Belarus competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was Belarus' last appearance at the Summer Olympics as Belarus along with Russia was barred from competing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris as a result of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era.
Background IOC sanctions For several years, the Belarus Olympic Committee (NOC RB) has been accused of political discrimination in its selection and treatment of athletes. Accusations and athlete tensions came to a head in 2020 after the disputed re-election of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, also the NOC RB chairman at the time, and the widespread protests that followed. The NOC RB was allegedly associated with the torture of athletes who have spoken out against Lukashenko, which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been investigating.
Before the Games, the IOC restricted the NOC RB for athletes' rights violations twice (the first in December 2020 and the second in March 2021). The 2020 measures included the banning of all NOC RB officials from Olympic events; the suspension of financial support from the NOC RB; the active involvement of political neutrality for Belarusian athletes; the Belarusian ban from hosting any Olympic events; and the request of all other Olympic members to accept the measures in the interest of the safety of Belarusian athletes. The 2021 measures reiterated the previous set, as well as stating that the IOC did not acknowledge NOC RB officials holding the government positions and requesting that Olympic selection in Belarus proved non-political.
After the second sanctions in March 2021, and the IOC did not recognize the NOC RB leadership election results in the same month, other national committees and sports organizations heeded a plea for Belarus to get banned from the rescheduled Tokyo 2020, forcing the athletes to compete independently under the Olympic flag.
Medalists
Medal Name Sport Event DateIvan Litvinovich Gymnastics Men's trampoline Iryna Kurachkina Wrestling Women's freestyle 57 kg Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov Wrestling Men's freestyle 74 kg Volha KhudzenkaMaryna LitvinchukMarharyta MakhnevaNadzeya Papok Canoeing Women's K-4 500 metres Maksim Nedasekau Athletics Men's high jump Vanesa Kaladzinskaya Wrestling Women's freestyle 53 kg Alina Harnasko Gymnastics Women's rhythmic individual all-around
Competitors The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Games: SportMenWomenTotalArchery 0 3 3Artistic swimming 2 2Athletics 12 18 30Boxing 4 0 4Canoeing 6 10 16Cycling 2 2 4Equestrian 2 0 2Gymnastics 3 7 10Judo 2 1 3Modern pentathlon 1 2 3Rowing 2 3 5Sailing 1 1 2Shooting 1 2 3Swimming 4 2 6Tennis 2 1 3Weightlifting 1 1 2Wrestling 5 3 8 Total 48 58 106
Archery
Three Belarusian archers qualified for the women's events by reaching the quarterfinal stage of the women's team recurve at the 2019 World Archery Championships in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
AthleteEventRanking roundRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / ScoreSeedOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankKaryna DziominskayaWomen's individual64229W 6–5L 3–7Did not advanceKaryna Kazlouskaya60761 L 0–6Did not advanceHanna Marusava63339W 6–4W 6–0L 5–6Did not advanceKaryna DziominskayaKaryna KazlouskayaHanna MarusavaWomen's team188212colspan=2 W 5–3W 5–3L 1–5L 1–54
Artistic swimming
Belarus fielded a squad of two artistic swimmers to compete in the women's duet event, by winning the bronze medal at the 2021 FINA Olympic Qualification Tournament in Barcelona, Spain.
AthleteEventTechnical routineFree routine (preliminary)Free routine (final)PointsRankPointsTotal (technical + free)RankPointsTotal (technical + free)RankVasilina KhandoshkaDaria KulaginaDuet87.21011088.0333175.243410 Q87.8000175.010111
Athletics
Belarusian athletes further achieved the entry standards, either by qualifying time or by world ranking, in the following track and field events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):
Belarusian athletes were scheduled to participate in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay. On July 28, two athletes, Hanna Mikhailava (; ) and Krystsina Muliarchyk (; ), were declared ineligible due to insufficient number of doping tests made.Скандал на Олимпиаде: три легкоатлетки из Брестской области не допущены к соревнованиямThree Belarusian athletes declared ineligible for Tokyo 2020 This situation forced Belarusian sport authorities to replace them. Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya (100 m and 200 m) was chosen to be one of the substitutes; however, she claimed that this decision was made without her consent and criticized the national sport authorities.Из-за косяка чиновников (они включили дурака и не признают вину) у беларусов в Токио подвисла эстафета 4 по 400. В нее заявляют девушек совсем другого профиля – и это просто жесть
On 1 August 2021, Tsimanouskaya was expelled from further competitions by the national sports authorities, reportedly as a consequence of her criticism. On the same day, the Belarusian sports officials tried to put her on a plane against her will. She sought the protection of police in Tokyo airport and declared that she was not planning to return to Belarus.EXCLUSIVE Olympics-Belarusian athlete says she was taken to airport to go home after criticising coachesBelarus Olympics: Krystsina Tsimanouskaya refusing to fly home According to the national athletics team officials, she was expelled for her "emotional and psychological state" after medical examination, but Tsimanouskaya denied that statement. She asked the International Olympic Committee for help.
The four athletes who eventually contested the event Aliaksandra Khilmanovich, Yuliya Bliznets, Elvira Herman and Asteria Uzo Limai came last of all nations in the heats and did not advance.
