
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase was stopped while trying to enter Government House in the afternoon by a military roadblock set up there. Military personnel were checking vehicles traveling on the road between the Suva and the province of Naitasiri, 30 miles northeast of Suva. Qarase avoided the military roadblocks by travelling using helicopter to return to his home in the centre of Suva after attending a provincial council meeting in this province.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Coup and deposition of the government
Although a cabinet meeting on 5 December was called by Qarase at Government House to discuss the 19 demands of military, the Prime Minister and other ministers were not present at Government House. Mr. Qarase asked New Zealand and Australian governments for military assistance. This was declined. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said "Our judgment is that this would make the situation worse, and it is not a step we are contemplating".


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Coup and deposition of the government
The President Ratu Josefa Iloilo allegedly signed an order dissolving the Parliament, and called on the Prime Minister to follow the military's demands or resign. He later denied having signed such an order, and condemned the military takeover. Speaking from Australia, exiled Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes accused Rupeni Nacewa, the President's secretary, of having fabricated the alleged presidential decree.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Coup and deposition of the government
On the morning of the 5th, armed troops surrounded the offices of government ministers and began taking their cars. Laisenia Qarase has stated that the coup is "virtually underway", but that he will not resign, and he still has control of the country. The military forces said that all ministers would be under house arrest, and all ministers' vehicles and mobile phones seized by the end of the day. The military were reported to have surrounded Qarase's house at around 12 noon, and were trying to force their way in. The police were reported to be trying to negotiate with them.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Coup and deposition of the government
After meeting with Commodore Bainimarama on the morning of 5 December, Iloilo signed a legal order dissolving Parliament, citing the doctrine of necessity, paving the way for the formation of an interim administration. In a subsequent press release, however, Iloilo said that he had not endorsed the coup and that its perpetrators were acting against his orders.


2006 Fijian coup d'état, Coup and deposition of the government
Soldiers entered the Parliament and disbanded the meeting of Senators discussing a motion to condemn the coup.