Belgium at the Paralympics
Encyclopedia
Belgium
made its Paralympic Games
début at the inaugural Paralympic Games
in Rome
in 1960, and has participated in every edition of the Summer Paralympics. It also took part in the inaugural Winter Paralympics
in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik
, and has competed in every edition of the Winter Games except 1980, 1998 and 2002.
Belgian athletes have won a total of 98 Paralympic medals, of which 27 gold, 37 silver and 34 bronze, placing it 25th on the all-time Paralympic Games medal table
.
Belgium's best result at the Summer Games came in 1984, when it finished 12th on the medal table, with its largest ever haul of medals: 57, of which 22 gold. Its worst result came in 2008, with just one bronze medal, placing it 69th on the medal table.
At the Winter Games, Belgium has only ever won one medal: a bronze obtained by Willy Mercier in the Men's Super-G (B1 category) in alpine skiing
in 1994.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
made its Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
début at the inaugural Paralympic Games
1960 Summer Paralympics
The 1960 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under the aegis of the International Stoke Mandeville Games...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1960, and has participated in every edition of the Summer Paralympics. It also took part in the inaugural Winter Paralympics
1976 Winter Paralympics
The 1976 Winter Paralympic Games were the first Winter Paralympics. They were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden from 21 to 28 February 1976. The disabilities included in this paralympics were blindness and amputees. Sixteen countries took part with 198 athletes...
in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik
Örnsköldsvik
Örnsköldsvik is a locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 28,617 inhabitants in 2005.Its natural harbour and archipelago is in the Gulf of Bothnia and the northern boundaries of the High Coast area. It is well known as an exporter of paper products...
, and has competed in every edition of the Winter Games except 1980, 1998 and 2002.
Belgian athletes have won a total of 98 Paralympic medals, of which 27 gold, 37 silver and 34 bronze, placing it 25th on the all-time Paralympic Games medal table
All-time Paralympic Games medal table
An all-time medal table for all Paralympic Games from 1960 to 2008 Summer Paralympic Games and 1976 to 2010 Winter Paralympic Games is tabulated below....
.
Belgium's best result at the Summer Games came in 1984, when it finished 12th on the medal table, with its largest ever haul of medals: 57, of which 22 gold. Its worst result came in 2008, with just one bronze medal, placing it 69th on the medal table.
At the Winter Games, Belgium has only ever won one medal: a bronze obtained by Willy Mercier in the Men's Super-G (B1 category) in alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
in 1994.
Gold medallists
Belgium's gold medallists to date are:- Y. Alloo: table tennis, women's singles (category C), 1960 and 1964
- Frank Jespers: athletics, men's 100m Wheelchair (category 3), 1972
- Guy Grun: archery, men's FITA Round open, 1976; men's double FITA Round paraplegic, 1984
- Filip Bardoel, Guy Grun & Josef Meysen: archery, men's double FITA Round team paraplegic, 1980
- Achiel Braet: athletics, men's discus; javelin; and shot put (category F), 1976; men's discus; and shot put (category F), 1980
- Annie Cornil: athlerics, women's 60m (category 4), 1976
- Rémi Ophem: athletics, men's discus, 1976 (category 4) and 1980 (category 3); pentathlon (category 4), 1984
- Philip Wouters: athletics, men's precision club throw (category 1A-1B), 1976; shooting, mixed air rifle prone (categories 1A-1C), 1980
- Alex HermansAlex HermansAlex Hermans is a Paralympian athlete from Belgium competing mainly in category F36 shot put events.He competed in the 1980 Summer Paralympics in Arnhem, Netherlands. There he won a gold medal in the men's Shot put - CP C event and a gold medal in the men's Long jump - CP C event...
