The men's individual nordic combined competition for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary at Canada Olympic Park and Canmore Nordic Centre on 27 and 28 February.

[1] This was the first individual event that used the Gundersen system, using a pursuit cross-country race, with the time gaps for the pursuit determined by the point differences in the ski jumping.

[2] Athletes did three normal hill ski jumps, with the lowest score dropped.

The combined points earned on the jumps determined the starting order and times for the cross-country race; each three points was equal to a 20-second deficit.

[1] The cross-country race was over a distance of 15 kilometres.