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Nagano 1998 Collection

A flower, with each petal representing an athlete practising a winter sport, and which can also be seen as a snowflake symbolising the Olympic Winter Games. The emblem is also evocative of a mountain flower, emphasising Nagano's commitment to the environment, and was thus named Snowflower. The dynamic nature of this vivid and colourful picture foreshadowed the enthusiastic atmosphere in which the Games took place, and symbolised their brilliance throughout the world.

432 attendants
attendants I was there

Identity Card

Opening date	07 February 1998
Closing date	22 February 1998
Country of the host city	Japan

The Olympic Winter Games return to Japan after 26 years

More about

New events

Snowboarding debuted as an official discipline. Curling returned to the Olympic Winter programme, this time with a tournament for both men and women.

Ice hockey

For the first time, the men’s ice hockey tournament was opened to all professionals, and women’s ice hockey was introduced to the Olympic programme. The inspired team from the Czech Republic scored a surprise victory.

Memorable champions

Björn Dählie of Norway won three gold medals in Nordic skiing to become the first athlete to earn eight career Winter Olympic gold medals and 12 medals in all. Tara Lipinski of the US won the women’s figure skating title to become, at 15, the youngest champion in an individual event at the Olympic Winter Games.

Spectacular spirit

The spirit of the Games was exemplified by Alpine skier Hermann Maier of Austria. He took a spectacular fall in the downhill, flying off the slope at 120km/h and remaining air-bound for more than 3.5 seconds. He courageously recovered to earn gold medals in both the super-G and the giant slalom.

NOCs 72
Athletes 2,176 (787 women, 1,389 men)
Events 68
Volunteers 32,000
Media 8, 329 (2,586 written press, 5,743 broadcasters)

All Sports Events

All Facts

For the first time

Azerbaijan, Kenya, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Uruguay and Venezuela took part in the Olympic Winter Games.

National Hockey League (NHL)

For the first time, professional players from the National Hockey League (NHL, USA) participated.

A Special Price for the Schoolchildren

A 50% discount on all regular Olympic tickets were offered for all schoolchildren.

Ecological Clothes

Official staff uniforms were made from fully recyclable materials.

Curling is in

Originally included for men at the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, curling made its return to the official sports programme in Nagano, where both a men’s and a women’s event were contested.

Snowboard is in

Snowboard became a new discipline with both men’s and women’s events in giant slalom and halfpipe being contested.

Ice Hockey for Women

Women took part in ice hockey for the first time in Olympic history.

Ceremonies

7 February 1998. Opening Ceremony. Dancers and the planet Earth.

Official opening of the Games by: His Majesty the Emperor Akihito

Lighting of the Olympic Flame by: Midori Ito (figure skating)

Olympic Oath by: Kenji Ogiwara (Nordic combined)

Officials' Oath by: Junko Hiramatsu (figure skating)

Olympic medallists

All Medalled Athletes