Olympic history of Belgium

BEL

41	55	58

Belgium , whose NOK , the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee , was founded in 1906 andrecognizedby the IOC , has been participating in the Summer Olympic Games since 1900. Since 1924 athletes have also been sent to the winter games. Young athletes have taken part in all of the Youth Olympic Games that have been held so far in summer and winter.

Belgium once hosted the Summer Olympics, which took place in Antwerp in 1920 .

General

Entry of the Belgian team in 1912

Belgium is one of the nations that has won at least one medal at all summer games, with the exception of 1932.

Foil fencer Antoine Smet was the first Belgian Olympian on May 14, 1900. On July 8, 1912, swimmer Claire Guttenstein became the kingdom's first woman to take part in the Olympic Games. In 1920 in Antwerp, figure skating and ice hockey were also part of the Olympic sports. The Belgian national ice hockey team played against Sweden (0: 8) on April 23, 1920, making the team members the first Belgian winter sportsmen to take part in the Olympic Games. The first female winter athlete was the figure skater Georgette Herbos on April 25, 1920 , who was also the first Belgian woman to participate in winter games on January 31, 1924. The first Belgian men at the Winter Games were the speed skaters Louis de Ridder, Gaston van Hazebroeck, Philippe Van Volckxsom and Marcel Moens on January 26, 1924 .

The most successful athlete is archer Hubert Van Innis with ten medals . He competed in 1900 and 1920 and was Olympic champion six times, plus four silver medals. He is also Belgium's first ever medalist and Olympic champion. The swimmer Ingrid Lempereur managed to win the first medal for a woman from Belgium in 1984. The first female Olympic champion in Belgium was the judoka Ulla Werbrouck in 1996 .

Archery is Belgium's most successful sport with a total of 20 medals. Only in cycling were more medals won. With 26 medals there were seven Olympic victories. The most successful winter sport with two medals, including an Olympic victory, is figure skating.

Canada's first Olympic team in 1900 had 63 members. The largest team started at the domestic summer games in 1920, where 336 athletes competed. Until 1960, with the exception of 1956, over 100 athletes were sent continuously. After that, a three-digit number of participants was only reached in 1976, 2012 and 2016. The largest Olympic team at the Winter Games started in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936. 27 Belgian winter sports enthusiasts competed.

The domestic summer games were the most successful games ever for Belgian athletes. In total, they won 36 medals in Antwerp, including 14 gold, eleven silver and eleven bronze medals. The most successful winter games were the 1948 games in St. Moritz. The only Olympic victory at the Winter Games was achieved here.

Belgium has two IOC members with voting rights. In 2012 the sports official Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant was elected to the IOC. The President of the Belgian NOC is a member of the Finance and Ethics Commissions. He is also chairman of the accounting commission. In 2017 the President of the Fédération Equestre Internationale , Ingmar De Vos , was elected an IOC member.

The surgeon Jacques Rogge , himself a three-time Olympic participant in sailing, was IOC President from 2001 to 2013. He was the successor of the Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch and was replaced by the German Thomas Bach . Since then he has been Honorary President for life.

Applications and hosting of the Olympic Games

Applications

The poster for the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp

Victor Boin speaks the Olympic oath

The cities of Brussels and Antwerp submitted applications to host the Olympic Games . The first application was from Brussels to host the 6th Olympic Games, which were to take place in 1916. Brussels lost to Berlin, but the games were not held because of the First World War .

Antwerp applied to host the 7th Olympic Games in 1920. Antwerp was awarded the contract at the 17th IOC session in Lausanne . The Hungarian capital Budapest was the favorite , but IOC President Pierre de Coubertin wanted Belgium to be a host country that had suffered particularly badly from the hostilities of the First World War.

Brussels applied to host the 17th Olympic Games in 1960, but lost with only six votes in the first ballot. The bid to host the 18th Olympic Games in 1964 also failed in the first ballot, which Tokyo won with an absolute majority over Detroit , Vienna and Brussels.

Alignment

The Olympic Games took place in Antwerp from April 20 to September 12, 1920. 2,626 athletes, including 65 women, from 29 countries took part. The Games were opened by King Albert I. As the trigger for the First World War, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey were not invited. The Soviet Union was not invited either, due to the political embargo. In Antwerp the Olympic oath was spoken for the first time (by the swimmer Victor Boin ) and the Olympic flag was hoisted. An ice hockey tournament was held for the first time at the Olympic Games. The host country Belgium took 5th place in the medal table.

Overview of the participations

Summer games

year	Athletes			Flag bearer	Medals
	total	m	w					total	rank
1896	not participated
1900	64	64	0		5	5	5	15th	6th
1904	not participated
1908	70	70	0		1	5	2	8th	10
1912	35	34	1		2	1	3	6th	13
1920	330	320	10	Victor Boin	14th	11	11	36	5
1924	168	163	5		3	7th	3	13	10
1928	171	159	12			1	2	3	29
1932	7th	6th	1	George Maughan
1936	119	114	5	Édouard Écuyer de le Court			2	2	29
1948	148	129	19th	Charles Vyt	2	2	3	7th	15th
1952	135	130	5	Charles Debeur	2	2		4th	14th
1956	57	53	4th	André Nelis		2		2	28
1960	101	93	8th	André Nelis		2	2	4th	26th
1964	61	60	1	Gaston Roelants	2		1	3	20th
1968	82	77	5	Gaston Roelants		1	1	2	36
1972	88	82	6th	Gaston Roelants		2		2	29
1976	101	75	26th	Gaston Roelants		3	3	6th	28
1980	59	43	16		1			1	23
1984	63	47	16	Edgar Cuepper	1	1	2	4th	21st
1988	59	35	24	Dirk Crois			2	2	44
1992	68	43	25th	Frans Peeters		1	2	3	44
1996	61	41	20th	Jean-Michel Saive	2	2	2	6th	31
2000	68	36	32	Ulla Werbrouck		2	3	5	55
2004	50	31	19th	Jean-Michel Saive	1		2	3	51
2008	94	77	17th	Sébastien Godefroid	2	0	0	2	37
2012	111	69	42	Tia Hellebaut		1	2	3	60
2016	104	70	34	Olivia Borlée	2	2	2	6th	35

Winter games

year	Athletes			Flag bearer	Medals
	total	m	w					total	rank
1924	18th	17th	1				1	1	10
1928	25th	24	1				1	1	8th
1932	5	4th	1
1936	27	24	3	Eric de Spoelberch
1948	11	10	1	Max Houben	1	2		2	9
1952	9	9	0
1956	4th	4th	0
1960	not participated
1964	8th	7th	1
1968	not participated
1972	1	1	0	Robert Blanchaer
1976	4th	3	1	Robert Blanchaer
1980	2	2	0	Henri Mollin
1984	4th	2	2	Henri Mollin
1988	1	0	1	Katrien Pauwels
1992	5	4th	1	Geert Blanchart
1994	5	2	3	Bea Pintens
1998	1	1	0	Conrad Alleblas			1	1	22nd
2002	6th	6th	0	Simon Van Vlossel
2006	4th	4th	0	Kevin van der Perren
2010	8th	4th	4th	Kevin van der Perren
2014	7th	3	4th	Hanna Mariën
2018	22nd	13	9	Seppe Smits		1		1	25th

Interludes

year	Athletes			Flag bearer	Medals
	total	m	w					total	rank
1906	16	16	0		2	1	3	6th	12

Youth Summer Games

year	Athletes			Flag bearer	Medals
	total	m	w					total	rank
2010	52	26th	26th	To-Sophie Mestach	2	1	2	5	27
2014	33	14th	19th			2	4th	6th	57

Youth Winter Games

year	Athletes			Flag bearer	Medals
	total	m	w					total	rank
2012	7th	4th	3	Sebbe De Buck		1		1	24
2016	9	6th	3			1		1	24

Overview of the sports

Summer games

badminton

-	-	-

Badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992. A Belgian player also took part in the sport's Olympic debut. Belgian badminton players were unsuccessful in the tournaments.

basketball

-	-	-

In 1936 a Belgian basketball team took part in an Olympic tournament for the first time. In Berlin, basketball was an Olympic sport for the first time. The Belgians lost 9:32 against Mexico in the first round. There was also a defeat in the consolation round against Uruguay (10:17). Belgium was eliminated.

At the 1948 tournament, the first victories for a Belgian team were achieved. The first victory was a 98:20 over Iraq. Belgium have three wins each with three other teams. Due to the worse point difference, Belgium was only in 3rd place, so they were qualified for the placement round for places 9 to 16. The first game against Hungary went to Belgium without a fight, because the Hungarians did not play. The next game against Canada was lost, the game for 11th place against the Philippines was won 38:34.

In 1952 Belgium lost two games against Cuba and Bulgaria in the qualifying round. The 59:49 victory over Switzerland was not enough to qualify for the next round. It was the last participation of a Belgian team in Olympic basketball to date.

