Belgium at the 1900 Summer Olympics
Belgium competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It was the first appearance of the European nation. Belgium was represented in France by 78[1] athletes, all of them male, who competed in 11 disciplines. They comprised 95 entries in 28 events.
| Belgium at the 1900 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
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| IOC code | BEL |
| NOC | Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Paris | |
| Competitors | 78 in 11 sports |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games | |
Medalists
Results by event
Swimming
A man with the surname Hermand was Belgium's first Olympic swimmer. He competed in the 4000 metre freestyle but did not finish his first round heat.
| Athlete | Events | Semifinal | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Hermand | Men's 4000 metre freestyle | Did not finish | Did not advance | ||
Water polo
Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club represented Belgium in this event.
- Roster
| Athlete | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Jean de Backer Victor de Behr Henri Cohen Fernand Feyaerts Oscar Grégoire Albert Michant Georges Romas Guillaume Séron Victor Sonnemans A. R. Upton |
Water polo |  |
- First Round
| 11 August 1900 | Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club Belgium | 2–0 | Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #1 France |
- Semi-Finals
| 12 August 1900 | Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club Belgium | 5–1 | Libellule de Paris France |
- Final
| 12 August 1900 | Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club Belgium | 2–7 | Osborne Swimming Club Great Britain |
Archery
Belgium took three of seven gold medals, three of eight silver medals, and one of five bronze medals in the seven archery events that were Olympic. France and the Netherlands were the only other nations that competed, with France taking the remaining thirteen medals. Many of the French, Dutch, and Belgian competitors are unknown as their names were not recorded. 4 of the 18 Belgian archers are known by name, 14 are not. The 18 archers had 36 entries over all 7 events.
| Archer | Events | Score | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubert Van Innis | Au Cordon Doré 33 metres | Unknown |  |
| Au Cordon Doré 50 metres | 29 | | |
| Au Chapelet 33 metres | Unknown | | |
| Au Chapelet 50 metres | Unknown | 4 | |
| Championnat du Monde | 16 | | |
| Emmanuel Foulon | Sur la Perche à la Herse | Unknown | |
| Émile Druart | Unknown | | |
| Louis Glineur | Sur la Perche à la Pyramide | Unknown |  |
Cycling
Belgium's first cycling appearance was at the second Olympic cycling competition, 1900. One cyclist from Belgium competed in one event, winning no medals. Only his surname is known.
| Cyclist | Event | Round 1 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Vincent | Men's sprint | Unknown | 2 Q | Unknown | 2 | Did not advance | |||
Equestrian
Belgium competed in the inaugural Olympic equestrian events, taking gold medals in 3 of 5 events. The names of 9 Belgian equestrians are unknown.
| Rider | Horse | Events | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | |||
| Aimé Haegeman | Benton II | Jumping | 2:16.0 | |
| Georges Van Der Poele | Winsor Squire | 2:17.6 | | |
| Between 3 and 9 other riders | Unknown | Unknown | 4–37 | |
| Georges Van Der Poele | Ludlow | High jump | 1.70 metres | |
| 3 other riders | Unknown | Unknown | 7–19 | |
| Constant van Langhendonck | Extra Dry | Long jump | 6.1 metres | |
| van der Meulen | Unknown | Unknown | 8 | |
| 1 other rider | Unknown | Unknown | 9–17 | |
| Georges Van Der Poele | Unknown | Hacks and hunter combined | Unknown | 5–51 |
| Georges Chaudoir | N/A | Mail coach | Unknown | 5–31 |
| Gaston Saint-Paul de Sinçay | Unknown | 5–31 | ||
| Paul Lambert | Unknown | 5–31 | ||
| Georges Nagelmackers | Unknown | | ||
| Georges Nagelmackers | Unknown | 5–31 | ||
| Orban | Unknown | 5–31 | ||
| Georges Pauwels | Unknown | 5–31 | ||
| Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt | Unknown | 5–31 | ||
| Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt | Unknown | 5–31 | ||
Fencing
Belgium competed in fencing at the nation's debut. The nation sent five fencers.
| Athlete | Event | Round 1 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Smet | Men's foil | Advanced by jury | Advanced by jury | 8th in group | 14th |
| Men's épée | 1st in group Q | 4-6th in group | Did not advance | ||
| Pierre Selderslagh | Men's masters foil | Advanced by jury | Advanced by jury | 5th in group | 10th |
| Cyrille Verbrugge | Advanced by jury | Advanced by jury | 7th in group | 15th | |
| F. Després | Not advanced by jury | n/a | |||
| Hébrant | Men's masters sabre | Q | n/a | 2nd in group Q | 8th |
Football
Université de Bruxelles represented Belgium in the football competition. The club squad lost its only match, to Club Française, to take third in the three-team competition.
