For the first time in the history of the Olympic Winter Games, snowboarding was introduced as an official event with giant slalom and halfpipe featured at the Nagano Games in 1998. Snowboarding was developed in the United States in the 1960s as people across the country began to seek out new winter activities. Over the next decade, different pioneers boosted the production of boards and the overall interest in snowboarding. Surfers and skateboarders became involved, and by 1980, snowboarding was a nationwide activity. Competition was the next logical step. Competition and national and international federation influence began in the 1980s. The United States held its first national championships in 1982 and hosted the first World Championships in 1983. In 1987, a fourstop World Cup tour was established, with two stops in the United States and two in Europe. The International Snowboarding Federation ISF was formed in 1990 and on request of the International Ski Federation FIS National Ski Associations, many of which organised ski and snowboard competitions, the FIS introduced Snowboarding as a FIS discipline in 1994. This enabled snowboarding’s eligibility for the Olympic Winter Games, and the discipline was added to the Olympic programme as of the 1998 Games in Nagano JPN.

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