Beach volleyball

-	-	-

Beach volleyball was first played in Atlanta in 1996. A Belgian duo first appeared in Beijing in 2008. Liesbet Van Breedam and Liesbeth Mouha reached the play-off of the third place after a 2-0 win over the Swiss duo Simone Kuhn and Lea Schwer . With a win over Georgia, the two Belgians qualified for the round of 16, where they were eliminated 2-0 against the US duo Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor . This was Belgium's only participation in beach volleyball so far.

Archery

11	6th	3

Hubert Van Innis, with six Olympic victories, the most successful Belgian at the Olympic Games

Archery was an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1908, then again in 1920 and only since 1972. In the early years, Belgium dominated archery. Several disciplines that are no longer held today, such as target shooting, were held in Paris. Hubert Van Innis was able to win a total of ten medals, including six gold ones , in his participation in 1900 and 1920.

In Paris 1900 he won the disciplines Au cordon doré over 33 meters (target shooting at a target on a golden cord) and Au chapelet over 33 meters ( target shooting at a cross). He came second in the au cordon doré over 50 meters. In mast shooting at a metal bird ( sur la perche à la herse ), Emmanuel Foulon was Olympic champion ahead of his compatriot Émile Druart . In mast shooting on a pyramid ( sur la perche à la pyramide ), Louis Glineux came third.

In 1920 in Antwerp bird targets were shot at. In the team rankings in the fixed bird target small and fixed bird target large competitions, only the Belgian team could be assessed, which automatically received two Olympic victories. In the individual competition, Edmond Cloetens won in the shooting at the fixed large bird target ahead of Louis Van de Perck and Firmin Flamand . Edmond Van Moer won ahead of Louis Van de Perck and Joseph Hermans in the shooting at the fixed bird target small . The teams that shot at the fixed bird target consisted of the four medal winners Cloetens, Van der Perck, Flamand, Hermans and Van Moer, the sixth shooter was Auguste van de Verre . Moving bird targets were shot over three distances (28, 33 and 50 meters). Hubert Van Innis won over 28 meters and won silver with the team over this distance. Van Innis also won the 33 meter shooting individually and with the team. Over 50 meters he won silver in the singles and gold with the team. The crew members for the moving bird target were Van Innis, Jérôme De Mayer , Alphonse Allaert , Edmond de Knibber , Louis Delcon , Pierre van Thielt , Louis Fierens and Louis van Beeck .

In 1972 archery was reinstated in the Olympic program. Robert Cogniaux came fourth in the men's category. In 1980 he was ninth again. In 1984 Marnix Vervinck reached 7th place. In 1996 Paul Vermeiren was fourth.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Hubert Van Innis	1900 Paris	au cordon doré 50 meters	first Olympic victory
Hubert Van Innis	1900 Paris	au chapelet 50 meters
Emmanuel Foulon	1900 Paris	sur la perche à la herse
Edmond Cloetens	1920 Antwerp	fixed bird target great
Edmond Van Moer	1920 Antwerp	fixed bird target small
Hubert Van Innis	1920 Antwerp	moving bird target 28 meters
Hubert Van Innis	1920 Antwerp	moving bird target 33 meters
National archery team	1920 Antwerp	fixed bird target great
National archery team	1920 Antwerp	fixed bird target small
National archery team	1920 Antwerp	moving bird target 33 meters
National archery team	1920 Antwerp	moving bird target 50 meters

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Hubert Van Innis	1900 Paris	au cordon doré 33 meters
Emmanuel Foulon	1900 Paris	sur la perche à la herse
Louis Van de Perck	1920 Antwerp	fixed bird target great
Louis Van de Perck	1920 Antwerp	fixed bird target small
Hubert Van Innis	1920 Antwerp	moving bird target 50 meters
National archery team	1920 Antwerp	moving bird target 28 meters

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Louis Glineux	1900 Paris	sur la perche à la pyramid
Firmin Flamand	1920 Antwerp	fixed bird target great
Joseph Hermans	1920 Antwerp	fixed bird target small

Boxing

1	1	2

Jean Delarge, Olympic champion in 1924

The first Belgian boxers competed in the 1920 domestic summer games in Antwerp. In the bantamweight division, Henri Hébrants reached the semi-finals, lost this against the Canadian Chris Graham and also lost the match for bronze against the British George McKenzie. The first medals were won in Paris in 1924. In welterweight, Jean Delarge became the first Belgian Olympic champion in boxing. Middleweight Joseph Beecken won bronze. Jean Devergnies lost his featherweight match for bronze against the Argentine Pedro Quartucci. In 1928 in Amsterdam, Léonard Steyaert won bronze in the middleweight division. Lucien Biquet could not win his match for bronze in the featherweight against the American Harold Devine .

The next success was 20 years away. In London in 1948 Joseph Vissers won the silver medal in the lightweight. No further successes were recorded until 1960. In 1964, 1968 and 1972 no boxers from Belgium took part. Also in 1980, 1984 and 1988 no participation was made. In 1992 the last Belgian boxer took part in an Olympic boxing tournament.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Jean Delarge	1924 Paris	Welterweight	first medal and Olympic victory

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Joseph Vissers	1948 London	lightweight

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Joseph Beecken	1924 Paris	medium weight
Léonard Steyaert	1928 Amsterdam	medium weight

fencing

3	3	4th

The Belgian epee team from 1912

Paul Anspach, double Olympic champion in 1912, silver in 1920 and 1924, bronze in 1908

The first Belgian fencers took part in Paris as early as 1900. In 1908 in London, the epee fencing team won Belgium's first fencing medal with bronze. In 1912, an individual athlete won the first medal and won the first Olympic gold medal. The epee team achieved their first Olympic victory. Paul Anspach was the first individual fencer with a medal, and at the same time the first individual Olympic champion, in the epee individual evaluation. Philippe Le Hardy de Beaulieu won bronze. Victor Boin , a two-time medalist in water polo, finished fourth.

At the domestic summer games in Antwerp in 1920, the epee team won silver. The saber team took fourth place. In the individual evaluation of epee fencing, Ernest Gevers was fourth. In 1924 in Paris, Charles Delporte became Olympic champion with the sword. He won silver with the epee team. Maurice Van Damme won bronze with the foil. The foil team won the silver medal. In Amsterdam in 1928 no medal could be won. Both the foil and the epee team took fourth place. Léon Tom also came fourth in the individual evaluation of epee fencing. A similar picture emerged in Los Angeles in 1932. Again the epee team took fourth place. Jenny Addams, the first Belgian female fencer at the Olympic Games, also came fourth. Participation in Berlin in 1936 was also unsuccessful.

In 1948 in London, the foil team won bronze. The saber team came fourth. This was the last medal Belgium could win in fencing. In the period that followed, there were no more successes to record. The strength of the fencers team continued to decline. Some summer games were left out.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Henri Anspach Paul Anspach Fernand de Montigny Robert Hennet François Rom Jacques Ochs Gaston Salmon Victor Willems	1912 Stockholm	Epee team	first Olympic victory
Paul Anspach	1912 Stockholm	Epee single
Charles Delporte	1924 Paris	Epee single

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Ernest Gevers Paul Anspach Léon Tom Victor Boin Philippe Le Hardy de Beaulieu Félix Goblet d'Alviella Fernand de Montigny Joseph De Craecker Maurice de Wée	1920 Antwerp	Epee team
Ernest Gevers Paul Anspach Léon Tom Charles Delporte Fernand de Montigny Joseph De Craecker	1924 Paris	Epee team
Maurice Van Damme Albert De Roocker Désiré Beaurain Charles Crahay Fernand de Montigny Marcel Berré	1924 Paris	Foil team

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Paul Anspach Désiré Beaurain Fernand Bosmans Fernand de Montigny Ferdinand Feyerick François Rom Victor Willems	1908 London	Epee team	first medal win
Philippe Le Hardy de Beaulieu	1912 Stockholm	Epee single
Maurice Van Damme	1924 Paris	Foil single
André van de Werve de Vorsselaer Paul Valcke Raymond Bru Georges de Bourguignon Henri Paternóster Édouard Yves	1948 London	Foil team

Soccer

1	-	1

A Belgian university selection took part in the 1900 Olympic football tournament. The tournament was played with three teams. The Belgian selection lost their game against the French team of the Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques with 2: 6 and remained third.

The tournament was played with the national team at the domestic summer games in 1920. In the first round, the team continued without a fight, as opponents Poland did not play. Spain was defeated 3-1 in the quarter-finals and the Netherlands 3-0 in the semi-finals. In the final they faced Czechoslovakia, the game was won 2-0. In 1924, the team failed in the first round to Sweden. The game was lost 8-1. In 1928 Belgium defeated Luxembourg 5-3 in the first round. The quarter-finals against Argentina were lost 3-6.

Only 80 years later, in 2008, did a Belgian team take part in the football tournament again. The men's team was able to qualify for the quarter-finals, two of their three preliminary round games were won. In the quarter-finals they beat Italy 3-2. The semi-final against Nigeria was lost 4-1, and the bronze match against Brazil was lost (3-0).

