# Canonical recap data for 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics (1998)
# Source: https://recap.at/1998/1998-nagano-olympics
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: 1998-nagano-olympics
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1998/1998-nagano-olympics"
title: 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics
aliases:
- Nagano 1998
- XVIII Olympic Winter Games
- 1998 Winter Olympics
subtitle: Japan hosted the Winter Games for the first time, cementing its status as a premier sports nation and modernizing the alpine prefecture.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1998-02-07
endDate: 1998-02-22
datePrecision: day
year: 1998
decade: 1990
country:
name: Japan
slug: japan
summaryShort: The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games  and commonly known as Nagano 1998, were a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with some events taking place in the nearby mountain communities of Hakuba, Karuizawa, Nozawa Onsen, and Y
summaryLong: The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games  and commonly known as Nagano 1998, were a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with some events taking place in the nearby mountain communities of Hakuba, Karuizawa, Nozawa Onsen, and Yamanouchi. The city of Nagano had previously been a candidate to host the 1940 Winter Olympics, as well as the 1972 Winter Olympics, but had been eliminated at the national level by Sapporo on both occasions.
lede: Japan hosted the Winter Olympics in Nagano from February 7–22, 1998, marking the first Winter Games in Asia. The event drew 2,176 athletes from 72 nations competing across 68 events, and became notable for Nagano's subsequent struggles with Olympic debt and infrastructure use-a pattern that would influence how future host cities approached Winter Olympics planning.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Asahi_Danchi_with_M-Wave.jpg/1280px-Asahi_Danchi_with_M-Wave.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Naganojmmmm · via Wikipedia
importance: 68
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Dates
  value: February 7–22, 1998
- label: Host city
  value: Nagano, Japan
- label: Athletes competing
  value: 2,176
- label: Nations represented
  value: "72"
- label: Events held
  value: "68"
- label: Estimated cost
  value: Approximately $7–9 billion USD in total Olympic-related expenditures.
- label: Post-Games debt
  value: Approximately $2.1 billion
- label: First Winter Olympics in
  value: Asia
timeline:
- date: 1990-06-15
  title: Nagano selected as host
  description: The International Olympic Committee chose Nagano as the host city for the 1998 Winter Olympics at the 96th IOC Session, making it the first Winter Games held in Asia.
- date: 1998-02-07
  title: Opening ceremony
  description: The XVIII Olympic Winter Games officially opened in Nagano with a ceremony attended by Emperor Akihito and approximately 38,000 spectators.
- date: 1998-02-09
  title: Tara Lipinski wins figure skating gold.
  description: American figure skater Tara Lipinski, age 15, won gold in the ladies' singles, becoming the youngest individual gold medalist at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
- date: 1998-02-13
  title: Anja Pärson debuts
  description: Swedish alpine skier Anja Pärson competed in her first Olympics at age 16, beginning a career that would span five Winter Games.
- date: 1998-02-22
  title: Closing ceremony
  description: The Games concluded with a closing ceremony, ending the first Winter Olympics held on the Asian continent.
- date: 2002-01-01
  title: Debt accumulation visible
  description: Years after the Games, Nagano Prefecture acknowledged accumulated debt exceeding $2 billion, raising questions about Olympic financial sustainability.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Winter_Olympics"
  title: 1998 Nagano
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: "Nagano 1998 opened the Winter Olympics to Asia for the first time, expanding the Games' geographic reach beyond Europe and North America. The event exposed longstanding structural problems in Olympic host-city economics: Nagano accumulated roughly $2.1 billion in debt and left behind underused venues, forcing policymakers to reconsider how cities bid for and plan Winter Games."
categories:
- sports
metaDescription: "The 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics: Japan's first Winter Games, 2,176 athletes, and a cautionary debt lesson."
wikidataQid: Q9664
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20031218185936/http://en.wikipedia.org:80/wiki/1998_Winter_Olympics"
  capturedAt: 2003-12-18
  label: 1998 Nagano
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Winter_Olympics"
taxonomy:
domain: sports
eventTypes:
- tournament
canonicalClasses:
- competition
- celebration
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Asahi_Danchi_with_M-Wave.jpg/1280px-Asahi_Danchi_with_M-Wave.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Asahi_Danchi_with_M-Wave.jpg/800px-Asahi_Danchi_with_M-Wave.jpg"
  caption: This is a photo of M-Wave with the four-storey apartment complex that served as the Media Village during the 1998 Winter Olympics.
