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
IOC code	BEL
NOC	Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee
Website	www.olympic.be (in Dutch and French)
in Paris, France 14 May, 1900 – 28 October, 1900
Competitors	78 in 11 sports and 31 events
Medals Ranked 5th	Gold 6 Silver 7 Bronze 4 Total 17
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1900 1904 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 2020 2024
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

Medalists

Further information: 1900 Summer Olympics medal table and List of 1900 Summer Olympics medal winners

Medals awarded to participants of mixed-NOC teams are represented in italics. These medals are not counted towards the individual NOC medal tally. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded.

Medal	Name	Sport	Event	Date
Gold	Emmanuel Foulon	Archery	Sur la Perche à la Herse	July 16
Gold	Hubert Van Innis	Archery	Au Cordon Doré 33 metres	August 14
Gold	Hubert Van Innis	Archery	Au Chapelet 33 metres	August 14
Gold	Aimé Haegeman	Equestrian	Individual jumping	May 29
Gold	Constant van Langhendonck	Equestrian	Long jump	May 31
Gold	Georges Nagelmackers	Equestrian	Mail coach	June 2
Silver	Émile Druart	Archery	Sur la Perche à la Herse	July 16
Silver	Hubert Van Innis	Archery	Au Cordon Doré 50 metres	August 14
Silver	Hubert Van Innis	Archery	Championnat du Monde	August 1
Silver	Georges Van Der Poele	Equestrian	Individual jumping	May 29
Silver	Jules De Bisschop Prosper Bruggeman Oscar Dessomville Oscar De Cock Maurice Hemelsoet Marcel Van Crombrugge Frank Odberg Maurice Verdonck Alfred Van Landeghem	Rowing	Men's eight	August 26
Silver	René Guyot	Shooting	Men's trap	July 17
Silver	Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club Jean De Backer Victor De Behr Henri Cohen Fernand Feyaerts Oscar Grégoire Albert Michant Georges Romer Guillaume Séron Victor Sonnemans Arthur Upton	Water polo	Men's tournament	August 12
Bronze	Louis Glineur	Archery	Sur la Perche à la Pyramide	July 16
Bronze	Georges Van Der Poele	Equestrian	High jump	June 2
Bronze	Paul Van Asbroeck	Shooting	Men's 300 metre free rifle, three positions	August 5
Bronze	Charles Paumier	Shooting	Men's 300 metre free rifle, standing	August 5
Bronze	Université de Bruxelles Marius Delbecque Hendrik van Heuckelum Raul Kelecom Marcel Leboutte Lucien Londot Ernest Moreau de Melen Eugène Neefs Gustave Pelgrims Alphonse Renier Hilaire Spanoghe	Football	Men's tournament	September 23

Medals by sport
Sport				Total
Archery	3	3	1	7
Equestrian	3	1	1	5
Rowing	0	1	0	1
Shooting	0	1	2	3
Water polo	0	1	0	1
Total	6	7	4	17

Multiple medalists

The following competitors won multiple medals at the 1900 Olympic Games.

Name	Medal	Sport	Event
Hubert Van Innis	Gold  Gold  Silver  Silver	Archery	Au Cordon Doré 33 metres Au Chapelet 33 metres Au Cordon Doré 50 metres Championnat du Monde
Georges Van Der Poele	Silver  Bronze	Equestrian	Individual jumping High jump

Competitors

The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.

Sport	Men	Women	Total
Archery	4	0	18[2]
Cycling	1	0	1
Equestrian	13	0	13
Fencing	5	0	5
Football	9	0	9
Gymnastics	2	0	2
Rowing	9	0	9
Shooting	11	0	11
Swimming	1	0	1
Water polo	10	0	10
Total	64	0	78

Archery

Main article: Archery at the 1900 Summer Olympics

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.

Athlete	Event	Final
		Score	Rank
Hubert Van Innis	Au Cordon Doré 33 metres	Unknown
Hubert Van Innis	Au Cordon Doré 50 metres	29
Hubert Van Innis	Au Chapelet 33 metres	Unknown
Hubert Van Innis	Au Chapelet 50 metres	Unknown	4
Hubert Van Innis	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

Main article: Cycling at the 1900 Summer Olympics

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.