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
National team of men	1920 Antwerp	Men's tournament	first Olympic victory

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
University team	1900 Paris	Men's tournament	first medal win

• 

  The university team that won bronze in 1900

• 

  The team that won the Olympic Games in 1920 (from left to right): standing Swartenbroeks , Fierens, Hanse, De Bie , Musch, Verbeeck; kneeling Van Hege , Coppée, Bragard, Larnoe, Bastin

Weightlifting

1	2	1

The first Belgian weightlifters competed at the 1920 domestic summer games in Antwerp. Here they also won their first medals. In the featherweight division, Frans De Haes won the first medal. His gold medal also meant the first Belgian Olympic victory in weightlifting. In the lightweight division, Louis Williquet won silver and Florimond Rooms bronze. The next medal was won 48 years later, in 1968 in Mexico City. Serge Reding won silver in the heavyweight division. In the period that followed, no success could be recorded.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Frans De Haes	1920 Antwerp	Featherweight	first medal and Olympic victory

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Louis Williquet	1920 Antwerp	lightweight
Serge Reding	1968 Mexico City	Heavyweight

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Florimond Rooms	1920 Antwerp	lightweight

• 

  Frans De Haes, Olympic champion in 1920

golf

-	-	-

After 1900 and 1904, golf was not included in the Olympic program again until 2016. Belgian golfers also competed in Rio de Janeiro. In the men's category, Thomas Pieters took 4th place.

hockey

-	1	1

At the domestic summer games in 1920, a Belgian hockey team took part for the first time. The tournament was held with only four teams. Belgium defeated France 3-2, losing to the United Kingdom 1:12 and Denmark 2-5. That was enough for third place and the bronze medal.

The next tournament with Belgian participation took place in 1928. Belgium played in a group with India, Denmark, Austria and Switzerland. Victories against Denmark (1-0), Austria (4-0) and Switzerland (3-0) put Belgium in second place in the group. They lost 9-0 against India. So you were qualified for the game for the bronze medal. They lost 3-0 against Germany. In 1936 the team managed two draws against France and the Netherlands. They suffered a defeat against Switzerland (1: 2) and were eliminated.

With two wins and two losses, Belgium finished third in the group in 1948. This means that qualification for the semi-finals was missed. The 1952 tournament was played in a knockout system. Belgium beat hosts Finland 6-0 in the first round. In the second round, the quarter-finals, the United Kingdom lost 1-0. In 1956 the group system was reintroduced. In the preliminary round only one draw against Germany (0-0) was achieved. As the bottom of the group you were eliminated.

A win over Switzerland 4-2 and a draw against the United Kingdom in 1960 were not enough to qualify for the quarter-finals. Two defeats in the placement round meant 12th place for the team. In 1964, the team managed two wins and two draws, including a 0-0 win against the German team. As sixth in the group, the team was eliminated. In 1968 they took fifth place in the group. They lost 2-0 to the Federal Republic of Germany and won 4-0 against the GDR. Overall, the team managed three wins and one draw. The game for 9th place was won 3-0 against France.

1972 get two wins and one draw. Belgium lost 1: 5 to the Federal Republic of Germany. The game for 9th place against New Zealand was lost 2-1. In 1976 they lost against the Federal Republic with 1: 6. With only one win, they finished last in the group. In the placement round, the Belgian team won 3-2 after extra time against Canada. The game for 9th place against Argentina was lost 3-2 after extra time.

From 1980 to 2004 no Belgian team could qualify. In the 2008 tournament, the men achieved a win and a draw (1-1 against Germany). Fifth in the group played for 9th place and won 3-0 over Canada. In 2012 a Belgian women's team qualified for the first time. Two wins, a draw and two defeats, including a 1: 2 against Germany, brought the men third place in the group. So they played for 5th place against Spain and won 5-2. The women only managed two draws in five games. It was 11th place against the USA, Belgium won 2-1.

In 2016 only the men were there again. This time the team dominated the preliminary group with four wins in five games, including a 12-0 win over hosts Brazil. In the quarter-finals they defeated India 3-1, in the semi-finals the Netherlands also 3-1. The final against Argentina was lost 2: 4, but you could win the second hockey medal with silver.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Men's national team	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Men's tournament

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Men's national team	1920 Antwerp	Men's tournament	first medal win

• 

  Scene from the women's preliminary match against China in 2012: Emilie Sinia with the number 14

• 

  Scene from the same game: Belgium fends off a Chinese attack, with 17 Anne-Sophie van Regemortel in the background

Judo

2	1	9

Belgian judoka first took part in Olympic judo tournaments in 1972 in Munich. Robert Van de Walle became Belgium's first Judo Olympic champion in 1980 with gold in the light heavyweight division. In 1988 in Seoul he won bronze again. Heidi Rakels also won bronze in the middleweight division in 1992.

In 1996 in Atlanta several medals could be won for the first time. The women alone won three medals. In the light heavyweight division, Ulla Werbrouck became Olympic champion. Gella Vandecaveye won silver in the light middleweight division, Marisabel Lomba won bronze in the lightweight division. In the men's category, Harry Van Barneveld won bronze in the heavyweight division. In 2000 in Sydney Vandecaveye won another bronze medal. Ann Simons won bronze in the extra lightweight division. Ilse Heylen won another bronze medal in 2004 in the half-light weight category. In 2012 there was a bronze medal in the extra light weight from Charline Van Sinck, in 2016 another from Dirk Van Tichelt in the light weight category.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Robert Van de Walle	1980 Moscow	Light heavyweight	first medal and Olympic victory
Ulla Werbrouck	1996 Atlanta	Light heavyweight

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Gella Vandecaveye	1996 Atlanta	Light middleweight

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Robert Van de Walle	1988 Seoul	Light heavyweight
Heidi Rakels	1992 Barcelona	medium weight
Harry Van Barneveld	1996 Atlanta	Heavyweight
Marisabel Lomba	1996 Atlanta	lightweight
Ann Simons	2000 Sydney	Extra light weight
Gella Vandecaveye	2000 Sydney	Light middleweight
Use Heylen	2004 Athens	Half light weight
Charline Van Snick	2012 London	Super light weight
Dirk Van Tichelt	2016 Rio de Janeiro	lightweight

• 

  Award ceremony 1980: Olympic champion Robert Van de Walle second from left

• 

  Ulla Werbrouck, Olympic champion in 1996, in 2009

• 

  Gella Vandecaveye, silver 1996

Canoeing

-	-	-

Belgian canoeists have been taking part in Olympic regattas since 1936. In 1948 Anna Van Marcke was seventh in the women's single kayak over 500 meters. The same placement was achieved in 1952 by Rik Verbrugghe in the men's single kayak over 1000 meters. In 1956, he finished sixth in a two-person kayak over 1000 meters with his partner Germain Van De Moere.

It wasn't until 1968 that a Belgian boat made it to a final again. The two-person kayak with Jean-Pierre Burny and Herman Naegels finished 7th over 1000 meters in a single kayak over 1000 meters, Burny reached fourth place in 1972. Together with Paul Hoekstra, he took sixth place in a two-person kayak over 1000 meters in 1976 Only in 2004 a final was reached again. In the men's two-man kayak over 1000 meters, Wouter D'Haene and Bob Maesen came in 5th.

athletics

5	5	2

Participated in Olympic athletics since 1908. The first top placement was achieved in 1920 by the marathon runner Auguste Broos with 4th place. In 1924, the pole vaulter Maurice Henrijean reached 7th place.

In 1948 a Belgian athlete achieved the first Olympic victory. Gaston Reiff won over 5000 meters. In the marathon, Étienne Gailly won bronze. In 1956, Émile Leva finished 7th in the final over 800 meters. In this discipline, Roger Moens won silver in 1960. Gaston Roelants finished fourth over a 3000 meter obstacle . In 1964 he then achieved the Olympic victory. In the marathon, Aurèle Vandendriessche finished 7th. 1968 Roelants was seventh.

In 1972 Belgian athletes won two silver medals. Emiel Puttemans came second over 10,000 meters, Karel Lismont in the marathon. Puttemans was fifth over 5000 meters, Herman Mignon was sixth in the 1500 meter run. Freddy Herbrand also finished sixth in the decathlon. Lismont won another bronze medal in the marathon in 1976. Ivo Van Damme won two silver medals, the first in the 800-meter run and the second in the 1500-meter run. Alfons Brydenbach was fourth over 400 meters. Willy Polleunis sixth over 5000 meters. Marc Smet reached the finish line in seventh place over 10,000 meters .

In 1980 Alfons Brydenbach reached the final over 400 meters again. This time he finished fifth. The women's 400-meter relay was seventh. In 1984 Michel Zimmermann finished seventh over the 400 meter hurdles. In 1988 William Van Dijck crossed the finish line in fifth place over a 3000 meter obstacle. In 1992 he finished the race in ninth place. In 1996 Patrick Stevens was seventh over 200 meters.

