The fact that Belgium and the Netherlands today are two different countries is due only to historical coincidences, and Belgian speedskating traditions go back quite as far as the Dutch. In fact, the first speedskating contest in known history took place in Brussels 1466. But the Belgian winter is even more unreliable than the Dutch, and the Belgians in general have left it to their northern cousins to make an impact on modern speedskating history. They arranged races on canals when there was frost, and built refrigerated ice halls towards the end of the 19th century. One of the first ice halls in Europe was Palais de Glace in Brussels, and from 1893, Grand Prix de Bruxelles was arranged there, an international speedskating event with money prizes. Such indoor contests were very popular still in the 1950s. The only known outdoor speedskating contest in recent times in Belgium took place in 1956 in Rode Sluis near Moerbeke not far from the Dutch border. The distances were 500, 1500 and 3000 m, and all distances were won by Dutchmen.

Occasionally, some of the Belgian shorttrackes have had a go at the big outdoor rinks. When the Olympic stadium in Chamonix was opened in the early 1920s, some Belgians made their way there to train and compete. Gaston van Hazebroeck achieved two 17th places in the 1924 games, but was beaten by Thunberg by 34 seconds in the 1500 m and by 95 seconds in the 5000 m. Roger Bureau actually finished 7th in the European championship in Chamonix two years afterwards, but the participation was poor. Next time the Belgians went abroad, at the Garmisch games 1936, they became laughing stock when Harry Haraldsen lapped Charles de Ligne in the 1500 m and poor Willy Sandtner lapped him almost 6 times in the 10000 m. However, this de Ligne, and his sister Yvonne, participated in many other sports, often with considerably more success.

In the 1950s, various Belgians of some means trekked to Davos along with all the Dutch who did the same journey, and they participated in the championships that took place there. Robert Laboubee and Pierre Huylebroek achieved some moderately good times. In the 1960s, the Dutch started building refrigerated rinks, and these attracted some Belgians, Francois Brueren reaching a decent sprinting level. In the 1970s, a national team seemed to be building, skaters like Michel Piens, Gilbert van Eesbeck and the promising sprinter Alain Moechars achieved decent times, but vanished quickly from the scene. Linda Rombouts vanished as fast from the championships, but skated for many years on a lower level. In the 1980s, international short-track championship had been instituted, and since the Belgians had been doing short-track for many years, they dropped the long track team, and with the not particularly notable exception of Geert Blanchaert in the Haag European championship 1988, the Belgians were gone from the championships. The sport seemed dead in Belgium. Until the European union introduced more flexible nationality criteria early in the 1990s.

Bart Veldkamp, European champion 1990 and Olympic 10000 m gold winner 1992, crossed the border when he lost his secure place in the national team as the maximum number of participants was reduced to three due to ISU regulations in 1993. From 1996 he skated for Belgium and at once became the country's best winter athlete. As a Belgian, he has 13 distance wins in championships and a silver overall medal in the European championship and a bronze from the world championship 2001. His battle for the European title that year was one of the most memorable ever. He also has one world record in the 3000 m and 4 medals in the Olympic games and the world single distance championships, two of them in silver. He is not a major media person in Belgium, but he is seen from time to time. In 2002, he got company in the shape of fellow Dutchman André Vreugdenhil, one of the first klapskate pioneers, with a silver medal from the junior world championship 1997. He finished 6th in the European championship that year, but has failed to impress afterwards. Belgians just south of the border participate in Dutch regional activities and Belgian championships are arranged at Dutch rinks. During Veldkamp's Belgian career, this scene has experienced some slight growth, Kris Schildermans and Dimitri Deboel are approaching the qualifying limits for participation in the international championships. So possibly, the epigoni of de Ligne have a bright future ahead of them. But as yet, there are no facilities. Plans for a Belgian refrigerated 400 m rink remain on paper, and the best alternative they have are some 200 m ovals encircling a couple of hockey rinks.

Belgian records:

André Vreugdenhil 36.71 Hamar 19 Jan 2002
André Vreugdenhil 1.12.79 Hamar 19 Jan 2002
Bart Veldkamp 1.49.00 Calgary 4 Mar 2001
Bart Veldkamp 3.48.26 Calgary 19 Mar 1999
Bart Veldkamp 6.23,64 Calgary 2 Mar 2001
Bart Veldkamp 13.27,48 Salt Lake City 22 Feb 2002
André Vreugdenhil 146.860 Hamar 19-20 Jan 2002
36.71-1.12.79-37.19-1.13.13
Bart Veldkamp 151.183 Calgary 19-20 Mar 1999
37.96-3.48.26-1.49.60-6.26.47
Bart Veldkamp 154.808 Hamar 6-7 Feb 1999
38.10-6.31.45-1.51.46-13.28.20

Linda Rombouts 46.00 Collalbo 26 Feb 1990
Linda Rombouts 1.32.08 Collalbo 28 Feb 1990
Linda Rombouts 2.19.07 Collalbo 30 Dec 1989
Linda Rombouts 4.57.04 Inzell 4 Jan 1990
Linda Rombouts 9.13.73 Eindhoven 11 Feb 1989
Linda Rombouts 190.105 Inzell 5-6 Jan 1975
47.30-1.38.17-46.28-1.34.88
Linda Rombouts 191.364 Inzell 16-17 Mar 1990
46.11-2.22.61-1.34.08-5.04.07

Statistics:

Belgian distance winners in international championships:

1.Bart Veldkamp 13 wins, 7 in the world and 6 in the European championships, whereof 5 in the 5000 m (2 in the European, 3 in the world championships) and 8 in the 10000 m (4 in the European, 4 in the world championships).

Belgian top 6 achievements in the olympic games:

	GOLD	Silver	bronze	4.	5.	6.
500 m men
1000 m men
1500 m men
5000 m men			1
10000 m men				1
Overall, men
Total, men			1	1
500 m women
1000 m women
1500 m women
3000 m women
5000 m women
Total, women
Total			1	1

Belgian skaters in the international senior championships and olympic games:

1.Bart Veldkamp 26 times
2.Pierre Huylebroek 4
3.Robert Laboubée,
Michel Piens,
Linda Rombouts,
Gilbert van Eesbeck, and
André Vreugdenhil 3
7.Gaston van Hazebroeck.
Francois Brueren,
Jean Massez, and
Alain Moechars 2
11.Louis de Ridder,
Philippe van Volcksom,
Marcel Moens,
Roger Bureau,
James Graeffe,
Charles de Ligne,
Georges Detaille and
Geert Blanchart 1