XVIII Olympic Winter Games

XVIII Olympic Winter Games
▪ 1999
by MELINDA C. SHEPHERD
      On Feb. 6, 1998, the bell at the 1,350-year-old Buddhist temple Zenkoji in Nagano, Japan, welcomed the world to celebrate the XVIII Olympic Winter Games. For the next 16 days Nagano, located in the Japanese Alps 220 km (137 mi) northwest of Tokyo, played host to 2,450 athletes representing 72 national Olympic committees from every inhabited continent, including countries as far away as Israel, Kenya, and Chile. The opening ceremonies, which were broadcast around the world, featured 150 local children, a traditional Japanese purification ritual, and a ceremonial blessing by American-born sumo wrestler Akebono.

      Medals were awarded in 68 events, including the recently added sports of curling, snowboarding, and women's ice hockey. In the end, 24 countries won at least one medal. Germany led the medal standings with a total of 29 (12 gold), followed by Norway (25 total), Russia (18), Austria (17), Canada (15), and the U.S. (13). Japan finished with 10 medals, 5 of them gold.

      For the first time, the National Hockey League (NHL) suspended its regular season in order to allow professionals to participate in the Olympics, but the favoured Americans and Canadians were overshadowed by the gold-medal-winning Czech Republic, led by NHL star goalie Dominik Hasek. (See BIOGRAPHIES (Hasek, Dominik ).) The Americans dominated women's ice hockey, however, winning that sport's first gold medal 3-1 over second-place Canada. In speed skating the introduction of the Dutch-designed clapskate into the Games caused a stir as the world or Olympic record fell in every event. Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann of Germany won three individual medals, raising her career total to eight. (See BIOGRAPHIES (Niemann-Stirnemann, Gunda ).) In figure skating 15-year-old world champion Tara Lipinski (see BIOGRAPHIES (Lipinski, Tara Kristen )) gave a sparkling performance in the free skate to come from behind after the short program and defeat fellow American Michelle Kwan.

      On the slopes Hermann Maier of Austria recovered from a devastating crash in the Alpine downhill to capture two gold medals. (See BIOGRAPHIES (Maier, Hermann ).) Nordic skiing was dominated by Larissa Lazutina of Russia, who medaled in every women's race, and Bjørn Dæhlie of Norway (see BIOGRAPHIES (Daehlie, Bjorn )), whose four medals (including three golds) raised his career total to 12 and made him the most medaled athlete in Winter Olympic history. Snowboarder Ross Rebagliati of Canada was temporarily stripped of his gold medal when he tested positive for marijuana, but the medal was reinstated after the Court for Arbitration of Sport ruled that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had never specifically placed marijuana on its list of banned substances. The IOC later announced that in the future marijuana and other recreational drugs would be added to the list.

      In other sports, Georg Hackl of Germany (see BIOGRAPHIES (Hackl, Georg )) won his third consecutive gold medal in singles luge. Masahiko ("Happy") Harada (see BIOGRAPHIES (Harada, Masahiko )) made up for a poor showing at the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Nor., and a disastrous first jump with a spectacular 137-m (450-ft) second jump to help Japan win the team gold in ski jumping.

Melinda C. Shepherd is associate editor of Encyclopædia Britannica Yearbooks.

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