Brussels athletics meeting could move to Bruges

The Memorial Van Damme, one of the country’s most important sporting events, could find a new home in Bruges, after city politicians raised the possibility of a move from Brussels. “There are worse lifeboats than the attractive city of Bruges,” Memorial organiser Wilfried Meert said.

The idea of a move comes as a result of plans by the city of Brussels to build a new national stadium on the Heysel site, entailing the demolition of the Koning Boudewijn stadium, the event’s current home. The new stadium will not have space for an athletics track. Plans to include a small sports park in the nearby Neo complex had put paid to an alternative plan for a larger athletics stadium.

Now Bruges-based senator Pol Van Den Driessche has floated the possibility of bringing the Memorial to Bruges when its current contract with the Koning Boudewijn stadium expires in 2020. The city authorities will now commission a study to see if the Jan Breydel stadium (photo), now home to Club Brugge, can be converted into a multi-purpose stadium when Club move to a new stadium, whenever that may be.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the lifeline the city of Bruges offered us,” Meert said. “Of course, we still hold out hope for a renovated Koning Boudewijn stadium, even with half the capacity. As the closing event of the Diamond League, the Memorial has built up a solid reputation, and Brussels represents an international presence.”

Photo: Chivista/Wikimedia