2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Verdict delivered by the Constitutional Tribunal, Verdict on Group 1 (Thai Rak Thai Party, Pattana Chart Thai Party, and Pandin Thai Party), Summary Verdict
After thorough consideration of the petition, rebuttal statements from the Thai Rak Thai Party, Pattana Chart Thai Party, and Pandin Thai Party and all of the evidence of the Parties concerned, the Constitutional Tribunal found, on the factual and legal basis, the following:


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Verdict delivered by the Constitutional Tribunal, Verdict on Group 1 (Thai Rak Thai Party, Pattana Chart Thai Party, and Pandin Thai Party), Summary Verdict
The Constitution Tribunal hereby issues an order to dissolve the Thai Rak Thai Party, the Pattana Chart Thai Party and the Pandin Thai Party as well as to suspend the electoral rights of 111 executive members of the Thai Rak Thai Party, 19 executive members of the Pattana Chart Thai Party, 3 executive members of Pandin Thai Party, for a period of five years, effective on the date of the order of party dissolution.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Verdict delivered by the Constitutional Tribunal, Verdict on Group 2 (Democrat Party and Prachatippatai Kao Na Party)
The Democrat Party was acquitted from all charges. Most significantly, it was ruled that no related evidence supported the charge that they had bribed smaller parties to expose the involvement of high-profile Thai Rak Thai party members in election fraud in April 2006.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Verdict delivered by the Constitutional Tribunal, Verdict on Group 2 (Democrat Party and Prachatippatai Kao Na Party)
The court also ruled that the Democrat Party did not malign Thaksin or urge voters to cast a "no" vote in the election. It also found the party innocent of obstructing a parliamentary candidate from registering in a southern constituency.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Verdict delivered by the Constitutional Tribunal, Verdict on Group 2 (Democrat Party and Prachatippatai Kao Na Party), Summary Verdict
After thorough consideration of the petition, rebuttal statements from the Democrat Party and Prachatippatai Kao Na Party and all of the evidence of the Parties concerned, the Constitutional Tribunal found, on the factual and legal basis, the following:


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Verdict delivered by the Constitutional Tribunal, Verdict on Group 2 (Democrat Party and Prachatippatai Kao Na Party), Summary Verdict
The Announcement of the Council for Democratic Reform No. 27 dated 30 September B.E. 2549 provides that the revocation of election rights of party executives, for a five-year period following an order for a dissolution of a political party, is not a criminal penalty. Hence, the Announcement of the Council for Democratic Reform No. 27, Section 3 has a retroactive binding effect for this party dissolution case.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Verdict delivered by the Constitutional Tribunal, Verdict on Group 2 (Democrat Party and Prachatippatai Kao Na Party), Summary Verdict
The Tribunal concludes that the Democrat Party did not commit the act as had been accused, and hereby dismisses the case and request to dissolve the Democrat Party.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Verdict delivered by the Constitutional Tribunal, Verdict on Group 2 (Democrat Party and Prachatippatai Kao Na Party), Summary Verdict
The Prachatippatai Kao Na Party, however, did commit the act as had been accused, which is considered a violation of Article 66(2) and (3) of the Organic Act on Political Parties B.E. 2541. The Tribunal, therefore, issue the order to dissolve the Prachatippatai Kao Na Party and withdraw the election rights of its 9 party executives for 5 years, in accordance with Announcement of the Council for Democratic Reform No. 27 (3).


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Criticisms
The verdict came not without criticisms. Although conducted independently, the trial was made in a time when the military junta, understandably hostile to the Thai Rak Thai, was staying in power. Furthermore, the constitutional judges, although consisting of high-profile judges renowned for their autonomy, were arbitrarily hand-picked by the military soon after they came to power.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Criticisms
The introduction of Announcement No. 27 (Section 3) by the Council for Democratic Reform dated 30 September B.E. 2549 (2006), was also a spot of criticism. Whether or not the Announcement can be applied retroactively to charges committed before the Announcement was enacted and enforced is controversial. On the one hand, it can be argued that the CDR's Announcement earned a law status at the time it was announced. On the other hand, however, making an act punishable as a crime when such an act was not an offense when committed—so-called ex post facto law—is, some argued, unjustifiable.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Criticisms
This was reflected by the non-unanimous 6-3 vote in favour of the application of the Announcement. Chief Judge Panya Thanomrod, voting against the use of Announcement No. 27 (Section 3), held that barring individuals from politics is a serious charge and that individuals have the right to know in advance any possible punishment they will receive as a result of conducting a particular action.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Implications for Thai Politics
The historical ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal will be likely to set standards of conduct and behaviors for Thai politicians in the years to come. The ruling is also likely to have huge repercussions on Thai politics in several aspects. First, the court ruling suggests that serious violations of election law committed by any party's executive committee member are deemed wrongdoings committed on behalf of the political party itself.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Implications for Thai Politics
Second, the ruling raises controversy as to whether violations of election law can be construed as criminal actions. The legal system in Thailand, and in other legally similar countries, stipulate that criminal actions must not be subjected to any punitive act that is enacted and enforced after the offenses have been committed.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Implications for Thai Politics
Third, the judiciary emerged strong as one of the three sovereign powers in Thai political landscape, counterbalancing the traditionally powerful executive and legislative branches.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Implications for Thai Politics
Fourth, leaders of several factions that were later split from the disbanded TRT were barred from politics for five years, including TRT's party leader Chaturon Chaisang, former Thaksin's close aide and hopeful premiere candidate Somkid Jatusripitak, Macchima faction leader Somsak Thepsuthin, and Suwat Liptapanlop. It is uncertain how the absence of these high-profile politicians will influence the outcome of the elections to be held by the end of 2007.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Implications for Thai Politics
Fifth, soon after the ruling became public, Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the leader of the Council for Democratic Reform, announced publicly that selective amnesty to the punished politicians was being considered. Sonthi stressed that the amnesty aimed to bring the country back to reconciliation. The possible amnesty will add to the heated public debate. Thailand will be once again put under challenge as to which direction the country is heading.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Announcement by the Council for Democratic Reform No. 27
Amendment of Announcement by Council for Democratic Reform No. 15 dated 21 September BE 2549 (2006)


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Announcement by the Council for Democratic Reform No. 27
Pursuant to the Announcement by the Council for Democratic Reform No. 15 dated 21 September BE 2549 (2006) continuing the force of Organic Act on Political Party BE 2541 (1998). So as to attest the force of such law as well as to stipulate the disfranchisement of whom contravening the said law, be it, therefor, announced by the Council for Democratic Reform as follows:


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Announcement by the Council for Democratic Reform No. 27
"Section 1. The abolishment of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand shall not affect the Organic Act on Political Party BE 2541 (1998). The Organic Act on Political Party BE 2541 (1998) shall remain in force until the amendment or abrogation by law."


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Announcement by the Council for Democratic Reform No. 27
[Published in the Government Gazette, vol. 123, pt. 105 ko, dated 1 October BE 2549 (2006)].


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Act amending CDR Announcement No. 15
Amendment of the Announcement by the Council for Democratic Reform No. 15 Banning the Political Gatherings and Any Other Political Activities dated 21 September BE 2549 (2006) BE 2550 (2007)


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Act amending CDR Announcement No. 15
Given on the 12th Day of August BE 2550 (2007)


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Act amending CDR Announcement No. 15
Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramin Maha Bhumibol Adulyadej is gracious pleased to proclaim that:


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Act amending CDR Announcement No. 15
Whereas it is expedient to amend the Announcement by the Council for Democratic Reform No. 15 banning the political gatherings and any other political activities dated 21 September B.E. 2549 (2006);


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Act amending CDR Announcement No. 15
Be it, therefor, enacted by the King, by and with the advice and consent of the National Legislative Assembly, as follows:


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Act amending CDR Announcement No. 15
Note: The ground on promulgation of this Act is pursuant to the Announcement by the Council for Democratic Reform No. 15 banning the political gatherings and any other political activities dated 21 September B.E. 2549 (2006) which constitutes the interim ban on installment and registration of the political parties. The Council of Ministers, thereafter, passed a resolution permitting the installment and registration of the political parties. It is, therefor, necessary to enact this Act.


2006 Thai political party dissolution charges, Relevant Thai laws, Act amending CDR Announcement No. 15
[Published in the Government Gazette, vol. 124, pt. 44 ko, dated 17 August BE 2550 (2007), pp. 4-6. ] .


2006 Thailand Open (tennis)
The 2006 Thailand Open was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 4th edition of the Thailand Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2006 ATP Tour. It took place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, from 25 September through 1 October 2006. James Blake won the singles title.


2006 Thailand Open (tennis), Champions, Doubles
Jonathan Erlich /  Andy Ram defeated  Andy Murray /  Jamie Murray, 6–2, 2–6, [10–4].


2006 Thailand Open – Doubles
The 2006 Thailand Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 4th edition of the Thailand Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2006 ATP Tour. It took place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, from September 25 through October 1, 2006. Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram won in the final 6–2, 2–6, [10–4] against Andy Murray and Jamie Murray.


2006 Thailand Open – Singles
The 2006 Thailand Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 4th edition of the Thailand Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2006 ATP Tour. It took place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, from September 25 through October 1, 2006. James Blake won in the final 6–3, 6–1 against Ivan Ljubičić.


2006 Thailand Premier League
The 2006 Thai Premier League had 12 teams. No clubs would be relegated as the league would be expanded to 16 teams for the 2007 season. Two teams promoted from the rival Pro League and two clubs from Thailand Division 1 League. The official name of the league at this time was Thailand Premier League.