The sprinter Kim Gevaert reached the 200 meter final in Athens in 2004 and was sixth. The women's 100-meter relay also finished sixth . In 2008, the men's 400-meter relay finished fourth with twin brothers Kevin and Jonathan Borlée . In the high jump, Tia Hellebaut became Olympic champion and thus the first Belgian woman to win an Olympic athletics medal. It was Belgium's first athletics medal in 32 years. The women's 100-meter relay initially won silver. During follow-up tests in 2016, Julija Igorewna Tschermoschanskaja , Olympic champion with the Russian relay, tested positive for doping. The Russian relay was subsequently disqualified and the Belgian relay was declared an Olympic champion.

In 2012 in London both Borlée brothers reached the final over 400 meters. Kevin finished fifth and Jonathan sixth. With the 400-meter relay they reached 6th place. The decathlete Hans Van Alphen only narrowly failed with a medal in 4th place. Tia Hellebaut finished 5th in the high jump. In 2016, Kevin and Jonathan and their younger brother Dylan Borlée also ran in the 400-meter relay. The relay finished 4th in the final. Thomas Van der Plaetsen was eighth in the decathlon. In the women's category, heptathlete Nafissatou Thiam became Olympic champion.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Gaston Reiff	1948 London	5000 meters	first medal and Olympic victory
Gaston Roelants	1964 Tokyo	3000 meters obstacle
Tia Hellebaut	2008 Beijing	high jump
Olivia Borlée Hanna Mariën Élodie Ouédraogo Kim Gevaert	2008 Beijing	4 x 100 meter relay
Nafissatou Thiam	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Heptathlon

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Roger Moens	1960 Rome	800 meters
Emiel Puttemans	1972 Munich	10,000 meters
Karel Lismont	1972 Munich	marathon
Ivo Van Damme	1976 Montreal	800 meters
Ivo Van Damme	1976 Montreal	1500 meters

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Étienne Gailly	1948 London	marathon
Karel Lismont	1976 Montreal	marathon

• 

  Gaston Reiff, 1948 Olympic champion

• 

  Roger Moens, silver 1960

• 

  Gaston Roelants, 1964 Olympic Champion

• 

  Emiel Puttemans, silver 1972

• 

  Karel Lismont, silver 1972, bronze 1976

• 

  Willy Polleunis

• 

  Tia Hellebaut, 2008 Olympic champion

• 

  Kim Gevaert, relay gold 2008

• 

  Hanna Mariën, relay gold 2008

• 

  Élodie Ouédraogo, relay gold 2008

• 

  Olivia Borlée, relay gold 2008

• 

  Hans Van Alphen

• 

  Kevin (l.) And Jonathan Borlée at a competition in 2012

• 

  Dylan Borlée

• 

  Nafissatou Thiam, 2016 Olympic champion

Modern pentathlon

-	-	-

The first Belgian pentathletes started in Paris in 1924. No starter was able to place in the top ten in the following period. In 1960 in Rome a pentathlon from Belgium took part for the last time so far.

Cycling

7th	8th	11

Belgium has been represented in Olympic cycling since 1900. In 1908 Joseph Werbrouck won the first Olympic medal in Belgium in cycling with bronze in the 20-kilometer race. At the domestic summer games in 1920, Henry George achieved Belgium's first Olympic victory in cycling with his victory in the 50-kilometer race. The team won bronze in the road race. In the individual ranking, Jean Janssens came fourth and Albert De Bunné fifth. In the team pursuit, the Belgian team took 4th place.

In 1924 Rik Hoevenaers won three medals. In the road race, he won silver in the individual standings and also with the team. He was also a team member in the team pursuit and won bronze there. In 1928 the team finished fifth in road racing. In 1936 she won bronze. In the team pursuit, the Belgian team took 5th place.

In 1948 the road team won the Olympic Games. In the individual competition, Lode Wouters won bronze, Leon De Lathouwer came fourth. Pierre Nihant took silver in the 1000-meter time trial. In 1952 the team was able to repeat the success in road racing. The Belgians were also ahead in the individual standings. André Noyelle was Olympic champion ahead of Robert Grondelaers . Lucien Victor finished fourth.

In 1960 Leo Sterckx won silver in the sprint. In the road race, Willy Vanden Berghen took bronze in the individual classification. Patrick Sercu was Olympic champion in Tokyo in the 1000-meter time trial in 1964. In the sprint, he finished fifth. In the road race, Walter Godefroot took bronze. In 1968 Daniel Goens and Robert Van Lancker won bronze on the tandem. In 1972 the Belgian team finished fourth in the 100-kilometer time trial.

In 1976 , Michel Vaarten won the silver medal in the 1000 meter time trial . Alfons De Wolf took 4th place in the road race. Roger Ilegems was the first Olympic champion in the new discipline points race in 1984. In 1988 Erik Schoefs took 6th place in the sprint. Cédric Mathy won bronze in the points race in 1992 and was sixth in the sprint.

In 2000 two silver medals were won. Etienne De Wilde and Matthew Gilmore finished second in the Madison, and Filip Meirhaeghe on mountain bikes . Axel Merckx won bronze in the road race in 2004 . Roel Paulissen finished 4th on his mountain bike . In 2008 Iljo Keisse and Kenny De Ketele took 4th place in the Madison.

In 2012, Jolien D'hoore reached 5th place in the Omnium. In 2018, Greg Van Avermaet was Olympic champion in the road race in Rio de Janeiro . Jolien D'hoore won bronze in the Omnium. Elke Vanhoof finished sixth on the BMX.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Henry George	1920 Antwerp	50 kilometers	first Olympic victory
Lode Wouters Leon De Lathouwer Eugène Van Roosbroeck Liévin Lerno	1948 London	Road racing team
André Noyelle	1952 Helsinki	Road race singles
André Noyelle Robert Grondelaers Lucien Victor Rik Van Looy	1952 Helsinki	Road racing team
Patrick Sercu	1964 Tokyo	1000 meter time trial
Roger Ilegems	1984 Los Angeles	Points race
Greg Van Avermaet	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Road race singles

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Rik Hoevenaers	1924 Paris	Road race singles
Rik Hoevenaer's Alphonse Parfondry Jean Van den Bosch Fernand Saivé	1924 Paris	Road racing team
Pierre Nihant	1948 London	1000 meter time trial
Robert Grondelaers	1952 Helsinki	Road race singles
Leo Sterckx	1960 Rome	sprint
Michel Vaarten	1976 Montreal	1000 meter time trial
Etienne De Wilde Matthew Gilmore	2000 Sydney	Madison
Filip Meirhaeghe	2000 Sydney	Mountain bike

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Joseph Werbrouck	1908 London	20 kilometers	first medal win in cycling
Jean Janssens Albert De Bunné André Vercruysse Albert Wyckmans	1920 Antwerp	Road racing team
Rik Hoevenaers Léonard Daghelinckx Jean Van den Bosch Fernand Saivé	1924 Paris	Team pursuit
Auguste Garrebeek Armand Putzeys Jean-François Van Der Motte Joseph Lowagie	1936 Berlin	Road racing team
Lode Wouters	1948 London	Road race singles
Willy Vanden Berghen	1960 Rome	Road race singles
Walter Godefroot	1964 Tokyo	Road race singles
Daniel Goens Robert Van Lancker	1968 Mexico City	tandem
Cédric Mathy	1992 Barcelona	Points race
Axel Merckx	2004 Athens	Road race singles
Jolien D'hoore	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Omnium

• 

  Rik Hoevenaers, silver and bronze 1924

• 

  Fernand Saivé, silver and bronze 1924

• 

  Willy Vanden Berghen, bronze 1960

• 

  Patrick Sercu, Olympic champion 1964, on a photo in the exhibition of the Nationaal Wielermuseum in Roeselare . In the foreground the jersey used in the race

• 

  Daniel Goens (left) and Robert Van Lancker, bronze 1968

• 

  Roger Ilegems, Olympic Champion 1984

• 

  Matthew Gilmore (left) and Etienne De Wilde, silver 2000

• 

  Filip Meirhaeghe, silver 2000

• 

  Axel Merckx, bronze 2004

• 

  Greg Van Avermaet, 2016 Olympic Champion

• 

  Jolien D'hoore, bronze 2016

horse riding

4th	2	6th

An example of trailer driving, which the IOC does not consider an Olympic competition

A Belgian equestrian team was there when it first took part in the Olympic Games. The first medals were won in show jumping. Aimé Haegeman was the first Olympic champion in show jumping in Olympic history on Benton II . Georges Van Der Poele won silver in a Windsor Squire . In Paris there were long and high jump disciplines for horses. Constant Van Langhendonck won the long jump on Extra Dry . In the high jump, Georges Van Der Poele won bronze on Ludlow . Georges Nagelmackers won in the team driving . Since this discipline is not considered an Olympic competition by the IOC, this Olympic victory is unofficial.

