Venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
For the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano, Japan
, a total of fifteen sports venues were used. Nagano had attempted twice to host the Winter Olympics, losing out to Sapporo, host of the 1972 Winter Olympics. The third time, in 1991, Nagano edged out Salt Lake City to host the 1998 Games. The biathlon venue was adjusted in accordance with the Washington Convention over endangered species. The biggest venue controversy was at Happo'one resort on the length of the men's downhill and the battle that ensued to the point where skiing officials threatened to pull the event entirely before a compromise was reached three months before the Olympics. M-Wave has hosted three World Speed Skating Championships since the Olympics while the Spiral has hosted a couple of World championships in bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.
, but lost out to Sapporo. Those Olympics were abandoned in 1937 when Japan invaded China for the second time
, forcing Sapporo's withdrawal. The city tried again for the Winter Olympics in 1968
in 1961, but lost out in domestic voting to Sapporo who in turn lost out to Grenoble
, France
in 1964. Sapporo would host the Winter Olympics finally in 1972
. A third time for the Winter Olympics began in 1983 with a full bid for the Winter Games approved two years later. With the bid committee established in 1986 and lessons learned from previous mistakes, Nagano's bid for the Winter Olympics in Japan was approved in 1989. A revamped bid committee was launched later that year with presentations given to the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) in 1990. When the IOC session was in Tokyo
in September 1990, Nagano was among the cities launching promotional campaign for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The following June at the IOC session in Birmingham
, England
, Nagano was awarded the 1998 Games in the fifth round, defeating Salt Lake City, Utah
in the United States
by four votes.
Karuizawa
, near Nagano, played host to the World Allround Speed Skating Championships
in 1963 and the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
in 1986. For the 1964 Summer Olympics
in Tokyo, Karuizawa played host to the equestrian
events.
Site selection for events were adjusted between the time of bidding and the actual games. For the alpine skiing women's downhill, women's super-g, women's giant slalom, and men's giant slalom were moved from Mount Higashidate to Mount Yakebitai following a 1993 inspection by the International Ski Federation
(FIS). Biathlon was planned to be at a new venue in the Kamishiro area of Habuka. The venue was moved to Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort following an environmental assessment of the area that included nests of goshawks and buzzard
s under CITES, the 1973 global endangered species
act better known as the "Washington Convention", before construction began. Figure skating was planned originally for a municipally owned gymnasium in Nagano, but was abandoned to it not having enough room for expansion. Meanwhile, short track speed skating was planned to take place on renovated city property, but the venue's popularity with local residents changed that plan. As a result, White Ring Arena was constructed to accommodate both figure and short track speed skating. Alpine combined was set to have the downhill part at Happo'one Resort and the slalom part at Mount Yakebitai, but the logistical differences in adverse weather conditions forced the slalom part to be moved to Happo'one Resort.
Venue construction started in 1990 and was completed prior to the 1998 Winter Games. Temporary facility construction started in June 1997 and was completed in time for the 1998 Games.
For test events, M-Wave Arena in Nagano hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships in 1997. That same year
, the Iizuna Kogen Ski Area hosted the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships
. The biggest test event controversy occurred at the Happo'one Resort for the men's downhill event in February 1996 when the FIS, supported by most of the leading skiers, stated that the 1.68 km (1 mi) was too short. The request by FIS and the skiers was to move the start of the course up either by 0.12 km (0.0745647283979768 mi) or 15 seconds. The Nagano Organizing Committee (NAOC) refused to move the course on the grounds that it be moved into a protected national park Special Zone and that it would contradict one of NAOC's Vision of Coexistence with the environment. The FIS pointed out that over 600,000 skiers annually participated in that zone annually, and asked why Olympic-class skiers could not compete in that same area. A threat to not hold the event in Japan was also issued by the FIS. It would not be until 1–2 November 1997 before a compromise could be reached among the FIS, IOC, and NAOC where the start was moved up 0.085 km (0.0528166826152336 mi) to its final length of 1.765 km (1.1 mi).
Weather was a major role in the outdoor events. Heavy rain at the Spiral cancelled the second run of the bobsleigh four-man event. Seven of the ten events in alpine skiing were delayed by weather, four of which were the women's.
