Cesana Pariol (pps) The SUZUKI Challenge Cup will start the Olympic winter with a new system. The so-called preliminary round will be held in groups, the knock-out stage only begins in the semi-finals. There are 16 competitors eligible in the men’s event, 12 in the women’s singles and 8 in the double-seaters. Each national federation may enter a maximum of two athletes per event. The men will be drawn into four groups with four competitors each according to the overall rankings of the 2004-2005 Viessmann World Cup for the first SUZUKI Challenge Cup with the four top lugers seeded. The respective winners of the groups reach the semi-finals, where the winners of groups 1 and 2 will compete against each other as well as the winners of groups 3 and 4. The fastest two go through to the final, the losers compete for third place. There are four groups with three competitors each in the women’s event, while the eight doubles will compete against each other according to the draw. The system for the semi-finals and final will be the same for women and doubles as for the men.