Sport in Belgium
Encyclopedia
Sport in Belgium plays a prominent role in the society. As of 2010, Belgium counted around 17,000 sport clubs with approximately 1.35 million members, thus 13% of the Belgian population is involved in sport. Popular sports in Belgium are among others football, cycling
, tennis
, table tennis
, athletics, swimming
, basketball
, badminton
, judo
, hockey
, motocross
, auto racing
, volleyball
and running
. Belgium has organized the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp as well as the 1972 UEFA European Championship and the 2000 UEFA European Championship along with the Netherlands. The Belgium national football team best result was a 4th place at the 1986 FIFA World Cup
and a second place of the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Belgian football clubs have won 3 times the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and twice the UEFA Cup
, plus 3 times the UEFA Supercup.
Belgium has won 37 gold medals at Summer Olympic Games as well as 1 medal at Winter Olympic Games for figure skating
at the 1948 Winter Olympics
in St. Moritz. Among the 37 gold medals at the Summer Olympics, 11 medals were won in archery
, 6 in cycling, 4 in equestrian
, 3 in athletics and fencing
and 2 in sailing
and judo. Well-known Belgian olympic champions are Hubert Van Innis
and Edmond Cloetens
(archery), Gaston Roelants
and Tia Hellebaut
(athletics), Patrick Sercu
and Roger Ilegems
(track cycling), Robert Van de Walle
and Ulla Werbrouck
(judo), Frédérik Deburghgraeve
(swimming) and Justine Henin (tennis).
Other well-known Belgian sport champions are Roger Moens
, Ivo Van Damme
and Kim Gevaert
(athletics), Bart Veldkamp
(speed skating
), Ingrid Lempereur
(swimming), Gella Vandecaveye
, Heidi Rakels
and Harry Van Barneveld
(judo), Eddy Merckx
, Rik Van Looy
, Roger De Vlaeminck
, Lucien Van Impe
, Johan Bruyneel
, Johan Museeuw
, Axel Merckx
and Tom Boonen
(cycling), Raymond Ceulemans
(three-cushion billiards
), Jacky Ickx
and Thierry Boutsen
(Formula One
), Stefan Everts
and Gaston Rahier
(motocross) and Jean-Michel Saive
(table tennis), Kim Clijsters
(tennis), Sven Nys
(cyclo-cross
) and Vincent Rousseau
(running). In team sports, well-known footballers include Jean-Marie Pfaff
, Eric Gerets, Enzo Scifo, Michel Preud'homme
, Franky Van Der Elst, Luc Nilis and Jan Ceulemans
and well-known basketball players include Ann Wauters
, Éric Struelens
, Axel Hervelle
and D. J. Mbenga. International Olympic Committee
president Count
Jacques Rogge
is a Belgian.
As a sub-area of culture in Belgium, sport is now considered to fall under the responsibility of the 3 Belgian communities (the Dutch-speaking Community
, the French-speaking Community and the German-speaking Community
). With the exception of football and field hockey, all other major sport federations in Belgium are split into 2 major federations (a French-speaking federation and a Dutch-speaking federation).
The Belgian Football Association
, the governing body of football in Belgium, was founded in 1895 and was one of the founding members of the FIFA
in 1904. The first Belgian championship was held in 1895 among the 10 founding teams of the Belgian Football Association, and was won by RFC de Liège. A second level
was added to the Belgian league in 1905, a third level
in 1926 and a fourth one
in 1952. R.S.C. Anderlecht
is the most successful Belgian team both at national (29 Belgian champion titles) and international (6 European titles) levels. Other successful clubs include Club Brugge K.V. (13 Belgian champion titles), R. Union Saint-Gilloise
(11 national titles), Standard Liège
(10 national titles) and K.V. Mechelen (4 national titles and 2 European titles). The club with the most Belgian Cup
titles is Club Brugge KV (10) followed by RSC Anderlecht (9) and R Standard Liège (5). The 8 European titles won by Belgian clubs were claimed between 1976 and 1988.
Belgium national football team played its first game in 1904 against France
. The match ended in a 3-3 draw. Since then, Belgium has qualified for 11 out of 18 World Cups, finishing 4th in 1986, and for 4 out of the 12 UEFA European Football Championships in which it entered, finishing second in 1980. At the Summer Olympics, Belgium won the gold medal in 1920 and secured a fourth place in 2008. The most capped player for Belgium is Jan Ceulemans
(96 caps between 1977 and 1991), followed by Eric Gerets and Franky Van Der Elst (86 caps). Belgium all-time topscorers are Bernard Voorhoof
and Paul Van Himst
with 30 goals each. In the successful 1980 and 1986 Belgium national football teams, famous players include goalkeepers Jean-Marie Pfaff
and Michel Preud'homme
, Eric Gerets, René Vandereycken, Wilfried Van Moer
, François Van Der Elst
, Jan Ceulemans, Raymond Mommens
, Franky Van Der Elst, Franky Vercauteren
, Luc Nilis, Enzo Scifo, Erwin Vandenbergh
, Georges Grün
, Lei Clijsters
and Leo Van Der Elst
.
, which is split between the Dutch-speaking WBV and the French-speaking FCWB. Many Belgian cyclists have been successful, and some of the greatest cycle races take place in Belgium, especially in road bicycle racing, though other bicycle racing sports as mountain bike racing
or track cycling
also count a number of Belgian champions and races. The best Belgian cyclist of all times, Eddy Merckx
, nicknamed the Cannibal, has won the Tour de France
and Giro d'Italia
5 times each, won the Vuelta a España
once, the UCI Road World Championship 3 times, had many classic cycle race
wins and set the hour record
, among other achievements. Belgium has been one of the most successful countries in road cycling since the origins, with one of the oldest races being held in Belgium, Liège–Bastogne–Liège since 1892.
At the Olympic Games, Belgium has won 3 gold medals for road cycling, with 2 victories for the Belgium Men's team time trial (at the 1948
and 1952 Summer Olympics
) and one for André Noyelle
for the individual race. Belgium has had the most World Championships gold medals (25) with 3 victories by Rik Van Steenbergen
and Eddy Merckx and 2 by Georges Ronsse
, Briek Schotte, Rik Van Looy
and Freddy Maertens
. Belgian cyclists have also performed very well in the 3 big tours. Ten cyclists have won in total 18 times the Tour de France, making of Belgium the second country with the most Tour de France wins behind France. Besides Eddy Merckx, Philippe Thys
won the most prestigious tour 3 times while Firmin Lambot
and Sylvère Maes
won it twice. The latest Belgian winner at the Tour de France however was Lucien Van Impe
in 1976
. At the Giro d'Italia, Belgium has had 7 wins, being the second country to have the most wins after Italy. Michel Pollentier
and Johan De Muynck
(the latest Belgian to win the Giro in 1978) are with Eddy Merckx the 3 Belgian winners of this tour. Belgium also has had 7 wins at the Vuelta a España, with 2 wins by Gustaaf Deloor
, the first winner of this tour in 1935
and 1936
. The latest winner of the Spain tour was Freddy Maertens in 1977.
Many Belgian cyclists have won one of the 5 monument cycle races. At the Tour of Flanders
, Belgium counts 67 wins in 95 editions with 3 wins for Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman
and Johan Museeuw
. Roger De Vlaeminck
holds the record of wins at Paris–Roubaix (4), and Belgium is the most successful country in this race with 54 wins in 109 editions. Liège–Bastogne–Liège was won 59 times on 97 by Belgian cyclists. Eddy Merckx holds the record of the most individual wins (5). At the Giro di Lombardia, Belgium counts 12 titles in 104 editions, with only Italy performing better. Milan – San Remo was won 7 times by Eddy Merckx, who holds the record of the most wins, and Belgium has won 20 times on 102, being the second most successful country after Italy in this race. In opposition to the big tours, which were not won anymore by Belgians since 1978, cyclists from Belgium are still being successful in the monument races. At Paris–Roubaix, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen have won 3 times each since 1996, and Peter Van Petegem and Johan Van Summeren
have also won the race once each. At the Tour of Flanders, Belgium has 11 wins since 1993, with 3 by Johan Museeuw, 2 by Peter Van Petegem, Tom Boonen and Stijn Devolder and 1 by Andreï Tchmil and Nick Nuyens. In the other 3 monuments, Belgians has been less successful recently, with Andreï Tchmil being the only Belgian winner of Milan – San Remo in 1999 since Fons De Wolf in 1981. Philippe Gilbert has been the only winner of the Giro di Lombardia since Fons De Wolf in 1980, with wins in 2009 and 2010 and only 4 Belgians have won Liège–Bastogne–Liège since Joseph Bruyère in 1978: Eric Van Lancker in 1990, Dirk De Wolf in 1992, Frank Vandenbroucke in 1999 and Philippe Gilbert in 2011.