Snow Harp had the men's 30 km take place after 18 hours of heavy, wet snowfall which was won by Finland
's Mika Myllylä
. The women's 5 km event was held in a snowstorm while the women's 10 km combined event was held during a steady rain. Both events were won by Russia
's Larissa Lazutina. In the men's 4 x 10 km relay, Norway
avenged their loss to Italy
in this event four years earlier
at Lillehammer
with Thomas Alsgaard
edging out Silvio Fauner
by 0.2 seconds, the closest event finish in Olympic history.
During the ski jumping individual normal hill event at the Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium, the final two jumpers on the second jump were delayed from their jumps to high winds. Finland's Jani Soininen
jumped 89 meters to advance one point ahead of Japan
's Kazuyoshi Funaki
. Funaki's teammate Masahiko Harada
, who led after the first jump, needed a jump of 88 meters to win gold, but only jumped 84.5 meters and ended up in fifth place. Soininen would later complain bitterly about the officials' decision despite his gold medal win. In the individual large hill event, Funaki jumped so far that he landed beyond the video measuring area which resulted in the distance being measured manually. Funaki's jump was recorded as 132.5 meters and it also garnered perfect style points. The Japanese ski jumper would win gold in the event.
Both Nordic combined events had their cross-country portions held in pouring rains. Norway won the team event while Norwegian Bjarte Engen Vik
won the individual event.
Fog led to cancellation of the biathlon's men's 10 km sprint event and a rescheduling of the event the following day. At the time of the cancellation 16 of the 73 skiers had completed the course, including the leader Aleksandr Popov of Belarus
. When the race was rerun the next day, Popov skied poorly and finished 55th, leading Belarusian president
Alexander Lukashenko
, who was present at the first race, to call the cancellation "a mafia-style injustice". The rerun race would be won by Norway's Ole Einar Bjørndalen
who was leading Popov during the first run after 8 km before the event was cancelled.
Gusty winds at the Iizuna Kogen Ski Area affected the women's aerials freestyle skiing event which was won by America
's Nikki Stone
.
in 2000 and 2008.
The Spiral hosted the skeleton
portion of the FIBT World Championships
in 2003
. The following year
, the venue hosted the FIL World Luge Championships, the only time as of 2010 that the championships have taken place in Asia
.
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. 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...
in Nagano, 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...
, a total of fifteen sports venues were used. Nagano had attempted twice to host the Winter Olympics, losing out to Sapporo, host of the 1972 Winter Olympics. The third time, in 1991, Nagano edged out Salt Lake City to host the 1998 Games. The biathlon venue was adjusted in accordance with the Washington Convention over endangered species. The biggest venue controversy was at Happo'one resort on the length of the men's downhill and the battle that ensued to the point where skiing officials threatened to pull the event entirely before a compromise was reached three months before the Olympics. M-Wave has hosted three World Speed Skating Championships since the Olympics while the Spiral has hosted a couple of World championships in bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.
Venues
| Venue | Sports | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Wing 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 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... |
6,000 | |
| Big Hat | Ice hockey (final) | 10,104 | |
| 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 Nordic combined at the 1998 Winter Olympics -Individual:February 20, 1998-Team:February 14, 1998-References:*... (ski jumping), Ski jumping Ski jumping at the 1998 Winter Olympics -Individual K90:February 10, 1998-Individual K120:February 14, 1998-Team K120:-References:*... |
45,000 | |
| 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 Alpine skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events held near Nagano, Japan. The speed events were held at Hakuba and the technical events at Shiga Kogen. There were a number of postponements due to weather; the races were run from February 10-21, 1998.-Downhill:The event was held... (downhill, super g, combined) |
20,000 | |
| 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 Freestyle skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics -Men's aerials:February 17, 1998-Men's moguls:February 10, 1998-Women's aerials:February 17, 1998-Women's moguls:February 10, 1998-External links:*... |
12,000 | |
| 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 Snowboarding at the 1998 Winter Olympics -Giant Slalom:-Halfpipe:-Giant Slalom:-Halfpipe:-References:*... (halfpipe) |
10,000 | |
| 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 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... |
1,924 | |
| 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 Speed skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics -500m:February 9/February 10, 1998-1,000m:February 15, 1998-1,500m:February 10, 1998-5,000m:February 8, 1998-10,000m:February 17, 1998-500m:February 13/February 14, 1998-1,000m:February 19, 1998-1,500m:February 16, 1998-3,000m:... |
10,000 | |
| 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) | 50,000 | |
| 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) | 20,000 | |
| 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.... |
Alpine skiing (slalom), Snowboarding (giant slalom) | 20,000 | |
| 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 Biathlon at the 1998 Winter Olympics -10 km Sprint:February 18, 1998-20 km Individual:February 11, 1998Each missed target equals a one-minute penalty.-4 x 7.5 km Relay:-7.5 km Sprint:February 15, 1998-15 km Individual:February 9, 1998-4 x 7.5 km Relay:-References:*... |
