Belgian sporting innovations take centre stage at Paris 2024

Embrace Openness to Innovation at the Lotto Belgium House

BRUSSELS, July 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Belgium continues its call to the world to embrace openness for innovation as it unveils the Lotto Belgium House in Paris, France. Inside, a special door opens to a virtual showcase of several Belgian innovations which are revolutionising the world of sport against the backdrop of the 2024 Olympic Games.

The Belgian sports innovations on display at the Lotto Belgium House include examples from the world-renowned Belgian equestrian industry, as Belgium has unrivalled expertise in equine breeding, training, and care. The country is home to the largest horse clinic in Europe, where up to 150 horses can be hospitalized, and where surgeries are live-streamed for experts across the globe.

Belgian companies are also contributing positively to athletes' health, with recent notable breakthroughs in prosthetics, muscle fatigue, and injury prevention software. Belgium also makes some of the finest and fastest cycling jerseys in the world, used by the Belgian national team as well as other countries' teams. Finally, Belgian companies have a long heritage of supplying lights, infrastructure, and camera equipment to the Olympic Games.

Belgian companies are at the forefront of developing innovative technologies that enhance the Olympic Games for both competitors and spectators. These advancements play a crucial role in pushing athletic boundaries and ensuring a smooth and successful sporting event.

Belgium's presence at the Lotto Belgium House is part of an international campaign, Embracing Openness, celebrating Belgium's unique brand of open-mindedness: an openness for innovation, for international partnerships, and for diversity.

In the spirit of this campaign, Belgium is proud to bring not only its athletes to this year's Games but also to showcase its innovative solutions for sports challenges. Within the Lotto Belgium House, under the theme "The Olympic Games without Belgium?", visitors are invited to step through a special door to discover a virtual display of Belgian innovations that help make the Games a success.

In addition, a landmark mural titled "Black. Yellow. Red. Gold!" and painted by French artist Tim Marsh is on display in front of the Belgian Embassy, facing Place Charles de Gaulle. Commissioned in collaboration with the Embassy of Belgium, the mural celebrates Belgium at the Games.

Lotto Belgium House

• Address: Les Salons Hoche, Avenue Hoche 9, 75008 Paris

Mural

• Address: Embassy of Belgium, 9 Rue de Tilsitt, 75017 Paris

About Belgium

Located in the heart of Europe, Belgium is one of the most open economies in the world, counting 11.5 million people with a reputation for innovation, hard work, partnership, and multilingualism. Strategically located between Germany, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and Luxembourg, it lies at the centre of the richest and most densely populated area in Europe. A founding member of the European Union and NATO, Belgium enjoys full access to the world's most advanced single market and customs zone which ensures extensive frictionless trade.

Belgium boasts an advanced transport infrastructure, including the second largest seaport in Europe (Antwerp). Belgium is home to world-leading research and innovation facilities, multinational corporations, and artisanal businesses supported by the investor-centric approach of public services.

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