Among the best-known road races in Belgium, 2 out of the 5 monuments of cycling are the Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Other classic one day races in Belgium are La Flèche Wallonne
and Gent–Wevelgem both part of the UCI World Tour, as well as Paris–Brussels, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, Grand Prix de Wallonie
, Dwars door Vlaanderen
and E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke. The best-known stage-races in Belgium are the Tour of Benelux, created in 2005 and the Tour of Belgium
. Belgium has currently two professional cycling teams performing in the UCI ProTour
: Quick Step and Omega Pharma-Lotto.
In mountain bike
, Filip Meirhaeghe
has won the 2002 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the 2003 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and was silver-medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics
. In mountain bike trials
, Kenny Belaey
has won the 26-inch wheel trial World Cup in 2002, 2005 and 2006. In cyclo-cross
, Belgian competitors have gained 25 gold medals at the UCI Cyclo-cross Men World Championships since 1950 and 54 medals overall, making it the best country in cyclo-cross, ahead of France with 10 gold medals out of 34 medals. Eric De Vlaeminck
has the most world title in cyclo-cross with 7 World Cup wins between 1966 and 1973. Other multiple Belgian world champions are Roland Liboton
(4 titles), Mario De Clercq
and Erwin Vervecken
(3) and Bart Wellens
(2). In track cycling
, Matthew Gilmore
and Etienne De Wilde
won the gold medal of Men's Madison event at the 1998 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
and the silver medal of Men's Madison at the 2000 Summer Olympics
. Roger Ilegems won the gold medal of the Men's point race at the 1984 Summer Olympics
while Patrick Sercu holded several world records and won the gold medal of the Men's 1 km time trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics
.
, who were both WTA
World No. 1 ranked player in the 2000s. Both players also retired respectively in 2008 and 2007, before they came back to the competition respectively in 2010 and 2009. Clijsters won 39 WTA titles among which 3 US Opens (2005, 2009 and 2010). Henin won 41 WTA titles among which 7 Grand Slam
titles (4 French Opens, 2 US Opens and 1 Australian Open
).
Belgium team won the 2001 Fed Cup
and finished runner-up in 2006
. The current Fed Cup
team for Belgium is Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Yanina Wickmayer
, and Kirsten Flipkens
. Belgium hosted each year the Belgian Open
from 1987 on, which was replaced by the Proximus Diamond Games
in 2002.
The men's team of Belgium is currently 14th in the ITF Rankings
. Their best result is a second place in the 1904 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
. The current Belgium
Davis Cup
team is composed of Xavier Malisse
(3 ATP
titles), Olivier
(2) and Christophe Rochus
(0) and Steve Darcis
(2).
Former Belgian tennis champions include Filip Dewulf
(2 ATP titles), Sabine Appelmans
(7 WTA titles) and Dominique Monami
(4 WTA titles).
in Belgium is governed by three major bodies: the Belgian american Football League (BFL) (the Belgian federal association), the Flemish American Football League
(the Flemish association), and the Ligue Francophone de Football Amercain de Belgique
(the Wallon association). There are 15 active Belgian teams and 1 Luxembourg team in the BFL. The season starts in Februari and ends in June in the Belgian Bowl
.
Athletics in Belgium is governed by three major bodies: the Royal Belgian Athletics League (the Belgian federal association), the Flemish Athletics Liga , and the Ligue Belge Francophone d'Athlétisme (the French-speaking association). Belgium has hosted a number of major athletics events, beginning with the 1950 European Athletics Championships. It has since hosted the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
in 1973
, 1991
, 2001
and 2004
, the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
in 1993
and 2002
and the 2000 European Athletics Indoor Championships (at the Flanders Sports Arena
).
Belgium hosts a number of prominent annual competitions across all sections of the sport of athletics. The Memorial Van Damme
, Belgium's foremost track and field
competition, began in 1977 and is now part of the IAAF Diamond League
circuit. Two of the meetings in the Lotto Cross Cup
(an annual cross country running
series) are sanctioned by the IAAF and European Athletics. Other significant competitions which are part of the European athletics circuit include the Flanders Indoor meeting in Ghent
and the KBC Night of Athletics
in Heusden
. The country has two AIMS
-certified marathon
s: the Antwerp Marathon and the Brussels Marathon. There is also an annual ultramarathon
competition called the Nacht van Vlaanderen, a 100 km race which has been held annually since 1980. The meeting has also doubled as the European and IAU World Championships on a number of occasions. Other annual races of note are the Warandeloop, Oostende-Brugge Ten Miles, Kust Marathon, Guldensporenmarathon and the 20 km of Brussels
.
The Golden Spike is awarded annually to the season's best Belgian male and female athletes. Three Belgian athletes have won Olympic gold medals: Tia Hellebaut (high jump, 2008
), Gaston Roelants (3000 m steeplechase, 1964
) and Gaston Reiff
(5000 m, 1948
). The other Belgian Olympic medalists in athletics are Etienne Gailly
(bronze for marathon in 1948), Roger Moens (silver for 800m in 1960
), Emiel Puttemans
(silver for 10,000 m in 1972
), Karel Lismont
(silver for marathon in 1972 and bronze in 1976
), Ivo Van Damme (silver for 800 m and 1500 m in 1976) and the Belgium Women's 4x100 m led by Kim Gevaert (silver in 2008). Belgium has had three IAAF World Championships in Athletics
medals (all bronze medals) since the creation of this competition in 1983: William Van Dijck
for 3000 m steeplechase in 1987
, Mohammed Mourhit
for the 5000m in 1999
and the Belgium Women's 4x100 m team in 2007
. Over the history of the European Athletics Championship, Belgium has had five gold medals, ten silver medals and seven bronze medals.
has not qualified for a major national team events since the EuroBasket 1993
, when Belgium finished 12th. Star players from the 1993 team were Éric Struelens
, Rik Samaey, Ronny Bayer, Jacques Stas and Daniel Goethals. The best result of the Belgium national team was a 4th place at the EuroBasket 1947
. The Basketball League Belgium
is the top-flight national division and is played between 9 teams, with the current major clubs being BC Oostende (12 Belgian champion titles and 11 Belgian Cups), Antwerp Giants (9 national titles and 5 Belgian Cups), Spirou Basket Charleroi (8 national titles and 5 Belgian Cups), Liège Basket
(3 national titles and 4 Belgian Cups), Mons-Hainaut (1 Belgian Cup) and Verviers-Pepinster. The clubs of Racing Mechelen (15 national titles and 9 Belgian Cups between 1964 and 1994), Royal IV Brussels (7 national titles and 5 Belgian Cups between 1939 and 1973) and Semailles (6 national titles and 4 Belgian Cups between 1946 and 1958) have been successful but are now defunct. Belgium has organized the EuroBasket 1977
. The biggest venues for basketball in Belgium are the Spiroudome
in Charleroi
(7,560 seats), the Country Hall Ethias Liège
in Liège
(5,600), the Lotto Arena
in Antwerp (5,218) and the Sea'Arena
in Ostend
(5,000).
who won his 21st Belgian champion title in 2009. At the international level, a victory at the 1994 Table Tennis European Championships
, a victory in the Europe Top-12
in 1994 and a 2nd place at the World Table Tennis Championships
in 1993 are his best single results. Jean-Michel also finished 2nd at the team event of the World Championships in 2001. His brother Philippe Saive was also a renowned player in Belgium. At the club level, the best known Belgian club is certainly Royal Villette Charleroi where the brothers Saive have played, as well as Zoran Primorac
, Petr Korbel
, Dimitrij Ovtcharov
, Oh Sang-Eun and Vladimir Samsonov
among others. La Villette Charleroi has won 1 World Champion title and 7 European Club Cup of Champions
since 1994, among which 5 victories in the new European Champions League
, making it the most successful club in this competition.
was in 1948
(5th on 6). In 1987
, Belgium finished 7th. Since then, Belgium only reached the finals in 2007
and finished 10th. The Belgium women's national volleyball team
best result is a 7th place at the 2007 Women's European Volleyball Championship
. The Belgium men's volleyball League
is the highest level championship for men's clubs in Belgium. Noliko Maaseik
(12 national titles and 11 Belgian Cups) and Knack Randstad Roeselare
(5 national titles and 6 Belgian Cups) are the most successful clubs in the last years. Roeselare is the only Belgian club to have won a European cup, namely the CEV Top Teams Cup in 2002. They also have 2 second places at the Challenge Cup
. Maaseik best results at international level are 2 lost finals of the CEV Champions League
in 1997 and 1999 and a lost final of the CEV Top Teams Cup in 2008. In the Belgium women's volleyball Division of Honour
, the most successful clubs in the last years are Datovoc Tongeren
(7 national titles), Asterix Kieldrecht
(4 national titles) and Dauphines Charleroi
(2 national titles). Kieldrecht is the only club to have a European title (the 2001 Women's CEV Top Teams Cup
).
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, athletics, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
, auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
. Belgium has organized the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp as well as the 1972 UEFA European Championship and the 2000 UEFA European Championship along with the Netherlands. The Belgium national football team best result was a 4th place at the 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
and a second place of the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Belgian football clubs have won 3 times the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and twice the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, plus 3 times the UEFA Supercup.