In 1912 Emanuel de Blommaert won bronze in show jumping on Clonmore . At the domestic summer games in Antwerp in 1920, the Belgian team presented two Olympic champions in the one-time art riding. Daniél Bouckaert became Olympic champion, Louis Finet won bronze. The Belgian team was Olympic champion in the team competition. The show jumping team won silver, in the individual Ferdinand de la Serna took 5th place on Arsinoe . The eventing riders won the bronze medal in the team classification. In the individual ranking, Roger Moeremans d'Emaüs took fourth place in Sweet Girl . In 1924 the show jumping team took fourth place, the eventing team fifth. Only in 1936 was another rider able to place in the top five. In the individual show jumping competition, Georges Ganshof took fourth place on Ibrahim .

After the Second World War, Belgian riders were only used in 1956 and 1960. It was not until 1972 that Belgian equipes regularly took part in Olympic horse shows again. In 1976 the first medal could be won after 56 years. In show jumping, François Mathy won the bronze medal on Gai Luron . He won a second bronze medal in the team competition. In 1992 the eventing team reached fourth place.

In 2000 the show jumper Ludo Philippaerts on Otterongo came in 5th place. In 2004, Ludo Philippaerts on Parco and Dirk Demeersman on Clinton achieved a shared fourth place . With the team they took 6th place. In 2008, eventing rider Karin Donckers was ninth in the individual ranking on Gazelle de la Brasserie .

Constant Van Langhendonck, Olympic champion in 1900

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Aimé Haegeman on Benton II	1900 Paris	Show jumping singles	first medal and Olympic victory
Constant Van Langhendonck on Extra Dry	1900 Paris	Long jump
Daniél Bouckaert	1920 Antwerp	Art riding single	Name of the horse unknown
Daniél Bouckaert Louis Finet Van Ranst	1920 Antwerp	Art riding team	Name of the horses unknown

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Georges Van Der Poele on Windsor Squire	1900 Paris	Show jumping singles
André Coumans on Lisette Henri Laama on Biscuit Herman de Gaiffier d'Hestroy on Miss Herman d'Oultremont on Lord Kitchener	1920 Antwerp	Jump team

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Georges Van Der Poele on Ludlow	1900 Paris	high jump
Emanuel de Blommaert on Clonmore	1912 Stockholm	Jump single
Louis Finet	1920 Antwerp	Art riding single	Name of the horse unknown
Jules Bonvalet on Weppelghem Oswald Lints on Martha Jacques Misonne on Gaucho Roger Moeremans d'Emaüs on Sweet Girl	1920 Antwerp	Versatility team
François Mathy on Gai Luron	1976 Montreal	Jump single
François Mathy in Gai Luron Eric Wauters in good manners Edgar Henri Cuepper in Le Champion Stanny Van Paesschen in a Porsche	1976 Montreal	Jump team

Wrestling

3	7th	7th

Belgian wrestlers first took part in an Olympic tournament in 1908. A first success was achieved in Antwerp in 1920 by Auguste Thijs, who won fourth place in the lightweight freestyle. The first Olympic medal in wrestling was won in 1924 by freestyle wrestler Pierre Ollivier in the middleweight division. In the light heavyweight division, Joseph Hutmacker came fourth. 1928 followed a silver medal in the bantamweight freestyle by Edmond Spapen. Nicolas Appels was fourth in the Greco-Roman style light heavyweight division.

Two fourth places brought the tournament of 1948 by Jean-Baptiste Benoy in the middleweight of the Greco-Roman style and Joseph Trimpont in the bantamweight of the freestyle. Joseph Mewis won silver freestyle featherweight in 1956. His brother Maurice Mewis fought his way to fourth place in the flyweight division in the Greco-Roman style in 1964.

In the period that followed, no noteworthy results could be achieved. In 1976 another member of the Mewis family took part in Olympic wrestling. Julien Mewis, the son of Maurice, started in the Greco-Roman style flyweight. 1996 was the last time a Belgian wrestler took part.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Pierre Ollivier	1924 Paris	Middleweight, freestyle	first medal win
Edmond Spapen	1928 Amsterdam	Bantamweight, freestyle
Joseph Mewis	1956 Melbourne	Featherweight, freestyle

rowing

-	6th	2

Belgian boats first took part in Olympic regattas in 1900. The eighth of the Royal Club Nautique de Gand was the first Belgian boat with silver to win Belgium's first Olympic medal in rowing. In 1908 the eighth won silver again. Two of the rowers had been eighth by 1900, Alfred Van Landeghem and Oscar de Somville . Another rower, Polydore Veirman , won silver in the 1912 single.

It was not until 1928 that a medal was won again. The two with helmsman drove to the bronze medal. After 24 years, the two without a helmsman won silver in 1952. The double scull reached 6th place in 1960.

Medal wins only came about in 1984 in Los Angeles. The men's double scull won silver, while Ann Haesebrouck took bronze in the women's singles. In 1988 the two-man took fourth place without a helmsman, the women's double-four took sixth. Annelies Bredael won silver in the 1992 women's one. The two without a helmsman finished fifth.

In 2004 Tim Maeyens crossed the finish line in sixth place in the men's one. In 2008 he was fourth. In 2016, Hannes Obreno was also fourth in the single.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Royale Club Nautique de Gand	1900 Paris	Eighth	first medal win
Royale Club Nautique de Gand	1908 London	Eighth
Polydore Veirman	1912 Stockholm	One
Michel Knuysen Robert Baetens	1952 Helsinki	Two without a helmsman
Pierre-Marie Deloof Dirk Crois	1984 Los Angeles	Double scull
Annelies Bredael	1992 Barcelona	One

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Léon Flament François De Coninck Georges Anthony	1928 Amsterdam	Two with a helmsman
Ann Haesebrouck	1984 Los Angeles	One

• 

  Polydore Veirman, silver 1908 and 1912

• 

  Tim Maeyens

shoot

1	4th	3

Belgian shooters have been taking part since 1900. The first medal winners were the riflemen Paul van Asbroeck with bronze in the three-position fight and Charles Paumier du Verger in the standing position. Van Asbroeck finished fourth here and also on his knees. The team with the free pistol also took fourth place. Van Asbroeck became the first Belgian Olympic shooting champion in London in 1908. With the free pistol he won gold in front of his compatriot Réginald Storms. In the team competition with the rapid fire pistol, both won silver. Van Asbroeck also took part in rifle shooting. In the team ranking of the three-position fight, the team took 5th place.

In 1920 the Trap team won silver at the domestic summer games. Paul van Asbroeck was also there in Antwerp, he was used as a pistol and rifle shooter, but was unsuccessful. He took part again in 1924. The Trap team reached fourth place in Paris. Louis D'Heur came fifth in the individual standings.

It would be 64 years before a Belgian shooter could win a medal again. In 1988 Frans Peeters won bronze in trap shooting. In the women’s category, Anne Goffin took fourth place with the air pistol. In 2000 Anne Focan was fourth in trap shooting and seventh in double trap. In 2012 Lionel Cox won silver with the small bore rifle in the prone position.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Paul van Asbroeck	1908 London	free gun	first Olympic victory

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Reginald Storms	1908 London	free gun
Paul van Asbroeck Réginald Storms Charles Paumier du Verger René Englebert	1908 London	Rapid fire gun crew
Albert Bosquet Joseph Cogels Émile Dupont Edouard Fesinger Henri Quersin Louis Van Tilt	1920 Antwerp	Trap crew
Lionel Cox	2012 London	Small caliber rifle lying

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Paul van Asbroeck	1900 Paris	Military rifle three position combat	first medal win
Charles Paumier du Verger	1900 Paris	Standing military rifle
Frans Peeters	1988 Seoul	Trap

swim

1	2	2

The first Belgian swimmer started in Paris in 1900. The first Belgian swimming medal was won by Gérard Blitz over 100 meters back in 1920 in Antwerp . Blitz finished fourth in Paris in 1924. Joseph De Combe won silver over 200 meters breaststroke. It was not until 1948 that it was placed at the top again. Fernande Caroen was fourth in the 400 meter freestyle.

32 years later, in 1980 in Moscow, the next finals took place. Pascale Verbauwen was sixth in the 800 meter freestyle. Her sister Carine Verbauwen finished fifth over 100 meters back and sixth over 200 meters behind Yolande Van Der Straaten. In 1984 Ingrid Lempereur won bronze in the 200-meter chest. In 1988 she finished sixth. In Seoul, Isabelle Arnould reached the finals over 400 and 800 meters freestyle. She finished sixth over 400 meters and seventh over 800 meters. In 1992 she again took 6th place over 400 meters and 8th place over 800 meters freestyle. Stefaan Maene was eighth over 200 meters back.

