Which sport made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano?

Snowboarding made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

Nagano introduced snowboarding as a medal sport through the giant slalom and halfpipe events. The inclusion reflected the sport’s rapid growth from counterculture activity to internationally organized competition.

The first Olympic snowboarding champions were Ross Rebagliati of Canada in men’s giant slalom, Gian Simmen of Switzerland in men’s halfpipe, Nicole Häuser of Germany in women’s giant slalom and Marie-José Pérec? No—women’s halfpipe gold went to Switzerland’s Nicola Thost. Rebagliati’s medal was briefly withdrawn after a positive cannabis test, then restored.

Snowboarding was not the only new feature at Nagano, but it is often confused with freestyle skiing, which had appeared earlier as a demonstration sport and became a medal sport in 1992.