Team Belgium

👑 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 On Thursday 7 November, Team Belgium and Paralympic Team Belgium were invited by their Majesties the King and Queen of Belgium. The Sovereigns invited the athletes who have particularly distinguished themselves over the last twelve months and wanted to congratulate them in person. The visit to the ‘Château de Laeken’ included athletes who took part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, as well as medallists from a European or World Championship in an Olympic or Paralympic discipline. 🥇 For the BOIC, the delegation and the athletes were presented to King Philippe and Queen Mathilde by Jean-Michel Saive - OLY, President, and Cédric Van Branteghem, OLY, CEO. On the BPC side, Olek Kazimirowski, Director of the BPC, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐮𝐰𝐞𝐧, President, and GAVAGE Dominique, Secretary General, were present. The BOIC would like to thank Their Majesties the King and Queen for their welcome. 👏 For more information on Team Belgium's visit to the Royal Castle of Laeken: ▶NL: https://lnkd.in/egkr3xnX ▶FR: https://lnkd.in/eZG8H97q #TeamBelgium #ParalympicTeamBelgium #Medal #Strongtogether #VisitRoyal #HighPerformance

𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞-𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟎 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 ❄️ Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, former president of the Belgian Olympic Committee (2004-2021), has been appointed as the president of the Coordination Commission for the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in the French Alps, as announced by the IOC. After successfully managing the Paris 2024 - Comité d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de 2024 as president of the same commision, he is ready to take on this new challenge. 🗻 💬 Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant is determined to make this event a success: “Chairing a coordination commission for an edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is an extraordinary task because it allows you to be at the heart of the project [...] The experience I gained from the Paris 2024 Games will be a tremendous asset to quickly bring added value to the 2030 French Alps Games.” 💪 A member of the IOC since 2012, Pierre-Olivier Beckers has also announced his candidacy for the position of vice-president of the IOC executive board, with elections set to take place in March 2025 in Greece. Learn more about Pierre-Olivier Beckers' new role: ▶NL: https://lnkd.in/ezMKaUEi ▶FR: https://lnkd.in/eNKKKSew #PierreOlivierBeckers #WinterOlympicGames #AlpesFrancaises2030 #CIO #IOC #Olympism #TeamBelgium #OlympicGames #WeAreTeamBelgium #StrongerTogether

𝐋𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐊𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 👏 𝐋𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐊𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐲 has been honored with the 96th Belgian National Sports Merit Award, succeeding a distinguished list of athletes, including Bart Swings, remco evenepoel, and Bashir Abdi. This prestigious award has been presented since 1928 to a Belgian athlete or sports team that performed exceptionally well over the past year. 🏆 Kopecky’s remarkable year included an outstanding performance at  the Paris 2024 Olympics Games winning a bronze medal in the road race in cycling.🥉 In addition, she placed 6th in the time trial and finished 4th in the omnium, further underlining her versatility across multiple disciplines 🚴♀️. Her Olympic success was followed by a triumphant September, where she won the European time trial Championships and claimed the rainbow jersey at the World Championships road race in Zurich. Alongside these major titles, Kopecky continued to shine on the international stage with victories at Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix, further cementing her status as one of the top cyclists of her generation. It’s a remarkable achievement that reflects the strength and support of Belgian Cycling. 💬 Jean-Michel Saive - OLY, president of the BOIC and member of the jury, explained the decision : "She has followed up as world champion on the road, earned a medal at the Olympics, and delivered excellent performances on the track. She is a fantastic and versatile athlete and a deserving winner." Jean-Michel Saive also noted that, due to the Olympic Games, there were many worthy candidates: "Nafissatou Thiam, Bashir Abdi, or Remco Evenepoel could have equally deserved the award, but they have received it in the past. Overall, around fifty athletes delivered extraordinary performances this year. Especially with the Olympic Games, it was a fantastic year for Belgian sport. All medalists at the Games were contenders, but Lotte is a logical winner." The official award ceremony will take place around the end of the year, and we look forward to celebrating this well-deserved recognition. Congratulations, Lotte! 👏 Lotte Kopecky was chosen by a jury made up this year of Jean-Michel Saive - OLY, Eddy Merckx, 𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐆𝐮𝐲 𝐕𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧, Philippe Close, Dominique Monami, 𝐑𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐤, 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐃'𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐡𝐞, 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐭, Eddy De Smedt, joel smets, Kim Gevaert, OLY, Ann Wauters, Evi Van Acker and 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐧.   Read more about the 2024 National Merit Trophy: ▶NL: https://lnkd.in/gFkxi_cb ▶FR: https://lnkd.in/gN82JeUH   #WeAreTeamBelgium #Cycling #StrongTogether #Paris2024 #BelgianCycling

