Cool Cats: investing in Belgium’s “super special” women’s basketball team
Belgium’s women’s national basketball team has a cool name. They’re the Belgian Cats.
In 2023, the Belgian Cats – for the very first time in the tournament’s history, which dates to 1938 – won the women’s EuroBasket title, beating Spain, 64-58, in the championship game.
The Belgian Cats, who made a first Olympic appearance in Tokyo, finishing seventh, have far bigger goals. But that’s maybe getting ahead of the story.
Because the story is about how a team that historically enjoyed little success is now getting it done, and how Olympic Solidarity Team Support Grants – with an added emphasis on female athletes – can help play a key role for smaller NOCs.
Belgium is one of Europe’s smaller countries. At Tokyo 2020, the NOC sent 123 athletes: 89 were individual athletes and 34 in team sports.
Over the 2017-21 Olympic Solidarity Plan, the Team Support Grant programme worked like this: Total allocated budget about USD 9.62 million: Men’s teams 104, Women’s 95 (47% of the budget), plus two mixed teams. Now, the difference for the 2021-24 cycle. Allocated budget roughly USD 13 million: Men’s teams 100, Women’s 126, that is USD 6.61 million, 55.2% of the total budget and a 50 per cent increase over the previous cycle.
Consider the following:
Over the 2017-21 Olympic Solidarity Plan, the TSG programme worked like this:
- Total allocated budget: about USD 9.62 million
- Men’s teams: 104, about SD 5.1 million, or 51.7%
- Women’s: 95, USD 4.43 million, 3%
- Mixed: 2 (curling), USD 80,000, 1%
Now, the difference for the 2021-24 cycle:
- Allocated budget: roughly USD 13 million
- Men’s teams: 100, USD 5.36 million, 43.8%
- Women’s: 126, USD 6.61 million, 2%
- Mixed: 2 (curling), USD 50,000, 1%
Consider the way the Belgian Olympic Committee spent in the years 2017-21 and 2021-24. Then: USD 100,000 to the men’s hockey team. Understandable. Belgium had taken bronze at the 1920 Antwerp Games, in Belgium – again, 1920. Then a long drought. At Rio 2016, the men’s team took silver. Then first at the 2018 Hockey World Cup. First at the 2019 European Championships. Then, in Tokyo – gold. The Belgian Cats, too, have had an intriguing trajectory. That’s why USD 100,000 for this four-year period have been allocated to them.
The team is built around one of the world’s best, Emma Meesseman, the 1.95m centre from Ypres, a champion now in WNBA as well as European club and national team play. It was obvious when she was leading Belgium’s girls in age-group play that destiny might be calling.
A change in the programme policy that affirms spending on women’s teams just like the men’s means that, for the Belgian Cats, the time is now. Dating back to 1950, the Cats have played in the European Championships 14 times. In 2017 and 2021, third place; 2023, winners. At the 2022 FIBA World Cup, fifth.
Jean-Michel Saive, President of the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee, said, “The COIB strives to support all our Team Belgium teams and to be an example in promoting gender equality. We want to give all our athletes a chance. Through various approaches, we want to provide support and make sure that female teams and athletes can also develop further. We are very grateful for the Team Support Grant, which has contributed to the success of our women's basketball team, the Belgian Cats.”
High Performance Director Sven Van Camp echoed: “We saw in age-group there was talent. We said, ‘Let’s go all out.’” Saive added, “Within our NOC, we have set up a National Action Plan and a Gender Equality Commission, in collaboration with the European Olympic Committees and the GAMES project, with the aim of promoting gender equality in sport and encouraging women's participation in sport.”
In a Paris qualifier, the Cats defeated Senegal to secure a Games slot – just days after losing, at the buzzer, to the USA, the seven-time Olympic champions, Breanna Stewart tipping in a rebound for an 81-79 American victory. On hand for the US game, played in Antwerp: a crowd of 13,700, a record for a women’s sports event in Belgium.
“For such a little country, it’s super special to do this with this group,” Belgium’s Antonia Delaere said after that game. “And I think we can still evolve. I think we can dream big for Paris.”