: athletics, men's long jump; and shot put (category CP C), 1980; discus; and shot put (category C6), 1984; shot put (C6), 1988 and 1992 - M. de Meyer: athletics, men's 100m (category 5), 1980
- M. de Vlieghere: athletics, men's discus; and javelin (category CP C), 1980
- Marc de Vos: athletics, men's 400m (category 3), 1980; 100m, 200m & 800m (category 3); King of the Straight - 100m (categories 1A-6), 1984
- Paul van Winkel: athletics, men's slalom (category 3), 1980; 400m & 1,500m (category 3), 1984; 400m, 800m & 5,000m (category 3), 1988
- M. de Meyer, Marc de Vos, Rémi Ophem & Paul van Winkel: athletics, men's 4x100m relay (categories 2-5), 1980
- (unspecified team): archery, men's double FITA Round team (categories 1A-6), 1984
- Alfons Kuys: archery, men's double FITA Round div. (category 3), 1984; men's single FITA Round (categories C7,C8), 1988
- (unspecified team): athletics, men's 4x100m relay (categories 2-5), 1984
- (unspecified team): athletics, men's 4x200m relay (categories 2-5), 1984
- (unspecified team): athletics, men's 4x400m relay (categories 2-5), 1984
- Freddy Matton: athletics, men's 800m (B2), 1984
- Marie Line Pollet: athletics: women's pentathlon; and shot put (category 2), 1984; pentathlon (category 4), 1988
- Mario de Baene: athletics, men's long jump (C7), 1984
- Patrick de Uylder: athletics, men's 400m (L2), 1984
- (men's team, CP category): football 7-a-side, 1984
- Ingrid Borre: table tennis, women's singles (L4); women's open (6-10), 1992; women's singles (6-8), 1996
- Benny GovaertsBenny GovaertsBenny Govaerts is a Paralympian athlete from Belgium competing mainly in category T37 middle distance events.Bbenny has competed in 5 paralympics and won 4 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals, making him one of the most successful Belgian paralympians.. in his first games in 1988 he won three gold...
: athletics, men's 800m, 1,500m & cross-country 5,000m (C7), 1988; 5,000m (C5-8), 1992 - Geert Couchez: road cycling, men's tricycle 3,000m (C5-6), 1988
- Sonja Vettenburg: shooting, women's air pistol standing (LSH2), 1988
- Hans Pauwels: swimming, men's 100m breaststroke; 200m freestyle; 400m freestyle; and 200m individual medley (C8), 1988
- Guy Culot: road cycling, men's 1,500m time trial tricycle (CP Div 2), 1992; mixed 1,500m time trial tricycle (CP Div 2), 1996
- Jan Boonen: shooting, mixed sport pistol (SH1-3), 1992
- Thierry DaubresseThierry DaubresseThierry Daubresse is a Paralympian athlete from Belgium competing mainly in category F42 shot putt events.Thierry competed in the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta where he won a gold medl in the F42 shot putt as well as competing in the pentathlon, discus and javelin...
: athletics, men's shot put (F42), 1996 - Steve OrensSteve OrensSteve Orens is a Paralympian athlete from Belgium competing mainly in category T52 long distance events.Steve competed in the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona in the TW3 class 400m and 800m and the combined TW3-4 1500m and 5000m...
: athletics, men's 800m (T52), 1996 - Gino de KeersmaekerGino de KeersmaekerGino De Keersmaeker is an athlete and Paralympian from Belgium competing mainly in category F42 discus throw events.He competed in the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain. There he finished thirteenth in the men's Shot putt - THS2 event and finished eleventh in the men's Discus throw -...
: athletics, men's discus (F42), 1996 - Marianne van BrusselMarianne van BrusselMarianne van Brussel is a Paralympian athlete from Belgium competing mainly in category F10-11 throwing events.Marianne competed in the 1996 Summer Paralympics in all three throws winning a gold medal in the F10-11 javelin competition.-External links:...
: athletics, women's javelin (F10-11), 1996 - Carine van Puyvelde: swimming, women's 100m & 200m breaststroke (B2), 1996
- Kurt van RaefelghemKurt van RaefelghemKurt Van Raefelghem is a Paralympian athlete from Belgium competing mainly in category P13 pentathlon events.He competed in the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain. There he won a silver medal in the men's Long jump - B3 event, finished seventh in the men's 100 metres - B3 event and...
