At a sports meeting, 9 athletes entered the table tennis finals. According to the competition system, there will be a match between every two people, and the top three will be selected according to the points from high to low. How many games will be played in total.
一次运动会上，有9名运动员进入乒乓球项目决赛．根据赛制每两人之间进行一次比赛，按照积分从高到低取前三名，一共要进行多少次比赛．
<gadget id="calculator">9 - 1</gadget>
<output>8</output>

<gadget id="calculator">8 / 2</gadget>
<output>4</output>

<gadget id="calculator">9 * 4</gadget>
<output>36</output>

<result>36</result>