World City Guide

Sport

Football and cycling are the national passions. Brussels’ football clubs, RWDM (website: www.rwdm.be) and Union St-Gilloise, have their fans but RSC Anderlecht (website: www.rsca.be) is the ‘top’ team, based at Stade Constant Vanden Stock, Avenue Théo Verbeeck 2 (tel: (02) 522 1539). Anderlecht vies with Club Brugge for dominance of the domestic league, and sometimes makes it into the UEFA Champions League. Footballing passions were raised to fever pitch in the European Championships 2000, which was hosted jointly by Belgium and the Netherlands. The renamed and reconstructed stadium, Stade Roi Baudouin, Heysel (tel: (02) 479 3654) is the national venue, hosting the Belgian team’s home games and the cup final.

Belgium has an impressive record in cycling and Eddy Merckx did a fine PR job for the country by repeatedly winning the Tour de France in the 1960s and 1970s. His glory still lives on, celebrated annually in the Eddy Merckx Grand Prix, on the last Sunday of August – further information on (02) 349 1911.

The major athletics event is the annual Ivo van Damme Memorial IAHF Grand Prix (tel: (02) 878 2025; website: www.memorialvandamme.be) held in the Stade Roi Baudouin in late August/early September, attracting leading world athletes. Anyone take part in the Brussels Marathon, held annually in late August, starting at the Esplanade du Cinquantenaire and finishing at the Grand Place (tel: (011) 459 9978).

Fitness Centres: The vast Golden Club, Place du Châtelain 33 (tel: (02) 538 1906; website: www.goldenclub.be), offers weights machines and fitness classes and has the added kudos of being the place where Jean-Claude van Damme started off his action movie career. Opened for the first time in November 2004, The David Lloyd Centre at Uccle offers a range of activities including, naturally, tennis (tel: (02) 534 9000; website: www.davidlloyd.be).

Golf: Brussels Golf Club (tel: (02) 672 2222; website: www.brusselsgolfclub.com) is located at Chaussée de la Hulpe to the south east of the city centre, and offers day membership for an 18-hole round at ¬50 during the week and ¬60 at weekends. The 18-hole Royal Amicale Anderlecht Golf Club, Rue Scholle 1 (tel: (02) 521 1687), is located within Brussels itself. The club charges ¬33 for a day of golfing during the week and ¬50 at weekends, when prior reservation is recommended. Membership is not required. Brabantse Golf, Steenwagenstraat 11, Melsbroek (tel: (02) 751 8205; website: www.golf.be/brabantse), is situated close to the airport. Membership is required and green fees are ¬35 weekdays and ¬45 at the weekend. The Royal Golf Club of Belgium (tel: (02) 767 5801; website: www.ravenstein.be) is situated 17km (10 miles) to the east of the city at Tervuren. Visitor’s green fee is ¬90.

The Fédération Royale Belge de Golf (tel: (02) 672 2389) can provide information on Belgium’s golf courses. Several golfing packages are available in a programme created by Martins Hotels (website: www.passbw.com).

Swimming: There are plenty of pools in Brussels’ sports centres. The one at the Centre Sportif de Woluwe St-Pierre, Avenue Salomé 2 (tel: (02) 773 1820) is Olympic-sized. Océade, Bruparck (tel: (02) 478 4320; website: www.oceade.be), within splashing distance of Mini-Europe (see Further Distractions), is a modern ‘fun’ baths.

Tennis and Squash: The Centre Sportif de Woluwe St-Pierre, Avenue Salomé 2 (tel: (02) 773 1820), has squash, badminton and tennis courts. Tennis is also available at the David Lloyd Centre (see Fitness Centres).