In Atlanta 1996 Frederik Deburghgraeve achieved the first Belgian Olympic victory in swimming when he won the 100 meter chest. Brigitte Becue reached the finals over 100 and 200 meters chest. She was eighth over 100 meters and seventh over 200 meters. In 2008, Brian Ryckeman finished seventh in open water swimming. In 2012, the men's 100-meter freestyle relay qualified for the final. She was eighth. In 2016, Pieter Timmers won silver in the 100 meters freestyle. Louis Croenen was in the final over 200 meters butterfly and finished eighth. Both men's freestyle relays made it to the final. The 100-meter freestyle relay came in sixth, the 200-meter freestyle relay eighth.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Frederic Deburghgraeve	1996 Atlanta	100 meters chest

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Joseph De Combe	1924 Paris	200 meters chest
Pieter Timmers	2016 Rio de Janeiro	100 meters freestyle

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Gérard Blitz	1920 Antwerp	100 meters back
Ingrid Lempereur	1984 Los Angeles	200 meters chest

• 

  Gérard Blitz, bronze 1920, won silver with the water polo team in 1920 and 1924

• 

  Pieter Timmers, silver 2016

sailing

2	4th	3

The first sailing regatta with Belgian participation took place in 1908. In the 6 meter class, which was sailed off Ryde on the Isle of Wight , the Belgian boat Zut went to the silver medal, Belgium's first sailing medal. At the domestic summer games of 1920, at which the sailing regattas took place off Ostend , the 6-meter boat Edelweiß II went to Belgium's first gold medal in sailing according to the rules of 1907. The 6-meter boat Tan-Fe-Pah sailed according to the new rules of 1919 and won silver. On board was the silver medalist from 1908, Léon Huybrechts. In the 8-meter class, the Antwerpia V sailed to the bronze medal. In 1924 the sailing competitions a. a. in the municipality of Meulan . Here Léon Huybrechts became Olympic champion in the monotype.

The next medal was celebrated in Melbourne in 1956. André Nelis won silver in the Finn dinghy. In 1960, sailing off Naples , Nelis won bronze. After that, Belgium had to wait 36 ​​years for the next medal. Off Savannah , the sailing area of ​​the 1996 Summer Games, Sébastien Godefroid won silver in the Finn dinghy. In 2000, ahead of Sydney, he finished seventh. In the women’s category, Min Dezillie was fourth in the Europe class. In 2004 Godefroid was seventh again. In 2012, off the Isle of Portland , Evi Van Acker sailed for a bronze medal in the Laser Radial. In 2016 she finished fourth.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Émile Cornellie Frédéric Bruynseels Florimond Cornellie	1920 Antwerp (Ostend)	6 meter class (1907)	first Olympic victory
Léon Huybrechts	1924 Paris (Meulan)	Monotype

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Léon Huybrechts Louis Huybrechts Henri Weewauters	1908 London (Ryde)	6 meter class	first medal win
Léon Huybrechts Charles Van Den Bussche John Klotz	1920 Antwerp (Ostend)	6 meter class (1919)
André Nelis	1956 Melbourne	Finn dinghy
Sébastien Godefroid	1996 Atlanta (Savannah)	Finn dinghy

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Albert Grisar Willy de l'Arbre Georges Hellebuyck Léopold Standaert Henri Weewauters	1920 Antwerp (Ostend)	8 meter class
André Nelis	1960 Rome (Naples)	Finn dinghy
Evi Van Acker	2012 London (Isle of Portland)	Laser Radial

• 

  The crew of the first medal sailor in 1908 (from left to right): Léon Huybrechts, Louis Huybrechts, Henri Weewauters

• 

  Émile Cornellie, Olympic champion 1920

• 

  Émiles son Florimond Cornellie, also Olympic champion in 1920

• 

  Sébastien Godefroid, silver 1996

• 

  Evi Van Acker, bronze 2012

Tug of war

-	-	1

Tug of war was an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1920. Belgium only took part in 1920 and was able to win the bronze medal after victories over the Netherlands and twice the USA as well as defeats against the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Belgian national team	1920 Antwerp		first medal win

Taekwondo

-	-	-

Taekwondo was first performed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Belgian fighters have only participated in 2004 and 2016 so far. There were no successes.

tennis

1	-	1

Belgian tennis players took part in Antwerp as early as 1920. The women's doubles Marie Storms and Fernande Arendt lost their semi-final match. The bronze medal against the French Suzanne Lenglen and Élisabeth d'Ayen was not played, so the bronze medal went to the French. Tennis was removed from the Olympic program from the 1932 Summer Games and did not come back until 1988. In 1992 a Belgian player took part again for the first time. Sabine Appelmans failed in the quarter-finals of the women's singles against the German Steffi Graf in two sets. In 1996, Appelmans lost in women's doubles with her partner Laurence Courtois their second round match against the Swiss duo Martina Hingis and Patty Schnyder in three sets.

Els Callens and Dominique Van Roost won the first Belgian tennis medal in the 2000 tennis tournament. In the semifinals they failed because of the US sisters Venus and Serena Williams . They won the bronze match against the Belarusians Wolha Barabanschtschykawa and Natallja Swerawa in three sets. In 2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne became Olympic champion in women's singles. She won the final against the French Amélie Mauresmo in straight sets. In 2016 Kirsten Flipkens failed in the second round of the women's singles against the German Laura Siegemund .

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Justine Henin-Hardenne	2004 Athens	Ladies singles	first Olympic victory

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Els Callens Dominique Van Roost	2000 Sydney	Ladies doubles	first medal win

• 

  Sabine Appelmans

• 

  Dominique Van Roost, bronze in doubles 2000

• 

  Justine Henin-Hardenne, Olympic Champion 2004

Table tennis

-	-	-

In table tennis, which was first played at the Olympic Games in 1988, Jean-Michel Saive and Karina Bogaerts were the first Belgians to take part. In 2016 there was no Belgian. Jean-Michel Saive took part in all seven tournaments, in 2012 at the age of 42, making him the only Belgian with seven Olympic appearances. His greatest success was reaching the quarter-finals in 1996.

• 

  Jean-Michel Saive

Triathlon

-	-	-

Triathlon was included in the 2000 Olympic program in Sydney. Two triathletes from Belgium took part in the first event. Kathleen Smet finished fourth in 2004. In 2016 Marten Van Riel reached 6th place.

do gymnastics

-	1	1

Belgium has been represented in Olympic gymnastics since 1900. At the domestic summer games in Antwerp in 1920, the all-around team won silver and thus the country's first gymnastics medal. In the all-around competition in the Swedish system, the Belgian team won bronze. In the individual ranking, Félicien Kempeneers took 4th place.

A Belgian gymnast was only able to qualify for an apparatus finals in 2016. Dennis Goossens finished eighth on the rings.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
National team of men	1920 Antwerp	All-around team

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
National team of men	1920 Antwerp	All-around team Swedish system

volleyball

-	-	-

In 1968 a Belgian team was able to qualify for an Olympic volleyball tournament for the first time and to this day only. The tournament was played in a group round everyone against everyone. The Belgian team have two wins in nine games. They lost 3-0 against the GDR. In the end, the team came in 8th.

Water polo

-	4th	2

The 1908 Belgian team that won silver

Félicien Courbet, bronze water polo 1912

Belgium first took part in an Olympic water polo tournament in 1900. The Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club won the silver medal. In 1908 a national team was formed, which also won silver. In 1912 they won bronze. They won against the Austrian team 5: 4. In 1920 the team won silver. In the first round, Switzerland was defeated 11-0. The final against the United Kingdom was lost 3-2. The team also won silver in 1924. This time they played in the final against France and lost 3-0. In 1928 the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 3: 5 defeat against Germany.

In 1936 the Belgian team fought their way to the final round. They lost 3-0 to Hungary and 4-1 to the German Reich. A 3: 1 over France secured the team the bronze medal. The team made it to the final round in 1948 as well. However, a draw against the Netherlands was not enough for another medal. In 1952 the team was eliminated in the semi-finals.

In 1960 the team retired after the preliminary round without winning a point. In 1964 Belgium took part in water polo for the last time to date. You could qualify for the placement round. With one win and two losses, u. a. a 3: 5 against Germany, the team finished 7th in the end.

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club	1900 Paris	Men's tournament	first medal win
National water polo team	1908 London	Men's tournament
National water polo team	1920 Antwerp	Men's tournament
National water polo team	1924 Paris	Men's tournament

Surname	Games	discipline	annotation
National water polo team	1912 Stockholm	Men's tournament
National water polo team	1936 Berlin	Men's tournament

Diving

-	-	-

Belgium was represented in diving for the first time in 1908. In 1920, Fernand Sauvage took seventh place in high diving. Further participation was sporadic until 1992 and was also unsuccessful. No Belgian diver has participated since 1996.

Winter games

Belgium has been taking part in the Winter Olympics since 1924. In 1968 they did not participate. Belgian winter sports enthusiasts competed at the Olympic Games in Antwerp as early as 1920, and ice hockey and figure skating were held during these summer games.

Bobsleigh and speed skating were added from 1924, alpine ski racing from 1936, short track from 1992, snowboarding and freestyle skiing from 2014 and biathlon and skeleton from 2018.