Belgium has won 37 gold medals at Summer Olympic Games as well as 1 medal at Winter Olympic Games for figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
at the 1948 Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
in St. Moritz. Among the 37 gold medals at the Summer Olympics, 11 medals were won in archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, 6 in cycling, 4 in equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, 3 in athletics and fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
and 2 in sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
and judo. Well-known Belgian olympic champions are Hubert Van Innis
Hubert Van Innis
Hubert van Innis was a Belgian competitor in the sport of archery. Van Innis competed in four events and won two first prizes and a second prize, and is now considered by the International Olympic Committee to have won two gold medals and a silver medal...
and Edmond Cloetens
Edmond Cloetens
Edmond Cloetens was a Belgian archer and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, where he won an individual gold medal in fixed target , and also a gold medal with the Belgian team.-Note:...
(archery), Gaston Roelants
Gaston Roelants
Gaston, Baron Roelants was a top steeplechaser in the early 1960s and a great cross-country runner. At the steeplechase he won the 1962 European and 1964 Olympic titles as well as setting two world records, 8 minutes 29.6 seconds in 1963 and 8 minutes 26.4 seconds in 1965.Roelants was born in...
and Tia Hellebaut
Tia Hellebaut
Tia Hellebaut is a Belgian track and field athlete who started out in the heptathlon, but afterwards specialized in the high jump event. She has cleared 2.05 metres both indoors and outdoors....
(athletics), Patrick Sercu
Patrick Sercu
Patrick Sercu is a former Belgian cyclist, best known for his exploits on the tracks.In 1964 aged 19 he competed as the star attraction at the Manchester Wheelers' Club Race Meet at the Fallowfield track in Manchester.He won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.Sercu is the record...
and Roger Ilegems
Roger Ilegems
Roger Ilegems is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from Belgium, who was a professional rider from 1984 to 1991...
(track cycling), Robert Van de Walle
Robert Van De Walle
Robert Van de Walle is a Belgian judoka. He was the first judoka to ever compete at five Olympics.He was born in Ostend....
and Ulla Werbrouck
Ulla Werbrouck
Ulla Werbrouck is a Belgian politician and former judoka.At the 1996 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the women's half-heavyweight category. In January 2007, she joined the newly-established right-liberal List Dedecker party and in June 2007, she was elected member of the Belgian Chamber...
(judo), Frédérik Deburghgraeve
Frederik Deburghgraeve
Frédérik Edouard Robert Deburghgraeve is a former Belgian swimmer who won the gold medal in the 100 m breaststroke and set a world record during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. He is now retired from swimming and makes a living as a shoe salesman. He currently lives in Poelkapelle...
(swimming) and Justine Henin (tennis).
Other well-known Belgian sport champions are Roger Moens
Roger Moens
Roger Moens is a former Belgian middle distance runner. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome he won a silver medal. He also was the person to break Rudolf Harbig's long-standing world record over 800 m.-References:...
, Ivo Van Damme
Ivo Van Damme
Ivo Van Damme was a Belgian middle distance runner.Van Damme was born in Dendermonde. He played football until he was 16, but then switched to athletics...
and Kim Gevaert
Kim Gevaert
Kim Gevaert is a former sprint athlete from Belgium.-Career:Her closest brush with a world title came in running 4/100 of a second behind three-time champion Gail Devers at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics...
(athletics), Bart Veldkamp
Bart Veldkamp
Bart Veldkamp is a retired speed skater, who represented both the Netherlands and Belgium in international competitions, including the Winter Olympics.-Short biography:...
(speed skating
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
), Ingrid Lempereur
Ingrid Lempereur
Ingrid Lempereur is a former international top swimmer from Belgium. She won the bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke race at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles at the age of 15.-References:...
(swimming), Gella Vandecaveye
Gella Vandecaveye
Gella Vandecaveye is a judoka from Belgium.At the 1996 Summer Olympics she won the silver medal in the women's half-middleweight category. Four years later, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she captured a second medal: a bronze one in the same category...
, Heidi Rakels
Heidi Rakels
Heidi Rakels is a retired female judoka from Belgium.Rakels claimed the bronze medal in the Women's Middleweight division at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. In the bronze medal match she defeated Germany's Alexandra Schreiber...
and Harry Van Barneveld
Harry Van Barneveld
Harry Van Barneveld is a former Belgian judoka. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta he won the bronze medal in the heavyweight category.- References :...
(judo), Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
, Rik Van Looy
Rik Van Looy
Henri van Looy is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Classics or Emperor of Herentals...
, Roger De Vlaeminck
Roger De Vlaeminck
Roger De Vlaeminck is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist. He was described by Rik Van Looy as '"The most talented and the only real classics rider of his generation"...
, Lucien Van Impe
Lucien Van Impe
Lucien van Impe was a Belgian cyclist from 1969 to 1987. He excelled mainly as a climber in multiple-day races such as the Tour de France...
, Johan Bruyneel
Johan Bruyneel
Johan Bruyneel is a former road bicycle racer in professional cycling and a directeur sportif for UCI ProTour team . Retiring from racing in 1998, he became director of , a US-based UCI ProTour cycling team...
, Johan Museeuw
Johan Museeuw
Johan Museeuw is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He was a professional from 1988 to 2004 and was particularly successful in the classic cycle races in the nineties....
, Axel Merckx
Axel Merckx
Axel Merckx , is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer who retired from the sport in August 2007. Since he began his professional career in 1993, he has won an Olympic Bronze medal and competed in 8 Tours de France, finishing in 6 as the highest-placed Belgian rider...
and Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who won the 2005 World Road Race Championship. He is a member of the team, and is considered a single-day road race specialist with a strong finishing sprint...
(cycling), Raymond Ceulemans
Raymond Ceulemans
Raymond ridder Ceulemans is a three-cushion billiards player and possibly the most dominant single figure in any one sport, having won 35 World Championship titles , 48 European titles and 61 national titles...
(three-cushion billiards
Three-cushion billiards
Three-cushion billiards is a form of carom billiards, and one of the most popular and challenging cue sports in the world.The object of the game is to the off both and contact the at least 3...
), Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx
Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...
and Thierry Boutsen
Thierry Boutsen
Thierry Marc Boutsen is a former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One.-Career:thumb|left|Boutsen driving for [[Arrows]] at the [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix]]....
(Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
), Stefan Everts
Stefan Everts
Stefan Everts is a motocross racer from Belgium, who retired in 2006 after securing his record 10th World Title. He also holds several other motocross records....
and Gaston Rahier
Gaston Rahier
Gaston Rahier was a motocross racer from Belgium. He was three-time FIM World Champion in the 125cc division, claiming the title in 1975, 1976 and 1977 . He later went on to race in and win the famous Paris-Dakar rally for BMW motorcycles, in 1984 and 1985...
(motocross) and Jean-Michel Saive
Jean-Michel Saive
Jean-Michel Saive is a Belgian professional table tennis player.Born in Liège in a table tennis playing family, Saive was predestined to become a very good table tennis player and began playing as a small boy...
(table tennis), Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
(tennis), Sven Nys
Sven Nys
Sven Nys is a professional cyclist who has won his most important victories in cyclo-cross races.Nys began racing BMX at the age of 8...
(cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter , and consists of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and...
) and Vincent Rousseau
Vincent Rousseau
Vincent Rousseau is a former long-distance runner from Belgium, who competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics for his native country, starting in 1984. In 1993, he had his biggest success by winning the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Brussels, the next year followed by the first...
(running). In team sports, well-known footballers include Jean-Marie Pfaff
Jean-Marie Pfaff
Jean-Marie Pfaff is a Belgian former football goalkeeper.-Biography:At the age of 16, Pfaff joined K.S.K. Beveren with whom he won a Belgian champions title and a Belgian Cup . The same year, he received the Belgian Golden Shoe...
, Eric Gerets, Enzo Scifo, Michel Preud'homme
Michel Preud'homme
Michel Georges Jean Ghislain Preud’Homme'tönten mannen, , commonly known as Michel Preud'homme, is a Belgian football coach and retired goalkeeper. He is currently head coach of Al-Shabab Riyadh, a role he took after guiding outgoing Dutch Eredivisie champions FC Twente in the 2010–11 season...
, Franky Van Der Elst, Luc Nilis and Jan Ceulemans
Jan Ceulemans
Jan Anna Gumaar Ceulemans is a Belgian former football player who played as a midfielder.He is his country's most capped player with 96 international appearances. Most of his time with Belgium took place under the guidance of Guy Thys...
and well-known basketball players include Ann Wauters
Ann Wauters
Ann Hilde Willy Wauters is a Belgian professional basketball player who currently plays for Ros Casares Valencia in Euroleague Women. Wauters played in the WNBA from 2000 to 2009, most recently with the San Antonio Silver Stars. Her primary position is center.-Personal:Wauters began playing...
