Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
competed at the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Since the nation's official debut in
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...
, Belgian athletes have appeared in every edition of the
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
, with the exception of the
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...
in St. Louis.
Medalists
Competitors
Archery
Belgium archers booked an Olympic place in the men’s individual recurve based on the world ranking.
Athletics
Belgian athletes further achieved the entry standards, either by qualifying time or by world ranking, in the following track and field events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):
*DNS = Did not start
*NM = No valid trial recorded
;Track & road events
;Men
;Women
;Mixed
;Field events
;Combined events –
Men's decathlon
;Combined events –
Women's heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hept ...
Badminton
Belgium entered one badminton player into the Olympic tournament. Set to compete at her third consecutive Games,
Lianne Tan
Lianne Tan (born 20 November 1990) is a Belgian badminton player. She competed for Belgium at the 2012 London, 2016 Rio, and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She was selected to participate in the 2012 Summer Olympics, together with her brother Yuhan. ...
secured a spot in the women's singles at the Games based on the
BWF Race to Tokyo Rankings.
Basketball
Indoor
;Summary
Women's tournament
Belgium women's basketball team qualified for the first time for the Olympics as one of two highest-ranked eligible squads at the
Ostend
Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
meet of the
2020 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
;Team roster
;Group play
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;Quarterfinal
3×3 basketball
;Summary
Men's tournament
Belgium men's national 3x3 team qualified for the Olympics by securing a top finish at the
2021 Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
;Team roster
The players were announced on 3 July 2021.
*
Rafael Bogaerts
*
Nick Celis
*
Thierry Mariën
*
Thibaut Vervoort
Thibaut Vervoort (born 10 December 1997) is a Belgian basketball player for Basics Melsele and the Belgium 3x3 national team.
He represented Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an internati ...
;Group play
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;Semifinal
;Bronze medal match
Canoeing
Slalom
Belgium entered one canoeist to compete in the men's K-1 class at the Games, as the
International Canoe Federation
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated ...
accepted the nation's request to claim an unused berth from the 2020 Oceania Championships.
Sprint
Belgium qualified a boat in the women's K-2 200 m for the Games by finishing fourth overall and second among those nations eligible for Olympic qualification at the
2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 45th edition of the World Championships, were held in Szeged, Hungary from 21 to 25 August 2019.
The championships served as the primary qualification regatta for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic ...
in
Szeged
Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. Meanwhile, one additional boat was awarded to the Belgian canoeist in the men's K-1 1000 m by winning the gold medal at the 2021 European Canoe Sprint Qualification Regatta.
Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)
Cycling
Road
Belgium entered a squad of eight riders (five men and three women) to compete in their respective Olympic road races, by virtue of their top 50 national finish (for men) and top 22 (for women) in the
UCI World Ranking
The UCI men's road racing world rankings are a point system which is used to rank men's road cycling riders. Points are accrued over a rolling 52 weeks in three categories (Individual, Nations and Teams).
Also Year-End rankings exist, based on ...
.
;Men
;Women
Track
Following the completion of the
2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were held in Berlin, Germany from 26 February to 1 March 2020.
Schedule
20 events were held:
''All times are local (UTC+1).''
Medal summary Medal table
Men
Women
*Shaded events are no ...
, Belgian riders accumulated spots for both men and women in madison and omnium based on their country's results in the final UCI Olympic rankings.
;Omnium
;Madison
* Lindsay De Vylder
Lindsay De Vylder (born 30 May 1995) is a Belgian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam .
He competed at the 2016 UEC European Track Championships in the team pursuit and scratch events.
Major results
Track
;2013
: 1st Omnium, UEC E ...
and Shari Bossuyt will travel as reserves
Mountain biking
Belgian mountain bikers qualified for one men's and one women's quota place each into the Olympic cross-country race, as a result of the nation's thirteenth-place-finish for men and fourteenth for women, respectively, in the UCI Olympic Ranking List of 16 May 2021.
BMX
;Race
Equestrian
Belgium fielded a squad of three equestrian riders into the Olympic team jumping competition by winning the gold medal and securing the first of three available berths for Group A and B at the European Championships in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Meanwhile, two riders were added to the Spanish roster based on the following results in the individual FEI Olympic rankings: a top two finish outside the group selection for Group B (South Western Europe) in eventing and a highest overall placement outside the group and continental selection in dressage.
With Ireland withdrawing from the team dressage competition, Belgium received an invitation from
FEI to send a dressage team to the Games, as the highest-ranked composite team, not yet represented. Belgium is hence set to compete in team dressage for the first time since
Amsterdam 1928.