The first winter sports medal was won in bobsleigh in 1924. Belgium's four-man bobsleigh drove to a bronze medal. In 1924 it was possible to drive with five athletes. The figure skater Robert Van Zeebroeck won bronze in the individual in 1928. Born Austrian Liselotte Landbeck started for Belgium in 1935 and finished fourth in the individual in 1936. Participation in 1948 was particularly successful. In pair skating, Pierre Baugniet and Micheline Lannoy became Belgium's first and so far only Olympic champion at the Winter Games. Max Houben drove the four-man bobsleigh to the silver medal. In the two-man bobsleigh, he reached fourth place with Jacques Mouvet.

It wasn't until 1998 that a medal could be celebrated again. The speed skater Bart Veldkamp , a native of the Netherlands who became Olympic champion in 1992, won bronze over 5000 meters for Belgium. He finished 4th over 10,000 meters. In 2014, Bart Swings reached 4th place over 5000 and 5th place over 10,000 meters. In 2018 in Pyeongchang, he won bronze in the mass start.

Surname	Games	sport	discipline	annotation
Pierre Baugniet Micheline Lannoy	1948 St. Moritz	figure skating	Pair skating	first Olympic victory

Surname	Games	sport	discipline	annotation
Max Houben Jacques Mouvet Marcel Leclef Louis-Georges Niels	1948 St. Moritz	Bobsleigh	Four-man bobsleigh
Beard swings	2018 Pyeongchang	Speed ​​skating	Mass start

Surname	Games	sport	discipline	annotation
Charles Mulder René Mortiaux Paul Van den Broeck Victor Verschueren Henri Willems	1924 Chamonix	Bobsleigh	Four / five-man bobsleigh	first medal win
Robert Van Zeebroeck	1928 St. Moritz	figure skating	Men's singles
Bart Veldkamp	1998 Nagano	Speed ​​skating	5000 meters

• 

  Ice hockey player and speed skater Philippe Van Volckxsom

• 

  The figure skater Liselotte Landbeck

• 

  Bart Veldkamp, ​​bronze 1998

• 

  Bart Swings, Silver 2018

Interludes

At the 1906 Olympic Intermediate Games , a 16-person Belgian team competed in athletics, cycling, weightlifting, wrestling, fencing, shooting and rowing. Seven medals, two gold, two silver and three bronze medals were won. The gold medals went to the fencer Cyril Verbrugge, who won the individual competitions with the sword and saber. He also won a bronze medal with the epee team. Silver went to the athlete Léon Dupont for his second place in the standing vault. In the standing long jump he was fourth. The brothers Max and Rémy Orban, who finished second in rowing, also won silver. The wrestler Marcel Dubois won bronze in the Greco-Roman heavyweight division. The cyclist Eugène Debongnie won bronze in the sprint. Romeo Verschelden finished fourth in the road race.

Youth games

Youth Summer Games

At the first edition of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore , the Belgian participants, 52 young people, including 28 boys and 24 girls, won a total of five medals.

Youth Olympic champions were the girls' volleyball team, which beat the USA 3-1 in the final, and heavyweight judoka Lola Mansour. The judoka Toma Nikiforov won silver in the heavyweight division. The canoeist Hermien Peters won bronze medals in the sprint and the boys' hockey team, which defeated Ghana 4: 1 in the bronze medal.

Three medals, one gold, one silver and one bronze medal, were won by Belgian youth in mixed teams. These medals are not taken into account in Belgium's medal balance, but are added to the medal table for mixed teams. Show jumper Nicola Philippaerts won gold on her horse Gippsland Girl in Team Europe . Judoka Lola Mansour won silver in the Belgrade team and tennis player An-Sophie Mestach won bronze in doubles with Hungarian Tímea Babos .

Four years later, the Youth Summer Games were held in Nanjing . This time 33 young people, 12 boys and 21 girls, took part, who won six medals, two silver and four bronze medals. Silver won the Taekwondoin Indra Craen in featherweight and the gymnast Luka Van Den Keybus on parallel bars. The bronze medal went to the Taekwondoin Mohamed Ketbi in the featherweight and Laura Roebben in the middleweight, the judoka Jorre Verstraeten in the flyweight and the athlete Chloë Beaucarne over 100 meter hurdles.

• 

  Toma Nikiforov, silver 2010

• 

  An-Sophie Mestach, bronze 2010 in mixed double

Youth Winter Games

The first Winter Youth Games took place in Innsbruck in 2012 . The Belgian team consisted of seven athletes, four boys and three girls. The ski racer Dries Van den Broecke won silver in the slalom.

In 2016 the second Winter Youth Games were held in Lillehammer . Nine young Belgians, six boys and three girls, took part. In freestyle skiing, Xander Vercammen won silver in ski cross. The short tracker Stijn Desmet became Team B Youth Olympic Champion in the mixed relay . This medal will not be included in Belgium's medal balance.

Art competitions

2	1	5

Belgium took part in the Olympic arts competitions between 1912 and 1948 . The first Belgian entry for an art competition came in 1912 from the architect André Collin.

In 1920 all Belgian artists were awarded medals. The composer Georges Monier received a gold medal for his piece Olympique . The sculpture La Force by the sculptor Albéric Collin was also awarded gold . Simon Goossens was honored with silver for Les Patineurs , while Alfons De Cuyper received bronze for Lanceur des Poids and Coureur . The writer Maurice Bladel was honored with bronze for his work La Louange des Dieux . The painter Alfred Ost also received bronze for his work Joueur de Football .

In 1924 four artists took part, but could not place themselves. The composer Suzanne Daneau submitted her work Funeral Games , the sculptor Victor Demanet his work Invocation of the Athlete , the painter Médard Tytgat his work Educations of the Infants , Salute to the Flags and Winter Sports and the painter T. Elsen his work Portrait of a golfer .

16 artists took part in 1928, they too were not placed. One architect was represented in the architecture category. Jean Noé presented his work Edute-projet de Station pour avions in the “Urban Drafts” department and also submitted it to the “Architectural Drafts” department. Four authors participated in the literature. Maurice Carême submitted his work Le Martyr dun Supporteur in the “Epic Works” category . Tony Schaller with L'Exploit Olympien , Maurits Verdonck with Education Estètique Populair et Education Physique and Het Lichtet Overal with Lofzang aan de Sport took part in the “Lyric Works” category . Two composers submitted their compositions. L. Vandeput presented his piece Marche des Sportmen in the "Orchestral Music" category, Sijoma his work Marche Olympique in the "Instrumental Music " category. Seven artists were represented in the sculpture. Most of the works were submitted by Pierre De Soete. He submitted five works for the "Reliefs and Medals" category: Grande plaquette 'Vainqueur' , Medaille 'Vainqueur' , Vitesse nautique , Challenge International du Cyclisme and Challenge International du Yachting Automobile . Eleven works even fell into the round sculptures category : Joueur de tennis , Nageur Crawl , Vers la victoire , Salut olympique , ` Prestation du serment olympique , Etude de coureur arrivé de 1500 meters , Etude de coureur arrivé de 100 meters , Etude lancements de poids , Etude de boxeur , Le vainqueur, buste and Joueur de Pélote . The other sculptors also submitted their works in this category. Alfons De Cuyper was represented with Coureur and Lanceur de poids , Guillaume Dumont with La Plongeon and Effort , Herman Pick with Lanceur de javelot and Athléte faisant le salut olympique , Leon Sarteel with Vers la vie and Géo Verbanck miCariatide, Joueur de football , Athléte négre , Throw in and goalkeeper . Finally three painters took part. In the category "Drawings and watercolors!" Willia Menzel presented her work Silhouettes sportives and Alfred Schuermans presented his work La danse rhythmique , Joseph Dierickx presented his work Le lavoir au Gymnase in the “Paintings” category .

In 1932 the architect Andr # e Verbeke was honored with a bronze medal for his work Design for a Marathon Park . Louis Stynen received an Honorable Mention for its Design for a Sporting Center . Other architectural works were Etablissement de Bains by R. Van Dorpe, Swim Palace by Fritz De Boever, Airport by Frans Laporta and Stadium by Deryck. In the “Painting” category, Marcel Prévost received an honorable mention for his work Coureurs . Also represented were the artists Hélène Gérard with the works Perch Shooting , Aquaplaning , Tennis , Golf , Tango and Throwing the Javelin , Suzanne Christophe with Plage , Peter Colfs with golf , Joseph Conrardy with hockey , Dumortier and Wauters with Régates , Nelly Degouy with a eight-part series of images Do Exercise , Désiré Acket with rowing and tennis , Georges Baltus with Athletes and his only 14-year-old son Ado Baltus with Accident Automobile , Footbaal , Course autoroute and Course automobile piste . In the "Sculpture" category, Valérie De Moer submitted her works Coupe metal and Insigns as well as her two-part work Bouchon radiateur . Also represented were Victor Demanet with Pr.Piccard -Kipfer and Perch Shooting , Richard Demeyer with Coupe , René Daemen with Vitesse , Betsy Muus with Goalkeeper , Arthur Dominique with Levrier courant and Polo , Damers with cricket , Anna Van Nuffel with hockey and Suzanne Silvercruys Farnam with Rower , Boxer , Hurdle , Shot , Discus Thrower , Runner Finishing and The Winner .

