1998 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event
Multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...

 celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano
Nagano, Nagano
, the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, is located in the northern part of the prefecture near the confluence of the Chikuma and the Sai rivers, on the main Japanese island of Honshū.As of April 1, 2011 the city has a population of 387,146...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice hockey
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics was played at The Big Hat and Aqua Wing Arena in Nagano, Japan.-Men's tournament:The 1998 Olympic men's ice hockey tournament was the first in which professional players from the National Hockey League were allowed to participate, allowing national teams to...

, curling
Curling at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Curling at the 1998 Winter Olympics took place at Karuizawa, who had hosted the equestrian events at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The 1998 Nagano Olympics marked the first time that curling was held as an official Olympic sport...

 and snowboarding
Snowboarding at the 1998 Winter Olympics
-Giant Slalom:-Halfpipe:-Giant Slalom:-Halfpipe:-References:*...

. National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 players were allowed to participate in the Men's ice hockey
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics was played at The Big Hat and Aqua Wing Arena in Nagano, Japan.-Men's tournament:The 1998 Olympic men's ice hockey tournament was the first in which professional players from the National Hockey League were allowed to participate, allowing national teams to...

.

The host was selected in 1992 preference to Salt Lake City, Östersund
Östersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...

, Jaca
Jaca
Jaca is a city of northeastern Spain near the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca...

 and Aosta
Aosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...

. They were the third Olympic Games and second winter Olympics to be held in Japan, after the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...

 in Tokyo and the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...

 in Sapporo. The games were succeeded by the 1998 Winter Paralympics
1998 Winter Paralympics
The 1998 Winter Paralympics, the seventh Winter Paralympics, were held alongside the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from March 5 to March 14, 1998. They were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held outside Europe.- Sports :...

 from 5 to 14 March.

Bjørn Dæhlie
Bjørn Dæhlie
Bjørn Erlend Dæhlie is a Norwegian businessman and retired cross-country skier. With 8 olympic gold medals, Dæhlie is the most winning winter olympic champion of all time. With nine gold medals in the Nord World Ski Championships he is in addition the most winning World Champion skier...

 won three gold medals in cross-country skiing, making him the most-winning Winter Olympic competior ever. Alpine skier Hermann Maier survived a fall in the downhill and went on to gold in the super-G and giant slalom. Netherlands won five of the ten speed skating events, including two each by Gianni Romme
Gianni Romme
Gianni Petrus Cornelis Romme is a Dutch marathon and a former long track speed skater. He is also a coach since the 2006-07 speed skating season....

 and Marianne Timmer
Marianne Timmer
Maria Aaltje Timmer is a Dutch speed skater specializing in the middle distances . At the 1998 Winter Olympics Timmer won a gold medal in both these events.- Personal life :...

. Canada beat Denmark in the women's curling final, securing the latter their first Winter Olympic medal ever.

Host city selection

Other candidate cities for the 1998 Olympics were Aosta
Aosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...

, Italy; Jaca
Jaca
Jaca is a city of northeastern Spain near the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca...

, Spain; Östersund
Östersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...

, Sweden; and Salt Lake City, United States. The host city selection was held in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, United Kingdom, on 15 June 1991, at the 97th IOC session. Nagano prevailed over Salt Lake City by just 4 votes.
1998 Winter Olympics bidding results
City Country Round 1 Round 2 (Run-off) Round 3 Round 4 Round 5
Nagano
Nagano, Nagano
, the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, is located in the northern part of the prefecture near the confluence of the Chikuma and the Sai rivers, on the main Japanese island of Honshū.As of April 1, 2011 the city has a population of 387,146...

 
 Japan 21 30 36 46
Salt Lake City   United States 15 59 27 29 42
Östersund
Östersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...

 
 Sweden 18 25 23
Jaca
Jaca
Jaca is a city of northeastern Spain near the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca...

 
 Spain 19 5
Aosta
Aosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...

