[1][2] Big Hat, the principal Venue A for the ice hockey competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics, is located approximately 5.3 km southwest of Aqua Wing Arena.

M-Wave, the site of the speed skating events at the Games is located approximately 2.5 km south of Aqua Wing Arena.

The Aqua Wing Arena was designed to be converted into an aquatics centre, and the retrofit was completed in 1999.

[5] The design of Aqua Wing Arena includes sharp flowing lines which represent the wind and water of the region.

[a 5] Aqua Wing Arena was built on public land in Nagano Sports Park, as such land costs for the venue were nil; however, construction costs for the arena totaled 9.1 billion yen.

[a 8] The building is made of reinforced concrete and steel frames, with three stories above ground and one below rground.

[a 13] Sound dampening measurers were used because the ice hockey rink was built atop an empty space.

[a 15] Aqua Wing Arena was the only venue at the 1998 Winter Olympics that did not stage international competitions before the Games.

[a 16] In lieu of international competitions, several Japan Ice Hockey League matches were held which permitted staff and volunteers to practice procedures.

[a 22] Only Big Hat (256,306), Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium (179,185), and M-Wave (118,555) hosted more spectators.