The 1998 Nordic combined cross-country events were held at the Snow Harp, a special race course designed in Kamishiro, in the town of Hakuba, specially constructed for the 1998 Olympic Winter Games. The ski jumping was also held in Hakuba at the Hakuba Ski Jump Stadium, also built specifically for the 1998 Olympics, with a spectator capacity of 45,000. The program consisted of an individual and team event, as it had since 1988. The team event was changed, however, from three skiers to four, with the cross-country relay portion changed from 3 x 10 km to 4 x 5 km. This was actually a decision made by the FIS after decisive victories by Japanese teams at the 1994 Winter Olympics and the 1993 World Championships. It became effective at the 1995 World Championships.