, Éric Struelens
Éric Struelens
Éric Struelens is a former Belgian basketball player. Struelens won the Belgian championship 7 times and the Belgian Cup 4 times . He also won twice the Player of the Year award in Belgium...
, Axel Hervelle
Axel Hervelle
Axel Hervelle is a Belgian professional basketball player. Hervelle was drafted by the NBA club the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft, becoming the first Belgian player ever to be drafted by an NBA team. He is a and small forward-power forward.-Pro career:Hervelle spent...
and D. J. Mbenga. International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
president Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
is a Belgian.
As a sub-area of culture in Belgium, sport is now considered to fall under the responsibility of the 3 Belgian communities (the Dutch-speaking Community
Flemish Community
The term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:...
, the French-speaking Community and the German-speaking Community
German-speaking Community of Belgium
The German-speaking Community of Belgium is one of the three federal communities of Belgium. Covering an area of 854 km² within the province of Liège in Wallonia, it includes nine of the eleven municipalities of the so-called East Cantons...
). With the exception of football and field hockey, all other major sport federations in Belgium are split into 2 major federations (a French-speaking federation and a Dutch-speaking federation).
Football
- Main article: Football in BelgiumFootball in BelgiumFootball, a sport which has been played in Belgium since the end of the 19th century, is that country's most popular sport. The national association was founded in 1895 with the intention of bringing some order and organization to the sport...
The Belgian Football Association
Belgian Football Association
The Royal Belgian Football Association is the governing body of football in Belgium...
, the governing body of football in Belgium, was founded in 1895 and was one of the founding members of the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
in 1904. The first Belgian championship was held in 1895 among the 10 founding teams of the Belgian Football Association, and was won by RFC de Liège. A second level
Belgian Second Division
The Belgian Second Division is the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system after the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the Belgian Football Association in 1905. Between 2008 and 2010 it was named EXQI League after a television channel owned by the league main sponsor,...
was added to the Belgian league in 1905, a third level
Belgian Third Division
The Belgian Third Division is the third highest level in Belgian football. It has two leagues of 18 teams each at the same level. This competition, known as the Belgian Promotion was first played in the 1926-27 season with three leagues, then with four leagues between 1931 and 1952. From 1952...
in 1926 and a fourth one
Belgian Promotion
The Belgian Promotion is the lowest nationwide division in Belgian football. Since 1905, Promotion has been the name of the lowest nationwide level but it is the fourth one since 1952. There were already 4 leagues at the time . The champion of the Promotion is declared to be the winner of a...
in 1952. R.S.C. Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
is the most successful Belgian team both at national (29 Belgian champion titles) and international (6 European titles) levels. Other successful clubs include Club Brugge K.V. (13 Belgian champion titles), R. Union Saint-Gilloise
R. Union Saint-Gilloise
R. Union Saint-Gilloise is a Belgian football club located in the municipality of Forest, though it is named after the neighbour municipality of Saint-Gilles, Brussels. It had been in the second division in 2004-05, but was subsequently relegated to third division. Its matricule is the n°10...
(11 national titles), Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
(10 national titles) and K.V. Mechelen (4 national titles and 2 European titles). The club with the most Belgian Cup
Belgian Cup
The Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgian Football Association. The first cup was held in 1911-12. The most successful cup club is Club Brugge KV with 10 titles followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard de Liège...
titles is Club Brugge KV (10) followed by RSC Anderlecht (9) and R Standard Liège (5). The 8 European titles won by Belgian clubs were claimed between 1976 and 1988.
Belgium national football team played its first game in 1904 against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
. The match ended in a 3-3 draw. Since then, Belgium has qualified for 11 out of 18 World Cups, finishing 4th in 1986, and for 4 out of the 12 UEFA European Football Championships in which it entered, finishing second in 1980. At the Summer Olympics, Belgium won the gold medal in 1920 and secured a fourth place in 2008. The most capped player for Belgium is Jan Ceulemans
Jan Ceulemans
Jan Anna Gumaar Ceulemans is a Belgian former football player who played as a midfielder.He is his country's most capped player with 96 international appearances. Most of his time with Belgium took place under the guidance of Guy Thys...
(96 caps between 1977 and 1991), followed by Eric Gerets and Franky Van Der Elst (86 caps). Belgium all-time topscorers are Bernard Voorhoof
Bernard Voorhoof
Bernard Voorhoof was a Belgian footballer, the Belgium national team top scorer since 1940 with 30 goals in 61 matches. He was joined by Paul Van Himst in 1974 who needed 81 matches to score the same number of goals....
and Paul Van Himst
Paul Van Himst
Paul van Himst is a former talented Belgian football midfielder and a football manager. Now retired, he still supports R.S.C. Anderlecht, his former team. He was nicknamed Polle Gazon due to the large number of fouls committed on him...
with 30 goals each. In the successful 1980 and 1986 Belgium national football teams, famous players include goalkeepers Jean-Marie Pfaff
Jean-Marie Pfaff
Jean-Marie Pfaff is a Belgian former football goalkeeper.-Biography:At the age of 16, Pfaff joined K.S.K. Beveren with whom he won a Belgian champions title and a Belgian Cup . The same year, he received the Belgian Golden Shoe...
and Michel Preud'homme
Michel Preud'homme
Michel Georges Jean Ghislain Preud’Homme'tönten mannen, , commonly known as Michel Preud'homme, is a Belgian football coach and retired goalkeeper. He is currently head coach of Al-Shabab Riyadh, a role he took after guiding outgoing Dutch Eredivisie champions FC Twente in the 2010–11 season...
, Eric Gerets, René Vandereycken, Wilfried Van Moer
Wilfried Van Moer
Wilfried van Moer is a former Belgian football player who won the Belgian Golden Shoe three times, first in 1966 while at Antwerp then in 1969 and in 1970 while at Standard Liège....
, François Van Der Elst
François Van Der Elst
François J. C. van der Elst is a former Belgian footballer, who played as a striker.Nicknamed Swat, his younger brother, Leo, was also a professional footballer. Both were Belgian internationals.-Football career:...
, Jan Ceulemans, Raymond Mommens
Raymond Mommens
Raymond Mommens is a former Belgian international footballer . He made his debut for the Belgium national football team during the qualifying rounds of the 1978 FIFA World Cup. He was included in the squads for the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, and the European Championships in 1980 and 1984...
, Franky Van Der Elst, Franky Vercauteren
Franky Vercauteren
François Vercauteren , nicknamed "The Little Prince", is a former Belgian football left winger and is now a football manager, who is currently working for Al Jazira Club.- Career :...
, Luc Nilis, Enzo Scifo, Erwin Vandenbergh
Erwin Vandenbergh
Erwin Vandenbergh was a Belgian footballer. Between 1981 and 1991, he finished six times topscorer of the Belgian First Division, with three different clubs . In 1981 he was European topscorer with 39 goals out of 34 games...
, Georges Grün
Georges Grün
Georges Serge Grün is a former Belgian football defender and is now a TV presenter for the UEFA Champions League matches at RTL TVI....
, Lei Clijsters
Lei Clijsters
Leo Albert Jozef "Lei" Clijsters was a Belgian professional footballer, who played as a central defender.Throughout his extensive senior career, the tough stopper was mainly associated with KV Mechelen, with whom he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup...
and Leo Van Der Elst
Leo Van Der Elst
Leo Van der Elst is a retired Belgian footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder.His older brother, François, was also a professional footballer...
.
Cycling
Cycling is a very popular sport in Belgium. It is governed by the Royal Belgian Cycling LeagueRoyal Belgian Cycling League
The Royal Belgian Cycling League or KBWB/RLVB is the national governing body of cycle racing in Belgium....
, which is split between the Dutch-speaking WBV and the French-speaking FCWB. Many Belgian cyclists have been successful, and some of the greatest cycle races take place in Belgium, especially in road bicycle racing, though other bicycle racing sports as mountain bike racing
Mountain bike racing
The Union Cycliste Internationale recognised the sport of mountain bike racing relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Purgatory, Colorado. The first mountain biking world cup series took place in 1991. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North...
or track cycling
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
also count a number of Belgian champions and races. The best Belgian cyclist of all times, Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
, nicknamed the Cannibal, has won the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
and Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
5 times each, won the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
once, the UCI Road World Championship 3 times, had many classic cycle race
Classic cycle races
The classic cycle races are one-day professional cycling road races in the international calendar. Most of the events, all run in western Europe, have been fixtures on the professional calendar for decades and the oldest ones date back to the 19th Century. They are normally held at roughly the same...
wins and set the hour record
Hour record
The hour record for bicycles is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle. There are several records. The most famous is for upright bicycles meeting the requirements of the Union Cycliste Internationale . It is one of the most prestigious in cycling...
, among other achievements. Belgium has been one of the most successful countries in road cycling since the origins, with one of the oldest races being held in Belgium, Liège–Bastogne–Liège since 1892.
