As of October 16, 1997, 83 National Olympic Committees had announced their intention to participate in the Nagano Games. The figure includes 10 NOCs that will be making their first winter appearance. Organizers expect some 70 NOCs to actually send teams to Nagano, for a total of approximately 3,000 athletes and officials. This would make Nagano the biggest Olympic Winter Games in history.

The Nagano Games will feature three new sports: women's ice hockey, curling, and snowboarding. This means that in all, 68 events will take place in 7 sports--another record high.