20,000 | |
| 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.... |
Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympic Games cross country skiing competition results were as follows.-Men's events:-5 km classical:February 9, 1998-Combined 5 km + 10 km pursuit:-15 km classical:February 7, 1998-30 km freestyle:February 19, 1998... , Nordic combined (cross-country skiing) |
20,000 | |
| 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... |
Bobsleigh Bobsleigh at the 1998 Winter Olympics -Two-man:Huber lead Lueders by 0.05 seconds after the first run. Leuders picked up 0.02 seconds in the next two runs. Prior to the start of the fourth run, Lueders turned to Huber and asked "Can you imagine if we tied this thing?" After the fourth run, Tartaglia stated "In the end, it felt like... , Luge Luge at the 1998 Winter Olympics -Men's singles:-Doubles:-Women's singles:Kraushaar led by 0.019 seconds after the first run, but Niedernhuber took the lead of 0.056 seconds after the second run. Kraushaar made up 0.050 seconds in the third run and 0.008 more seconds in the final run to win this event by the equivalent of... |
10,000 | |
| White Ring | Figure skating Figure skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics -Medal table:-Medalists:-Men:The favourites and top two after the short program were Ilia Kulik and Elvis Stojko, who would skate first and last, respectively. Medal contenders Alexei Yagudin, Todd Eldredge and Philippe Candeloro went in between... , Short track speed skating Short track speed skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympic Games Short Track Speed Skating competition results were as follows.-500m:-1,000m:-5,000m relay:-500m:-1,000m:-3,000m relay:-References:*... |
7,351 | |
Before the Olympics
Nagano first attempted to host the Winter Olympics in 19401940 Winter Olympics
The anticipated 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were to be celebrated in 1940 in Sapporo, Japan.The games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II...
, but lost out to Sapporo. Those Olympics were abandoned in 1937 when Japan invaded China for the second time
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, forcing Sapporo's withdrawal. The city tried again for the Winter Olympics in 1968
1968 Winter Olympics
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on 6 February. Thirty-seven countries participated...
in 1961, but lost out in domestic voting to Sapporo who in turn lost out to Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1964. Sapporo would host the Winter Olympics finally in 1972
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...
. A third time for the Winter Olympics began in 1983 with a full bid for the Winter Games approved two years later. With the bid committee established in 1986 and lessons learned from previous mistakes, Nagano's bid for the Winter Olympics in Japan was approved in 1989. A revamped bid committee was launched later that year with presentations given to the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) in 1990. When the IOC session was in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in September 1990, Nagano was among the cities launching promotional campaign for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The following June at the IOC session 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Nagano was awarded the 1998 Games in the fifth round, defeating Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by four votes.
Karuizawa
Karuizawa, Nagano
is a town located in Kitasaku District, Nagano, Japan.As of January 1, 2008, the town has an estimated population of 17,833 and has a total area of ....
, near Nagano, played host to the World Allround Speed Skating Championships
World Allround Speed Skating Championships
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
in 1963 and the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day...
in 1986. For 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, Karuizawa played host to the equestrian
Equestrian at the 1964 Summer Olympics
The Equestrian Events at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo included Show Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. All three disciplines had both individual and team competitions. The competitions were held from October 16, 1964 to October 24, 1964...
events.
Site selection for events were adjusted between the time of bidding and the actual games. For the alpine skiing women's downhill, women's super-g, women's giant slalom, and men's giant slalom were moved from Mount Higashidate to Mount Yakebitai following a 1993 inspection by the International Ski Federation
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
(FIS). Biathlon was planned to be at a new venue in the Kamishiro area of Habuka. The venue was moved to Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort following an environmental assessment of the area that included nests of goshawks and buzzard
Buzzard
A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
s under CITES, the 1973 global endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
act better known as the "Washington Convention", before construction began. Figure skating was planned originally for a municipally owned gymnasium in Nagano, but was abandoned to it not having enough room for expansion. Meanwhile, short track speed skating was planned to take place on renovated city property, but the venue's popularity with local residents changed that plan. As a result, White Ring Arena was constructed to accommodate both figure and short track speed skating. Alpine combined was set to have the downhill part at Happo'one Resort and the slalom part at Mount Yakebitai, but the logistical differences in adverse weather conditions forced the slalom part to be moved to Happo'one Resort.
