, or , is a covered

speed skating oval A speed skating rink (or speed skating oval) is an ice rink in which a speed skating competition is held. The rink A standard long track speed skating track is, according to the regulations of the International Skating Union (ISU), a double-laned t ...

in the city of Nagano, Japan. M-Wave, which opened in November, 1996, was constructed for the

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

events at 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 ...

. It was Japan's first International Skating Union (ISU) standard indoor 400m double-track, and only second indoor track speed skating in Japan. The other,

Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval The Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval, also known as the Obihiro Forest Speed Skating Oval, is an indoor track for speed skating in the city of Obihiro on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. The hall was opened in September 2009 as the second indoor track ...

, is located in

Obihiro, Hokkaido is a city in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi area. As of February 29, 2020, the city has an estimated population of 165,851. The next most populous municipality in Tokachi is the adj ...

. In addition to the 1998 Winter Olympics, the

2002 World Figure Skating Championships The 2002 World Figure Skating Championships were held at the M-Wave Arena in Nagano, Japan from March 16 to 24, sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skatin ...

, various ISU world speed skating championships and speed skating world cups, and the 2005 Special Winter Olympics were held. Outside the winter business, other sporting events, large-scale exhibitions and concerts are held. M-Wave is located in the eastern sections of Nagano City, in the communities of and , near the

Chikuma River The , known as the in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing g ...

and the city of . M-Wave is located within short distance of four other venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics. It is 3 kilometers from the Aqua Wing Arena, which hosted

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 h ...

; 5 kilometers from Big Hat, which also hosted ice hockey; 6 kilometers from

White Ring (arena) The White Ring is an indoor sporting arena located in Nagano, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 7,000 people. It was a venue at the 1998 Winter Olympics, hosting the figure skating and short track speed skating events.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 m ...

and

short track speed skating Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive 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 same size as a ...

events; and 11 kilometers from

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 ...

, which was used for the opening and closing ceremonies. The skating rink operates from October to March, with the 400-m speed skating oval and a regulation-size ice hockey rink inside the oval. M-Wave was constructed at a cost of 348 billion yen as a speed skating venue for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The building's name, M-Wave comes from its distinct shape which is designed to resemble the surrounding mountains. The building, which was the recipient of the Special Award by the British

Institution of Structural Engineers The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. The Institution has over 30,000 members operating in over 100 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation ...

, is one of the largest hanging wooden roof structures in the world. The arena has a capacity of 18,000. The M-Wave is equipped with movable stands and an automatically winding artificial lawn machine. The two movable stands, each of which have seating for 1,210 spectators, allow the arena to be converted into various configurations including concert hall or a football field.

History

Construction of the M-Wave was completed on November 21, 1996. It was the fourth Nagano Winter Olympic venue to be completed. In 1998, The M-Wave had projected annual maintenance costs of 524 million yen. Nagano City commissioned a

public–private partnership A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Review, Public Adminis ...

company, M-Wave Corporation, to operate the arena. In a report of venue costs and usage 20 years after the Olympics, M-Wave and Spiral, which was used for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton were singled out as examples of successful usage. In particular, M-Wave remains profitable. The economic ripple effect from the National Junior High School Skating Championships, which have taken place at M-Wave and Big Hat every year since 2008, alone brings in 250 million yen. M-Wave Corporation operates M-Wave and Big Hat, which is now a multipurpose sport, theatre, and meeting venue. Since January, 2019, the president of M-Wave Corporation is Shinichi Takizawa, formerly of JTB Corporation and past managing director of the Nagano Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Speed Skating Championship Events

1997 World Allround Speed Skating Championships

The

1997 World Allround Speed Skating Championships The 1997 World Allround Speed Skating Championships were held on 14–16 February 1997 in the M-Wave stadium in Nagano, Japan. Title defenders were the 1996 world champions Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann from Germany and Rintje Ritsma from the Nethe ...

were held between February 14 and 16, 1997 at the M-Wave. The Allround Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. Over two days, skaters race the 500m and 1000m on two days each, each once in the inner lane and once in the outer lane, for both races. The 1997 event was held as a test event for M-Wave in preparation for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The women's medalists were

Gunda Niemann Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (née Kleemann, born 7 September 1966) is a German former speed skater. She is a three-time Olympic gold medallist, winning the 3000 metres in 1992 and 1998 and the 5000 metres in 1992. She won a total of eight Olympic m ...

