 In 1951 , thirteen nations took part and were split into two groups . The top seven teams ( Pool A ) played for the World Championship . The other six ( Pool B ) played for ranking purposes . Generally eight teams played in the top @-@ level Championship , although the number varied over the years , going as low as three ( in 1953 ) and as high as twelve ( in 1959 ) . The same format was used until 1992 . The format was criticized because often the gold medal winner was decided before the final game was played , such as at the 1988 Winter Olympics . 