Venue construction started in 1990 and was completed prior to the 1998 Winter Games. Temporary facility construction started in June 1997 and was completed in time for the 1998 Games.
For test events, M-Wave Arena in Nagano hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships in 1997. That same year
FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships 1997
The 1997 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships were held between February 6th and February 9th at the Iizuna Kogen Ski Area in Japan. The World Championships featured both men's and women's events in the Moguls, Aerials, and Acro Skiing, and a men's Combined event...
, the Iizuna Kogen Ski Area hosted the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships
FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships
The FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships is the world championship organized by the FIS for Freestyle Skiing. It was first organized in 1986 and is now held every odd year. Currently, the events included in the world championships are Moguls, Dual Moguls, Aerials, Ski cross, Slopestyle and Half-pipe...
. The biggest test event controversy occurred at the Happo'one Resort for the men's downhill event in February 1996 when the FIS, supported by most of the leading skiers, stated that the 1.68 km (1 mi) was too short. The request by FIS and the skiers was to move the start of the course up either by 0.12 km (0.0745647283979768 mi) or 15 seconds. The Nagano Organizing Committee (NAOC) refused to move the course on the grounds that it be moved into a protected national park Special Zone and that it would contradict one of NAOC's Vision of Coexistence with the environment. The FIS pointed out that over 600,000 skiers annually participated in that zone annually, and asked why Olympic-class skiers could not compete in that same area. A threat to not hold the event in Japan was also issued by the FIS. It would not be until 1–2 November 1997 before a compromise could be reached among the FIS, IOC, and NAOC where the start was moved up 0.085 km (0.0528166826152336 mi) to its final length of 1.765 km (1.1 mi).
During the Olympics
Kazakoshi Park Arena in Karuizawa gave the city its distinction as the only one to ever host both Summer and Winter Olympic events.Weather was a major role in the outdoor events. Heavy rain at the Spiral cancelled the second run of the bobsleigh four-man event. Seven of the ten events in alpine skiing were delayed by weather, four of which were the women's.
Snow Harp had the men's 30 km take place after 18 hours of heavy, wet snowfall which was won by Finland
Finland at the 1998 Winter Olympics
-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenMen's combinedWomen- Biathlon:MenMen's 4 x 7.5 km relayWomen1A penalty loop of 150 metres had to be skied per missed target. 2One minute added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing:Men...
's Mika Myllylä
Mika Myllylä
Mika Kristian Myllylä was a Finnish cross country skier who competed from 1992 to 2005. He won six medals at the Winter Olympics, earning one gold , one silver , and four bronzes .Myllylä also won a total of nine medals at the...
. The women's 5 km event was held in a snowstorm while the women's 10 km combined event was held during a steady rain. Both events were won by Russia
Russia at the 1998 Winter Olympics
-Medalists:- Alpine skiing :MenWomen- Biathlon :MenWomen- Bobsleigh :- Cross-country skiing :MenWomen- Figure skating :- Freestyle skiing :MenWomen- Ice hockey :Men*Head coach: Vladimir Yurzinov...
's Larissa Lazutina. In the men's 4 x 10 km relay, Norway
Norway at the 1998 Winter Olympics
-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenMen's combinedWomenWomen's combined- Biathlon:MenMen's 4 x 7.5 km relayWomenWomen's 4 x 7.5 km relay1A penalty loop of 150 metres had to be skied per missed target....
avenged their loss to Italy
Italy at the 1998 Winter Olympics
-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenMen's combinedWomenWomen's combined- Biathlon:MenMen's 4 x 7.5 km relayWomen1A penalty loop of 150 metres had to be skied per missed target. 2One minute added per missed target....
in this event four years earlier
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...
at Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
with Thomas Alsgaard
Thomas Alsgaard
Thomas Alsgaard is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. Alsgaard is regarded by many as the best performer of the skate-style in cross-country skiing and many of today's best skiers have studied his technique...
edging out Silvio Fauner
Silvio Fauner
Silvio Fauner is an Italian former cross country skier who competed from 1988. His best known victory was part of the 4 × 10 km relay team that upset Norway at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer...
by 0.2 seconds, the closest event finish in Olympic history.