At the Olympic Games, Belgium has won 3 gold medals for road cycling, with 2 victories for the Belgium Men's team time trial (at the 1948
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
and 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
) and one for André Noyelle
André Noyelle
André Noyelle was a road racing cyclist from Belgium, who won the gold medal in the men's individual road race at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. At the same tournament he also claimed the title in the men's team road race, alongside Robert Grondelaers and Lucien Victor...
for the individual race. Belgium has had the most World Championships gold medals (25) with 3 victories by Rik Van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.-Early life:...
and Eddy Merckx and 2 by Georges Ronsse
Georges Ronsse
Georges Ronsse was a two-time national cyclo-cross and two-time world champion road bicycle racer from Belgium, who raced between 1926 and 1938....
, Briek Schotte, Rik Van Looy
Rik Van Looy
Henri van Looy is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Classics or Emperor of Herentals...
and Freddy Maertens
Freddy Maertens
Freddy Maertens is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist and twice World Road Race Champion.- Career :...
. Belgian cyclists have also performed very well in the 3 big tours. Ten cyclists have won in total 18 times the Tour de France, making of Belgium the second country with the most Tour de France wins behind France. Besides Eddy Merckx, Philippe Thys
Philippe Thys
Philippe Thys was a Belgian cyclist and three times winner of the Tour de France.-Professional career:...
won the most prestigious tour 3 times while Firmin Lambot
Firmin Lambot
Firmin Lambot was a Belgian bicycle racer who twice won the Tour de France.Born in the small town of Florennes, Lambot worked as a saddler. He worked 12 hours a day, starting at 6am. He bought his first bicycle at 17 and began riding 50 km a day to and from work. His first race was in a local...
and Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes was a Belgian cyclist, who is most famous for winning the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.- Palmarès :1932...
won it twice. The latest Belgian winner at the Tour de France however was Lucien Van Impe
Lucien Van Impe
Lucien van Impe was a Belgian cyclist from 1969 to 1987. He excelled mainly as a climber in multiple-day races such as the Tour de France...
in 1976
1976 Tour de France
The 1976 Tour de France was the 63rd Tour de France, taking place June 24 to July 18, 1976. The total race distance was 22 stages over 4017 km, with riders averaging 34.518 km/h.It was won by mountain specialist Lucien Van Impe...
. At the Giro d'Italia, Belgium has had 7 wins, being the second country to have the most wins after Italy. Michel Pollentier
Michel Pollentier
Michel Pollentier is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer. He became professional in 1973. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1977 Giro d'Italia....
and Johan De Muynck
Johan de Muynck
Johan de Muynck is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist from 1971 to 1983. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1978 Giro d'Italia...
(the latest Belgian to win the Giro in 1978) are with Eddy Merckx the 3 Belgian winners of this tour. Belgium also has had 7 wins at the Vuelta a España, with 2 wins by Gustaaf Deloor
Gustaaf Deloor
Gustaaf Deloor was a Belgian road racing cyclist and the winner of the first two editions of the Vuelta a España in 1935 and 1936. The 1936 edition remains the longest winning finish time of the Vuelta in 150:07:54, the race consisted of 22 stages with a total length of 4,407 km...
, the first winner of this tour in 1935
1935 Vuelta a España
The 1st edition of Vuelta a España took place April 29 to May 15, 1935, and consisted of 14 stages and 3425 km, the winning average speed was 28.54 km/h. The Vuelta began and ended in Madrid, Spain....
and 1936
1936 Vuelta a España
The 1936 Vuelta a España was the 2nd Vuelta a España.This cycling race took place from May 5 to May 31, 1936. The race was composed of 21 stages over 4,354 km and was ridden at an average of 29 km/h. The second edition of the Vuelta began under a volatile political and social situation...
. The latest winner of the Spain tour was Freddy Maertens in 1977.
Many Belgian cyclists have won one of the 5 monument cycle races. At the Tour of Flanders
Tour of Flanders
The Tour of Flanders is a Flanders Classics road cycling race held in Belgium every spring, a week before the Paris–Roubaix road race. It is part of the UCI World Tour and one of the so-called monuments of the European professional calendar. It is the most important cycling race in Flanders...
, Belgium counts 67 wins in 95 editions with 3 wins for Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman
Eric Leman
Eric Leman is a former professional road racing cyclist from Belgium. He won the prestigious Ronde van Vlaanderen three times.- Major achievements :1968...
and Johan Museeuw
Johan Museeuw
Johan Museeuw is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He was a professional from 1988 to 2004 and was particularly successful in the classic cycle races in the nineties....
. Roger De Vlaeminck
Roger De Vlaeminck
Roger De Vlaeminck is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist. He was described by Rik Van Looy as '"The most talented and the only real classics rider of his generation"...
holds the record of wins at Paris–Roubaix (4), and Belgium is the most successful country in this race with 54 wins in 109 editions. Liège–Bastogne–Liège was won 59 times on 97 by Belgian cyclists. Eddy Merckx holds the record of the most individual wins (5). At the Giro di Lombardia, Belgium counts 12 titles in 104 editions, with only Italy performing better. Milan – San Remo was won 7 times by Eddy Merckx, who holds the record of the most wins, and Belgium has won 20 times on 102, being the second most successful country after Italy in this race. In opposition to the big tours, which were not won anymore by Belgians since 1978, cyclists from Belgium are still being successful in the monument races. At Paris–Roubaix, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen have won 3 times each since 1996, and Peter Van Petegem and Johan Van Summeren
Johan Van Summeren
Johan Vansummeren is a Belgian road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam .During the 2007 Tour de France, commentator Paul Sherwen repeatedly praised Vansummeren's work in support of his team leader, eventual second place finisher Cadel Evans, even going so far as to say "I would like to...
have also won the race once each. At the Tour of Flanders, Belgium has 11 wins since 1993, with 3 by Johan Museeuw, 2 by Peter Van Petegem, Tom Boonen and Stijn Devolder and 1 by Andreï Tchmil and Nick Nuyens. In the other 3 monuments, Belgians has been less successful recently, with Andreï Tchmil being the only Belgian winner of Milan – San Remo in 1999 since Fons De Wolf in 1981. Philippe Gilbert has been the only winner of the Giro di Lombardia since Fons De Wolf in 1980, with wins in 2009 and 2010 and only 4 Belgians have won Liège–Bastogne–Liège since Joseph Bruyère in 1978: Eric Van Lancker in 1990, Dirk De Wolf in 1992, Frank Vandenbroucke in 1999 and Philippe Gilbert in 2011.
Among the best-known road races in Belgium, 2 out of the 5 monuments of cycling are the Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Other classic one day races in Belgium are La Flèche Wallonne
La Flèche Wallonne
La Flèche Wallonne is a major men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium.The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège...
and Gent–Wevelgem both part of the UCI World Tour, as well as Paris–Brussels, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, Grand Prix de Wallonie
Grand Prix de Wallonie
The Grand Prix de Wallonie is an annual road bicycle race held annually in Wallonia, Belgium. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Palmarès:-External links:*...
, Dwars door Vlaanderen
Dwars door Vlaanderen
Dwars door Vlaanderen is a Flanders Classics road bicycle race. Traditionally, it is the start of the Flemish cycling week, with Gent–Wevelgem , the Three Days of De Panne and the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Dwars door Vlaanderen has always been contested on a Wednesday, a week and a half before the...
and E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke. The best-known stage-races in Belgium are the Tour of Benelux, created in 2005 and the Tour of Belgium
Tour of Belgium
The Tour of Belgium is a four-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium.It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Between 1982 and 1990 several of races were not organised and none at all during the decade 1991 to 2001...
. Belgium has currently two professional cycling teams performing in the UCI ProTour
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...
: Quick Step and Omega Pharma-Lotto.
In mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
, Filip Meirhaeghe
Filip Meirhaeghe
Filip Meirhaeghe is a Belgian racing cyclist. His primary focus was in mountain bike racing, however, he has also taken part in elite road, cyclo-cross and track cycling. He has won four Mountain Bike World Championships medals, one Olympic medal and a total of eleven mountain bike World Cup events...
has won the 2002 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the 2003 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and was silver-medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. In mountain bike trials
Mountain bike trials
Mountain bike trials, also known as observed trials, is a discipline of mountain biking in which the rider attempts to pass through an obstacle course without setting foot to ground. Derived from motorcycle trials, it originated in Catalonia, Spain and is said to have been invented by the father of...
, Kenny Belaey
Kenny Belaey
Kenny Belaey is a Belgian mountain bike trials cyclist sponsored by Red Bull, Adidas, Monty, Hyundai, Sapim, Hope, Q-oil, Calant. He holds the UCI titles record in the discipline of trial...
has won the 26-inch wheel trial World Cup in 2002, 2005 and 2006. In cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter , and consists of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and...