🎉 𝐁𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 ! 🎉 On 9 October 2024, the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels celebrated two decades of Be Gold, a project dedicated to the development of young Belgian sports talent/athletes, who have the ambition to reach a Top 8 at the Olympic Games or a Top 3 at the Paralympic Games. 🏆 Since it's launch in 2004, Be Gold has supported 529 sports projects with a total budget of €46,120,000 and is currently supporting 207 athletes aged between 12 and 23 to prepare for upcoming competitions. Thanks to this project, Be Gold athletes have already won 17 Olympic medals (5 medals and 18 Top 8 places in the recent Paris 2024 Games) proving that Be Gold has a significant impact on Belgian sport. 💪   💬 Jean-Michel Saive - OLY, President of the BOIC, highlighted this success by saying: "Be Gold is much more than a program, it's a real steppingstone that allows today's young talents to prepare to become tomorrow's champions. Being part of this project is an honor and a source of pride for these athletes, motivating them to surpass themselves and represent the colors of Team Belgium and Paralympic Team Belgium, with the ultimate goal to participate at the Olympic or Paralympic Games" he declared enthusiastically. Looking to the future, Be Gold will continue to focus on supporting the talents of tomorrow. The evening was also an opportunity for Be Gold to thank its institutional partners for their support: ADEPS, Sport Vlaanderen, Comité Olympique et Interfédéral Belge, Ostbelgien-Info and Loterie Nationale.   For more information about the 20th Birthday Be Gold 🎊 : ▶️ NL: https://lnkd.in/e-2X2dym ▶️ FR: https://lnkd.in/eihB2sfG Thanks to Marc Coudron, 𝐘𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐞́, Julien Watrin, Paul Rowe, 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐲, Olivier Alsteens, Jean-Michel Saive - OLY, Neisser Loyola, Cédric Van Branteghem, OLY, Gregor Freches, Eddy De Smedt, Robert Van de Walle, Gabriella Willems, armand Marchant, 𝐊𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢, 𝐍𝐚𝐟𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐦, 𝐒𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐧, 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐚̂𝐫𝐢, 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐬 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐣𝐤, Nicky Degrendele, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭, 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐏𝐮𝐯𝐫𝐞𝐳 and well done to who work hard behind the scene to make this project possible Didier Haller and Joachim Gheerolfs.

𝐆𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐅𝐒𝐎 💥 We are delighted to announce that Gwenda Stevens has been elected as the new President of the International Federation for Sports Officials (IFSO). Gwenda will be taking over from Patrick Vajda, one of the founders of IFSO, who has decided not to seek another mandate. This transition was formalised at last week’s General Assembly in The Hague, Netherlands, where a new 12-member board was also elected. Gwenda Stevens, a former athlete and international rowing referee selected for the Paris 2024 Games, has dedicated her career to the development and promotion of officials in sport. Since 2017, she has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee and Chair of the BOIC Officials Commission. 🎖️ 💬Gwenda Stevens: “This project is very important to me. Along with the BOIC, we are co-founders of the IFSO and we have been putting all our energy into it. Becoming president of the IFSO was a natural step for me. I believe that we can add value to sports officials worldwide and help elevate their standing. I would like to share our example with our colleagues in the NOCs and encourage them to set up an Officials' Committee.” Gwenda will officially take up her role as President on January 1st, 2025 and she is determined to work together to promote best practice in the training of officials. For more information on the election of Gwenda Stevens : ▶NL: https://lnkd.in/eT23UKqj ▶FR: https://lnkd.in/eHUTQRvR #SportsOfficials #IFSO #TeamBelgium #StrongTogether / Paralympic Team Belgium

