Belgium at the 1920 Summer Olympics
| Belgium at the 1920 Summer Olympics |
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| IOC code | BEL | ||||||||
| NOC | Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee | ||||||||
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| in Antwerp | |||||||||
| Competitors | 336 (326 men, 10 women) in 23 sports | ||||||||
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Medals Ranked 5th |
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| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |||||||||
| Other related appearances | |||||||||
| 1906 Intercalated Games | |||||||||
Belgium was the host nation for the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. 336 competitors, 326 men and 10 women, took part in 121 events in 23 sports.
Belgium sent 14 archers in its second Olympic archery appearance, all of whom won at least two medals. The six competitors who competed in the fixed bird events had no international competitions, and took the guaranteed 4 gold medals, 2 silvers, and 2 bronzes. Van Innis, a veteran of Belgium's first appearance in 1900, faced a lone French archer in each of the three individual moving bird competitions; he took two of the three gold medals and one silver. In the team moving bird competitions, the Belgian team faced off against France in the 50 and 33 metre events, beating the French team both times. The Netherlands sent a team for the 28 metre competition, which knocked Belgium down to second place in that event.
Overall, the team took 8 of 10 possible gold medals as well as 4 silvers and 2 bronzes. They had been guaranteed 4 golds, 7 silvers, and 3 bronzes at worst.
Three divers represented Belgium in 1920. It was the nation's second appearance in the sport. Sauvage became the first Belgian to advance to a diving final, in the plain high diving. He placed seventh in the final standings.
Ranks given are within the semifinal group.
Twelve swimmers, including one woman, represented Belgium in 1920. It was the nation's fourth appearance in the sport as well as the Olympics. Blitz was the first Belgian to reach a final in an Olympic swimming event, and he won the nation's first Olympic swimming medal with his bronze-winning effort in the 100 metre backstroke.
Ranks given are within the heat.
Belgium competed in the Olympic water polo tournament for the fourth time in 1920, having won a medal each of the prior times but still seeking its first gold medal. The Bergvall System was in use at the time. Belgium blew out Switzerland in the opening round, then squeaked by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. After defeating Sweden 5–3 in the semifinals, Belgium advanced to the final against Great Britain. For the fourth straight time the two had met in the Olympics, the British side came out on top of the Belgian team, this time by a score of 3–2.
Belgium received a bye into the silver medal semifinals after the loss to Britain. There they faced, and defeated, the United States to take the country's fourth Olympic water polo medal.
42 athletes represented Belgium in 1920. It was the host nation's third appearance in the sport, having not competed in athletics in 1900. The best result for the team was Broos's fourth-place finish in the marathon as the Belgians continued to look in vain for their first Olympic medal in the sport.
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