Women’s hockey became an Olympic medal sport in 1998.
The debut took place at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Six national teams competed in the first women’s Olympic ice-hockey tournament: Canada, China, Finland, Japan, Sweden, and the United States. The United States won the inaugural gold medal, defeating Canada in the final, while Finland earned bronze.
Women’s hockey had already developed an international championship structure before Nagano. The International Ice Hockey Federation held the first women’s world championship in 1990, and Canada dominated the early international era. Olympic inclusion therefore marked a major expansion of the sport rather than its beginning.
The date is easy to mix up with later Olympic milestones. Women’s hockey was not introduced in 2002 or 2006; both Games already featured the event. The 1998 tournament also helped establish one of the most significant rivalries in modern international hockey, as Canada and the United States have contested many Olympic finals since the sport’s debut.