: athletics, men's pentathlon (P13), 2000 - Dirk Boon: road cycling, men's tricycle time trial (CP Div 1/2), 2004
- Mathieu Loicq: table tennis, men's singles (8), 2004
- Mathieu Loicq, Marc Ledoux & Nico Vergeylen: table tennis, men's teams (8), 2004
Summer Paralympics
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 Summer Paralympics 1960 Summer Paralympics The 1960 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under the aegis of the International Stoke Mandeville Games... |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14th |
| 1964 Summer Paralympics 1964 Summer Paralympics The 1964 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 13th International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the 2nd Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Tokyo, Japan, they were the last Summer Paralympics to take place in the same city as the Summer Olympics until the 1988 Summer Paralympics... |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 14th |
| 1968 Summer Paralympics 1968 Summer Paralympics The 1968 Summer Paralympics were the third Paralympic Games to be held. Organised under the guidance of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation , they were known as the 17th International Stoke Mandeville Games at the time... |
0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 20th |
| 1972 Summer Paralympics 1972 Summer Paralympics The 1972 Summer Paralympics, the fourth edition of the Paralympic Games, were held in Heidelberg, West Germany, from August 2 to 11, 1972.- Sports :As with previous Paralympics, the 1972 games were intended for wheelchair athletes only... |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 23rd |
| 1976 Summer Paralympics 1976 Summer Paralympics The 1976 Summer Paralympics were the fifth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Toronto, in the province of Ontario, Canada from August 3 to 11, 1976... |
7 | 7 | 8 | 22 | 17th |
| 1980 Summer Paralympics 1980 Summer Paralympics The 1980 Summer Paralympics were the sixth Paralympic Games. They were held in Papendal, close to the host city of Arnhem, Netherlands, from June 21 to 30, 1980.- Sports :... |
13 | 12 | 17 | 42 | 13th |
| 1984 Summer Paralympics 1984 Summer Paralympics The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in two separate locations, Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and in the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, United States of America The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the... |
22 | 21 | 14 | 57 | 12th |
| 1988 Summer Paralympics 1988 Summer Paralympics The 1988 Summer Paralympics were the first Paralympics in 24 years that take place in the same city as the Olympic Games. They took place in Seoul, South Korea. This was the first time the term "Paralympic" came into official use.- Sports :... |
15 | 18 | 8 | 41 | 17th |
| 1992 Summer Paralympics 1992 Summer Paralympics The 1992 Summer Paralympics were the ninth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Sports :The games consisted of 487 events spread over fifteen sports. Powerlifting and weightlifting were considered to be a single sport... |
5 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 21st |
| 1996 Summer Paralympics 1996 Summer Paralympics The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million.... |
8 | 10 | 7 | 25 | 22nd |
| 2000 Summer Paralympics 2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000... |
1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 42nd |
| 2004 Summer Paralympics 2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as... |
3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 36th |
| 2008 Summer Paralympics 2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao.... |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 69th |
Winter Paralympics
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 Winter Paralympics 1976 Winter Paralympics The 1976 Winter Paralympic Games were the first Winter Paralympics. They were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden from 21 to 28 February 1976. The disabilities included in this paralympics were blindness and amputees. Sixteen countries took part with 198 athletes... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10th |
| 1984 Winter Paralympics 1984 Winter Paralympics The 1984 Winter Paralympic Games, were the third Winter Paralympics. They were held from 14 to 20 January 1984 in Innsbruck, Austria. They were the first Winter Games organized by the International Co-ordinating Committee , which was formed on March 15, 1982 in Leysin, Switzerland. These Games were... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15th |
| 1988 Winter Paralympics 1988 Winter Paralympics The 1988 Winter Paralympic Games, were the fourth Winter Paralympics, held again in Innsbruck, Austria. These were the last Winter Paralympics to be held in a separate location from the Winter Olympics. Beginning in 1992, the Olympics and the Paralympics were held in the same city or in an adjacent... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16th |
| 1992 Winter Paralympics 1992 Winter Paralympics The 1992 Winter Paralympics were the fifth Winter Paralympics. They were the first winter Paralympics to be celebrated concurrently with the Olympic Games. They were held in Tignes and Albertville, France, from March 25 to April 1, 1992... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20th |
| 1994 Winter Paralympics 1994 Winter Paralympics The 1994 Winter Paralympics, the sixth Winter Paralympics, were held in Lillehammer, Norway, from 10–19 March 1994. These Games marked the first time the Paralympic Winter Games were held in the same location as the Winter Olympics, a tradition that has continued through an agreement of cooperation... |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22nd |
| 2006 Winter Paralympics 2006 Winter Paralympics The 2006 Winter Paralympic Games, the ninth Winter Paralympics, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy. They were also the first Paralympics to use the new paralympics logo.... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20th |
| 2010 Winter Paralympics 2010 Winter Paralympics The 2010 Winter Paralympics, officially the X Paralympic Winter Games, or the 10th Winter Paralympics, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada from March 12 to 21, 2010. The Opening Ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Closing Ceremony in Whistler... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22nd |