Sprint

Athlete	Event	Qualification		Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final
		Time	Rank	Opposition Time	Opposition Time	Opposition Time	Rank
Vincent	Men's sprint	Unknown	2 Q	Taillandier (FRA)  Thomann (FRA) L	Did not advance

Equestrian

Main article: Equestrian at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Belgium competed in the inaugural Olympic equestrian events, taking gold medals in 3 of 5 events. The names of 11 Belgian equestrians are unknown.

Jumping

Athlete	Horse	Event	Time	Rank
Aimé Haegeman	Benton II	Individual	2:16.0
Constant van Langhendonck	Unknown		Unknown	4-37
Constant van Langhendonck	Unknown		Unknown	DNF
Georges Kryn	Unknown		Unknown	4-37
Georges Van Der Poele	Windsor Squire		2:17.6
Between 3 and 6 other riders	Unknown		Unknown	4-37

High jump

Athlete	Horse	Event	Height	Rank
Charles van Langhendonck	Roxanne	High jump	Unknown	9-19
Constant van Langhendonck	Black Fly		Unknown	9-19
Georges Van Der Poele	Ludlow		1.70
Up to 2 other riders	Unknown		Unknown	9-19

Long jump

Athlete	Horse	Event	Distance	Rank
Constant van Langhendonck	Extra-Dry	Long jump	6.10
van der Meulen	The Wett		Unknown	6
1 other rider	Unknown		Unknown	7-19

Hacks and hunter combined

Athlete	Horse	Event	Place
Georges Van Der Poele	Unknown	Hacks and hunter combined	5–51

Four-in-hand (mail coach)

Athlete	Event	Place
Georges Chaudoir	Mail coach	5–31
Paul Lambert		5–31
Georges Nagelmackers
Georges Nagelmackers		5–31
Orban		5–31
Georges Pauwels		5–31
Gaston Saint-Paul de Sinçay		5–31
Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt		5–31
Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt		5–31

Fencing

Main article: Fencing at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Belgium competed in fencing at the nation's debut. The nation sent five fencers.

Athlete	Event	Round 1			Quarterfinal			Repechage			Semifinal			Final
		MW	ML	Rank	MW	ML	Rank	MW	ML	Rank	MW	ML	Rank	MW	ML	Rank
Tony Smet	Men's épée			Q			4-6	—			Did not advance
Tony Smet	Men's foil			Q			Q	Bye			1	6	8C			14
Fernand Desmedt	Men's masters foil				Did not advance
Pierre Selderslagh				Q			Q	Bye			3	4	5C			10
Cyrille Verbrugge				Q			Q	Bye			1	6	=7C			15
Hébrant	Masters sabre			Q	—						5	2	2Q	1	6	8

Football

Main article: Football at the 1900 Summer Olympics

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

Key:

• A.E.T – After extra time.
• P – Match decided by penalty-shootout.

Team	Event	Group Stage
		Opposition Score	Rank
Université de Bruxelles	Men's tournament	Upton Park F.C. L 6–2

Team roster

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	1900 club
	4FW	Marius Delbecque				Skill F.C. de Bruxelles
	4FW	Hendrik van Heuckelum				Léopold Club de Bruxelles
	2DF	Raul Kelecom[3]				RFC Liégeois
	1GK	Marcel Leboutte				Spa FC
	4FW	Lucien Londot				RFC Liégeois
	2DF	Ernest Moreau de Melen				RFC Liégeois
	3MF	Eugène Neefs				Sporting Club de Louvain
	3MF	Gustave Pelgrims (c)				Léopold Club de Bruxelles
	3MF	Alphonse Renier				Racing Club de Bruxelles
	4FW	Hilaire Spanoghe				Skill F.C. de Bruxelles
	4FW	Eric Thornton				Léopold Club de Bruxelles
	3MF	Camille Van Hoorden				Racing Club de Bruxelles

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Upton Park	1	1	0	0	4	0	+4	2
2	Club Français	2	1	0	1	6	6	0	2
3	Université de Bruxelles	1	0	0	1	2	6	−4	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Match 2

Club Français	6–2	Université de Bruxelles
Peltier 1' Lambert ?' ?	Report	Spanoghe van Heuckelum

23 September 1900

Vélodrome de Vincennes, Paris

Attendance: 1,500

Referee: Jack Wood (Great Britain)

Team details

Club Français Université de Bruxelles GK Lucien Huteau RB Louis Bach LB Pierre Allemane RH Virgile Gaillard CH Alfred Bloch LH Maurice Macaire OR Eugène Fraysse (capt.) IR René Garnier CF E. Lambert IL René Grandjean OL Fernand Canelle GK Eric Thornton RB Marius Delbecque LB Hendrik van Heuckelum RH Lucien Londot CH Ernest Moreau de Melen LH Raul Kelecom OR Eugène "Edmond" Neefs IR Camille Van Hoorden CF Gustave Pelgrims (capt.) IL Alphonse Renier OL Hilaire Spanoghe

Gymnastics

Main article: Gymnastics at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Belgium's inaugural Olympic appearance included competing in the gymnastics portion of the program.