𝐀 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 🚐🎖️ For nearly 3 weeks, the Medal Shuttle cruised the streets of Paris, celebrating our Belgian Olympic heroes. Together with Nationale Loterij, Toyota Belgium, DPG Media België, and RTBF, we had the honor of transporting and celebrating our Olympic medal-winning athletes in the iconic Medal Shuttle. 🥇 🥈 🥉 The luxurious Toyota provided the perfect setting for our athletes to reflect on their achievements and share their stories. 🚐 It was a moment for our athletes to take a breath, appreciate their accomplishments, and look back on their Olympic journey. These interviews offered a glimpse into their personal experiences and the emotions behind their victories.   ▶ You can find a short compilation of some of the best moments here: https://lnkd.in/eUmJzMgy ▶ All of our complete episodes featuring #RemcoEvenepoel, #WoutvanAert, Gabriella Willems, #SarahChaâri, #NafiThiam and #FabioVandenBossche are available on the Team Belgium’s YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eFe_jRHi   With special thanks to our partners and ROKON Productions for bringing this project to life and turning our idea into reality. 🙌🏼🎥   #WeAreTeamBelgium #Paris2024 #Olympics #MedalShuttle

🚀 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞🌍 Today a delegation from Team Belgium and Paralympic Team Belgium visited the European Space Agency - ESA in Cologne. This initiative, in the framework of an Olympic Coaching Platform, highlights the exchange of experience between the Belgian Olympic & Interfederal Committee, the Belgian Paralympic Committee, and the European Space Agency, drawing powerful parallels between elite sports and space exploration. 🔭 💬Olav Spahl, elite sports director of the BOIC, emphasized: "There are many parallels between elite sport and space. Both sectors work in the philosophy of infinity and are constantly looking for innovations that can make a difference. Just like in elite sport, aerospace is about pushing boundaries." The delegation, which included Olympic and Paralympic coaches and scientific experts, also met Belgian astronaut Raphaël Liégeois, who is preparing for his space mission in late 2026 or early 2027. 💬Jean-Michel Saive - OLY, President of the BOIC, proudly stated: "The way astronauts prepare to be selected and then perform reminds me enormously of our elite athletes. We are proud to support Raphaël Liégeois on behalf of Team Belgium. And who knows, we might soon see a piece of Team Belgium in space." 💬 According to Raphaël Liégeois: "Elite athletes and astronauts share a common drive: the pursuit of precision, endurance, and innovation. Whether on the track or in orbit, the challenges may differ, but the mindset remains the same - a commitment to surpassing limits. It’s a privilege to represent Belgium, both on Earth and beyond." This visit is a remarkable source of inspiration, showing that the pursuit of excellence, innovation, and pushing the limits is universal, whether in sports or space exploration. 🌟 Niels Van Zandweghe / Ulla Koch / Jan Vancompernolle / Fernando Oliva / Léa Bayekula / 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐌𝐜𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 Read more about visit the European Astronaut Centre: ▶NL: https://lnkd.in/gDDsDfK8 ▶FR: https://lnkd.in/g_WtyFDG #TeamBelgium #ESA #HighPerformance #SportAndScience #SpaceExploration #Innovation #ParalympicTeamBelgium #StrongerTogether

𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞-𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐎𝐂 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞-𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 💥 Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, former President of the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee and member of the International Olympic Committee – IOC since 2012, has officially announced his candidacy for the position of Vice-President of the IOC Executive Board. The vote will take place in March 2025, during the IOC Session in Olympia, Greece, the historic site of the ancient Olympic Games. With an impressive track record, including presiding the BOIC from 2004 to 2017, contributing to various IOC Commissions and, recently, playing a key role as Chair of the Coordination Commission of Paris 2024 in close collaboration with Paris 2024 - Comité d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de 2024, presided by Tony Estanguet, Pierre-Olivier Beckers has proven his commitment to the Olympic movement. 💬 Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant: “Building on the great success of the Paris 2024 Games that I have coordinated since 2017, I now wish to use this great experience to help the IOC to fulfil its missions in the future. My ambition if elected Vice-President will be to support the IOC and its new IOC President through my extensive knowledge of the Olympic movement in combination the world of business and management.” The March 2025 Session, will be decisive for the future of the IOC, marking not only the election of a new Vice-President, but also that of Thomas Bach's successor as President. Read more about the candidacy on Pierre-Olivier Beckers: ▶NL: https://lnkd.in/e4xh8T4G ▶FR : https://lnkd.in/eEDRRSM7 #PierreOlivierBeckers #CIO #IOC #Olympism #TeamBelgium #OlympicGames #WeAreTeamBelgium #StrongerTogether

🏅𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬! 🏅 With less than 500 days to go until the start of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Team Belgium is gearing up its preparations. Olav Spahl, Elite Sports Director of the BOIC, talks to us about the state of play, logistical challenges, the addition of a new sport - ski mountaineering - and medal hopes for Team Belgium.   💬Olav Spahl: “We estimate that around 30 Belgian athletes will take part in Milano Cortina, compared to 19 athletes in Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. We see a positive momentum in several sports, such as speed skating, short track, figure skating and biathlon. Our ambition is to continuously improve our performances, together with the athletes, the federations and the elite sport partners in Belgium.“   The Beijing Games were a historic moment for Team Belgium, with our best performances since 1948: a gold medal (Bart Swings), a bronze medal (𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐭) and four places in the top 8 places.   In collaboration with ADEPS, Sport Vlaanderen and Ostbelgien-Info, the road to Milano Cortina 2026 is still long, but we're aiming for excellence and hope to shine bright at the upcoming Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games 2026. 💪   Read more about the interview with Olav Spahl: ▶NL: https://lnkd.in/grTtQVJY ▶FR: https://lnkd.in/gAa_FXQu Throwback to Team Belgium at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 : ▶NL: https://lnkd.in/gJ37UHDv ▶FR : https://lnkd.in/gJh3FSaQ #TeamBelgium #MilanoCortina2026 #OlympicGames #WeAreTeamBelgium #StrongerTogether #Beijing2022

🔍 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬! 🏅   The media coverage of Team Belgium was marked by more mentions, increased attention and a largely positive connotation, compared to previous editions of the Olympic Games. That’s one of the main conclusions of a media analysis, conducted by the Belgian national Agence de presse Belga They monitored Belgian press through print, online, radio and television from 25 July to 15 August 2024.   📊Some key findings: In Belgium, 𝟗𝟎.𝟑% of mentions related to the 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 are associated with ‘𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐮𝐦’. This represents an astonishing 𝟑𝟑% increased compared to the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. Media attention for the Olympics goes hand-in-hand with the sporting results of our Team Belgium athletes. Especially the Olympic medallists help to maintain a high visibility throughout the Games. Not only Team Belgium, but also the Lotto Belgium House and the Olympic Festival in 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐞 generated considerable and positive media attention.   With the Paris 2024 setting the new benchmark, LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games is shaping up to be a crucial next step for Team Belgium, not only to excel in sports but also to continue building a strong and enduring media presence. 💪   More information on the Belga analysis at the Paris 2024 Games: ▶ NL: https://lnkd.in/ehXQyxwQ ▶ FR: https://lnkd.in/eejXJSER #Belga #BelgaNewsAgency #Paris2024 #OlympicsGames #TeamBelgium #WeAreTeamBelgium #StrongerTogether #LA2028 #Medias