2006 Thailand Premier League, Kor Royal Cup
The Kor Royal Cup was an end of season match between the two clubs that finished first and second in the final Premier League standings.


2006 Thailand Premier League, Kor Royal Cup
Osotsapa, who came second in the Premier League, beat league Champions Bangkok University 2-1.


2006 Thailand Premier League, Queen's Cup
2nd Level Royal Thai Navy upset the odds when they won the 32nd edition of the Queen's Cup defeating Krung Thai Bank 1-0.


2006 Thailand Premier League, Champions
The league champion was Bangkok University. It was the team's first title.


2006 The Citadel Bulldogs football team
The 2006 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Kevin Higgins served as head coach for the second season. The Bulldogs played as members of the Southern Conference and played home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium.


2006 Third Division Football Tournament
The Third Division Football Tournament for the 2006 season in the Maldives. Red Line Club went on to win the tournament without losing a single game.


2006 Thomas & Uber Cup
The 2006 Thomas & Uber Cup was held from 28 April to 7 May in Sendai and Tokyo, Japan. It was the 24th tournament of Thomas Cup and 21st tournament of Uber Cup, men's and women's badminton tournaments.


2006 Thomas & Uber Cup
Sendai hosted all of the group stage and play-off matches while Tokyo hosted the event starting from the quarter finals until the final.


2006 Thomas & Uber Cup
This was first time the Thomas & Uber Cup was played with a three-game 21-point scoring system.


2006 Thomas & Uber Cup
China emerged as champions of both tournaments after beating Denmark and Netherlands in the men's and women's competitions respectively.


2006 Thomas & Uber Cup, Host city selection
Japan, which was competing with Indonesia and the United States for hosting the 2004 Thomas and Uber Cup finals, was awarded with this event.


2006 Thomas & Uber Cup, Teams
The following nations from five continents, shown by region, qualified for the 2006 Thomas & Uber Cup. Of the sixteen nations, defending champion of both tournaments China and host Japan qualified automatically and did not play the qualification round.


2006 Thomas & Uber Cups Preliminaries for Africa
The 2006 Thomas & Uber Cups Preliminaries for Africa were held in Rose Hill, Mauritius, between 19-23 February and  organised by Mauritius Badminton Association. South Africa was the defending champion in men's and women's team events. This tournament serves as qualification stage for African countries for the 2006 Thomas & Uber Cup. South Africa men's and women's team qualified to compete at the 2006 Thomas & Uber Cup held in Japan.


2006 Three Days of De Panne
The 2006 Three Days of De Panne was the 30th edition of the Three Days of De Panne cycle race and was held on 28 March to 30 March 2006. The race started in Middelkerke and finished in De Panne. The race was won by Leif Hoste.


2006 Three Rivers District Council election
Elections to Three Rivers Council were held on 4 May 2006. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrat party stayed in overall control of the council.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election
The 2006 Thunder Bay municipal election was held on 13 November 2006 in Thunder Bay, Ontario to elect a mayor, 12 city councillors, trustees for the Lakehead District School Board, the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, the Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario, and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales. This election coincided with the 2006 Ontario municipal elections being held across Ontario.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, Thunder Bay City Council
Voters are asked to elect a mayor, five at-large city councillors and seven ward councillors. Of 86,914 registered voters, 33,196 votes were cast and 33,192 votes were counted. Voter turnout was the lowest in the city's history at 38.2%.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, Thunder Bay City Council, Mayor
Three candidates ran for the office of Mayor. The incumbent, Lynn Peterson, was re-elected by a considerable margin.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, Thunder Bay City Council, Councillors at-large
Five councillors are elected at-large to sit on City Council. Fifteen people ran for the position in 2006. Each registered voter can choose up to five candidates.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, Thunder Bay City Council, Ward councillors
The city of Thunder Bay is divided into seven electoral wards: Current River, McIntyre, McKellar, Neebing, Northwood, Red River, and Westfort. Residents of each ward elect one member to represent their ward on city council. Twenty people ran for these positions in five wards. The incumbent councillors in Northwood and Neebing wards were acclaimed.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, Thunder Bay City Council, Ward councillors, McKellar
On 18 October 2007 Andy Savela announced his resignation to take on further responsibilities with the Canadian Auto Workers. City council voted 6–5 on 5 November 2007 to appoint Robert Tuchenhagen, to the position. Tuchenhagen was defeated by Savela by 377 votes. He was sworn in on 19 November 2007.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, District School Boards
Three boards of education to which voters elect trustees operate in the city of Thunder Bay.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, District School Boards
The Lakehead District School Board is an English language public school board and elects 8 trustees at-large in the Thunder Bay Census Metropolitan Area, the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board is an English language separate school board and elects 6 trustees at-large in the Thunder Bay Census Metropolitan Area, the Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario is a French language public school board and elects one trustee from Northwestern Ontario, and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales is a French language separate school board and elects 4 trustees at-large in Northwestern Ontario.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, District School Boards, Lakehead District School Board
Eight trustees are elected to the Lakehead District School Board by registered voters in the city of Thunder Bay, the six municipalities in its CMA, and voters in the unorganized portion of Thunder Bay District. Each registered voter can choose up to eight candidates. Thirteen people ran for this position.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, District School Boards, Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board
Six trustees are elected to the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board by registered Roman Catholic voters in the city of Thunder Bay, the six municipalities in its CMA, and voters in the unorganized portion of Thunder Bay District. Each registered voter can choose up to six candidates. Fourteen people ran for this position.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, District School Boards, Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario
One trustee is elected to the Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario by registered voters with French language education rights in Northwestern Ontario.


2006 Thunder Bay municipal election, District School Boards, Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales
Four trustees are elected to the Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales by registered Roman Catholic voters with French language education rights in Northwestern Ontario. All four candidates, Anne Breton, Angele M. M. Brunelle, Bernard Caron and Claudette Gleeson, were acclaimed.


2006 Thurrock Council election
The 2006 Thurrock Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Thurrock Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.


2006 Thurrock Council election, Election result
The results saw Labour gain one seat from the Conservatives in West Thurrock and South Stifford ward where the British National Party pushed the Conservatives into third place. However the Conservatives held the other 7 seats they were defending and as a result maintained an overall majority of 3 on the council.


2006 Tidjelabine bombing
The 2006 Tidjelabine bombing occurred on June 19, 2006 when an explosive bomb detonated against a patrol of the Garde communale in the town of Tidjelabine, Boumerdès Province, Algeria injuring 3. The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb is suspected as being responsible.


2006 Tim Hortons Brier
The 2006 Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men's national curling championship, was held from March 11 to 19 at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan. In the final, Quebec's Jean-Michel Ménard rink became only the second Quebec team to win the Brier. They also became the first francophone team to win. They defeated Ontario's Glenn Howard in the final.


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Kevin Martin Third: Don Walchuk Second: Carter Rycroft Lead: Don Bartlett Fifth: Mark Johnson


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Brian Windsor Third: Dennis Graber Second: Randy Nelson Lead: Bill Johnson Fifth: Aron Herick


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Jeff Stoughton Third: Jon Mead Second: Garry Van Den Berghe Lead: Steve Gould Fifth: Don Harvey


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : James Grattan Third: Wayne Tallon Second: Jason Vaughan Lead: Jeff Lacey Fifth: Mark Dobson


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Ken Peddigrew Third: Ryan LeDrew Second: Jeff Rose Lead: Keith Jewer Fifth: David Noftall


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Rob Gordon Third: David MacInnes Second: Steve Burnett Lead: Jeremy Landry Fifth: Larry Carr


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Mark Dacey Third: Bruce Lohnes Second: Rob Harris Lead: Andrew Gibson Fifth: Mathew Harris


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Glenn Howard Third: Richard Hart Second: Brent Laing Lead: Craig Savill Fifth: Scott Taylor


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Rod MacDonald Third: Kevin Champion Second: Phil Gorveatt Lead: Mike Dillon Fifth: Mark O'Rourke


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Jean-Michel Ménard Third: François Roberge Second: Éric Sylvain Lead: Maxime Elmaleh Fifth: Jean Gagnon


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Pat Simmons Third: Jeff Sharp Second: Chris Haichert Lead: Ben Hebert Fifth: Brian McCusker


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Teams
Skip : Jamie Koe Third: Kevin Whitehead Second: Mark Whitehead Lead: Brad Chorostkowski Fifth: Richard Robertson


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Round robin results
All draw times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5).


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Playoffs
The Tim Hortons Brier uses the page playoff system where the top four teams with the best records at the end of round-robin play meet in the playoff rounds. The first and second place teams play each other, with the winner advancing directly to the final. The winner of the other page playoff game between the third and fourth place teams plays the loser of the first/second playoff game in the semi-final. The winner of the semi-final moves on to the final.


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Provincial playdowns, British Columbia
February 15–19 at the Chilliwack Curling Club, Chilliwack, British Columbia


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Provincial playdowns, New Brunswick
February 8–12 at the Capital Winter Club, Fredericton, New Brunswick


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Provincial playdowns, Newfoundland and Labrador
February 7–12, St. John's Curling Club, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Provincial playdowns, Newfoundland and Labrador
Defending champion Brad Gushue did not participate, as at the time he was representing Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.