- Summary
| Team | Event | Match 1 | Match 2 | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Université de Bruxelles | Men's football | Bye | Lost vs. Club Français 6–2 | |
- Match 2
| Team details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
- Roster
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | 1900 club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Delbecque | Skill F.C. de Bruxelles | |||||
 Hendrik van Heuckelum |
Léopold Club de Bruxelles | |||||
| Raul Kelecom | FC Liégeois | |||||
| GK | Marcel Leboutte | Spa FC | ||||
| Lucien Londot | FC Liégeois | |||||
| Ernest Moreau de Melen | FC Liégeois | |||||
| Eugène Neefs | Sporting Club de Louvain | |||||
| Gustave Pelgrims (c) | Léopold Club de Bruxelles | |||||
| Alphonse Renier | Racing Club de Bruxelles | |||||
| Hilaire Spanoghe | Skill F.C. de Bruxelles | |||||
 Eric Thornton |
Léopold Club de Bruxelles | |||||
| R | Camille Van Hoorden | 15 February 1879 (aged 21) | Racing Club de Bruxelles |
Gymnastics
Belgium's inaugural Olympic appearance included competing in the gymnastics portion of the program.
| Athlete | Event | Score | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Poorten | Combined | 207 | 99 |
| Michelet | 192 | 112 |
Rowing
Belgium, through the Royal Club Nautique de Gand, sent coxed pairs and coxed eights boats to the first Olympic rowing competition.
| Athlete | Event | Semi-finals | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Prospère Bruggeman Maurice Hemelsoet unknown cox |
Men's coxed pair | 7:00.4 | 3 | Did not advance | |
| Jules De Bisschop Prospère Bruggeman Oscar de Somville Oscar De Cock Maurice Hemelsoet Marcel Van Crombrugge Frank Odberg Maurice Verdonck Alfred Van Landeghem (cox) |
Men's eight | 5:00.2 | 2 Q | 6:13.8 | |
Shooting
Belgium's first Olympic appearance included competing in the shooting events. Belgian shooters competed in the military pistol and military rifle sets of events.
| Shooter | Event | Score | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alban Rooman | Men's 50 metre free pistol | 405 | 13 |
| Émile Thèves | 404 | 14 | |
| Victor Robert | 351 | 16 | |
| Pierre Eichhorn | 345 | 17 | |
| Charles Lebègue | 318 | 19 | |
| Alban Rooman Émile Thèves Victor Robert Pierre Eichhorn Charles Lebègue |
Men's 50 metre free pistol, team | 1823 | 4 |
| Charles Paumier | Men's 300 metre free rifle, standing | 298 | |
| Paul Van Asbroeck | 297 | 4 | |
| Jules Bury | 282 | 7 | |
| Edouard Myin | 265 | 21 | |
| Joseph Baras | 233 | 30 | |
| Paul Van Asbroeck | Men's 300 metre free rifle, kneeling | 308 | 4 |
| Charles Paumier | 297 | 9 | |
| Jules Bury | 269 | 24 | |
| Edouard Myin | 249 | 29 | |
| Joseph Baras | 210 | 30 | |
| Paul Van Asbroeck | Men's 300 metre free rifle, prone | 312 | 8 |
| Edouard Myin | 304 | 13 | |
| Charles Paumier | 302 | 15 | |
| Joseph Baras | 270 | 28 | |
| Jules Bury | 270 | 28 | |
| Paul Van Asbroeck | Men's 300 metre free rifle, three positions | 917 | |
| Charles Paumier | 897 | 6 | |
| Jules Bury | 821 | 22 | |
| Edouard Myin | 818 | 23 | |
| Joseph Baras | 713 | 30 | |
| Paul Van Asbroeck Charles Paumier Jules Bury Edouard Myin Joseph Baras |
Men's 300 metre free rifle, team | 4166 | 6 |
Notes
- This differs from de Wael's count of 84. De Wael counts three water poloists who are not included on the team roster according to the IOC, two equestrians who competed in only non-Olympic events (a third non-Olympic equestrian also competed in croquet), and two unknown coxswains in rowing where there was only one.
References
- De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "1900 Olympians from Belgium". Accessed 11 March 2006. Available electronically at .
- Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.