Belarus issued this coin as part of its early Olympic sports series, one of the first collector programs launched by the National Bank following the country's post-Soviet independence in 1991. The 1996 date ties it directly to the Atlanta Games — Belarus's second appearance as an independent Olympic nation, where its athletes won fifteen medals.
The .925 silver specification was standard for Belarusian commemoratives of this period, nearly all of which were struck at the Valcambi or Balt-Agau facilities rather than on domestic soil, as Belarus had no mint of its own.
Belarus issued this coin as part of its early Olympic sports series, one of the first collector programs launched by the National Bank following the country's post-Soviet independence in 1991. The 1996 date ties it directly to the Atlanta Games — Belarus's second appearance as an independent Olympic nation, where its athletes won fifteen medals.
The .925 silver specification was standard for Belarusian commemoratives of this period, nearly all of which were struck at the Valcambi or Balt-Agau facilities rather than on domestic soil, as Belarus had no mint of its own.