2006 Tim Hortons Brier, Provincial playdowns, Ontario
The 2006 Kia Cup was held February 6–12, Guelph Sports Centre, Guelph, Ontario


2006 Time Warner Cable Road Runner 225
The 2006 Time Warner Cable Road Runner 225 was the fourth round of the 2006 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on June 4, 2006, on the Milwaukee Mile oval in West Allis, Wisconsin. Sébastien Bourdais took the pole and the win, his fourth consecutive victory to open the year. It was the final CART/Champ Car event to take place on an oval.


2006 Time Warner Cable Road Runner 225, Race
* Mario Domínguez was stripped of his points for this race for avoidable contact during the first lap of the race. He was also put on probation for the next three events. † The car of Alex Tagliani was withdrawn from the event after heavy contact with the wall damaged his car beyond repair during the first practice period.


2006 Tippeligaen
The 2006 Tippeligaen was the 62nd completed season of top division football in Norway. The season began on April 9, 2006 and ended on November 5, 2006. Rosenborg became champions on October 29, with one round to go, by defeating Viking at home. The other main contenders for the title were Brann and Lillestrøm, the former securing their place as runners-up on the same day.


2006 Tippeligaen, Teams and locations
Fourteen teams competed in the league – the top twelve teams from the previous season, and two teams promoted from 1. divisjon.


2006 Tippeligaen, Teams and locations
1 Tromsø installed artificial turf on Alfheim Stadion in the summer break during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.


2006 Tippeligaen, Season statistics, Attendances
Updated to games played on 8 April 2019Source: Notes:1: Team played last season in 1. divisjon.


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
The Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship is an annual club competition between the top Tipperary clubs. The winners of the Tipperary Championship qualify to represent their county in the Munster Club Championship, the winners of which go on to the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship.


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
The Tipperary County Champions in 2006 were Toomevara who became champions with a win over Nenagh Éire Óg. The Tipperary senior hurling championship is probably the most complicated system in Ireland as it strives to accommodate 25 teams. A knockout divisional system and group backdoor system has been introduced to accommodate these teams. Before the new system, the county championship was run on a divisional basis with the teams in the divisional finals going into the county quarter-finals and proceeding from there. It may not be long before this system is re-introduced because of the complexity of the current championship.


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, 2006 Divisional Championship, North Tipperary
The North Tipperary Championship is contested by nine teams: Borris-Ileigh, Burgess, Kildangan, Kilruane McDonaghs, Moneygall, Nenagh Éire Óg, Portroe, Roscrea, Toomevara. The championship is a knockout competition with the losers apart from the semifinal runner-up entering the County Championship. The winners of the North Championship advance to the quarter final of the County Championship.


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, 2006 Divisional Championship, Mid Tipperary
The Mid Tipperary Championship is contested by seven teams: Boherlahan-Dualla, Drom-Inch, Holycross-Ballycahill, J.K. Bracken's, Loughmore-Castleiney, Thurles Sarsfields and Upperchurch-Drombane. The championship is a knockout competition with the losers apart from the one semifinal runner-up (Upperchurch-Drombane in 2006) entering the County Championship. The winners of the Mid Championship advance to the county quarter final. Drom-Inch receive a bye to the semifinal.


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, 2006 Divisional Championship, West Tipperary
The West Tipperary Championship is contested by five teams: Cappawhite, Cashel King Cormacs, Clonoulty-Rossmore, Éire Óg Annacarty and Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams. The championship is a knockout competition with the winners advancing to the quarter final of the County Championship. The other four contestants also play in the first phase of the County Championship (group stage).


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, 2006 Divisional Championship, South Tipperary
The South Tipperary Championship is contested by four teams: Ballingarry, Carrick Swans, Killenaule and Mullinahone. The championship is a 'knockout' competition. However, the three semifinalists losers going into the County Championship. The winners of the South Championship advance directly to the quarter final of the County championship, while the other three divisional semifinalists also play in the first phase of the County Championship (group stage).


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, 2006 Tipperary County Championship
The 14 teams defeated in their divisional championship are divided into groups of 4 with the winner of each group going into the next round. The teams that finish bottom in these groups go through to the relegation playoffs.


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, Relegation
The bottom teams in the groups fight out relegation playoffs with the loser going to intermediate status next year. The four teams are Portroe, Galtee Rovers, Carrick Swans and Cashel King Cormacs.


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, Round 2
In this round the three defeated divisional semifinalists not in the group stages namely Roscrea, Borris-Ileigh, Upperchurch-Drombane meet the group winners namely Burgess, Loughmore-Castleiney, Nenagh Éire Óg and Nenagh Éire Óg received a bye to round 3.In round 3 the winners of round 2 will meet the divisional runners-up.


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, Round 3
In this round the four defeated divisional finalists not in the group stages namely Kildangan, Boherlahan-Dualla, Clonoulty-Rossmore and Killenaule meet the winners of round 2.Nenagh Éire Óg received a bye to this round.


2006 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, Quarter-finals
In this round the four divisional winners namely Toomevara, Drom-Inch, Mullinahone and Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams meet the winners of round 3.


2006 Tirreno–Adriatico
The 41st Tirreno–Adriatico road cycling race took place from March 8 to March 14, 2006, over seven stages. It was won by Dutchman Thomas Dekker of the Rabobank team. The points classification was won by Alessandro Petacchi and the King of the Mountains jersey went to José Joaquín Rojas.


2006 Tirreno–Adriatico, Stage Results, Stage 3 - March 10: Avezzano – Paglieta, 183 km
General Classement leader Paolo Bettini crashed and was forced to retire from the race after 80 km following a tangle with Lars Bak of the CSC team.


2006 Tokelauan self-determination referendum
The Tokelau self-determination referendum of 2006, supervised by the United Nations, was held from February 11 to February 15, 2006. The defeated proposal would have changed Tokelau's status from an unincorporated New Zealand territory to a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, akin to the Cook Islands and Niue.


2006 Tokelauan self-determination referendum
After 581 of the 615 eligible voters cast a proper ballot (3 ruined ballots were also cast), the referendum fell 38 votes short of the two-thirds majority required to succeed in a change of status.


2006 Tokelauan self-determination referendum
The majority of Tokelauans reside in New Zealand, and were ineligible to vote in the referendum, in line with standard practice in United Nations mandated votes on self-determination. However concerns among this community may have influenced those who were eligible to vote, thereby contributing to the referendum's failure.


2006 Tokelauan self-determination referendum
The passage of the referendum would have removed Tokelau from the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, as the Cook Islands and Niue were removed from this list when they were granted self-governance in 1965 and 1974, respectively.


2006 Tokelauan self-determination referendum
Outgoing Tokelau Ulu (head of government) Pio Tuia suggested in February 2006 that since the vote failed to pass by such a small margin, the issue was likely to be revisited in a few years' time. In June 2006, his successor Kolouei O'Brien announced that the Fono had agreed to hold a similar referendum again in late 2007 or early 2008; in the end, it was decided to hold a second referendum on self-determination in October 2007.


2006 Tokelauan self-determination referendum
An unintended result of the United Nations' recent efforts to promote decolonization in Tokelau has been the re-emergence of a Tokelauan claim to Swains Island, which is legally part of American Samoa, hitherto a somewhat dormant issue.


2006 Tokelauan self-determination referendum, Results
The proposal: "Do you agree that Tokelau become a self-governing state in Free Association with New Zealand on the basis of the Constitution and as in the draft Treaty notified to Tokelau? ".


2006 Toledo Rockets football team
The 2006 Toledo Rockets football team represented the University of Toledo during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. They competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in the West Division. The Rockets were led by head coach Tom Amstutz. The Rockets offense scored 432 points while the defense allowed 404 points.


2006 Tommy Murphy Cup
The Tommy Murphy Cup 2006 began on July 22, 2006. It was the third year that this element of the Bank of Ireland Football Championship was played.


2006 Tonga Major League
The 2006 season of the Tonga Major League was the 28th season of top flight association football competition in Tonga. Lotohaʻapai United won the championship for the ninth time, the 9th in a record streak of 11 titles in the Tonga Major League.


2006 Tonga earthquake
The 2006 Tonga earthquake occurred on 4 May at 04:26:35 local time with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (very strong). One injury occurred and a non-destructive tsunami was observed.


2006 Tonga earthquake, Earthquake
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a warning 17 minutes after the earthquake for coastal areas around the Pacific. An hour later, the center downgraded the warning to only the region within 600 miles of the epicenter, and an hour after that, it canceled the alert. The earthquake was followed by a pair of large aftershocks the next day.


2006 Tonga earthquake, Damage
The event caused very limited damage. The previous large earthquake in Tonga, in 1977, was of a lower magnitude but resulted in more severe damage. A likely cause is that the 2006 quake generated other frequencies that only resulted in resonance in small items. In shops, cans and bottles fell from shelves.