- gold, Claudia Pechstein - silver, and

Tonny de Jong Tonny de Jong (born 17 July 1974) is a former Dutch speed skater, who was raised in Heerenveen and now lives in Calgary with Canadian speed skater Mark Knoll, whom she married in 2003. She won three Dutch Allround Championships and numerous go ...

- bronze. The men's medalists were

Ids Postma Ids Hylke Postma (born 28 December 1973) is a Dutch former speed skater. He is an Olympic gold medalist and former world champion. In 1993 Postma finished 2nd at the Speedskating World Championships for Juniors. In his first year as senior skate ...

- gold, Keiji Shirahata - silver, and

Frank Dittrich Frank Dittrich (born 23 December 1967) is a German former speed skater. His specialties were the stayer distances. Biography Frank Dittrich was an excellent skater on the stayer distances 5000 and 10,000 meters. During several World Single Dist ...

- bronze.

1998 Winter Olympics

During the 1998 Winter Olympics, M-Wave hosted the long—track speed skating events between 8 February and 20 February. In all, ten events were contested, five each in women's and men's speed skating: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, and 5000m for both men and mown, and 3000m for women and 10,000m for men. A total of 25 nations participated in long-track speed skating at these games, with eight nations winning medals, including the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

with eleven,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

with six,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with five, and host nation Japan with three. Nine athletes were multiple medal winners. Both Marianne Timmer and

Gianni Romme Gianni Petrus Cornelis Romme (born 12 February 1973) is a Dutch marathoner and a former long track speed skater. He won two gold medals at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and was the World all-round champion in 2000 and 2003. Romme has been a ...

won two gold medals each. Both Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann and

Rintje Ritsma Robert Rintje Ritsma (born 13 April 1970) is a Dutch former long track speed skater. His nickname is the ''Beer van Lemmer'', which translates to the Bear from Lemmer, analogous to Igor Zhelezovski's nickname "The Bear from Minsk", both of which ...

won three medals each. Other multiple medal winners were

Catriona Le May Doan Catriona Ann Le May Doan, (born December 23, 1970) is a retired Canadian speed skater and a double Olympic champion in the 500 m and served as the chef de mission for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Career Speed skatin ...

, Claudia Pechstein,

Chris Witty Christine Diane Witty (born June 23, 1975) is an American speed skater and racing cyclist and participated in the Olympic Games in both sports. She won medals at both 1000 and 1500 meters in the 1998 Winter Olympics. In 2002, she won the Olympi ...

, Ids Postma, and

Hiroyasu Shimizu is a Japanese speed skater. He has an Olympic gold medal from 1998 in the 500 m, and held the 500 m record (34.32). He married Japanese fashion model Reiko Takagaki. World records Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com References Hiroyasu Shi ...

. Five

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

s and twelve

Olympic record Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games, including: * Archery (list) * Alpine skiing (records recognized only by FIS) * Athletics (list) ...

s were set at the M-Wave during the 1998 Winter Olympics. The world records were set by Marianne Timmer (

1500m The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athlet ...

), Claudia Pechstein ( 5000m), Gianni Romme ( 5000m and

10000m The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

), and

Ådne Søndrål Ådne Søndrål (born 10 May 1971) is a former Norwegian speed skater. Søndrål, representing Hol IL, was one of the best 1500 m skaters through most of the 1990s. He placed 2nd in the 1992 Winter Olympics and 4th in the 1994 Olympics. H ...

(

1999 Asian Speed Skating Championships

The 1999 Asian Speed Skating Championships, an all-round completion, were held between January 9 and 10, 1999, at M-Wave. Japanese female and male skaters won all medals, including

Maki Tabata is a Japanese speed skater and track cyclist. Maki Tabata won bronze at the World Allround Championships in 2000 and one month later, she won another bronze, this time on the 3000 m at the World Single Distance Championships. The next ...

who finished first in the 500, 3000m, 1500m, and second in the 5000m.

