Vlaams Sportjeel goes to Red Lions, also prize for hockey coach Shane McLeod | hockey

It Flemish Sports Jewel has been awarded since 1982. With the prize, the Flemish government rewards an athlete or team that has delivered a remarkable performance or completed an exceptional career during the year.

Athletes can only receive the award once in their sports career. There is no cash prize, but there is a trophy of 18 kilograms.

The hockey team won gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last summer, after a bronze medal at the European Championships earlier this year. A delegation of Lions received the trophy in Ghent. “If you look at the lists of the previous winners and the nominees, this is a great honour,” striker Florent van Aubel says. “We are proud of this.”

Last year there was no winner of the Sportjewel due to the corona pandemic. In 2019, basketball player Emma Meesseman won.

This year, in addition to the Red Lions, cyclist Wout van Aert and judoka Matthias Casse were also nominated.

A novelty this time was that the public was allowed to decide on the winner. The votes on the Sporza website counted for a third, in addition to the judgment of a professional jury.

The Flemish Minister of Sport presented the prizes. And from this year there were 3 new secondary categories. Top Sports Coach of the Year was Shane Mcleod, the New Zealander who took a sabbatical after 6 years and the gold in Tokyo. The award rewards the coach who guided his or her athlete to great achievements.

From Top Sports Amplifier of the Year is orthopedic surgeon Johan Bellemans, the chief physician of the Belgian Olympic Committee (BOIC) in Tokyo. He helped set out the guidelines for the framework and guidance of top athletes during the corona pandemic. He also improved the medical follow-up of Flemish top athletes.

The prize does not reward an athlete or coach, but someone who (often behind the scenes) contributes in a different way to an ideal top sports climate.

It Hottest Sports Initiative Finally, for Sportaround, the non-profit organization of co-founder and marathon runner Bashir Abdi in Ghent, which wants to give socially vulnerable children more opportunities for integration and development through sport.

Sportaround offers a range of free or affordable sports activities throughout Ghent, in different neighborhoods and more than 50 primary schools. The prize rewards an initiative that sets people in motion and at the same time brings them together, helps socialize or strengthens the social fabric in the neighbourhood.