2006 Tonga earthquake, Tsunami
Since the earthquake occurred underwater, tsunami warnings were issued, but then lifted. A small tsunami was observed. Later analysis showed the earthquake to be a slab-tearing event and so less conducive to tsunami generation.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum
On 29 July 2006, the City of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia held a referendum on the controversial issue of using recycled water from the city's sewers as a source for drinking water.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum
This proposal, the public debate, the referendum and associated campaigns for both the "Yes" and "No" positions, attracted statewide and national interest.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum
The "Yes" position, championed by the mayor of Toowoomba, Di Thorley, and backed by the council staff and Toowoomba Water Futures project, faced opposition from a minority of councillors led by Councillor Lyle Shelton  (Who unsuccessfully ran as a National Party candidate for Toowoomba North in the 2006 Queensland state election)  and former mayor and MLA for Toowoomba South Clive Berghofer and grassroots campaigner Rosemary Morley.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum, Background
Changing weather patterns, a drought, and insufficient investment in water infrastructure in the 20th century by both Toowoomba City Council and the Queensland Government led to increasingly severe water restrictions in the "Garden City". Using town water on lawns, and eventually gardens and potted plants was banned under a series of ever harsher water restrictions.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum, Background
A proposal to recycle water from the city's sewerage system, add salts to prevent the ultra pure water damaging concrete water pipes, pump it to the city's dams, then redraw it for domestic (drinking water) use was initially supported unanimously by the mayor and councillors, and by the local Federal Member Ian Macfarlane seat of Groom, which covers most of Toowoomba.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum, Background
State and Federal governmental support from both Labor and coalition politicians was also strong.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum, The debate
The situation was complicated by growing resentment at perceived heavy-handedness from outside "celebrities" and leaders such as Commonwealth Water Minister Malcolm Turnbull who tied federal funding exclusively to the recycling project.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum, The debate
Lyle Shelton and two other councilors switched to opposing the proposal, as did Ian Macfarlane saying that "No" campaigner, millionaire property developer Clive Berghofer "had a right to be heard".


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum, The debate
The lead up to the poll was marked by misinformation, dirty tricks and an alleged whispering campaign by some members of the Toowoomba City Council. Unsourced claims in the whispering campaign included a kick-back (of $11 million) to the Mayor; questions about the Mayor moving to Tasmania; and the engineering firm behind the project being a Halliburton subsidiary. There was a threatened exodus from the city should the recycled water begin flowing.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum, The debate
Much was made about the risk of loss of equity in homes as house prices would tumble should Toowoomba embrace recycled water.


2006 Toowoomba Water Futures referendum, The poll
The proposal was defeated on Saturday, 29 July 2006 by 62% to 38%. In 2007, the Mayor (Di Thorley) announced she was moving to Tasmania.


2006 Top End Series
The Top End series in 2006 was an international first-class and List A cricket series played in Darwin and Cairns in the north of Australia from 30 June to 27 July 2006. Australia A, India A, New Zealand A and Pakistan A played as well as a Northern Territory Chief Minister's XI and a Queensland XI team.


2006 Top End Series
Venues included Marrara Oval and Gardens Oval in Darwin and Fretwell Park and Cazaly Stadium in Cairns.


2006 Top League Challenge Series
The 2006 Top League Challenge Series was the 2006 edition of the Top League Challenge Series, a second-tier rugby union competition in Japan, in which teams from regionalised leagues competed for promotion to the Top League for the 2006–07 season. The competition was contested from 15 to 28 January 2006.


2006 Top League Challenge Series
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks and IBM Big Blue won promotion to the 2006–07 Top League, while Honda Heat, Kintetsu Liners, Kyuden Voltex and NTT Communications Shining Arcs progressed to the promotion play-offs.


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Competition rules and information
The top two teams from the regional Top East League, Top West League and Top Kyūshū League qualified to the Top League Challenge Series. The regional league winners participated in Challenge 1, while the runners-up participated in Challenge 2.


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Competition rules and information
The top two teams in Challenge 1 won automatic promotion to the 2006–07 Top League, while the third-placed team in Challenge 1 and the three Challenge 2 teams qualified to the promotion play-offs.


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Qualification
The teams qualified to the Challenge 1 and Challenge 2 series through the 2005 regional leagues.


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Qualification, Top West League
The final standings for the 2005 Top West League were:


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Qualification, Top East League
The final standings for the 2005 Top East League were:


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Qualification, Top Kyūshū League
The final standings for the 2005 Top Kyūshū League were:


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Challenge 1, Standings
The final standings for the 2006 Top League Challenge 1 were:


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Challenge 1, Matches
The following matches were played in the 2006 Top League Challenge 1:


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Challenge 2, Standings
The final standings for the 2006 Top League Challenge 2 were:


2006 Top League Challenge Series, Challenge 2, Matches
The following matches were played in the 2006 Top League Challenge 2:


2006 Toppserien
The 2006 season of the Toppserien, the highest women's football (soccer) league in Norway, began on 6 May 2006 and ended on 28 October 2006.


2006 Toppserien
18 games were played with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Number nine and ten went to a playoff round with number three and four from the First Division. The two top teams from the First Division were promoted, as the league was expanded from 10 teams to 12 teams in 2007.


2006 Toppserien
Kolbotn won the league after beating Trondheims-Ørn on goal difference.


2006 Toray Pan Pacific Open
The 2006 Toray Pan Pacific Open was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 23rd edition of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and was part of the Tier I Series of the 2006 WTA Tour. It took place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, from January 27 through February 5, 2006. Elena Dementieva won the singles title.


2006 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Champions, Doubles
Lisa Raymond /  Samantha Stosur  defeated  Cara Black /  Rennae Stubbs, 6–2, 6–1


2006 Toray Pan Pacific Open – Doubles
The Doubles Tournament at the 2006 Toray Pan Pacific Open took place between 30 January and 5 February on the indoor hard courts of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur won the title, defeating Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs in the final.


2006 Toray Pan Pacific Open – Singles
Maria Sharapova was the defending champion, but lost to Martina Hingis in the semifinal.


2006 Toray Pan Pacific Open – Singles
Elena Dementieva won the title, defeating Hingis in the final 6–2, 6–0.


2006 Tornado World Championship
The 2006 Tornado World Championships were held at the Club Náutico San Isidro in San Isidro, Argentina between 1 and 10 December 2006.


2006 Tornado World Championship, Results
Legend: DNF – Did not finish; DNS – Did not start; DSQ – Disqualified; OCS – On the course side of the starting line;


2006 Torneo Apertura (Chile)
The 2006 Campeonato Nacional Apertura Copa Banco del Estado  was the 79th Chilean League top flight, in which Colo-Colo won its 24th league title after beating Universidad de Chile on penalties, in the finals.


2006 Torneo Clausura (Chile)
The 2006 Campeonato Nacional Clausura Copa Banco del Estado  was the 80th Chilean League top flight, in which Colo-Colo won its 25th league title after beating Audax Italiano in the finals.


2006 Torneo Clausura (Chile), Relegation table, Promotion/relegation playoffs
Lota Schwager reached its promotion to Primera División after beating Rangers in the 2nd leg match’s penalty shoot-out at Coronel. Whilst Palestino remained in the top level after beating Arturo Fernández Vial 3–1 in Concepción and 1–0 in La Cisterna, Santiago.


2006 Torneo Descentralizado
The 2006 Torneo Descentralizado (known as the Copa Cable Mágico for sponsorship reasons) was the ninetieth season of Peruvian football. A total of 12 teams competed in the tournament, with Sporting Cristal as the defending champion. Alianza Lima won its twenty-second Primera División title after beating Cienciano in the final playoffs. The season began on February 3, 2006 and ended on December 27, 2006.


2006 Torneo Descentralizado, Changes from 2005, Promotion and relegation
Universidad César Vallejo and Atlético Universidad finished the 2005 season in 11th and 12th place, respectively, on the three-season average table and thus were relegated to the Segunda División. They were replaced by the champion of the Copa Perú 2005 José Gálvez.


2006 Torneo Descentralizado, Season overview
Alianza Lima won the Apertura tournament which allowed them to qualify to the Copa Libertadores 2007. Universitario and Cienciano tied for first in the Clausura tournament and were forced to play a playoff. The playoff was a single game, played on a neutral ground, in Trujillo at Estadio Mansiche. Cienciano won the playoff 2–1, qualifying to the Copa Libertadores 2007. Sporting Cristal placed second on the aggregate table, which allowed them to qualify to the first stage of the Copa Libertadores 2007. The winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments, Alianza Lima and Cienciano, played in a two-legged final.


2006 Torneo Descentralizado, Season overview
Both teams won their home games, but due to goal difference, Alianza Lima won their twenty-second national title. Unión Huaral placed last on the aggregate table which meant they were relegated to the second division. José Gálvez FBC and Sport Boys tied for second-to-last place. A playoff was contested and Sport Boys won 5–4 in the penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw.


2006 Torneo Godó
The 2006 Torneo Godó was a men's professional tennis tournament that was part of the International Series Gold of the 2006 ATP Tour. It was the 54th edition of the Torneo Godó and it took place from 24 April until 30 April 2006 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. First-seeded Rafael Nadal won the singles title.


2006 Torneo Godó, Finals, Doubles
Mark Knowles /  Daniel Nestor defeated  Mariusz Fyrstenberg /  Marcin Matkowski, 6–2, 6–7(4–7), [10–5]


2006 Torneo Godó – Doubles
Leander Paes and Nenad Zimonjić were the defending champions, but they did not participate together this year. Paes partnered Martin Damm, losing in the second round. Zimonjić partnered Max Mirnyi, losing in the second round.


2006 Torneo Godó – Doubles
Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor won in the final 6–2, 6–7(4–7), [10–5], against Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski.


2006 Torneo Godó – Singles
Defending champion Rafael Nadal successfully defended his title, defeating Tommy Robredo in the final, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0, to win the Singles title at the 2006 Barcelona Open.


2006 Torneo di Viareggio
The 2006 winners of the Torneo di Viareggio (in English, the Viareggio Tournament, officially the Viareggio Cup World Football Tournament Coppa Carnevale), the annual youth football tournament held in Viareggio, Tuscany, are listed below.


