page_title: 1998 Winter Olympics
section_title: Medals ceremony
hierarchical_section_title: 1998 Winter Olympics / The Games / Ceremonies / Medals ceremony
caption_attribution_description: A set of 1998 Winter Olympics medals on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame
context_page_description: The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, and commonly known as Nagano 1998, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 that were centered in Nagano, Japan. The Games also took place in the nearby mountain communities of Hakuba, Karuizawa, Nozawa Onsen, and Yamanouuchi. The city of Nagano had previously been a candidate to host the 1940 Winter Olympics, as well as the 1972 Winter Olympics, but each time Nagano was eliminated at the national level by Sapporo.
  The games hosted 2,176 athletes from 72 nations competing in 7 sports and 68 events. The number of athletes and participating nations were a record at the time. The Games saw the introduction of women's ice hockey, curling and snowboarding. National Hockey League players were allowed to participate in the men's ice hockey for the first time. Five countries, Azerbaijan, Kenya, Macedonia, Uruguay, and Venezuela made their debut at the Winter Olympics.
  The athlete who won the most medals at these games was the Russian cross-country skier Larisa Lazutina who won five medals, including three gold.
context_section_description: The medal ceremonies for indoor events (skating, ice hockey, and curling) took place immediately after the finals at the venues, with the exception of the bronze medal matches for the ice hockey events which took place immediately after the bronze medal matches. For events that took place outside (skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh and luge), a simple ceremony was arranged where bouquets of flowers were awarded, and their medal ceremonies took place that evening in the Central Square in Nagano City, approximately midway between Nagano Station and Zenkō-ji. A short fanfare of music was placed, the athletes arrived, and the medals, in the order of gold, silver, and bronze, were given with flowers. Finally, the nationally flags of the athletes were raised, and the national anthem of the winning athlete(s) was played. In all, 167,200 people attended the medal ceremonies, which took place at 7:00 pm each night. Music and dance performances took place before and the awarding of medals.
  The medals awarded to the top three finishers measured 80mm in diameter and 9.7 mm in thickness. The gold medals weighed 256g, the silver medals weighed 250g, and the bronze medals weighed 230g. These medals were made using a traditional Japanese lacquerware technique known as 漆器 (shikki). To make the medals, a brass core is imprinted with the design by layering gold powder onto the wet lacquer using a technique called maki-e. On the front of the medals are borders of olive leaves, and in the center, a maki-e morning sun rises over a cloisonné emblem of the Nagano Olympics. On the back side, the snowflower emblem of the Games sits above a maki-e image of the mountains surrounding Nagano glowing in the morning sun rise. Artisans from the region of Kiso, Nagano handcrafted the initial lacquering, and the medal was completed at the Mint Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Finance.
  In addition to the top three athletes in each event, more than 19,000 commemorative medals were given to all athletes, offices, members of the IOC, media personnel, and others. These medals, made by the Mint Bureau in cooperation with NAOC, were made with an alloy of 90% copper and 10% zinca. Diplomas, written in Japanese, French, and English, were given to the top eight finishers in each event, and all participants received a commemorative diploma.
caption: The silver, gold and bronze medals.
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