, Belgian competitors have gained 25 gold medals at the UCI Cyclo-cross Men World Championships since 1950 and 54 medals overall, making it the best country in cyclo-cross, ahead of France with 10 gold medals out of 34 medals. Eric De Vlaeminck
Eric De Vlaeminck
Erik De Vlaeminck is a former Belgian cyclist. He is the brother of Roger De Vlaeminck.The spelling "Eric" rather than "Erik" is the French version of his name. He prefers Erik....
has the most world title in cyclo-cross with 7 World Cup wins between 1966 and 1973. Other multiple Belgian world champions are Roland Liboton
Roland Liboton
Roland Liboton is a former cyclo-cross racer from Belgium. Liboton won the World Cyclo-cross Championships in 1980, 1982, 1983, and 1984, was Cyclo-cross Champion of Belgium for ten successive years from 1980 to 1989 and won the Super Prestige in 1985, 1986 and 1988. He retired from professional...
(4 titles), Mario De Clercq
Mario De Clercq
Mario De Clercq is a former racing cyclist. He specialized in cyclo-cross racing but also rode on the road and circuit races during his career, he raced as a professional between 1991 and 2004...
and Erwin Vervecken
Erwin Vervecken
Erwin Vervecken is a Belgian professional cyclist specialising in cyclo-cross. He grew up in Lille but now resides in his home town, Herentals, with his wife Liesbeth.-Career highlights:...
(3) and Bart Wellens
Bart Wellens
Bart Wellens is a professional cyclo-cross cyclist from Belgium. He starred in the reality television series 'Wellens en Wee' on Flemish TV-channel VT4....
(2). In track cycling
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
, Matthew Gilmore
Matthew Gilmore
Matthew Gilmore is an Belgian-Australian retired track cyclist, who mostly competed and was most successful on track for Belgium. Although Gilmore was born in and represented Belgium, he is the son of Australian racing cyclist Graeme Gilmore and competed with an Australian licence earlier in his...
and Etienne De Wilde
Etienne De Wilde
Etienne De Wilde is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer. De Wilde won races on the road and on the track. He won a silver medal in the madison at the 2000 Summer Olympics.- Eighties :1980...
won the gold medal of Men's Madison event at the 1998 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
1998 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The 1998 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Bordeaux, France from August 26 to August 30, 1998. Twelve events were contested, eight for the men and four for the women. France dominated most of the events, taking home half of the...
and the silver medal of Men's Madison at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. Roger Ilegems won the gold medal of the Men's point race at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
while Patrick Sercu holded several world records and won the gold medal of the Men's 1 km time trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
.
Tennis
Tennis in Belgium is governed by the Royal Belgian Tennis Federation, which is split into the French-speaking AFT and the Dutch-speaking VTV. Belgium is well known in tennis for the two champions Justine Henin and Kim ClijstersKim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
, who were both WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
World No. 1 ranked player in the 2000s. Both players also retired respectively in 2008 and 2007, before they came back to the competition respectively in 2010 and 2009. Clijsters won 39 WTA titles among which 3 US Opens (2005, 2009 and 2010). Henin won 41 WTA titles among which 7 Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
titles (4 French Opens, 2 US Opens and 1 Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
).
Belgium team won the 2001 Fed Cup
2001 Fed Cup
The 2001 Fed Cup was the 39th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women's tennis. The World Group was reduced to 8 teams, divided into two pools, with the winners meeting in the finals. 90 nations participated in the tournament. The World Group was held at the...
and finished runner-up in 2006
2006 Fed Cup
The 2006 Fed Cup was the 44th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women's tennis. A total of 76 nations participated in the tournament...
. The current Fed Cup
Fed Cup
Fed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
team for Belgium is Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer is a Belgian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 22 and is the second-highest ranked female Belgian tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 12 on 19 April 2010...
, and Kirsten Flipkens
Kirsten Flipkens
Kirsten Flipkens is a professional female Belgian tennis player since 2003. Her career high rank for singles is No. 59 . She won 10 ITF Singles titles, and 1 ITF Doubles title....
. Belgium hosted each year the Belgian Open
Belgian Open (tennis)
The Belgian Open was a WTA Tour tennis event held over three different periods from 1987-2002. It was competed in July from 1987–1989 and 2001, and May from 1992-1993 to 1999-2001. From 2000-2001 it was sponsored by Dutch clothing chain Mexx and was temporarily renamed the Benelux Open. In 2002, it...
from 1987 on, which was replaced by the Proximus Diamond Games
Proximus Diamond Games
The Proximus Diamond Games was a professional tennis tournament held in Antwerp, Belgium. Held since 2002, the tournament takes place in the Sportpaleis, and was played at the beginning of February...
in 2002.
The men's team of Belgium is currently 14th in the ITF Rankings
ITF Rankings
The ITF Rankings are the current rankings of national teams by the International Tennis Federation in both men's and women's tennis. The ITF produces two sets of rankings—the ITF Davis Cup Nations Ranking for men's teams, and the ITF Fed Cup Nations Ranking for women's teams. Both sets of rankings...
. Their best result is a second place in the 1904 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
1904 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
The 1904 International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the fourth edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup, and the first edition to be played outside of American soil. As defending champions, the British Isles team played host to the competition, which featured teams from Belgium and France for...
. The current Belgium
Belgium Davis Cup team
The Belgium Davis Cup team represents Belgium in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Royal Belgian Tennis Federation.Belgium finished as runner-up in 1904.Belgium returned to the World Group in 2007 after 3 years absence.-Current team:...
Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
team is composed of Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
(3 ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
titles), Olivier
Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus is a Belgian tennis player. He was born in Namur, Belgium, and currently resides in Auvelais, Belgium.-Career:...
(2) and Christophe Rochus
Christophe Rochus
Christophe Rochus is a retired professional male tennis player from Belgium.Rochus is the older brother of Olivier Rochus, also a tennis player who has been slightly more successful than Christophe. He reached the singles finals of two ATP tournaments: Valencia and Rotterdam but lost them both...
(0) and Steve Darcis
Steve Darcis
Steve Darcis is a male professional tennis player. He achieved his career high ranking of #44 on 12 May 2008.-2007:...
(2).
Former Belgian tennis champions include Filip Dewulf
Filip Dewulf
Filip Dewulf is a former professional male tennis player from Belgium.In his career he won 2 ATP Tour singles titles and 1 title in doubles...
(2 ATP titles), Sabine Appelmans
Sabine Appelmans
Sabine Appelmans is a former tennis player from Belgium, and was Belgium's Fed Cup captain from 2007 until 2011.-Career:...
(7 WTA titles) and Dominique Monami
Dominique Monami
Dominique Monami is a former Belgian professional female tennis player.In 1995, she married her coach Bart Van Roost, with whom she has a daughter, and played under the name Dominique Van Roost until their divorce in 2003.Her biggest achievement came during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where...
(4 WTA titles).
American Football
American FootballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
in Belgium is governed by three major bodies: the Belgian american Football League (BFL) (the Belgian federal association), the Flemish American Football League
Flemish American Football League
The Flemish American Football League is one of the 2 conferences of the Belgian Football League . It consists of teams from the Flemish Community, whereas the Ligue Francophone de Football Amercain de Belgique consists of teams from the French Community. The top 3 teams from the Flemish League...
(the Flemish association), and the Ligue Francophone de Football Amercain de Belgique
Ligue Francophone de Football Amercain de Belgique
The Ligue Francophone de Football Americain de Belgique is one of the 2 conferences of the Belgian Football League . It consists of teams from the French Community, whereas the Flemish American Football League consists of teams from the Flemish Community...
(the Wallon association). There are 15 active Belgian teams and 1 Luxembourg team in the BFL. The season starts in Februari and ends in June in the Belgian Bowl
Belgian Bowl
In American football, the Belgian Bowl is the championship game of the Belgian Football League . At the end of each regular season, three teams from each conference play in the BFL playoffs, a six-team single-elimination tournament that culminates with the Belgian Bowl.-History:-Statistics:* in...
.
Athletics
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...
in 1973
1973 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 1st IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held on 17 March 1973 in Waregem, Belgium.-Individual:-Team:- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
, 1991
1991 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 19th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held on March 24, 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- External links :**- References :...
, 2001
2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 29th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 24–25 March 2001 in Ostend, Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
and 2004
2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 19-20 March 2004 in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
, the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is an annual half marathon competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was contested from 1992 to 2005, and replaced by the IAAF World Road Running Championships, a 20 kilometres race which had its inaugural...
in 1993
1993 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2nd IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 3, 1993 in Brussels, Belgium. A total of 254 athletes, 133 men, 86 women and 35 juniors, from 49 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:...
and 2002
2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 11th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on May 5, 2002 in the city of Brussels, Belgium. A total of 201 athletes, 123 men and 78 women, from 60 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:...
and the 2000 European Athletics Indoor Championships (at the Flanders Sports Arena
Flanders Sports Arena
The Flanders Sports Arena is a multi-purpose Indoor arena in Ghent, Belgium. Opened in 2000, the Flanders Sports Arena can hold up to 5,000 people in sporting events....
).
Belgium hosts a number of prominent annual competitions across all sections of the sport of athletics. The Memorial Van Damme
Memorial Van Damme
Memorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...