2006 Torneo di Viareggio, Format
The 48 teams are seeded in 12 pools, split up into 6-pool groups. Each team from a pool meets the others in a single tie. The winning club from each pool and two best runners-up from both group A and group B progress to the final knockout stage. All matches in the final rounds are single tie. The Round of 16 envisions penalties and no extra time, while the rest of the final round matches include 30 minutes extra time with Silver goal rule and penalties to be played if the draw between teams still holds. Semifinal losing teams play 3rd-place final with penalties after regular time. The winning sides play the final with extra time, no Silver goal rule and repeat the match if the draw holds.


2006 Toronto Argonauts season
The 2006 Toronto Argonauts season was the 49th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and 134th season overall. The Argonauts finished the regular season 10–8 and finished in second place in the East Division.


2006 Toronto Argonauts season, Offseason
The Argos made a splash just before training camp when they lured high-profile RB Ricky Williams to Canada. The team also picked up QB and 2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch.


2006 Toronto Argonauts season, Regular season
Quarterback Damon Allen became professional football's all-time leading passer, moving ahead of Warren Moon on Labour Day in Hamilton. The team, however, was decimated by injuries at almost every position and the Argonauts stumbled out of the gate to a 2–5 record. Mid -season health bred new promise as the team gained the majority of its starters back including Allen and Williams, who both fell to injury early in the year. Upon his return, Williams joined forces with fellow RB John Avery to deliver a late-season one-two punch out of the backfield. Combined with the stellar play of their dominant defence, the Double Blue was able to turn the season around and win 8 of their remaining 11 regular season games to finish in a first-place tie with the Montreal Alouettes. The CFL tie-break rule landed the Argos in second place.


2006 Toronto Argonauts season, Postseason
The Argos hosted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a thrilling East Semi-Final at Rogers Centre. With the season on the line, QB Michael Bishop and LB Chuck Winters teamed up to lead the Boatmen to one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in recent Argo memory. The Argos fell to Montreal in the East Championship.


2006 Toronto Argonauts season, Awards and records
Despite their early exit from the playoffs, the Boatmen finished the season with 11 East Division All-Stars and three CFL All-Stars. Kicker/Punter Noel Prefontaine was once again named the East's Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and elusive receiver Arland Bruce III finished with a division leading 1,370 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns. A bright star on defence came in the form of CB Byron Parker. The speedy defender re-joined the Boatmen mid-season and made his mark in both the Argos and the CFL record books in only nine regular season contests. By season's end, the Tulane product had accumulated 8 interceptions for a CFL record 348 return yards and 4 touchdowns. Linebacker Mike O'Shea became just the third player, and first Canadian, in CFL history to record 1,000 or more defensive tackles in a career.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season
The 2006 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 30th season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing second in the American League East with a record of 87 wins and 75 losses. For the second straight season, Blue Jays hitters combined for fewer than 1,000 strikeouts. It was the first time since the team's World Series championships in 1992 and 1993 that the Blue Jays had combined for fewer than 1,000 strikeouts in consecutive 162-game seasons, as well as the first season since 1993 that the team finished above third place in its division.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On January 3, J.P. Ricciardi signed free-agent catcher Jason Phillips to a minor league contract. Phillips, who hit .238 the previous season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, also had an invitation to spring training, was supposed to have competed with Guillermo Quiróz for the role of the Blue Jays' backup catcher. Quiroz was later claimed on waivers by the Seattle Mariners, and Phillips started the season with the team after Gregg Zaun was put on the disabled list.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
The trades for Troy Glaus and Lyle Overbay in the off-season created a glut of corner infielders for the Jays, as the team now had five players (Glaus, Overbay, Eric Hinske, Corey Koskie, and Shea Hillenbrand) who could play third base, first base, or designated hitter. The Jays relieved some of this pressure on January 6, by trading Koskie to the Milwaukee Brewers in the second deal between the two clubs in less than a month. The Blue Jays received minor league pitcher Brian Wolfe in return for Koskie. The Blue Jays also moved first baseman (and former third baseman) Eric Hinske to right field as a result.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On February 6, Toronto signed former Angels catcher Bengie Molina to a one-year contract with an option for a second. Three days later, Toronto wrapped up its off season moves by re-signing Shea Hillenbrand and Pete Walker, each to a one-year deal.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On July 2, Troy Glaus, Vernon Wells, Roy Halladay, B. J. Ryan, and Alex Ríos were picked to represent the Blue Jays at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. However, Rios would not compete in the game due to a serious staph infection that occurred around June 28, possibly as the result of a foul ball off Rios' leg during a game on June 27. Manager John Gibbons was also picked as an assistant coach for the AL team. The five Blue Jay players selected to the AL All-Star team was the most to appear in an All-Star Game since 1993. The only AL team with more All-Stars than the Jays was the World Series champion the Chicago White Sox, with six.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On July 7, Troy Glaus was picked to compete in the 2006 Home Run Derby, though during the Derby, he hit only one home run and was eliminated after the first round.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On July 19, infielder Shea Hillenbrand was designated for assignment after an altercation with the team management. Shortly after Hillenbrand, along with reliever Vinnie Chulk, was traded to the San Francisco Giants for reliever Jeremy Accardo.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On August 3, rookie second baseman Ryan Roberts started his first game in the MLB, and had his first hit, which was a home run. He is one of few Blue Jays rookies to have his first hit a home run in his first start.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On August 12, the Blue Jays got the Minnesota Twins to hit into 6 double plays, tying a Blue Jays record set on April 16, 1996. (Blue Jays vs. Detroit).


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On August 16, the Blue Jays traded reliever Scott Schoeneweis to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations or a player to be named later (later announced to be INF Trevor Lawhorn).


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On August 17, the Blue Jays traded first and third baseman and outfielder Eric Hinske and cash considerations to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
During a game against the Oakland Athletics on August 21, 2006, while on the verge of blowing an 8-run lead, John Gibbons walked to the mound to remove starter Ted Lilly. An argument ensued on the mound, in front of the audience at the Rogers Centre. Lilly eventually did leave the game and then headed into the clubhouse. Gibbons subsequently followed him into the hallway, where it appeared to eyewitnesses that he and Lilly got into a fight. Numerous team members and support personnel rushed into the tunnel to break them up. After the game, both the pitcher and manager denied any altercation and said the problem had been resolved.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
Despite their on-field and off-field problems, the Blue Jays managed to play well in the critical month of September, going 18–10. This, combined with the slumping of the Boston Red Sox, enabled Toronto to snare sole possession of second place in the American League East by the end of the season. This marked the first time that the Jays had finished above third place in their division since their World Championship season of 1993, and with the most wins since the 1998 season.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On November 17, the Blue Jays announced that they had signed designated hitter Frank Thomas to a two-year contract worth $18 million, with an option for 2009.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On November 28, the Blue Jays announced that they had re-signed catcher Gregg Zaun to a two-year contract with an option for 2009.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Regular season, Summary
On December 18, the Blue Jays announced that they had re-signed centre fielder Vernon Wells to a seven-year contract worth $126 million, to come into effect after the 2007 season. It was the largest contract in club history.


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2006 Toronto Blue Jays season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2006 Toronto International Film Festival
The 31st Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 7 to September 16, 2006. Opening the festival was Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn's The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, a film that "explores the history of the Inuit people through the eyes of a father and daughter."


2006 Toronto International Film Festival
In a press release dated June 27, 2006, twenty-six international film selections were announced which previously premiered at major film festivals worldwide. Of the films announced, twenty-five of them will receive their North American premiere.


2006 Toronto International Film Festival
Among the many anticipated films were Babel by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Volver by Pedro Almodóvar, Election 2 (a.k.a. Triad Election) by Johnnie To, The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky and The Host by Bong Joon-ho.


2006 Toronto International Film Festival
Bella took top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the highly coveted "People's Choice Award", a distinction which puts them in the company of such Oscar-winning films as Chariots of Fire, American Beauty, Life Is Beautiful, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hotel Rwanda. Last year's winner of the "People's Choice" Award, Tsotsi, won an Oscar for best foreign-language film.


2006 Toronto International Film Festival
Bella marks the feature directorial debut for Alejandro Monteverde, who also co-wrote its original screenplay with Patrick Million. Bella features Manuel Perez, Angélica Aragón, Jaime Terelli and Ali Landry. Bella was produced by Sean Wolfington, Eduardo Verastegui, Leo Severino, Alejandro Monteverde and Denise Pinckley and executive produced by J. Eustace Wolfington, Ana Wolfington and Stephen McEveety. The film was financed by producers Sean Wolfingtonand Eustace Wolfington. McEveety (Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, Passion of the Christ) consulted on the script and signed on as an Executive Producer to help market the movie. Bella is McEveety's first release under his nascent Mpower Films moniker and marks his first feature since ankling Mel Gibson's Icon productions.


2006 Toronto Rock season
The Toronto Rock are a lacrosse team based in Toronto playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2006 season was the 9th in franchise history, and 8th as the Rock (they played one season as the Ontario Raiders). The Rock won the Championship in the 2005 season, but followed it up with a mediocre 8-8 record and an early exit from the playoffs at the hands of the Rochester Knighthawks.


