1998 Winter Paralympics
The 1998 Winter Paralympics (第七回パラリンピック冬季競技大会, Dai Shichi-kai Pararinpikku Tōkikyōgi Taikai), the seventh Winter Paralympics, were held alongside the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from 5 to 14 March 1998. They were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held outside Europe. 571 athletes competed in Nagano; it still remains the highest number of athletes competing at any Winter Paralympics.[1]
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| Host city | Nagano, Japan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Motto | Games from the Heart (Japanese: 心からの大会) | ||
| Nations | 32 | ||
| Athletes | 571 | ||
| Events | 122 in 4 sports | ||
| Opening | 5 March | ||
| Closing | 14 March | ||
| Opened by | |||
| Cauldron | Naoya Maruyama | ||
| Stadium | M-Wave | ||
| Winter | |||
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| Summer | |||
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Sports
The games consisted of 34 events in four sports: alpine skiing, ice sledge hockey, Ice sledge racing, and nordic skiing. The sport of Nordic skiing comprised two disciplines, the biathlon and cross-country skiing.[2][3]
Alpine skiing
Sledge hockey
Ice sledge racing- Nordic skiing
Venues
In total 7 venues were used at the 1998 Winter Olympics around 4 cities and towns.[4]
Nagano
- M-Wave – opening/closing ceremonies, ice sledge racing
- Aqua Wing Arena – ice sledge hockey
Hakuba
- Happo'one Resort: Alpine skiing (Downhill and Super-G)
- Snow Harp, Kamishiro: Cross-country skiing
Nozawaonsen
- Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort: Biathlon
Yamanouchi
- Mount Higashidate: Alpine skiing (giant slalom)
- Mount Yakebitai, Shiga Kogen Resort: Alpine skiing (slalom)
Medal table
The top 10 NPCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation (Japan) is highlighted.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Norway | 18 | 9 | 13 | 40 |
| 2 |  Germany | 14 | 17 | 13 | 44 |
| 3 |  United States | 13 | 8 | 13 | 34 |
| 4 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Japan* | 12 | 16 | 13 | 41 |
| 5 |  Russia | 12 | 10 | 9 | 31 |
| 6 |  Switzerland | 10 | 5 | 8 | 23 |
| 7 |  Spain | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 8 |  Austria | 7 | 16 | 11 | 34 |
| 9 |  Finland | 7 | 5 | 7 | 19 |
| 10 |  France | 5 | 9 | 8 | 22 |
| Totals (10 nations) | 106 | 95 | 95 | 296 | |
Participants
Thirty-one National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) entered athletes at the 1998 Winter Paralympics. The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants from each NPC.[5]
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Mascot
| Parabbit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mascot of the 1998 Winter Paralympics (Nagano) |
The 1998 Winter Paralympics Mascot was Parabbit.
Opening Ceremony
The theme of the Opening Ceremony was Hope, and inspired by a painting by George Frederic Watts. The theme also signifies it was the first Winter Paralympics held in Asia and the last Paralympics of the 20th century.[3]
See also
References
- "Winter Games Overview". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- "Nagano 1998". International Paralympic Committee. 4 October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009.
- "Nagano 1998". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- "Schedule of the Nagano Paralympics". Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- https://www.paralympic.org/nagano-1998/results/participants
External links
- International Paralympic Committee
- The event at SVT's open archive (in Swedish)
- The event at Nagano Shinano Mainich Shimbum
| Preceded by Lillehammer |
Winter Paralympics Nagano VII Paralympic Winter Games (1998) |
Succeeded by Salt Lake City |