Belarus
The title of "Honoured Master of Sport of the Republic of Belarus" () is an honorary title conferred by decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus.
The title was established in 1994 as an honorary sports distinction. Under the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated 13 April 1995 "On State Awards of the Republic of Belarus", it was formally recognized as an honorary title. The subsequent law, enacted on 18 May 2004, states:
On 12 April 1996, individuals who had been awarded the title "Honoured Master of Sport of the USSR" were granted equal status with those awarded the title "Honoured Master of Sport of the Republic of Belarus."Presidential Decree of the Republic of Belarus No. 143 dated 12 April 1996 "On Certain Measures for Preparing Belarusian Athletes for the 1996 and 1998 Olympic and Paralympic Games" , point 3 (In 1994–1995, several Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR were also formally awarded the Belarusian title.)
The official description of the badge was approved on 15 January 1996, and a new version was adopted on 8 April 2005,Presidential Decree of the Republic of Belarus No. 168 dated 8 April 2005 "On Certain Issues Concerning State Awards of the Republic of Belarus" , Article 54 in which the inscriptions were changed from Russian to Belarusian.
There are no clearly defined criteria for the award of the title. Olympic champions and medalists are generally granted the title. In 2002, all members of the national hockey team that placed fourth at the Winter Olympics were also awarded the title. At the Paralympic Games, the title is usually awarded to champions. References