Future of the Memorial Van Damme and athletics assured in Brussels
 
In the agreement concerning the new stadium in Brussels, which was announced this afternoon, athletics gained certainty about the future. That's good news for the Memorial Van Damme, the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Brussels.
 
The green light for a new football stadium on the Heysel plateau was given on the condition that athletics (and other sports) would still have their stadium. 

The various authorities assured that the existing King Baudouin Stadium can continue to serve that purpose until 2020. Until then, the Memorial Van Damme continues to be the final of the Diamond League.
 
Meanwhile, a real alternative is being developed by the time the King Baudouin Stadium would disappear. That new athletics stadium will accommodate at least 40,000 spectators. 

The Memorial Van Damme can therefore continue to take place in Brussels even after 2020. More so, the organization of the Memorial and the Brussels government will quickly set to work on the candidacy of Brussels for the European Athletics Championships in 2022.
 
Wilfried Meert, who represented the Memorial Van Damme in the agreement which was closed this morning, is more than satisfied: "We are delighted that our call to keep an athletics stadium was heard and that football and athletics worked together in this case in a constructive manner. The existing King Baudouin Stadium is perfect for athletics – something we have stated from the start. 

"We now have the assurance that we can stay there until there is a new stadium with an athletics track, which assures the future of the Memorial in Brussels."
 
"In any case, the Memorial remains the Diamond League final until 2019, still the most important athletics event in the world, after the World Championships. 

"And we are now going for the European Championships in 2022 in a new stadium. That way, we can really put our country and Brussels on the map in the world of sports."