Belgium (BEL)

The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belgium was formed on 18 February 1906 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the same year. The NOC merged with the National Committee for Physical Education and Social Hygiene to form the National Committee for Physical Education and Belgian Olympic Committee on 16 July 1925. The name was changed to the Belgian Olympic Committee Union of National Physical Education and Sports Associations on 4 May 1953 and again to the simpler title Belgian Olympic and Interconfederal Committee on 16 December 1978. Belgium has competed at every Olympic Games, with the exception of 1896 and 1904. Belgium began competing at the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, and also competed in figure skating and ice hockey in 1920, but the country missed the 1960 and 1968 Olympic Winter Games. Through 2012, Belgium has won 156 medals (42 gold medals) at the Olympics, with six medals and one gold in the Olympic Winter Games, and has also won eight medals in the now defunct Art Contests. Belgium also hosted the Games of the VIIth Olympiad at Antwerp in 1920. Six Belgian Olympians have won four or more Olympic medals, led by archer Hubert Van Innis with 10 medals and six golds, both records among Olympic archers, but no Belgian has won more than three Olympic medals since World War II.

In 1950 the Olympic Committee of Belgium was awarded with the Olympic Cup.