Athlete	Event	Score	Rank
Michelet	Men's artistic individual all-around	192	12
De Poorten		207	99

Rowing

Main article: Rowing at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Belgium, through the Royal Club Nautique de Gand, sent a coxed pair and an eight to the first Olympic rowing competition.

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Royal Club Nautique de Gand Prosper Bruggeman Maurice Hemelsoet unknown cox	Men's coxed pair	7:00.4	3	—		Did not advance
Royal Club Nautique de Gand Jules De Bisschop Prosper Bruggeman Oscar Dessomville Oscar De Cock Maurice Hemelsoet Marcel Van Crombrugge Frank Odberg Maurice Verdonck Rodolphe Poma	Men's eight	5:00.2	2Q	—		6:13.8

Shooting

Main article: Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Belgium's first Olympic appearance included competing in the shooting events. Belgian shooters competed in the military pistol and military rifle sets of events.

Athlete	Event	Final
		Score	Rank
Pierre Eichhorn	Men's 50 metre free pistol	345	17
Charles Lebègue		318	19
Victor Robert		351	16
Alban Rooman		405	13
Émile Thèves		404	14
Alban Rooman Émile Thèves Victor Robert Pierre Eichhorn Charles Lebègue	Men's 50 metre free pistol, team	1823	4
Paul Van Asbroeck	Men's 300 metre free rifle, standing	297	4
Joseph Baras		233	30
Jules Bury		282	=7
Edouard Myin		265	21
Charles Paumier		298
Paul Van Asbroeck	Men's 300 metre free rifle, kneeling	308	4
Joseph Baras		210	30
Jules Bury		269	24
Edouard Myin		249	29
Charles Paumier		297	=9
Paul Van Asbroeck	Men's 300 metre free rifle, prone	312	=8
Joseph Baras		270	=28
Jules Bury		270	=28
Edouard Myin		304	13
Charles Paumier		302	15
Paul Van Asbroeck	Men's 300 metre free rifle, three positions	917
Joseph Baras		713	30
Jules Bury		821	22
Edouard Myin		818	23
Charles Paumier		897	6
Paul Van Asbroeck Charles Paumier Jules Bury Edouard Myin Joseph Baras	Men's 300 metre free rifle, team	4166	6
René Guyot	Men's trap	17

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics

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	Event	Heat		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Fernand Feyaerts	200 m freestyle	DNS		Did not advance
Fernand Feyaerts	1000 m freestyle	DNS		Did not advance
Fernand Feyaerts	4000 m freestyle	DNS		Did not advance
Hermand		DNF		Did not advance

Water polo

Main article: Water Polo at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club represented Belgium in this event.

Summary

Key:

• FT – After full time.
• P – Match decided by penalty-shootout.

Team	Event	Quarterfinals	Semifinal	Final
		Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank
Brussels Water Polo Club	Men's tournament	Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #1 (FRA) W 2–0	Libellule de Paris (FRA) W 5–1	Osborne Swimming Club of Manchester (ZZX) L 7–2

Roster

Athlete	Event	Rank
Jean de Backer Victor de Behr Henri Cohen Fernand Feyaerts Oscar Grégoire Albert Michant Georges Romer Guillaume Séron Victor Sonnemans A. R. Upton	Water polo

First Round

11 August 1900

Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club

2–0

Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #1

Seine, Paris

Semi-Finals

12 August 1900

Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club

5–1

Libellule de Paris

Seine, Paris

Final

12 August 1900

Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club

2–7

Osborne Swimming Club of Manchester

Seine, Paris

Notes

1. 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.
2. 14 competitors are unknown.
3. Raul Kelecom on site RSSSF and the list of players of the Belgian championship belgiumsoccerhistory.com Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine written named René → René Kelecom

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.