, Belgium's foremost track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
competition, began in 1977 and is now part of the IAAF Diamond League
IAAF Diamond League
The Samsung Diamond League is an annual series of track and field meetings held from 2010 onwards, beginning with the 2010 IAAF Diamond League...
circuit. Two of the meetings in the Lotto Cross Cup
Lotto Cross Cup
The Lotto Cross Cup is an annual series of international cross country running competitions in Belgium. The inaugural season was in 1982–1983. The series comprises Belgium's foremost cross country competitions, including the IAAF permit meeting in Brussels and the European Athletics sanctioned...
(an annual cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
series) are sanctioned by the IAAF and European Athletics. Other significant competitions which are part of the European athletics circuit include the Flanders Indoor meeting in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
and the KBC Night of Athletics
KBC Night of Athletics
The KBC Night of Athletics is an annual athletics event at the Stadium De Veen in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. It is official presented and sponsored by the KBC Bank.-Men:-Women:-External links:* *...
in Heusden
Heusden
Heusden is a municipality and a city in the South of the Netherlands. It is located between the cities Waalwijk and 's-Hertogenbosch.- Population centres :...
. The country has two AIMS
Association of International Marathons and Distance Races
The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, also known as AIMS, is an association of long-distance running races. Originally founded in 1982 at a meeting in London of marathon race directors, its membership was extended in 1986 to include all road races...
-certified marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
s: the Antwerp Marathon and the Brussels Marathon. There is also an annual ultramarathon
Ultramarathon
An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of .There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time...
competition called the Nacht van Vlaanderen, a 100 km race which has been held annually since 1980. The meeting has also doubled as the European and IAU World Championships on a number of occasions. Other annual races of note are the Warandeloop, Oostende-Brugge Ten Miles, Kust Marathon, Guldensporenmarathon and the 20 km of Brussels
20 km of Brussels
The 20 km of Brussels is a 20.1 km race that has been held each year in Brussels since 1980, usually in May. It used to have a maximum number of 25,000 entries, which were normally sold out quite quickly after places go on sale in March, but in 2010 a staggered start-time approach led to an...
.
The Golden Spike is awarded annually to the season's best Belgian male and female athletes. Three Belgian athletes have won Olympic gold medals: Tia Hellebaut (high jump, 2008
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
), Gaston Roelants (3000 m steeplechase, 1964
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
) and Gaston Reiff
Gaston Reiff
Gaston Reiff was a Belgian athlete, winner of the 1948 Olympic title in the 5,000 m.Reiff was born in Braine-l'Alleud, and competed in boxing and football before switching to running. His greatest performance is no doubt his 5000 m title at the 1948 Summer Olympics...
(5000 m, 1948
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
). The other Belgian Olympic medalists in athletics are Etienne Gailly
Etienne Gailly
Etienne Gailly was a Belgian athlete who competed mainly in the Marathon.Etienne Gailly was a Belgian who served as a paratrooper during WW2. Towards the end of the War, as he participated in the liberation of his home country in late 1944, Gailly was profoundly moved by the devastation to his home...
(bronze for marathon in 1948), Roger Moens (silver for 800m in 1960
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
), Emiel Puttemans
Emiel Puttemans
Emiel Puttemans is a retired middle- and long-distance runner, who set world records for 3000 metres in 1972, for 2 miles in 1971, and for 5000 metres in 1972....
(silver for 10,000 m in 1972
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
), Karel Lismont
Karel Lismont
Karel Lismont is a former Belgian athlete, who competed mostly in the marathon. He won two Olympic medals: a silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and a bronze at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal in the same event. At the European Championships in Helsinki in 1971, he won a gold...
(silver for marathon in 1972 and bronze in 1976
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
), Ivo Van Damme (silver for 800 m and 1500 m in 1976) and the Belgium Women's 4x100 m led by Kim Gevaert (silver in 2008). Belgium has had three IAAF World Championships in Athletics
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
medals (all bronze medals) since the creation of this competition in 1983: William Van Dijck
William Van Dijck
William Van Dijck was a Belgian athlete, primarily active on the 3000m steeplechase.-Biography:He was the first Belgian to win a medal at the World Championships, winning the bronze medal at the 1987 World Championships. He won a second bronze at the 1994 European Championships. He became Belgian...
for 3000 m steeplechase in 1987
1987 World Championships in Athletics
The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987.-Track:1983 | 1987 | 1991 | 1993 | 1995...
, Mohammed Mourhit
Mohammed Mourhit
Mohammed Mourhit is a Belgian top cross country, middle and long distance runner who holds two European records, in the 3000 m and 5000 m. He is also a former European 10000 m record holder...
for the 5000m in 1999
1999 World Championships in Athletics
The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....
and the Belgium Women's 4x100 m team in 2007
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
. Over the history of the European Athletics Championship, Belgium has had five gold medals, ten silver medals and seven bronze medals.
Basketball
Basketball is governed by the Royal Belgian Basketball Federation. It is a popular sport in Belgium though the Belgium national basketball teamBelgium national basketball team
The Belgian national basketball team is the basketball side that represents Belgium in international competitions. The country side has qualified 13 times for EuroBasket, having their best result as the 4th place in EuroBasket 1947, but haven't qualified since 1993 to the major European...
has not qualified for a major national team events since the EuroBasket 1993
EuroBasket 1993
-Venues:-First round:-A - Karlsruhe:-B - Berlin:-C - Karlsruhe:-D - Berlin:-Second round:-E - Karlsruhe:-F - Berlin:-Finals in Munich:-Places 5-8 in Munich:-Finals in Munich:-Final rankings:# # #...
, when Belgium finished 12th. Star players from the 1993 team were Éric Struelens
Éric Struelens
Éric Struelens is a former Belgian basketball player. Struelens won the Belgian championship 7 times and the Belgian Cup 4 times . He also won twice the Player of the Year award in Belgium...
, Rik Samaey, Ronny Bayer, Jacques Stas and Daniel Goethals. The best result of the Belgium national team was a 4th place at the EuroBasket 1947
Eurobasket 1947
The 1947 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1947, was the fifth Eurobasket regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Fourteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation took part in the competition...
. The Basketball League Belgium
Basketball League Belgium
The Basketball League Belgium , also known as the Ligue Ethias or Ethias League, is the highest professional basketball league in Belgium.-Teams:* Antwerp Giants* Belgacom Liège Basket* Dexia Mons-Hainaut* Generali Okapi Aalstar...
is the top-flight national division and is played between 9 teams, with the current major clubs being BC Oostende (12 Belgian champion titles and 11 Belgian Cups), Antwerp Giants (9 national titles and 5 Belgian Cups), Spirou Basket Charleroi (8 national titles and 5 Belgian Cups), Liège Basket
Liege Basket
Liège Basket is a Belgian professional basketball club from Liège, Belgium. Known as Belgacom Liège Basket for sponsorship reasons, The club competes in the Basketball League Belgium. Founded in 1967, the team plays at 5,600 seat Country Hall Ethias Liège, in the Belgian city of Liège.-External...
(3 national titles and 4 Belgian Cups), Mons-Hainaut (1 Belgian Cup) and Verviers-Pepinster. The clubs of Racing Mechelen (15 national titles and 9 Belgian Cups between 1964 and 1994), Royal IV Brussels (7 national titles and 5 Belgian Cups between 1939 and 1973) and Semailles (6 national titles and 4 Belgian Cups between 1946 and 1958) have been successful but are now defunct. Belgium has organized the EuroBasket 1977
EuroBasket 1977
-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # -Group A - Liège:-Group B - Ostend:-Places 9 - 12 in Liège:-Places 5 - 8 in Liège:-Places 1 - 4 in Liège:-Finals:-Team rosters:...
. The biggest venues for basketball in Belgium are the Spiroudome
Spiroudome
Spiroudome is an indoor arena in Charleroi, Belgium. Opened in 2002, it currently can hold 6,300 spectators . It hosts indoor sporting events such as tennis and basketball. The arena hosted the annual ULEB Cup final from 2004 to 2008. It is also the home arena of the Spirou Charleroi basketball...
in Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
(7,560 seats), the Country Hall Ethias Liège
Country Hall Ethias Liège
Country Hall Ethias Liège is a multi-purpose arena in Liège, Belgium.The arena has 5,600 seats in its sport configuration and 7,200 in the concert configuration...
in Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
(5,600), the Lotto Arena
Lotto Arena
Lotto Arena is an arena in Antwerp, Belgium. It has a seating capacity for 8,050 people for concerts and 5,218 for sporting events. The arena opened on March 10, 2007, after nine month of construction and Adjacent to the Sportpaleis....
in Antwerp (5,218) and the Sea'Arena
Sea'Arena
Sea'Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Oostende, Belgium. Sea'Arena holds 5,000 people and opened in 2006. It hosts the home games of BC Oostende basketball club as well as Fed Cup matches.-External links:*...
in Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
(5,000).
