Originally it was going to be a single edition to honour the memory of Ivo Van Damme, but now the Memorial is in its 48th edition. What makes the Brussels athletics meeting so special? “It’s the complete package”, beams meeting director Kim Gevaert.
When Ivo Van Damme returns home with two silver medals after his Olympic debut in Montreal in 1976, everyone wants to see the new Belgian track and field star shine in front of his home crowd.
A Brussels athletics meeting was in the pipeline when Van Damme unexpectedly died at the age of 22 at the end of 1976. The Olympian’s parents gave organizer Wilfried Meert “carte blanche” to continue with his plan. The Memorial Van Damme was born.
“The intention was for it to be a one-off tribute to Ivo,” says Meert. “We tried to get the two athletes who had kept him from gold in Montreal to Brussels. New Zealander John Walker was there, Cuban Juantorena couldn’t make it due to circumstances.”
A week after the first “emotional” edition, Meert already received a message from the Cuban federation. “They thought it was a shame that they were not there. If there was ever another edition, they would definitely send Juantorena to Brussels.”
And so it happened: a second edition followed, a third… and the 48th edition starts on Friday.
Still the same recipe for success
In the meantime, it has grown into “much more than an athletics meeting,” says meeting director Kim Gevaert.
“Yesterday there was a clinic for young athletes with the Borlées and Noor Vidts and her coach. We already had an athletics initiation for children from Brussels. The gala will follow tonight…”
“The Memorial has a huge platform and it’s fantastic to be able to share that with charities and promote certain values.”
All the big stars of athletics are in Brussels.
Kim Gevaert
But the basis – the sporting spectacle – is still standing strong. Brussels is even the final of the Diamond League this season, which means that all finals are organised in two days.
A number of top names are eager to get into action at the Memorial. “Everybody knows Duplantis,” Gevaert begins her list. “Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record holder in the 400m hurdles, will run the 400m and 200m.”
“Then we have Femke Bol, Letsile Tebogo, the Olympic champion in the 200m, Jaroslava Mahuchih, the world record holder in the high jump, Gianmarco Tamberi, Jakob Ingebrigtsen… All the big stars of athletics are in Brussels.”
There is still a nice, enthusiastic atmosphere every year.
Kim Gevaert
All those stars are coming to Brussels with a smile, Duplantis confirmed on Wednesday. Former sprint world record holder Asafa Powell even called it his favorite meeting.
What makes the Memorial so special? Many ingredients from the first edition are still in the recipe. “We tried to make it dynamic,” says Meert. “A lot of tempo in the disciplines, a musical finale, fireworks … They looked at that with envy abroad.”
“There is still a nice, enthusiastic atmosphere every year,” Gevaert adds. “The spectators support everyone, they mainly want to see sports at a high level. The stadium is always nicely full.”
And then the Memorial also tries to make it a special moment for the athletes: “It’s the full package,” Gevaert concludes. “And that’s not the case at every meeting.”
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