 
 Italy 15 29

Highlights

  • Women's ice hockey was contested at the Olympic Games for the first time ever, and the United States beat the Canadians 3–1 for the gold medal. United States went undefeated in the women's tournament. The Czech Republic defeated Russia by a score of 1–0 for the men's gold medal, while Finland won both the men's and women's bronze medals for ice hockey.
  • Cross-country skier
    Cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympics
    Cross-country skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games in 1924. The women's events were first contested at the 1952 Winter Olympics.- Events :- Medal table :- Number of Cross-country skiers by Nation :...

     Bjørn Dæhlie
    Bjørn Dæhlie
    Bjørn Erlend Dæhlie is a Norwegian businessman and retired cross-country skier. With 8 olympic gold medals, Dæhlie is the most winning winter olympic champion of all time. With nine gold medals in the Nord World Ski Championships he is in addition the most winning World Champion skier...

     of Norway won three gold medals in Nordic skiing
    Nordic skiing
    Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....

     to become the first winter Olympian to earn eight career gold medals and twelve total medals.
  • Curling
    Curling at the Winter Olympics
    Curling was included in the program of the inaugural Winter Olympic Games in 1924 in Chamonix. The results of that competition were not considered official by the International Olympic Committee until 2006. Curling was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Games, and then again after a lengthy absence...

     returned as an official sport, after having been demoted to a demonstration event after the inaugural Winter Games in Chamonix
    Chamonix
    Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...

     in 1924
  • Snowboarding
    Snowboarding at the Winter Olympics
    Snowboarding is a sport that has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Snowboarding was one of five new sports or disciplines added to the Winter Olympic program between 1992 and 2002, and was the only one not to have been a previous medal or...

     debuted as an official sport.
  • Players from the NHL
    National Hockey League
    The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

     were able to compete in men's ice hockey
    Ice hockey at the Olympic Games
    Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics...

     due to a three week suspension of the NHL season.
  • Tara Lipinski
    Tara Lipinski
    Tara Kristen Lipinski is an American figure skater. At the age of 15, she won the Ladies' Singles Olympic gold medal in figure skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Lipinski remains the youngest individual gold medalist in the history of the Olympic Winter Games. She is also the 1997 World...

    , 15, narrowly beat Michelle Kwan
    Michelle Kwan
    Michelle Wingshan Kwan is an American figure skater. She is a two-time Olympic medalist, a five-time World champion and a nine-time U.S...

     in women's figure skating to become the youngest champion in an individual event in the history of the Winter Olympics.
  • Alpine skier
    Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics
    Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936, when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. From 1948–80, the Winter Olympics also served as the World Championships in Olympic years...

     Hermann Maier
    Hermann Maier
    Hermann Maier is an Austrian former alpine ski racer. Maier ranks among the finest alpine ski racers in history, having won four overall World Cup titles , two Olympic gold medals , and three World Championship titles...

     (Austria) survived a fall in the downhill and went on to gold in the super-g
    Super Giant Slalom skiing
    The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is a "speed" event, along with the faster Downhill event; the Giant Slalom and Slalom events are known as the "technical" disciplines.-History:...

     and giant slalom
    Giant Slalom skiing
    Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....

    .
  • Speed skaters
    Speed skating at the Winter Olympics
    Speed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:...

     Gianni Romme
    Gianni Romme
    Gianni Petrus Cornelis Romme is a Dutch marathon and a former long track speed skater. He is also a coach since the 2006-07 speed skating season....

     and Marianne Timmer
    Marianne Timmer
    Maria Aaltje Timmer is a Dutch speed skater specializing in the middle distances . At the 1998 Winter Olympics Timmer won a gold medal in both these events.- Personal life :...

     won two gold medals each for the Netherlands; 5 out of 10 titles in speed skating went to the Netherlands.
  • Snowboarder Ross Rebagliati
    Ross Rebagliati
    Ross Rebagliati is a Canadian professional snowboarder.-Biography:Rebagliati was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He turned pro in 1991. He was the first ever to win an Olympic gold medal for this sport at the 1998 Winter Olympics. After winning the gold, he was found to have THC in his...