Table tennis
Table tennis in Belgium is governed by the Royal Belgian Table Tennis Federation, which is split into the French-speaking AFFRBTT and the Dutch-speaking VTTL. The probably best-known Belgian table tennis player is Jean-Michel SaiveJean-Michel Saive
Jean-Michel Saive is a Belgian professional table tennis player.Born in Liège in a table tennis playing family, Saive was predestined to become a very good table tennis player and began playing as a small boy...
who won his 21st Belgian champion title in 2009. At the international level, a victory at the 1994 Table Tennis European Championships
Table Tennis European Championships
The European Table Tennis Championships were first held in 1958. Between 1958 and 2002, the European Championships were held every two years in the even years. From 2003 they were held in odd years. Since 2008 the tournament has been held annually...
, a victory in the Europe Top-12
Europe Top-12
The Europe Top-12 is an European table tennis tournament organized by the European Table Tennis Union on a yearly basis between the twelve strongest players in Europe. The tournament was first held in 1971 for both the men's and women's competition, adopting a single round-robin format...
in 1994 and a 2nd place at the World Table Tennis Championships
World Table Tennis Championships
The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
in 1993 are his best single results. Jean-Michel also finished 2nd at the team event of the World Championships in 2001. His brother Philippe Saive was also a renowned player in Belgium. At the club level, the best known Belgian club is certainly Royal Villette Charleroi where the brothers Saive have played, as well as Zoran Primorac
Zoran Primorac
Zoran Primorac is an accomplished male table tennis player from Croatia. He is considered to be among the best European players in the last 25 years .-Biography:Primorac was born in Zadar and started playing...
, Petr Korbel
Petr Korbel
Petr Korbel is a Czech table tennis player who has competed in five Olympics from 1992 to 2008.His best performance was in 1996 when he came fourth in the singles, losing to Germany's Jörg Roßkopf in the bronze medal match.-External links:*...
, Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Dimitrij Ovtcharov is a Ukrainian-born German table tennis player.As of February 2011, he is ranked #15 in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation ....
, Oh Sang-Eun and Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov is a Belarusian professional table tennis player, ranked ninth in the world as of October 2011...
among others. La Villette Charleroi has won 1 World Champion title and 7 European Club Cup of Champions
European Club Cup of Champions
The European Club Cup of Champions, often known as the European Cup or CEEE, was a table tennis competition for European club teams. It was organized by the European Table Tennis Union annually for men's and women's teams. It was first held in session 1960/61 for the men's competition, and the...
since 1994, among which 5 victories in the new European Champions League
European Champions League (table tennis)
European Champions League is the seasonal table tennis competition for the highest ranked European club teams and is regarded as the most important international club competition in Europe. It is organised by the European Table Tennis Union and replaced the European Club Cup of Champions , the...
, making it the most successful club in this competition.
Volleyball
Volleyball in Belgium is organized by the Royal Belgian Volleyball Federation which is split into the Dutch-speaking VVB and the French-speaking AIF. The Belgium men's national volleyball team best result at the European Volleyball ChampionshipEuropean Volleyball Championship
The European Volleyball Championship is a sport competition for national teams, currently held biannually and organized by the CEV, the European volleyball federation. There are both men's and women's competitions....
was in 1948
1948 Men's European Volleyball Championship
The 1948 Men's European Volleyball Championship was the first edition of the event, organized by Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball. It was hosted in Rome, Italy from September 24 to September 26, 1948....
(5th on 6). In 1987
1987 Men's European Volleyball Championship
The 1987 Men's European Volleyball Championship was the fifteenth edition of the event, organized by Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball...
, Belgium finished 7th. Since then, Belgium only reached the finals in 2007
2007 Men's European Volleyball Championship
The 25th Men's European Volleyball Championship was the first continental volleyball competition hosted by Russia. Championship took place from September 6 to September 16, 2007, and was won by Spain.-Teams:Pool A – Saint Petersburg...
and finished 10th. The Belgium women's national volleyball team
Belgium women's national volleyball team
The Belgium women's national volleyball team represents Belgium in international women's volleyball competitions and friendly matches.-World Championship:* 1956—15th place* 1978—22nd place-European Championship:...
best result is a 7th place at the 2007 Women's European Volleyball Championship
2007 Women's European Volleyball Championship
The 2007 Women's European Volleyball Championship was the 25th edition of the event, organised by Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball...
. The Belgium men's volleyball League
Belgium men's volleyball League
The Volleyliga Belgium is the top flight in men's volleyball in Belgium. The league is organized by the Royal Belgian Volleyball Federation. Noliko Maaseik is the most successful club of the Volleyliga with 13 national titles since 1991...
is the highest level championship for men's clubs in Belgium. Noliko Maaseik
Noliko Maaseik
Noliko Maaseik is a Belgian volleyball club from the city Maaseik.Mavoc Maaseik, the first name of the club, was founded in 1960 and grew out of the school "Het Heilig Kruis College Maaseik"....
(12 national titles and 11 Belgian Cups) and Knack Randstad Roeselare
Knack Randstad Roeselare
Knack Randstad Roeselare is a professional Volleyball team based in Roeselare, Belgium. It plays in Belgian Volleyball League and in the CEV Champions League-Palmarès:*National**Belgian volley league : 1989, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010...
(5 national titles and 6 Belgian Cups) are the most successful clubs in the last years. Roeselare is the only Belgian club to have won a European cup, namely the CEV Top Teams Cup in 2002. They also have 2 second places at the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup (volleyball)
The Challenge Cup is an official competition for men's Volleyball clubs of Europe and takes place every year. It was started in the 1980/81 season under the name CEV Cup. In 2007 it was renamed to Challenge Cup.-CEV Cup:-Challenge Cup:...
. Maaseik best results at international level are 2 lost finals of the CEV Champions League
CEV Champions League
The CEV Champions League, or Indesit European Champions League is the top official competition for men's Volleyball clubs of Europe and takes place every year.-Formula:In the first round take part 24 teams shared in 6 group stage....
in 1997 and 1999 and a lost final of the CEV Top Teams Cup in 2008. In the Belgium women's volleyball Division of Honour
Belgium women's volleyball Division of Honour
The Division of Honour is the highest level of women's volleyball in Belgium.-2011-12 Teams:* Asterix Kieldrecht* Barbãr d'X-elles* Datovoc Tongeren* Dauphines Charleroi* Gea Happel Amigos Zoersel* Hermes Volley Oostende* M Siks VK Blaasveld...
, the most successful clubs in the last years are Datovoc Tongeren
Datovoc Tongeren
Damesvolleybalclub Tongeren is a Belgian women's volleyball team based in Tongeren.The club was founded in 1967, under the name Tovoc. After a merger with Hasselt, the club's name changed to Hatovoc. This team promoted for the first time to Ere Divisie Dames in 1985. The merger with Hasselt ended...
(7 national titles), Asterix Kieldrecht
Asterix Kieldrecht
Damesvolleybalclub Asterix Kieldrecht is a Belgian women's volleyball club based in Kieldrecht .The team was founded in 1969. By the end of the 1980s, the team climbed to the highest level of women's volleyball in Belgium...
(4 national titles) and Dauphines Charleroi
Dauphines Charleroi
Dauphines Charleroi is a Belgian women's volleyball club from Charleroi.The women's A squad currently plays at the highest level of Belgian volleyball, Ere Divisie. They achieved promotion to the highest level of Belgian volleyball in 1988....
(2 national titles). Kieldrecht is the only club to have a European title (the 2001 Women's CEV Top Teams Cup
Women's CEV Top Teams Cup
The CEV Top Teams Cup was an official competition for women's Volleyball clubs of Europe and took place every year from 1972/73 to 2006/07.Before 2001, it was the CEV Cup Winner's Cup. In 2007 it was renamed CEV Cup.-Cup Winners Cup:-Top Teams Cup:...
).
Rugby League
Rugby League is a growing sport in Belgium, and its national team played its first international game in 2009 with a 28 points to 22 win against Catalonia before losing their second game 46 points to 12 against Morroco, both games in the 2009 Euro Med Challenge. Belgium will play Denmark in 2010, and is also expected to play games against other European official observer countries including Germany and Morocco.Rugby union
Rugby union is a growing sport in Belgium which, due to recent success by the international team, is enjoying a rise in popularity. The game is formally organised by the Belgium Rugby Federation and has a surprisingly long history. Belgium has 57 clubs and 10,071 players according to the International Rugby Board who currently rank Belgium as tier two nation ranked at twenty sixth in the world.Rally
Rally is popular sport in Belgium and although no money prizes can be won, many talented drivers participate in the Belgian Championships. The rally sport is overseen by the RACB organization. Belgium is known for its technical special stages on narrow tarmac roads and steep ditches.External links
- Belgium.be
- Belgian Olympic Committee
- Belgian football association
- Royal Belgian Cycling League
- Royal Belgian Tennis Federation
- Dutch-speaking athletics federation
- French-speaking athletics federation
- Royal Belgian Basketball Federation
- Belgian table tennis federation
- French-speaking volleyball federation
- Dutch-speaking volleyball federation
- Belgian Rugby League Website