Finland won the bronze medal in the first women’s ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics. The tournament debuted at the 1998 Nagano Games, and Finland secured third place after the bronze-medal round.
Six teams competed in the inaugural Olympic women’s tournament: the United States, Canada, Finland, China, Sweden, and host Japan. Finland finished third in the preliminary standings with three wins and two losses, earning a place in the bronze-medal game. China finished fourth in the group stage.
The United States defeated Canada in the final to win the first Olympic gold medal in women’s ice hockey, overturning expectations that Canada would dominate. Canada had won the major international women’s hockey competitions before Nagano, while the United States had usually been the runner-up.
Finland’s bronze was especially significant because it made the country the first nation besides the United States or Canada to medal in Olympic women’s ice hockey. The tournament also produced the first Olympic goal in the women’s game, scored by Finland’s Petra Vaarakallio.