World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships

2000

The 2000 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships were held at M-Wave from 3 March and 5 March. In all, ten events were contested, men's and women's 500 meters, 1000 meters, 1500 meters, 5000 meters, and women's 3000, and men's 10,000. Germany and Netherlands won nine medals, including five gold and three gold respectively. Host Japan won three medals, including one gold by

. Gianni Romme, Monique Garbrecht, and Claudia Pechstein each won two gold.

2008

The

2008 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships The 2008 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships were held between 6 March and 9 March 2008 in the M-Wave, Nagano, Nagano. Schedule Medal summary Men's events :Note: ''TR = Track record'' Women's events :Note: ''TR = Track recor ...

were held at M-Wave from 6 March and 9 March. In all, 12 events were contested, men's and women's 500 meters, 1000 meters, 1500 meters, 5000 meters,

team pursuit The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, starting on opposite sides of the velodrome. Race format Both men's and women's events are competed over ...

, and women's 3000, and men's 10,000. Netherlands won 11 medals, including four gold, Canada won nine medals, including three gold.

Joji Kato (born 6 February 1985) is a Japanese speedskater whose specialty is in the sprinting distance event of 500 metres. At the age of 17 he became the first junior speedskater to skate the 500 metres in less than 35 seconds. Until 9 March 2007 he w ...

won a bronze medal for host Japan. Sven Kramer and Anni Friesinger each won two gold. In the men's 1500 won by

Denny Morrison Denny Morrison (born September 8, 1985) is a Canadian speedskater from Fort St. John, British Columbia. He is an Olympic champion as a member of Canada's men's team pursuit, an event which he also won silver in at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Morr ...

, no bronze medal was awarded as Sven Kramer and

Shani Davis Shani Earl Davis (; born August 13, 1982) is an American former speed skater. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Davis became the first African American athlete to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Olympic Winter Games, w ...

tied for silver.

World Sprint Speed Skating Championships

2004

The women's medalists were Marianne Timmer - gold, Anni Friesinger - silver, and

Jennifer Rodriguez Jennifer Rodriguez (born June 8, 1976) is a Cuban-American speed skater. She started her career as an artistic roller skater, winning multiple national championships and placing second and third at world championships. Later she switched to inl ...

- bronze. The men's medalists were

Erben Wennemars Egbert Rolf "Erben" Wennemars (born 1 November 1975) is a Dutch former speed skater. He specialized in the sprint and middle distances of 500, 1000 and 1500 meters, and set six world records during his career. Speed skating career Wennemars was ...

- gold,

Jeremy Wotherspoon Jeremy Lee Wotherspoon (born October 26, 1976) is a Canadian speed skater, widely recognized as one of the greatest speedskating sprinters of all time. In December 2003, Wotherspoon became the most successful male skater in World Cup history whe ...

- silver, and

Mike Ireland Michael James Grant Ireland (born 3 January 1974 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian long track speed skater. Ireland specialises in the sprint distances (the 500 m and the 1000 m). He participated in the 500 m at the 1994 Winter Olympics ...

- bronze.

2014

The 2014 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships took place January 18–19, 2014. The women's medalists were

Yu Jing Yu Jing (; ; born 29 May 1985) is a Chinese long-track speed-skater who specializes in the sprint distances. She became the World Sprint Champion in 2012, setting world records in both the sprint combination and the 500 metres. She held th ...

- gold, Zhang Hong - silver, and Heather Richardson - bronze. The men's medalists were Michel Mulder - gold,

- silver, and Daniel Greig - bronze.

All Japan Speed Skating Distance Championships

The have been held in autumn at the M-Wave. In 2018, the 25th Annual All Japan Speed Skating Distance Championships were held from October 26 to October 28.

ISU Speed Skating World Cup

Since 1998, M-Wave has hosted ten

ISU Speed Skating World Cup The ISU Speed Skating World Cup is a series of international speed skating competitions, organised annually by the International Skating Union since the winter of 1985–86. Every year during the winter season, a number of competitions on different ...

events, one each in speed skating seasons of 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2016–17, and 2019–2020.

Other Championship Events

2002 World Figure Skating Championships

The

were held at M-Wave from 16 March and 24 March. In all, four events were contested, men's and women's

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

pairs Concentration, also known as Memory, Shinkei-suijaku (Japanese meaning "nervous breakdown"), Matching Pairs, Match Match, Match Up, Pelmanism, Pexeso or simply Pairs, is a card game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and tw ...

