Athletes from Belarus began their Olympic participation at the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland, as part of the Soviet Union (IOC code: URS). After the Soviet Union disbanded in 1991, Belarus, along with four of the other fourteen former Soviet republics, competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics (held in Albertville, France) as the Unified Team. Later in 1992, Belarus joined eleven republics to compete as the Unified Team at the Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. Two years later, Belarus competed for the first time as an independent nation in the 1994 Winter Olympics, held in Lillehammer, Norway. With a total of 105 medals, Belarus is ranked third amongst post-Soviet states, after Russia and Ukraine. In 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its treatment of Belarusian athletes, Belarus was suspended from the Olympic Games. Medal tables Medals by Summer Games Medals by Winter Games Medals by summer sport Medals by winter sport List of medalists Summer Olympics Winter Olympics Soviet Union Athletes from the Soviet Union began participating in the Olympic Games in 1952, winning 194 total medals in the Winter Games and 1010 at the Summer Games for a total of 1204 medals. Of those medals, 473 were gold, 376 were silver and 355 were bronze. The Belarusian collection of medals began with Mikhail Krivonosov winning silver in the hammer throw at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. The Soviet Republic's first gold medal was won by Leonid Geishtor and Sergei Makarenko in the 1000 metre pairs canoe event during the 1960 Summer Games in Rome, Italy. The Soviet Union first competed in the Winter Olympics in 1956, located in Cortina. In 1988, the Soviet Union competed for the last time as a unified country. Unified Team Gymnast Vitaly Shcherbo won six gold medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Summer Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta In Belarus's first independent appearance at the Summer Olympics, the delegation took home fifteen medals: one gold, six silver and eight bronze. The first Belarusian gold medal was won by Ekaterina Karsten in the women's single sculls rowing event. The silver medals were won in athletics, shooting, and wrestling (both freestyle and Greco-Roman). The bronze medals were won in artistic gymnastics, athletics, rowing and Greco-Roman wrestling. The country sent 159 athletes to compete in 21 disciplines. 2000 Sydney The Belarusian government, using public funds and sponsorships, spent five