The , the seventh Paralympic Winter Games, 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; as 2022 it remains the highest number of athletes competing at any Winter Paralympics. Sports The games consisted of 122 events in five 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. Alpine skiing Sledge hockey Ice sledge racing Nordic skiing Biathlon Cross-country skiing Venues In total seven venues were used at the 1998 Winter Olympics around four cities and towns. 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. 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. (8) (4) (34) (5) (3) (33) (6) (3) (15) (21) (25) (40) (21) (2) (21) (67) (1) (4) (3) (5) (43) (26) (35) (18) (1) (1) (14) (24) (19) (11) (49) Mascot 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. See also 1998 Winter Olympics References External links International Paralympic Committee The event at SVT's open archive The event at Nagano Shinano Mainich Shimbum Paralympics Winter Paralympics Paralympics Winter Paralympic Games Sports competitions in Nagano (city) Multi-sport events in Japan March 1998 sports events in Asia Winter sports competitions in Japan