During the ski jumping individual normal hill event at the Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium, the final two jumpers on the second jump were delayed from their jumps to high winds. Finland's Jani Soininen
Jani Soininen
Jani Markus Soininen is a former Finnish ski jumper who competed from 1992 to 2001. He won two medals the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, earning a gold in the individual normal hill and a silver in the individual large hill.His biggest successes were at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships,...
jumped 89 meters to advance one point ahead of Japan
Japan at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Japan was the host nation for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. It was the second time that Japan has hosted the Winter Games, after the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, and the third time overall, after the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.-Medalists:...
's Kazuyoshi Funaki
Kazuyoshi Funaki
, born April 27, 1975 in Yoichi, Hokkaido) is a Japanese ski jumper.He ranked among the most successful sportsmen of its discipline, particularly in the 1990s. Funaki is known for his special variant of the V-style technique, where the body lies flat....
. Funaki's teammate Masahiko Harada
Masahiko Harada
is a Japanese ski jumper. He is best remembered for a meltdown at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer and his subsequent redemption at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano....
, who led after the first jump, needed a jump of 88 meters to win gold, but only jumped 84.5 meters and ended up in fifth place. Soininen would later complain bitterly about the officials' decision despite his gold medal win. In the individual large hill event, Funaki jumped so far that he landed beyond the video measuring area which resulted in the distance being measured manually. Funaki's jump was recorded as 132.5 meters and it also garnered perfect style points. The Japanese ski jumper would win gold in the event.
Both Nordic combined events had their cross-country portions held in pouring rains. Norway won the team event while Norwegian Bjarte Engen Vik
Bjarte Engen Vik
Bjarte Engen Vik is a former Norwegian nordic combined athlete. He won the FIS World Cup overall twice, in 1997/98 and 1998/99 with a total of 24 wins...
won the individual event.
Fog led to cancellation of the biathlon's men's 10 km sprint event and a rescheduling of the event the following day. At the time of the cancellation 16 of the 73 skiers had completed the course, including the leader Aleksandr Popov of Belarus
Belarus at the 1998 Winter Olympics
-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:Men- Biathlon:MenMen's 4 x 7.5 km relayWomenWomen's 4 x 7.5 km relay1A penalty loop of 150 metres had to be skied per missed target. 2One minute added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing:Men...
. When the race was rerun the next day, Popov skied poorly and finished 55th, leading Belarusian president
President of Belarus
The office of President of Belarus is the head of state of Belarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of the Constitution of Belarus by the Supreme Soviet. This replaced the office of Chairman of the Supreme Soviet as the head of state...
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
, who was present at the first race, to call the cancellation "a mafia-style injustice". The rerun race would be won by Norway's Ole Einar Bjørndalen
Ole Einar Bjørndalen
Ole Einar Bjørndalen is a Norwegian professional biathlete. He is often regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time. In 1992, he won his first career medal at the junior world championships. A year later In 1993, after winning a record three junior world championship titles, Bjørndalen...
who was leading Popov during the first run after 8 km before the event was cancelled.
Gusty winds at the Iizuna Kogen Ski Area affected the women's aerials freestyle skiing event which was won by America
United States at the 1998 Winter Olympics
The United States competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.- Medalists :- Alpine skiing:MenMen's combinedWomenWomen's combined- Biathlon:MenMen's 4 x 7.5 km relayWomen...
's Nikki Stone
Nikki Stone
Nicole 'Nikki' Stone is a former American Olympic skier....
.
After the Olympics
M-Wave Arena hosted the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in 2004. The arena hosted the World Single Distance ChampionshipsWorld Single Distance Championships
The World Single Distance Championships are a series of speed skating competitions organised by the International Skating Union.-History:Since the late 19th century, speed skating championships were always decided by racing multiple distances – four different distances for the allround...
in 2000 and 2008.
The Spiral hosted the skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
portion of the FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships
The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...
in 2003
FIBT World Championships 2003
The FIBT World Championships 2003 took place in Lake Placid, New York, United States , Winterberg, Germany , and Nagano, Japan . Lake Placid hosted the championship event for the eighth time, doing so previously in 1949, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, and 1997...
. The following year
FIL World Luge Championships 2004
The FIL World Luge Championships 2004 took place February 13-15, 2004 at the Spiral track in Nagano, Japan. This marked the first time the event took place in Asia.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:...
, the venue hosted the FIL World Luge Championships, the only time as of 2010 that the championships have taken place in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.