Belgian equestrian squads for eventing and jumping were named on June 24, 2021.
The dressage team was named on July 3, 2021.
Dressage
Alexa Fairchild
Alexa Fairchild (born 23 November 1994, New York City, New York) is a Belgian equestrian athlete and fashion designer. Fairchild started riding at a young age and competed in the youth dressage classes, including the European Youth Championships ...
and Dabanos have been named the travelling alternates.
Eventing
Jumping
Yves Vanderhasselt and Jeunesse were originally named as the travelling alternates, but for veterinary reasons were replaced by
Pieter Devos
Pieter Devos (born 8 February 1986) is Belgian show jumping rider from Diest, Belgium. He is a regular on the Belgian team and has won team gold medals at the 2019 European Championships in Rotterdam (NEL) and 2018 FEI Nations Cup Final in Barcel ...
and Claire Z.
Field hockey
;Summary
Men's tournament
Belgium men's field hockey team qualified for the Olympics by winning the gold medal at the
2019 EuroHockey Nations Championships in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, .
;Team roster
;Group play
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----
;Quarterfinal
;Semifinal
;Gold medal game
Golf
Belgium entered a total of two male golfers and one female golfer into the Olympic tournament.
Gymnastics
Artistic
Belgium fielded a full squad of four gymnasts in the women's artistic gymnastics events by finishing seventh out of nine nations eligible for qualification in the team all-around at the
2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held in Stuttgart, Germany from October 4–13, 2019. The championships took place at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, and was the third time the city of Stuttgart hosted the event following the ...
in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
;Women
;Team
;Individual finals
Judo
Four Judoka have qualified through being in the top 18 of the IJF World Ranking List in their respective class. Additionally,
Gabriella Willems received one of the additional places for European athletes, but was unable to compete due to a knee injury.
Rowing
Belgium qualified one boat in the men's lightweight double sculls for the Games by winning the B-final and securing the last of seven berths available at the
2019 FISA World Championships in
Ottensheim
Ottensheim is a municipality in the district of Urfahr-Umgebung in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. In July 2008 it hosted the World Rowing Championships, and it did so again in 2019.
History
First settlements in this area date from about 4 ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Sailing
Belgian sailors qualified one boat in each of the following classes through the
2018 Sailing World Championships
The 2018 Hempel Sailing World Championships were held in Aarhus, Denmark, from 30 July to 12 August 2018. It was the fifth edition of the Sailing World Championships. It was the world championships for all disciplines used at the next olympics ...
, the class-associated Worlds, and the continental regattas.
M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race
Shooting
Belgian shooters achieved quota places for the following events by virtue of their best finishes at the
2018 ISSF World Championships, the 2019 ISSF World Cup series, and Asian Championships, as long as they obtained a minimum qualifying score (MQS) of June 5, 2021.
Skateboarding
Lore Bruggeman and
Axel Cruysberghs have qualified for the games by finishing top 16 in the Olympic world skateboarding rankings for the
women's street and
men's street competitions respectively.
Swimming
Belgian swimmers achieved qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and potentially 1 at the Olympic Selection Time (OST)): Two-time Olympian
Pieter Timmers
Pieter Timmers (born 21 January 1988) is a Belgian retired competitive swimmer who specialized in sprint freestyle events. He won the silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle at the 2016 Olympics. Timmers currently holds nine Belgian records, and ...
originally qualified in 2019, however he officially announced his retirement from the sport at the end of 2020 swimming season and instead returned their quota spot.
Taekwondo
Belgium entered one athlete into the taekwondo competition at the Games. Rio 2016 Olympian
Jaouad Achab qualified directly for the men's lightweight category (68 kg) by finishing among the top five taekwondo practitioners at the end of the WT Olympic Rankings.
Tennis
Triathlon
Belgium qualified four triathletes for the following events at the Games by winning the gold medal and securing the first of three available berths at the 2021 ITU Mixed Relay Olympic Qualification Tournament in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
.
;Individual
;Relay
Weightlifting
Belgian weightlifters qualified for two quota places at the games, based on the Tokyo 2020 Rankings Qualification List of 11 June 2021.
Tokyo 2020 Qualification (Weightlifting)
/ref>
See also
*Belgium at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
Belgium competed in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan from 25 August to 6 September.
Medalists
Competitors
Archery
Piotr Van Montagu has qualified to compete following winning a silver medal at the Paralympic Qualifying Tourname ...
References
{{Country at games navbox, Belgium, Olympics
Nations at the 2020 Summer Olympics
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
2021 in Belgian sport