, and ice dance. Six nations won medals, including four by

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, three by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and two by host nation Japan.

2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games

The

2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games ) , caption = , host_city = Nagano, Nagano, Nippon , nations = 84 , athletes = 2,600 , events = 79 in 7 sports , opening = February 26 , closing = March 5 , opened_by = Prime Minister Junichiro K ...

were held in Nagano between February 26 and March 5. In addition to the speed skating events, M-Wave hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.

General Usage of the Arena

Public Skating

During the skating season, from October to March,

Ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

is typically available throughout the day, except during tournaments and other special events. Skating is available for 1510 yen for adults or 810 yen for junior high school students and younger, on weekends; and 820 yen for adults (or 410 yen for junior high school students and younger) during weekdays. A very large selection of speed skates, ice hockey skates, and

figure skate Figure skates are a type of ice skate used by figure skaters. The skates consist of a ''boot'' and a ''blade'' that is attached with screws to the sole of the boot. Inexpensive sets for recreational skaters are available, but most figure skaters pu ...

s are available to rent for 610 yen. Skaters may bring their own skates as well. One day per month, usually a Sunday, during skating season, the arena is open to the general public for free. Entrance to arena is via the South Entrance.

Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon

The , an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race competition., which has both elite and amateur runners, circles M-Wave at the 17 km mark of the race.

Access

Public Transportation

By local bus, the M-Wave is approximately 5 kilometers east of JR Nagano Station. Nagaden Bus, No. 8, the Suzaka-Yashima Line and the Watauchi-Yashima Line, depart from the south exit of Nagano Station. The nearest bus stops to the M-Wave are or .

Intercity Bus

The M-Wave Mae bus stop is also a stop for the

highway bus A coach (or coach bus/motorcoach) is a type of bus built for longer-distance service, in contrast to transit buses that are typically used within a single metropolitan region. Often used for touring, intercity, and international bus service ...

connecting the

Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal was a bus terminal once operated by Keio Bus, in Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. This bus terminal has been closed and replaced with the much larger South exit dedicated Bus Terminal housing all companies under one roof, unifying ticket ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

with Nagano.

Car

By car, M-Wave is approximately 5 minutes from the Suzaka/Nagano Higashi IC, which is on the

Jōshin-etsu Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is a kanji acronym consisting of 3 characters, each representing the former names of the prefectures that the route traverses. consist ...

which runs through

Gunma is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima P ...

, Nagano, and Niigata, and which connects to the

Kan-Etsu Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is the ''kanji'' acronym of and the old comprising modern-day Niigata Prefecture. Officially, the Kan-Etsu consists of two routes. Bot ...

linking this region to Tokyo. M-Wave is also approximately 15 minutes by car from Nagano city center. At the M-Wave, there are 300 car parking spaces outside, or up to 60

coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

, and 500 car underground parking spaces.

Roads

*"M-Wave Dori", Nagano

Prefectural road in Japan are roads usually planned, numbered and maintained by the government of the respective prefecture (-to, -dō, -fu or -ken), independent of other prefectures – as opposed to national roads (kokudō), which in legal terms include ...

Route 58 runs from Nagano Station to the Suzaka/Nagano Higashi IC. *Nagano Prefectural road Route 372 runs from Sansai to Mamejima. *Route 58 and Route 372 meet at M-Wave Intersection.

Surrounding area

Directly across the street from the M-Wave is a four-block 10-12 storey apartment complex named . This complex was the site of the Media Village during the 1998 Winter Olympics. Asahi Danchi includes private sector housing as well as housing for prefectural employees.

Gallery

Track records

References

External links

1998 Winter Olympics official report.
Volume 2. pp. 212–4.
M-WAVE Nagano Olympic Memorial Arena
(official site)
M-Wave at SkateResults.com
{{coord, 36, 38, 26, N, 138, 14, 25.15, E, type:landmark_region:JP, display=title Venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics Basketball venues in Japan Olympic speed skating venues Indoor arenas in Japan Speed skating venues in Japan Indoor speed skating venues Shinshu Brave Warriors Sport in Nagano (city) Sports venues in Nagano Prefecture Sports venues completed in 1996 1996 establishments in Japan