2006 Toronto Rock season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2006 Toronto Rock season, Player stats, Runners (Top 10)
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; LB = Loose Balls; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2006 Toronto Rock season, Player stats, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike
The 2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike was an unlawful strike in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that occurred on May 29, 2006. It was initiated by 800 Toronto Transit Commission mechanical and janitorial workers who were protesting proposed changes in work schedules, including permanent reassignment of 100 workers to night shifts.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike
The strike began between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. EDT, and quickly resulted in a large scale disruption of service when transit drivers honoured the picket line, effectively shutting down the Toronto transit system. The shutdown left over a million commuters searching for alternative means of transport.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike
By 7 a.m. the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) issued a cease-and-desist order to pickets; this order was ignored. A further back-to-work directive was forwarded by the OLRB, and eventually Amalgamated Transit Union officials requested the workers to comply, the call coming just before 3 p.m. EDT. Given the logistical difficulties, limited service slowly increased, with full service resuming later in the evening.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, General synopsis
Workers argued that there was a declining state of conditions since the latest collective bargaining agreement was ratified, and worker morale in the TTC was lingering along the lines of discontent. Workers perceived a lack of good health premiums, arbitrary shift changes, lack of action on operator safety, and an assortment of other grievances assembled by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113; Many argued that these were not being fully acknowledged by the management.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, General synopsis
Indeed, a series of rebuttals were assembled by management's executives and several commissioners against the union's grievances. The most notable refutation is owed to the issue of operator safety. It had been suggested by several union detractors that in roads were being made in regard to improving working conditions for operators. Among several recommendations laid out by a joint task force (the inception of this panel was approved by both the union and management), the most publicized suggestions involved the idea of installing cameras and erecting some form of artificial barrier between the operator and individual customers. This seemingly conciliatory approach to union grievances gave TTC's management much valued public sympathy. Some experts in worker relations suggest that a wildcat strike would have been unfathomable if relations were indeed amicable.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, General synopsis
Growing tension between TTC's management and its union were not relenting. Signs of an impending strike action on the part of unionized workers were becoming evermore apparent to those inside the TTC. Evidence is seen in a press conference held by union executives days before the strike action. As well, Bob Kinnear, president of ATU Local 113, issued a series of automated messages to his constituents who numbered up to and around 8,500 TTC workers. He informed them that many of the most critical issues had yet to be resolved through joint negotiations with management. Although Kinnear's comments never implied any form of job action, it was suggested that many members of the union took his messages as such.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, General synopsis
The wildcat strike which took place on the May 29, 2006, was not initiated by joint action of all the unionized workers in the TTC. Picket lines were assembled by a relatively small number of mechanical and janitorial workers (approximately 800) across many of the TTC's yards and garages; locations that housed buses, streetcars, and subway trains. Many operators who showed up for their morning shift joined their co-workers in a sign of solidarity, and the remainder were asked by the TTC not to cross the picket lines. Without the operators passing through the picket lines, transit service was halted.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, General synopsis
Over 700,000 commuters were forced to find alternate forms of transportation for the day. The bewilderment observed on the faces of many early-day commuters speaks volumes as to the spontaneity of the strike. The public was essentially left in the dark throughout the build-up of tensions within the TTC. The day was also notable as it was the hottest day of the year to that point, with the temperature peaking 40 degrees Celsius when the humidex was added in.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, General synopsis
Rumours of the strike only hit the news very late on Sunday night, and many who were sleeping or working at the time had no way of knowing what was waiting for them in the morning. Finding alternate forms of transportation, some people who became aware of the strike action had to tell others at bus and streetcar stops along their way. Some decided to walk as there was no other option at their disposal. Both management and union members were fully aware of this state of discord. Even though the wildcat strike itself was a surprise, some suggest that the stressed relationship between these two parties should have been indicators on their own right. The strike began at 12 am for maintenance employees and the bus drivers and streetcar and subway operators followed early in the morning.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, General synopsis
At around noon, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) "issue[d] a cease and desist order requiring workers to report back to work immediately." This order was completely ignored by picketers. Shop stewards kept strikers in line by advising them to await orders from Kinnear himself. A couple hours later, the OLRB reassembled, dispatching a back-to-work order, reinforcing their earlier promulgation. Kinnear remained defiant throughout the wildcat strike, but eventually bowed to pressure and advised all picketing workers to return to work. He asked the workers to do it "For the travelling Public, not the TTC Management". Rogue picket lines that refused to dissolve were done so through the assistance of the Toronto Police Service.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, Aftermath
Immediately after the strike's end, several members of Toronto City Council, along with countless commuters, saw recourse in the idea of enforcing strict disciplinary penalties against the union and its membership. Toronto Mayor David Miller, contrary to pro-union inclinations of the past, introduced the idea of prosecuting the Amalgamated Transit Union; a strategic move that paralleled the opinions of his constituents.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, Aftermath
If such a route were to proceed, it had been suggested that individual fines for the over 800 mechanical and janitorial workers who started the picket lines would be one of the prosecution's top priorities, behind charging the union itself. This externalized approach to dealing with lost revenue was inspired by a similar event that erupted in New York City during the winter of 2005. New York's transit strike ended with a union boss being given a short prison sentence, while the union itself was fined for the economic disruption it caused. Kinnear brushed off suggestions that he too was in line for incarceration. Instead, he embraced the idea, signifying his willingness to act as the union's martyr.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, Aftermath
On May 31, 2006, Local 113 published an attack ad against the commission chair Howard Moscoe, Mayor Miller, and Rick Ducharme, chief-general manager of the TTC. In it, the union argued that negligent and careless behaviour by the three men, essentially reflecting management's posture, had led Bobby Lowe, a bus operator who was physically assaulted on shift, into disparity. The ad effectively illustrated how Lowe's life was ruined as a result of receiving deficient forms of compensation from the commission, and due to their overall laissez-faire stance on the issue of operator safety.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, Aftermath
After Moscoe rebuked the ad with scathing criticisms of its accuracy, Lowe himself visited the former in his city hall office, illustrating his discontent over the allegations. Moscoe later retracted most of his comments. Some saw the attack ad as the essential variable that legitimized the wildcat strike, while others saw it as the union's complacency over other contentious issues such as the state of janitorial and mechanical workers; an issue that was seen as less media friendly in comparison to the matter of operator safety. It had also been suggested that if the union moved forward with a similar Public Relations campaign before the wildcat strike, they would have received more sympathy from the public. Some also charge the union of foul play by not concentrating on the problems facing initial strikers themselves.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, Aftermath
The power struggle between management, the commissioners, and the union, eventually ended with Rick Ducharme's resignation on June 6, 2006. Ducharme had criticized the councilors on the TTC board for interfering with labour negotiations, as there were closed door meetings between TTC commissioners and the union which excluded management; management was the traditional negotiator with the union, not the board.


2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike, Aftermath
At the end of 2007, the TTC dropped its $3 million lawsuit against the union, while the event was no longer referred to as a "wildcat strike", but an incident.


2006 Toronto municipal election
The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest and Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud. The election was held in conjunction with those held in other municipalities in the province of Ontario (see 2006 Ontario municipal elections). In the mayoral race, incumbent mayor David Miller was re-elected with 57% of the popular vote.


2006 Toronto municipal election
There were 38 candidates running for Mayor of Toronto and 238 candidates running for 44 city councillor positions. To date, this represents the largest number of candidates to ever run in a Toronto municipal election. In contrast to the previous election (which had two acclamations), no candidates were unopposed.


2006 Toronto municipal election
Provincial legislation passed in May 2006 extended municipal council terms in Ontario from the previous three years to four. The council elected in 2006 thus served until 2010.


2006 Toronto municipal election, Opinion polls
? statistic not stated/unknown* percentage of decided voters only— option not available/given at time of polling


2006 Toulon Tournament
The 2006 Toulon Tournament was the 34th edition of the Toulon Tournament, and was held from 15 May to 24 May. It was won by France, after they beat Netherlands in the final.


2006 Tour Down Under
The 2006 Tour Down Under was held from 18 to 22 January 2006 in and around Adelaide, South Australia. It was a multiple stage road cycling race that took part over five stages with a total of 685 kilometres and is part of the 2005–2006 UCI Oceania Tour. The 2006 Down Under Classic was the official warm-up race for the event. The event was awarded the Australian Sport Tourism Award of the year at the Australian Sport Awards in February 2006, having attracted 495,000 spectators and more than 11,670 visitors to South Australia.


2006 Tour Féminin en Limousin
The 2006 Tour Féminin en Limousin was the second edition of the Tour Féminin en Limousin, a women's cycling stage race in France. It was rated by the UCI as category 2.2 race, and was held between 21 and 23 July 2006.


2006 Tour de Corse
The 42ème Tour de Corse - Rallye de France, the fifth round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season took place between April 7 and April 9 2006.


2006 Tour de France
The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between the 1st and the 23rd of July. It was won by Spanish cyclist Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis. Due to the United States Anti- Doping Agency announcing in August 2012 that they had disqualified Lance Armstrong from all his results since 1998, including his seven Tour de France wins from 1999–2005, this is also the first Tour to have an overall winner since 1998.


2006 Tour de France
The Tour began with a prologue in Strasbourg, on the French-German border, and ended on Sunday 23 July in Paris. The distance of the course (run counterclockwise around France) was 3,657 km (2,272 mi). The race was the third fastest in average speed. Along the way, the cyclists passed through six different countries including France, The Netherlands (a stop at Valkenburg in Stage 3), Belgium (at Huy, Stages 3 and 4), Luxembourg (at Esch-sur-Alzette, Stages 2 and 3), Germany (though not stopping there, Stage 1) and Spain (Pla-de-Beret, Stage 11). The presentation of the course was made by the new director of Le Tour, Christian Prudhomme. For the first time since the 1999 edition, there was no team time trial.