     (Canada) won the gold medal, after initially being disqualified for testing positive for marijuana
    Cannabis (drug)
    Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...

    .
  • Azerbaijan, Kenya, the Republic of Macedonia, Uruguay, and Venezuela made their first appearance at the Olympic Winter Games.
  • Denmark won their first winter Olympic medal (and only one to date) when they won a silver medal in the women's curling event.
  • Australia won their first individual Winter Olympic medal when Zali Steggall won bronze in the women's slalom.

Venues

Hakuba
Hakuba, Nagano
is a village located in Kitaazumi District, Nagano, Japan.-Town:As of 2007, the village has an estimated population of 9,246 and a density of 50.71 persons per km². The total area is 182.34 km²....

  • Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium
    Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium
    Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium is a ski jumping hill in Hakuba, Japan. It hosted the ski jumping and the ski jumping part of the nordic combined events. The stadium holds a maximum of 45,000 spectators, and was built in 1992.-References:* Volume 2. pp. 203-5.**...

    : Nordic combined (ski jumping), Ski jumping
  • Happo'one Resort
    Happo'one Resort
    Happōone Resort is a resort located on Mount Karamatsu in Hakuba, Japan. For the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, it hosted the alpine skiing downhill, super giant slalom, and combined slalom events.The resort was constructed in 1958...

    : Alpine skiing (Downhill, Super G, combined)
  • Snow Harp
    Snow Harp
    Snow Harp is a cross country skiing venue located in Hakuba, Nagano, Japan. For the 1998 Winter Olympics, the venue hosted the cross-country skiing and the cross country skiing portion of the nordic combined events....

    , Kamishiro: Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined (cross-country skiing)


Iizuna
Iizuna, Nagano
is a town located in the north side of Nagano City, Kamiminochi District, Nagano, Japan.The town was created through a merger of the villages of Samizu and Mure on October 1, 2005....

  • Iizuna Kogen Ski Area
    Iizuna Kogen Ski Area
    Iizuna Kogen Ski Area is a skiing area located in Iizuna, Nagano, Japan. Constructed on existing alpine skiing runs, it hosted the freestyle skiing events for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The venue was a temporary one for those games....

    : Freestyle skiing
  • Spiral
    Spiral (bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton)
    The Spiral is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Iizuna village, located north of Nagano, Japan. Used for the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1998 Winter Olympics, it is the only permanent bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Asia and the only one of its type in the world...

    , Asakawa: Bobsleigh, Luge


Karuizawa
  • Kazakoshi Park Arena
    Kazakoshi Park Arena
    Kazakoshi Park Arena is an indoor arena located in Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan. Constructed in 1990 with an opening ceremony taking place in 1996, it hosted the curling competition for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. Because it was in Karuizawa, the town became the first venue to host events at...

    : Curling


Nagano
  • Minami Nagano Sports Park
    Nagano Olympic Stadium
    is a baseball-use stadium in Nagano, Nagano, Japan. It was used for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The stadium holds 30,000 people.The stadium is the finishing point for the annual Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon....

    : Ceremonies (opening/ closing)
  • Aqua Wing Arena
    Aqua Wing Arena
    Aqua Wing Arena is an indoor arena in Nagano, Japan. The last venue to be completed for the 1998 Winter Olympics in October 1997, it hosted the ice hockey events. The arena was converted into an aquatics centre in 1999.The roof is retractable.-References:...

    : Ice hockey
  • Big Hat: Ice hockey (final)
  • M-Wave
    M-Wave
    is an indoor sporting arena located in Nagano, Japan.Opened in 1996, the arena has a capacity of 10,000. It hosted the speed skating events of the 1998 Winter Olympics. The M-Wave is equipped with movable stands and an automatically winding artificial lawn machine...

    : Speed skating
  • White Ring: Figure skating, Short track speed skating


Nozawaonsen
Nozawaonsen, Nagano
is a village located in Shimotakai District, Nagano, Japan.The village is located just one hour’s drive from Nagano City in the northern part of Nagano - a charming hot spring village located at the foot of Kenashi-yama Mountain which is home to around 5000 people...

