is an indoor

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

in Nagano,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

with a capacity of 10,104 seated spectators. Its official name is the ''Nagano Wakasato Tamokuteki Sports Arena''. The arena was completed and officially opened on December 10, 1995.

Location

Big Hat is the most central of the

venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics 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 ...

that were constructed in the city of Nagano, approximately 2 km south of

Nagano Station is a railway station in the city of Nagano in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The station is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the private railway operator Nagano Electric Railway (Nagaden). Lines Nagano Station is served by the f ...

. White Ring, the venue for the

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

and

short track speed skating Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice skating, ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of . The rink itself is long by wide, which is the s ...

is a further 3.5 km south.

Nagano Olympic Stadium is a baseball stadium in Nagano, Nagano, Japan. It was used for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The stadium holds 35,000 people. The stadium is the finishing point for the annual Nagano Olympic Commemorative Ma ...

, where the opening and closing ceremonies were held, is 8 km south of Big Hat.

M-Wave , or , is a covered speed skating oval in the city of Nagano, Japan. M-Wave, which opened in November, 1996, was constructed for the speed skating events at the 1998 Winter Olympics. It was Japan's first International Skating Union (ISU) stand ...

, where the long-track

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors racing, race each other in travelling a certain distance on Ice skate, skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marath ...

events took place, is 5 km to the east. Finally, Aqua Wing Arena, which was the

B arena, is 5.3 km to the north of Big Hat.

Events

The

games from the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

, including the men's and women's finals, were held at this arena. The rink still serves as the location of the Nagano Cup, an annual ice hockey tournament held to commemorate the 1998 games, as well as many

competitions. The Wakasato hall in the complex features a stage and theater seating, and frequently serves as a venue for music recitals and public meetings.

Specifications

*Building area: 12,050 m2 *Total floor area: 25,240 m2 *Structure: Reinforced concrete, 4 floors above ground, 1 basement below *Capacity: 5,000

References

External links

1998 Winter Olympics official report.
Volume 2. pp. 219-22.

Big Hat Information (Japanese)
{{Olympic venues in ice hockey Basketball venues in Japan Buildings and structures completed in 1995 Indoor arenas in Japan Indoor ice hockey venues in Japan Venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics Olympic ice hockey venues Shinshu Brave Warriors Sports venues completed in 1995 Sports venues in Nagano Prefecture 1995 establishments in Japan Sport in Nagano (city)

Location

Events

Specifications

See also

References

External links