2006 Tour de France
The event, as with some of the Tours of the late 1990s, was marred by doping scandals. Prior to the tour, numerous riders – including the two favourites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso – were expelled from the Tour due to their link with the Operación Puerto doping case.


2006 Tour de France
After the Tour, the apparent winner, Floyd Landis, was found to have failed a drug test after stage 17; Landis contested the result and demanded arbitration. On 20 September 2007, Landis was found guilty and suspended retroactive to 30 January 2007 and stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title making Óscar Pereiro the title holder. Landis appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which upheld the ban.


2006 Tour de France
Pereiro was also suspected of having taken a forbidden substance during this Tour after failing a drug test. However, his use of the substance in question, salbutamol, was approved by the UCI for medical reasons.


2006 Tour de France, Teams
In the most controversial scandal since the 1998 tour, thirteen riders were expelled from the tour on the eve of Strasbourg prologue to the 93rd edition stemming from a Spanish doping scandal. Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, two favourites to win the race, were among those excluded from the Tour along with podium candidate Francisco Mancebo and Alberto Contador (who would return to win the following year, 2007).


2006 Tour de France, Teams
Alexander Vinokourov, another race favourite, was not linked to the doping scandal, but was forced to withdraw when the eligible riders on his Astana-Würth Team fell below the minimum starting requirement of six. Because of this and the retirement of then-seven-time consecutive winner Lance Armstrong, this year's Tour started without the top five riders from the 2005 edition. It was also the first Tour since 1999 that did not contain a past champion. All 21 teams were composed of nine cyclists, so 189 riders commenced the 2006 Tour de France.


2006 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
After the retirement of then seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, the main contenders for the overall win were expected to be Ivan Basso from Team CSC, the 2005 runner-up; and Jan Ullrich from T-Mobile Team, the third man on the podium in 2005, winner in 1997, and the only previous winner still racing. However, both Ullrich and Basso were suspended by their teams on 30 June after UCI told T-Mobile and Team CSC that the riders were involved in the anti-doping investigation in Spain.


2006 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
The 2006 Tour also saw the return of former yellow jersey holder and three-time stage winner David Millar (Saunier Duval–Prodir) after serving a two-year ban for admissions of the use of the drug EPO, which was discovered in a police search of his house before the 2004 Tour de France, in June 2004.


2006 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
Francisco Mancebo of the French team AG2R Prévoyance, who finished fourth in 2005 and sixth in 2004, was also suspended by his team due to the Puerto investigation, and subsequently it was reported by the press that he announced his retirement. Mancebo denied this, claiming that he decided to change his focus. He would return to ride for Team Relax-GAM the following year and while he continued riding for more than another decade; with his change in focus he never entered another grand tour.


2006 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
Alexander Vinokourov would have been the only returning rider with a top-five finish from last year's race. However, his team, Astana–Würth, was forced to pull out of the race because they would not be able to start with the minimum of six riders. As a result of the drug scandal, many believed Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Épargne), or the Americans Floyd Landis (Phonak), Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner), or Australian Cadel Evans (Davitamon-Lotto) would probably win the race.


2006 Tour de France, Route and stages
The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,642 m (8,668 ft) at the summit of the Col du Galibier mountain pass on stage 16.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview
Due to the developing doping case known as Operacion Puerto several top tier riders were denied entry to the 2006 Tour including Jan Ullrich, Joseba Beloki, Alberto Contador, Ivan Basso and indirectly, as his team did not have enough eligible riders, Alexander Vinokourov. The Prologue was won by Thor Hushovd and over the first few flat stages Robbie McEwen claimed three stage victories, but did not take the overall lead at any point as by Stage 3 another sprinter, Tom Boonen, had claimed the Yellow Jersey, which he held until the ITT in Stage 7.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview
The ITT was won handily by Serhiy Gonchar who claimed the Maillot Jaune with Floyd Landis finishing in 2nd in the Stage, as well as moving up the standings into 2nd place in the overall. After the ITT Team T-Mobile had four riders in the top 6 overall including Honchar and Andreas Kloden.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview
The top of the GC remained more or less static until Stage 10 when a pair of riders escaped early in the day and stayed away to the finish with Juan Miguel Mercado winning the stage and moving into 2nd place overall and Cyril Dessel finishing the stage 2nd with the same time as Mercado, but taking over the Yellow Jersey as the new race leader.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview
Stage 11 was a brutal mountain stage with five highly categorised climbs. It was won by Dennis Menchov with Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis staying with him to the finish line. Landis took over the Yellow Jersey as the new race leader :08 ahead of Dessel. Cadel Evans and Carlos Sastre finished 4th and 5th in the stage and at the same time moved into 4th and 5th in the overall standings. Stage 12 was an intermediate stage won by Yaroslav Popovych who jumped from outside the top 20 to tenth place overall.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview
The top GC Contenders wouldn't change places until Stage 13 when Jens Voigt and Oscar Pereiro outlasted Manuel Quinziato and Sylvain Chavanel in a four-man breakaway that finished about 30 minutes ahead of the Peloton. Pereiro jumped everyone to take the overall lead by about 1:30 over Landis and Dessel and around 2:30 ahead of Menchov and Evans with Sastre over 3:00 back.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview
The situation remained the same after Stage 14, but in Stage 15 from Col d’Izoard to Alpe d'Huez the race blew apart with Frank Schleck winning the stage and among the GC riders Landis and Kloden winning considerable time on everyone but one another. Landis was back in Yellow by a thread of :10 with the 3rd through 7th place riders of Dessel, Menchov, Sastre, Kloden and Evans each within only three minutes of Landis and Pereiro. Stage 16 was won by Michael Rasmussen as Pereiro took over the race lead with Sastre jumping up to 2nd, Kloden taking over 3rd and Landis coming entirely unhinged and dropping outside the top 10.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview
In Stage 17 however, Landis made the potentially catastrophic decision to attack off the front of the Peloton entirely on his own over 100 km from the finish in pursuit of the morning Breakaway bunch. Before long he caught the escapees, rode with the break for a while, then attacked off the front with only Patrik Sinkewitz able to stay with him for any length of time, though without doing any work being as he was teammates with two riders placed higher than Landis in Kloden and Michael Rogers.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview
Landis won the stage with Sastre finishing nearly six minutes back and Pereiro finishing over seven minutes back barely hanging onto the Maillot Jaune by :30 over Floyd Landis and :12 over Carlos Sastre. At this point in the Tour, Kloden, Evans, Menchov and Dessel were all within 5:00 of the Yellow Jersey; not since the 1987 Tour de France had even five riders been within 5:00 of the overall lead this late in the race.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview
Stage 18 there were no serious (Cat-1 or HC) climbs and Matteo Tosatto won the Sprint with no change in the overall situation. The Stage 19 ITT would decide the race and Gonchar would win his second stage of the Tour putting in the fastest ride of the day. Floyd Landis won the 2006 TDF by defeating all of the other GC Contenders except for Kloden taking the Yellow Jersey back for the 3rd and final time. Pereiro finished 2nd overall at 0:59 back, Kloden rounded out the podium at plus 1:29, Sastre was 4th over three minutes behind and Cadel Evans finished 5th just over 5:00 slower than Landis.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
This was the first TDF since the first retirement of Lance Armstrong and to the majority of American fans doping by contending riders was thought of as a rare occurrence that just didn't happen even though in reality many GC Contenders, Sprinters and Domestiques of the Armstrong Era, as well as previous eras admitted to doping or were implicated in some form of doping incident. Landis would be stripped of his only Tour de France victory soon after winning it following a confirmed failed drug test after Stage 17 and Oscar Pereiro would be declared the winner.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
2006 Tour de France winner Oscar Pereiro was an incredibly talented athlete who finished 10th, 1st, 10th and 10th in the four TDF's that he finished and even scored a goal apiece in the two professional soccer games he played in. He initially failed a drug test in this Tour de France as well, but was cleared after providing sufficient medical evidence that he had a legitimate medical reason for taking the substance he failed for.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
Despite Landis having this entire TDF vacated for doping, among some modern riders and fans when a GC rider attacks and finishes a seemingly impossible solo breakaway, as Chris Froome did in Stage 19 of the 2018 Giro, it is referred to as "Doing a Landis".


2006 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
This was initially the closest three-way finish in the race's history to date. Floyd's final time was 89h 39'30". While Landis was a leading favourite even before the Spanish doping scandal came to light, in an epic eight-minute loss of performance in Stage 16, it appeared he had lost all hope to finish on the podium, much less win.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
But the following day, during Stage 17, Landis set a very high pace on the first climb of the day that no other rider could match. He then caught a breakaway group that had escaped earlier, passed them, and continued to the finish line solo, making up almost all of his deficit, ending up 30 seconds behind yellow jersey wearer Óscar Pereiro, which he made up with an extra minute in the final Stage 19 time trial.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
A urine sample taken from Landis immediately after his Stage 17 win has twice tested positive for banned synthetic testosterone as well as a ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone nearly three times the limit allowed by World Anti- Doping Agency rules. Landis indicated that he would appeal the test results with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.


2006 Tour de France, Race overview, Doping
On 20 September 2007, Landis' doping accusation was upheld by an arbitration panel deciding between him and USADA and will be banned for two years. In response to this, the UCI formally stripped him of his 2006 Tour de France title. Second place finisher Óscar Pereiro was officially declared the winner. The only previous Tour de France winner to be disqualified was 1904 Tour de France winner Maurice Garin.


