Purpose-built
Along with the M-Wave, several other venues were built to stage events at the Olympic Winter Games. With the exception of one, they are all still in use today.
A common feature of these new venues was their unique architectural designs. The Big Hat, which hosted some of the ice hockey matches, is so called because of its distinctive shape, while the flowing lines of the Aqua Wing (ice hockey) resemble a bird’s wing, and the White Ring (figure skating and short track speed skating) evokes a droplet of water.
Continuing the theme, the Minami Nagano Sports Park (which hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies) is modelled on Japan’s national flower, the sakura (cherry blossom). The Spiral (bobsleigh and luge) was unique in that it was the first track in the world to feature two uphill sections, and the Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium (ski jumping and Nordic combined) is among the most recognisable landmarks in the area.
The Big Hat continues to stage figure skating and ice hockey competitions in winter, including the Nagano Cup, an annual international tournament held to commemorate the Games. The Aqua Wing provides local swimmers with excellent facilities all year round. And for its part, the White Ring is a multi-sports venue used by local teams and schools. It also hosted 15 matches at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup.
The Snow Harp’s three Olympic cross-country skiing courses remain open to the public throughout the winter and are used for mountain biking and the Hakuba Snow Harp Cross Country race in the summer. The Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium welcomes the summertime FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix every year, among other competitions, while the 35,000-seater Minami Nagano Sports Park stages baseball matches every weekend between March and November, including some of the Shinano Grandserows’ home matches. It is also the finishing point of the annual Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon.
The Spiral provided the setting for the 2003 FIBT Skeleton World Championships and was used as a national training facility before closing in 2018 due to high maintenance costs.