In 1936 the sculptor Josué Dupon won a bronze medal for his work Lobstacle . Other works were Le vainqueur de la coupe , Devant l'obstacle , La ceresse , Attention, Teddy! and Le saut en obstacle . Joseph Witterwulghe was represented with thirteen sports plaques and medals , Victor Demanet with Tir à la carabine and Tir à la perche , Paul Wissaert with Breloques sportives , Charles Samuel with Le jeu du cheval , Léandre Grandmoulin with Le lancement du poids and Le Football , Godefroid Devreese with Le Throw-In , Le plongeur , Lutteur en garde , Le coureur and Pastorale , Alfons De Cuyper with Lanceur du Poids , Jean Collard with Amazone , Willy Kreitz with Escrimeur , Goal Keeper Hockey son glace and Joueur de hockey son glace , Maurice Jansegers with Le coup d'Aviron , Marcel Van De Perre with skier and hockey , Louis Van Cutsem with Tour de France and Motocycliste , Jules Heyndrickx with Le Ski , Jules Bernaerts with Aviation , Jeand Boedts with Plongeuse , Gustave Fischweiler with Motocycliste en course , Georges Vandevoorde with Aviation, Groupe allégorique , Frans Lambrechts with Alpinisme: Skying and Alfons Huylebroeck with Joueurs de football . The painter Georges Frédéric received an honorable mention for his work Tireurss à l'Arc . Other painters were Lodew Bosscke with Le Boxeur , Anne Pierre de Kat with Sport d'Hiver , Désiré Piryns with Bassin de natation , Paul Daxhelet with Lutte , Lutte: ceinture , Boxeurs: arrèt du gauche , Boxeur: l'esquive and Boxeurs: l 'uppercut , Jules Jambers with Lanceur du disque , Jean-Pierre Romuald with Nenikamen , Fernand Wery with Joueuse de tennis and Patineur , Émile-Florent Lecomte with Escrimeur and Émile-Lucien Salkin with his six-part work Combat de Boxe . The writer Paul Dresse submitted his volume of poems Quatre poèmes sur des sujet sportifs .

At the last art competitions in London in 1948, the painters Paul Daxhelet submitted his works Basketball , Football and Start of 100 Meter Race and Odon Lallemand his work Lanceur de Disque . In the sculpture, Guy Van Den Steen presented his plaster busts Archer and The Skier and Elsy Blom-Wirz her work Grazie , also a plaster bust.

Participants by sport

Summer games

sport	year
	1900	1908	1912	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016
badminton																				1		1			2	2
basketball									8th	14th	12
Beach volleyball																								2
Archery	4th			14th											3	2	2	5	3	1	1	1	1			1
Boxing				13	10	6th		8th	8th	5	1	4th				1				1
fencing	5	18th	11	22nd	19th	21st	7th	20th	18th	14th	6th	15th	2	3	1	4th	3	4th	3				1			1
Soccer	9			14th	11	14th																		19th
Weightlifting				7th	8th	8th			3	2	1	2	1	2	1	1	3					2		1	1	1
golf																										3
hockey				14th		18th		14th	13	13	12	17th	16	15th	17th	15th								16	32	16
Judo															4th	2	1	2	4th	9	7th	9	3	3	5	5
Canoeing								9	9	4th	2	4th	2	3	8th	11	6th	5	2	2	3	1	3	2	4th	1
athletics		6th	2	42	17th	32		13	18th	21st	6th	12	10	15th	15th	25th	19th	15th	13	7th	12	9	9	17th	14th	23
Modern pentathlon					4th	3		3	3	1		1
Cycling	1	6th	1	15th	9	8th		8th	12	11	7th	13	10	15th	14th	7th	12	8th	6th	7th	9	13	9	11	16	14th
horse riding	4th		4th	18th	11	9		3			3	2			4th	4th		3	1	8th	6th	6th	9	3	10	5
Wrestling		4th	1	12	17th	13		11	9	9	3	5	3	2	2	2	3		1	1	1
rowing	9	10	6th	20th	15th	21st		7th	4th	12	7th	5	2	1	5	7th		6th	8th	9	5	4th	3	3	1	1
shoot	11	10		24	14th			3	3	4th	2	3	1	3	6th	5	3	6th	6th	4th	4th	1	1		1	1
swim	1	7th	5	12	6th	4th			6th	10	6th	3	2	6th	4th	10	7th	6th	8th	7th	4th	9		7th	12	10
sailing		3		14th	8th	6th		3	12	4th	1	3	1	3	4th	3		1		5	3	4th	4th	3	3	4th
Taekwondo																							1			3
Tug of war				8th
tennis				16	8th															1	3	3	3	2	5	3
Table tennis																			2	2	2	2	1	1	1
Triathlon																						2	2	2	2	4th
do gymnastics	2	2		48					8th	3		5	1	2		2			2	2		1	1	2	2	6th
volleyball														12
Water polo	11	7th	9	8th	11	10		9	8th	10		7th	10
Diving		1		3	2													1	1	1

Winter games

sport	year
	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1994	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014	2018
biathlon																							2
Bobsleigh		5	10	4th	8th	5	4th	2		6th											2	2	4th
ice Hockey	5	10	13		10
figure skating	2	3	2	1	4th	3								1	1				1	1	2	1	2
Speed ​​skating		4th			2	1	3	1		1		2						1	1	1		2	3
Freestyle ski																						1
Short track																5	4th		4th	2	1		2
skeleton																							1
Alpine skiing						4th	2	2	1		1	1	2	2	3			1			3		4th
Snowboard																						1	3

Medal table

Olympic games

				total	rank
Olympic Summer Games	40	53	55	148	31
winter Olympics	1	2	3	6th	29
total	41	55	58	154	27

Youth Olympic Games

				total	rank
Youth Olympic Summer Games	2	3	6th	11	44
Youth Olympic Winter Games	0	2	0	2	26th
total	2	5	6th	13	46

Medals by sport

Summer games

sport	gold	silver	bronze	total
Archery	11	6th	3	20th
Cycling	7th	8th	11	26th
athletics	5	5	2	12
horse riding	4th	2	6th	12
swim	11	19th	27	57
rowing	9	17th	15th	41
Canoeing	4th	10	10	24
shoot	4th	3	2	9
do gymnastics	4th	3	2	9
Boxing	3	7th	7th	17th
Wrestling	3	7th	7th	17th
fencing	3	3	4th	10
sailing	2	4th	3	9
Judo	2	1	9	12
shoot	1	4th	3	8th
swim	1	2	2	5
Weightlifting	1	2	1	4th
Boxing	1	1	2	4th
Soccer	1	0	1	2
tennis	1	0	0	1
rowing	0	6th	2	8th
Water polo	0	4th	2	6th
Wrestling	0	3	0	3
hockey	0	1	1	2
do gymnastics	0	1	1	2
Tug of war	0	0	1	1
total	40	53	55	148

Winter games

sport	gold	silver	bronze	total
figure skating	1	0	1	2
Bobsleigh	0	1	1	2
Speed ​​skating	0	1	1	2
total	1	2	3	6th

Web links

Commons : Olympic history of Belgium  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Belgium in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Belgium on Olympic.org  - The Official website of the Olympic movement (English)
• Website of the Belgian NOK (Dutch)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ including three athletes at the Equestrian Games in Stockholm had participated
2. ↑ Focus on August 17, 2016
3. ↑ Water polo players Victor Boin , Fernand Feyaerts , Oscar Grégoire and Herman Meyboom also took part in swimming competitions.
4. ↑ The water polo players Félicien Courbet , Oscar Grégoire and Herman Meyboom also took part in swimming competitions. Victor Boin also competed in fencing.
5. ↑ Several athletes competed in two sports: René Bauwens and Gérard Blitz in swimming and water polo, Fernand de Montigny in fencing and hockey, Roger Moeremans d'Emaüs in riding and rowing, Maurice Van Den Bemden in tennis and hockey, Gustave Wuyts in tug of war and in athletics, René Smet in boxing and rowing.
6. ↑ The water polo players Gérard Blitz and Joseph De Combe also competed in swimming.
7. ↑ The water polo players Gérard Blitz and Pierre Coppieters also competed in swimming. The athlete Émile Vercken also played on the hockey team.
8. ↑ Ice hockey and figure skating were sports at the Summer Olympics in Antwerp.
9. ↑ The ice hockey players Victor Verschueren and Paul Van den Broeck also took part in bobsleigh. The players Louis De Ridder and Philippe Van Volckxsom also competed in speed skating.
10. ↑ The ice hockey player Louis De Ridder also competed in bobsleigh.