2006 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
There were four main individual classifications contested in the 2006 Tour de France, as well as a team competition. The most important was the general classification, which was calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. There time bonuses given at the end of each mass start stage. If a crash had happened within the final 3 km (1.9 mi) of a stage, not including time trials and summit finishes, the riders involved would have received the same time as the group they were in when the crash occurred. The rider with the lowest cumulative time was the winner of the general classification and was considered the overall winner of the Tour. The rider leading the classification wore a yellow jersey.


2006 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
The second classification was the points classification. Riders received points for finishing in the highest positions in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints during the stage. The points available for each stage finish were determined by the stage's type. The leader was identified by a green jersey.


2006 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
The third classification was the mountains classification. Most stages of the race included one or more categorised climbs, in which points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit first. The climbs were categorised as fourth-, third-, second- or first-category and hors catégorie, with the more difficult climbs rated lower. The leader wore a white jersey with red polka dots.


2006 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
The final individual classification was the young rider classification. This was calculated the same way as the general classification, but the classification was restricted to riders who were born on or after 1 January 1981. The leader wore a white jersey.


2006 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
The final classification was a team classification. This was calculated using the finishing times of the best three riders per team on each stage; the leading team was the team with the lowest cumulative time. The number of stage victories and placings per team determined the outcome of a tie. The riders in the team that lead this classification were for the first time identified with yellow number bibs on the back of their jerseys.


2006 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
In addition, there was a combativity award given after each mass start stage to the rider considered, by a jury, to have "made the greatest effort and who has demonstrated the best qualities of sportsmanship". The winner wore a red number bib the following stage. At the conclusion of the Tour, David de la Fuente (Saunier Duval–Prodir) was given the overall super-combativity award.


2006 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
There were also two special awards each with a prize of €5000, the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, given in honour of Tour founder and first race director Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass the summit of the Col du Galibier on stage 16, and the Souvenir Jacques Goddet, given in honour of the second director Jacques Goddet to the first rider to pass the summit of the Col du Tourmalet on stage 11. Michael Rasmussen won the Henri Desgrange and de la Fuente won the Jacques Goddet.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11
The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Strasbourg with a prologue individual time trial on 1 July and Stage 11 occurred on 13 July with a mountainous stage to Val d'Aran in Spain. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, on 23 July.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Prologue
1 July 2006 — Strasbourg, 7.1 km (4.4 mi) (ITT)


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Prologue
The prologue is a short (7.1 km/4.4 mile), completely flat, time trial, as is customary. It took place in the French city of Strasbourg.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Prologue
Thor Hushovd, the 2004 and 2005 Norwegian National Time Trial Cycling Champion, captured a third stage win and second yellow jersey in his career.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Prologue
Note: George Hincapie got to wear the green jersey, as a rider cannot wear two leading jerseys at the same time.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 1
2 July 2006 — Strasbourg to Strasbourg, 184.5 km (114.6 mi)


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 1
Stage 1 was a largely flat sprinter stage with a category 4 climb up the small Côte de Heiligenstein about halfway through the stage at the 101.5 km (63.1 mi) mark, and three intermediate sprints throughout the length of the course. The sprints were in Saverne (at 53.0 km/32.9 mile), Plobsheim (137.0 km/85.1 mile), and Kehl (175.5 km/109.0 mile). The stage was a 184.5 km (114.6 mi) long loop, starting and finishing in Strasbourg.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 1
An early breakaway consisting of Stéphane Augé (Cofidis), Walter Bénéteau (Bouygues Télécom), Unai Etxebarria (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Nicolas Portal (Caisse d'Epargne), Matthieu Sprick (Bouygues Télécom), Benoit Vaugrenard (Française des Jeux), and Fabian Wegmann (Team Gerolsteiner) formed by the 22 km (14 mi) mark and gained a lead of 4:35 over the main peloton before being caught in the last 30 km (19 mi). That allowed Wegmann to take the polka dot jersey for winning the race up the lone climb.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 1
A fast George Hincapie won two bonus seconds and with them the yellow jersey at the last sprint, despite a quick damage control operation by Sébastien Hinault who took the four second bonus to protect his captain, Thor Hushovd.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 1
At the very end of the stage, Thor Hushovd (who was wearing the yellow jersey) made contact with a cardboard sign from green-jersey sponsor PMU held by a spectator. Hushovd cut his right arm badly, but was able to stay in the race.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 2
3 July 2006 — Obernai to Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg), 228.5 km (142.0 mi)


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 2
Stage 2 started in the small French town of Obernai and ended in Luxembourg and is the second longest of the Tour. This stage is 228.5 km/141.9 miles long with rolling terrain. It has five categorized climbs (two Category 3 and three Category 4):


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 2
There were three intermediate sprints in Marimont-lès-Bénestroff (at 107.0 km/66.5 miles), Holling (169.5 km/105.3 miles), and Yutz (198.5 km/123.3 miles).


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 2
The stage was primarily dominated by a two-man breakaway almost at the start by David de la Fuente and Aitor Hernández. They were caught in the late climbs, and De La Fuente took over the polka dot jersey.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 2
A crash in the last 2 km (1.2 mi) slowed the peloton considerably, although they were all credited with the same time as the leaders. Thor Hushovd reclaimed the yellow jersey due to sprint bonuses.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 3
4 July 2006 — Esch-sur-Alzette to Valkenburg (Netherlands), 216.5 km (134.5 mi)


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 3
Like stage 2, stage 3 (216.5 km/134.5 miles long) has a rolling profile with six categorized climbs and three intermediate sprints. Starting in Luxembourg the stage passes through Belgium before finishing in Valkenburg in the Netherlands, which is also the traditional site of the finish in the Amstel Gold Race cycling classic.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 3
There were also three intermediate sprints in Mersch (at 35 km/21.7 miles), Spa (144 km/89.5 miles), and Aubel (176.5 km/109.7 miles).


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 3
In this stage, the breakaway featured the following five riders:


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 3
Jérôme Pineau concentrated mainly on finishing first in the climbs, which won him the polka dot jersey. Towards the end, most riders were expecting Jens Voigt to try to get away on his own, but he never did. Instead, Christophe Laurent twice got away, but was caught by the chasing four. Then, José Luis Arrieta got away from the others, but during the last climb of the day, the Cauberg, the peloton passed by him. The most important event of this stage was the loss of Alejandro Valverde, the leader in the ProTour, who broke his collarbone. Erik Dekker and Fred Rodriguez also crashed, and both suffered serious injuries.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 3
The Cauberg, with its top just before the red banner 1 km (0.62 mi) from the finish line, was the ideal point for Matthias Kessler to get away from the peloton and take the victory. Sprinters Thor Hushovd and Robbie McEwen did not get over the Cauberg in the first part of the peloton. Therefore, Tom Boonen took the leads in both the general classification and the points classification, even though he finished fourth.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 3
Note: Daniele Bennati will be in the green jersey, as a rider cannot wear two leading jerseys at the same time.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
5 July 2006 — Huy (Belgium) to Saint-Quentin, 207 km (128.6 mi)


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
Stage 4 was another sprinter's stage. The 207.0 km (128.6 mi) long stage had only two categorized climbs, both in the first 60 km (37 mi). It started in Huy, Belgium and ended in Saint-Quentin in the northern part of France.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
The two categorized climbs were Cote de Peu d'Eau (Category 3 at 13.0 km/8.1 miles) and Cote de Falaen (Category 4, 57.5 km/35.7 miles).


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
There were also three intermediate sprints in Beaumont (at 103.0 km/64.0 miles), Sains-du-Nord (135.5 km/84.2 miles) and Bernot (188.0 km/116.8 miles).


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
In this stage, the breakaway took place about 20 km (12 mi) into the stage and featured the following five riders:


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
The peloton slowly caught them in the late going, with the lead group breaking up at about 10 km (6.2 mi) to the finish, and finally being caught within 2 km (1.2 mi) of the finish line.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
Robbie McEwen won his second stage in a quick sprint. Just before the finish line, Julian Dean crashed in the middle of the peloton but did not take anyone else down. Thor Hushovd, who finished fourth, was disqualified for irregularities during sprinting and set back to last position of the group he finished in, which was position 148. This cost him 26 points for the green jersey which could prove vital in the end.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 4
In the top 10 of the general classification, two new names appear, Robbie McEwen because of the 20-second bonus he received for finishing first, and Egoi Martínez, who won all three intermediate sprints and so moved up 18 seconds and into fifth position.


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 5
6 July 2006 — Beauvais to Caen, 225 km (139.8 mi)


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 5
Stage 5 is a long (225.0 km/139.8 mile) sprinters stage with four categorized climbs (all Category 4) and the usual three intermediate sprints. The stage started in Beauvais and ended in Caen in northern France (in the Normandy region).


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 5
The three intermediate sprints were located in Les Andelys (at 66.5 km/41.3 miles), Saint-Georges-du-Vièvre (at 140.5 km/87.3 miles) and Pont-L'Evêque (at 175.0 km/108.7 miles).


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 5
Early in this stage, eight riders tried to get away from the peloton:


2006 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 11, Stage 5
but the peloton did not let them get away very far until Dumoulin and Schröder broke away from the group. The other six were caught and Dumoulin and Schröder were allowed to take a lead of up to 12'50" over the peloton. Meanwhile, the sprinters in the peloton did not want to sprint for the 2 points left at the three intermediate sprints, so every time Johan Van Summeren attacked just a few kilometers before every sprint to take the points. Jérôme Pineau also was very active today, as he did the same thing as Van Summeren but then on the climbs, taking points to maintain his lead in the standings for the polka dot jersey.