:
  • Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort
    Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort
    Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort is a skiing venue located in Nozawaonsen, Nagano, Japan. Nozawa Onsen Village is located at the foot of the ski resort, which spans across three main areas. The resort is a large ski area that opened over seventy years ago...

    : Biathlon


Yamanouchi
Yamanouchi, Nagano
is a town located in Shimotakai District, Nagano, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 15,326 and a density of 57.63 persons per km². The total area is 265.93 km².The Shiga Kōgen ski resort is located in Yamanouchi.-Landmarks:...

  • Mount Higashidate
    Mount Higashidate
    is a mountain in Japan located in Yamanouchi, Nagano. For the 1998 Winter Olympics, it hosted the alpine skiing giant slalom events.-Reference:* Volume 2. pp. 191-3.*...

    : Alpine skiing (giant slalom)
  • Mount Yakebitai
    Mount Yakebitai
    is a mountain located in Yamanouchi, Nagano, Japan. For the 1998 Winter Olympics, it hosted the alpine skiing slalom and snowboarding giant slalom events....

    , Shiga Kogen Resort: Alpine skiing (slalom), Snowboarding (giant slalom)
  • Kanbayashi Snowboard Park
    Kanbayashi Snowboard Park
    Kanbayashi Snowboard Park is a park located in Yamanouchi, Nagano, Japan. Constructed in 1995, it hosted the snowboarding half-pipe events for the 1998 Winter Olympics.-References:* Volume 2. pp. 209-11.***...

    : Snowboarding (Half-Pipe)

Medal count


(Host nation is highlighted.)
1 12 9 8 29
2 10 10 5 25
3 9 6 3 18
4 6 5 4 15
5 6 3 4 13
6 5 4 2 11
8 3 5 9 17
9 3 1 2 6
10 2 6 2 10

Participating NOCs

72 nations participated in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. The nations Azerbaijan, Kenya, Macedonia, Uruguay, and Venezuela participated in their first Winter Olympic Games.

Articles about Nagano Winter Olympics by nation:


Media coverage

The games were covered by the following broadcasters:: NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

, NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...

, TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....

, Fuji TV
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....

, TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....

 & TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...

: MBC
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...

: CBS
Olympics on CBS
The Olympics on CBS was a sports telecast that aired on CBS Sports. The last airing of the telecast was for the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano.-1960s coverage:...

 & TNT
Olympics on TNT
The Olympics on TNT was the branding for Winter Olympic Games coverage produced by CBS for their cable partner, Turner Network Television. The last airing of the telecast was for the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano.-History:...

: BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

: CBC
Olympics on CBC
The Olympics on CBC was a sports telecast that aired on CBC Sports. The last airing of the telecast was for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-History:...

: SVT
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...

: ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...

 and ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...

: NRK: Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

: YLE: RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...

: TVP
Telewizja Polska
Telewizja Polska Spółka Akcyjna is Poland's public broadcasting corporation...

: SporTV
SporTV
SporTV is a Brazilian cable television network that has its programming based on all sports, launched in 1991 by Globosat. It's the most watched sports channel in Brazil.- Auto Racing :*Formula One *Stock Car Brasil...

, Rede Manchete
Rede Manchete
Rede Manchete was a television network from Brazil. It first aired on June 5, 1983 in Rio de Janeiro and simultaneously in other 5 Brazilian cities, like São Paulo on Rede Exclesior's old channel 9 frequency...

 and Rede Bandeirantes
Rede Bandeirantes
Rede Bandeirantes , officially nicknamed Band or Band Network, is a television network from Brazil, based in São Paulo. Part of the Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação , it aired for the first time in 1967...

: La Red: ORF: NOS
NOS
-Business:* National Occupational Standards, people are expected to achieve* New old stock, merchandise being offered for sale which was manufactured long ago but that has never been used-Geography:* NOS, IATA code for Fascene Airport, in Nosy Be, Madagascar...


External links

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