Women’s ice hockey was first played at the Olympic Games at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Quick Scoop: Key Facts

  • Women’s ice hockey was officially approved as an Olympic event at an IOC session in July 1992, with the debut set for the 1998 Winter Games.
  • The first women’s Olympic ice hockey tournament was held at Nagano 1998, making that the start of women’s hockey in the Olympics.
  • The United States won the inaugural gold medal in 1998, defeating Canada in the final.
  • Since then, women’s ice hockey has been part of every Winter Olympics, with Canada and the U.S. dominating the medals.

Extra context & “latest news” angle

Women’s hockey has grown significantly since that 1998 debut, with more countries developing competitive programs and professional women’s leagues raising the sport’s visibility. As each Winter Games comes around (including the recent cycles), discussion on forums and sports sites often revisits how relatively “young” women’s Olympic hockey is compared with the men’s tournament, which dates back to 1920.

In forum discussions, you’ll often see people surprised that women’s Olympic hockey only started in 1998, given that women have played hockey in various forms since the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

TL;DR: Women’s hockey started in the Olympics at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, after being approved in 1992.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.