  credit: Naganojmmmm · via Wikipedia
  width: 4032
  height: 3024
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/1998_Events_Collage_2.0.jpg/1280px-1998_Events_Collage_2.0.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/1998_Events_Collage_2.0.jpg/800px-1998_Events_Collage_2.0.jpg"
  caption: 1998 Events Collage 2.0
  credit: |-
    Christophe95
    Rebecca Roth
    Ardfern
    Office of the Director of National Intelligence 1998 Press Releases, now not further online. Contact: John M. Robinson, Chief EEO, ODNI
    LiveJu99
    Aero Icarus
    Dddeco
    Unknown photographer
  width: 930
  height: 840
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Stylized_Nagao_Olympics_manhole_cover_with_tactile_paving.jpg/1280px-Stylized_Nagao_Olympics_manhole_cover_with_tactile_paving.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Stylized_Nagao_Olympics_manhole_cover_with_tactile_paving.jpg/800px-Stylized_Nagao_Olympics_manhole_cover_with_tactile_paving.jpg"
  caption: Stylized Nagao Olympics manhole cover with tactile paving
  credit: Naganojmmmm
  width: 3024
  height: 4032
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Central_Square_and_Nagano_Olympic_Memorial_Park.jpg/1280px-Central_Square_and_Nagano_Olympic_Memorial_Park.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Central_Square_and_Nagano_Olympic_Memorial_Park.jpg/800px-Central_Square_and_Nagano_Olympic_Memorial_Park.jpg"
  caption: Central Square and Nagano Olympic Memorial Park
  credit: Kazakura
  width: 5504
  height: 3096
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Number of athletes competing
  thenValue: 2,176
  thenYear: 1998
  nowValue: 2,872
  nowYear: 2022
  note: Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
- metric: Countries participating
  thenValue: "72"
  thenYear: 1998
  nowValue: "91"
  nowYear: 2022
- metric: Events contested
  thenValue: "68"
  thenYear: 1998
  nowValue: "109"
  nowYear: 2022
- metric: Total cost to host
  thenValue: $1.4 billion
  thenYear: 1998
  nowValue: $6.4 billion
  nowYear: 2022
  note: Beijing 2022 estimated costs
- metric: Winter Olympic Games held in Asia
  thenValue: "2"
  thenYear: 1998
  nowValue: "3"
  nowYear: 2022
  note: Nagano 1998, Salt Lake City 2002 (North America), Beijing 2022
consequences:
- title: Nagano Winter Olympics corruption scandal
  year: 1999
  description: In February 1999, less than a year after Nagano, the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics was engulfed in a bribery scandal when it was revealed that organizers had given gifts and benefits to International Olympic Committee members. The scandal led to resignations of Salt Lake City officials and prompted the IOC to reform its bidding process under Juan Antonio Samaranch's leadership.
- title: Japan's economic stagnation deepens
  year: 2000
  description: Despite hosting a successful Olympics in 1998, Japan's economy continued its slide into the Lost Decade. The games failed to provide the sustained economic boost organizers had hoped for, as deflationary pressures and stagnant growth persisted through the early 2000s.
- title: Winter Olympics expansion in Asia
  year: 2018
  description: PyeongChang, South Korea hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics, marking the second Winter Olympics in Asia after Nagano. The event demonstrated growing Asian interest in and capacity to host Winter Games, contrasting with the relative rarity of Asian Winter Olympic hosts historically.
- title: Nagano's post-Olympic venue legacy challenges
  year: 2010
  description: By 2010, many of Nagano's Olympic venues faced ongoing maintenance costs and underutilization, a problem common to Winter Olympic host cities. This highlighted the long-term financial burden on host communities for specialized winter sports infrastructure.
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: The Boy Is Mine
  artist: Brandy and Monica
  year: 1998
- title: Too Close
  artist: Next
  year: 1997
- title: Believe
  artist: Cher
  year: 1998
- title: I Will Follow You Into the Dark
  artist: Death Cab for Cutie
  note: Released 2003, not contemporary
topFilms:
- title: Titanic
  year: 1997
  note: Still dominant in theaters during Nagano in early 1998
- title: Deep Blue Sea
  year: 1999
- title: The Mask of Zorro
  year: 1998
- title: Lost in Space
  year: 1998
topTVShows:
- title: Seinfeld
  year: 1998
  note: Final seasons airing during this period
- title: Friends
  note: Peak viewership in mid-to-late 1990s
- title: The X-Files
  note: Height of cultural popularity in late 1990s
zeitgeistNote: "1998 was the height of late-90s pop culture dominance: teen pop (Britney Spears' debut was imminent), R&B and hip-hop were flourishing, and blockbuster action films ruled. The internet was still dial-up and novelty; mobile phones were not yet ubiquitous. The Winter Olympics received solid television ratings in Japan but competed with mainstream entertainment in Western markets."
relatedQueries:
- 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics results medals
- Nagano 1998 ice skating scandal
- 1998 Winter Olympics torch lighting ceremony
- Nagano 1998 snowboarding halfpipe
- 1998 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Japan
- Nagano 1998 downhill skiing
- Winter Olympics history Asia
- 1998 Nagano weather conditions