Track & road events Men AthleteEventHeat SemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankVitali Parakhonka110 m hurdles13.615Did not advanceAliaksandr Liakhovich20 km walkcolspan=4 1:31:2845Dzmitry Dziubin50 km walkcolspan=4 4:00:2522
Women AthleteEventHeat Quarterfinal SemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankKrystsina Tsimanouskaya100 mcolspan=2 11.474Did not advance200 mcolspan=2 Did not advanceElvira Herman100 m hurdles12.95 4 Qcolspan=2 12.71 5Did not advanceYuliya BliznetsElvira HermanAliaksandra KhilmanovichAsteria Limai4 × 400 m relay3:33.00 8colspan=4 Did not advanceVolha MazuronakMarathoncolspan=6 rowspan=2 2:29:065Nina Savina2:38:4150Anastasiya Rarouskaya20 km walkcolspan=6 rowspan=3 1:35:0923Viktoryia Rashchupkina1:43:3349Anna Terlyukevich1:37:2231
Field events Men AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionDzmitry NabokauHigh jump2.25=14Did not advanceMaksim Nedasekau2.2812 q2.37 NRYauheni BahutskiDiscus throw58.6527Did not advanceAliaksei KatkavetsJavelin throw82.729 q83.716Pavel Mialeshka82.6411 q82.2810Hleb DudarauHammer throw71.6027Did not advanceIvan Tsikhan74.5718Did not advanceYury Vasilchanka74.0019Did not advance
Women AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionNastassia Mironchyk-IvanovaLong jump6.5514Did not advanceViyaleta SkvartsovaTriple jump14.0518Did not advanceKaryna DemidikHigh jump1.90=19Did not advanceIryna ZhukPole vault4.55=8 q4.508Aliona DubitskayaShot put18.893 Q18.739Tatsiana KhaladovichJavelin throw60.7813Did not advanceHanna MalyshchykHammer throw70.8013Did not advanceNastassia Maslava65.1528Did not advance
Combined events – Men's decathlon AthleteEventFinalRankVitali ZhukResult11.046.9316.231.9649.2214.9547.015.1059.494:42.57813113Points852797865767851856808941730664
Boxing
Belarus entered four male boxers into the Olympic tournament. Dzmitry Asanau scored a round-of-16 victory to secure a spot in the men's lightweight division at the 2020 European Qualification Tournament in Villebon-sur-Yvette, France.
AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankDzmitry AsanauMen's lightweightW 5–0L 2–3Did not advanceAliaksandr RadzionauMen's welterweightW 3–2L 0–5Did not advanceVitali BandarenkaMen's middleweightL 0–5Did not advanceUladzislau SmiahlikauMen's heavyweightW 4–1L 0–5Did not advance
Canoeing
Sprint Belarusian canoeists qualified a total of eight boats in each of the following distances for the Games through the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.
Men AthleteEventHeatsQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankAleh YureniaK-1 1000 m3:43.4441 SFcolspan=2 3:27.3236 FB3:27.19012Mikita BorykauAleh YureniaK-2 1000 m3:18.9525 QF3:10.1261 SF3:18.8753 FA3:17.7697Mikita BorykauIlya FedarenkaUladzislau LitvinauDzmitry NatynchykK-4 500 m1:22.8963 QF1:23.8482 SF1:24.2063 FA1:24.5105
Women AthleteEventHeatsQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankAlena NazdrovaC-1 200 m46.7313 QF46.9501 SF48.1205 FB48.08511Nadzeya MakarchankaDaryna PikulevaC-2 500 m2:09.7996 QF2:04.9513 SF2:07.2055 FB2:04.35110Volha KhudzenkaK-1 500 m1:50.7323 SFcolspan=2 1:52.7553 FB1:55.93314Maryna Litvinchuk1:49.6062 SFcolspan=2 1:56.3865 FC1:57.05722Volha KhudzenkaMaryna LitvinchukK-2 500 m1:43.3772 SFcolspan=2 1:37.1983 FA1:37.6476Volha KhudzenkaMaryna LitvinchukMarharyta MakhnevaNadzeya PapokK-4 500 m1:34.7853 QF1:35.5341 SF1:36.6722 FA1:36.073 Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal); SF = Qualify to semifinal round; QF = Qualify to quarterfinal round
Cycling
Road Belarus entered one rider each to compete in the men's and women's Olympic road races, by virtue of his top 50 national finish (for men) and her top 22 (for women) in the UCI World Ranking.
AthleteEventTimeRankAleksandr RiabushenkoMen's road race6:21:4666Alena AmialiusikWomen's road race3:55:0517Women's time trial33:21.4116
Track Following the completion of the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Belarus entered two riders to compete each in the men's and women's omnium, respectively, based on their final individual UCI Olympic rankings.
Omnium AthleteEventScratch raceTempo raceElimination racePoints raceTotalRankPointsRankPointsRankPointsRankPointsPointsRankYauheni KaraliokMen's omnium186141418610507612Tatsiana SharakovaWomen's omnium112015121941403616
Equestrian
Belarus entered two eventing riders into the Olympic equestrian competition by securing the second and third of six available slots, respectively, outside the group and continental selection, in the individual FEI Olympic rankings. MeanwhIle, one dressage rider was added to the Belarusian roster by finishing in the top two, outside the group selection, of the individual FEI Olympic rankings for Group C (Central and Eastern Europe). Belarus later withdrew from competing in dressage.
Belarusian individuals for eventing were named on June 30, 2021. Aliaksandr Faminou and Martinie withdrew before the competition began.
Eventing AthleteHorseEventDressageCross-countryJumpingTotalQualifierFinalPenaltiesRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesRankAlexander ZelenkoCarlo Grande JrIndividual31.001861.6092.6046WithdrewDid not advance
Gymnastics
Artistic