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« We want to take our responsibility together with our runners and partners and aim for a serious reduction of waste », says Greg Broekmans of Golazo sports. « We will not just limit ourselves to banning single-use plastic cups at the catering outlets, but we will also take plenty of measures for the course. And we will continue to take extra steps year after year. »

List of measures:

1. No bottled water at water stations anymore
Water company Vivaqua is providing its installation for water distribution in Brussels to supply the runners with drinking water at the water stations. So, there will be no need to bring in plastic water bottles.

2. Use of reusable cups and bottles will be actively encouraged
The organisation is providing plenty of free water stations on the event site. Additionally, participants can refill their own cups and bottles along the course. This will be actively encouraged. For instance, the organisation is limiting the number of cardboard cups.

3. No plastic cups
The cups that are provided at the water stations are made from recyclable cardboard.

4. Separating waste
Plastic goes with plastic, paper goes with paper, … we will provide separate waste containers in the Parc du Cinquantenaire.

5. No plastic or goodie bags
Many marathons organisers offer their participants a plastic bag to keep their belongings in during the race. In Brussels, the participants will just hand in their sports bag to storage. Furthermore, no goodie bags will be handed out.

6. Plastic bottles are collected separately
They will be collected and processed into new consumer articles.

7. Volvo Cars Belgium will clear the waste whilst plogging
The CEO and employees of Volvo Cars Belgium will pick up litter together with their ambassadors whilst plogging the mini-marathon. This means that they will pick up the waste and plastic on and around the course whilst jogging.

8. No plastic at the catering outlets
In the big catering village at the start and finish lines no plastic cups, plates or forks will be used. Beers will be served in glasses. Food will be wrapped in paper or cardboard.

9. No aluminium foil for everybody
This will be the first year that the traditional aluminium foil blankets provided to keep participants that cross the finish line warm will be banned. The sports bags of the participants will be stored right by the finish, which means participants will not need the blankets and will be able to put on their own clothes quickly.

10. Accessibility on public transport
The start and finish are situated in the Parc du Cinquantenaire and are therefore perfectly accessible by public transport (train & metro). The organisation is actively inviting participants to take public transport. There is also a plan for supporters to follow the marathon runners by taking the metro.

The organisation is expecting to reduce the amount of waste by at least 50% through these measures.

On Sunday 6th October, over 10,000 participants from more than 60 different countries will appear at the start of the Brussels Airport Marathon & Half Marathon.

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The scheme aims for a 24% reduction in car use and a fourfold increase in the number of bike trips over the next ten years, as well as a significant increase in the overall use of public transport.

Good Move was developed following consultations with 190 private and public players in the mobility and transport sector, as well as discussions with all 19 communes and 6 police zones.

According to Mobility Minister Pascal Smet, Green Move will be subject to a public inquiry from 15 June to October 15 this year, so as to allow the next Brussels government to be able to refine the plan as it sees fit.

Better adapted roads

One of Good Move’s central aims is to redevelop some of the main motorways in and out of the capital (incl. A-12 and E-40), as well as some of Brussels’ key thoroughfares.

“Rue Charles Quint must be redesigned so as to accommodate changes to be made in public transport links. There is also now a broad consensus to eventually demolish the Hermann Debroux viaduct. Furthermore, we must reduce car congestion in the city itself: the Meiser, Lambermont, Louise and Sainctelette roads must be redeveloped to give more space to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport,” said Mr Smet.

Extension of subways and trams

Good Move seeks to complete a long-awaited metro extension to the north of the city. It will also examine the metro line’s possible extension to the south of the city via Albert and west towards Berchem or Grand-Bigard.

With regard to tramlines, the plan includes the extension of tramline 9 to Heysel, a brand-new tramline to Neder-over-Heembeek and a connection from Gare du Nord to Laeken via Tour & Taxi.

The extension of the cycling network is also an important part of the plan: cycle paths along several railways will be constructed, and currently dangerous crossings will be rendered more cyclist-friendly (incl. at Sainctelette, De Trooz, Vandervelde, Meiser, and the crossroads of the Petite Ceinture).

Another of Green Move’s central aims is the creation of eight new ‘pedestrian boulevards’, where only walking on foot will be permitted.

The post Green light for ‘Good Move’: Brussels’ ten year mobility plan appeared first on Brussels Express.

Have you ever heard about hurling/camogie? Or about Gaelic football? They are the most popular sports in Ireland, but are little known outside of the country.

Hurling (or camogie for women) is an outdoor team game, in which the players use a stick (the hurley) and small ball (sliotar). The aim is to hit the ball into the opponent’s goal, either over the crossbar (1 point) or under the crossbar (3 points), which is guarded by a goalkeeper. Hurling and Gaelic football have been played for centuries in Ireland, and there are over 2,200 clubs, which is a large number relative to the size of the country.

Gaelic football combines elements of football, rugby and basketball, and shares the scoring system of hurling.

Although they are very popular in Ireland, both sports are non-professional, which makes them unique compared to other popular sports around the world. The All-Ireland finals are held in a packed 80,000-seater stadium.

 

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Cork 2-21 Limerick 1-21 What an incredible game of hurling in Limerick #gaa

A post shared by GAA • Hurling • Football (@gaafanzone) on Feb 25, 2019 at 1:41am PST

Another fun fact is how players are assigned to teams – it’s purely geographical! You play for the club of your village/town, and the elite players represent their native region.

Hurling/camogie and Gaelic football are therefore not only about sports, but also about culture and history.

If you’d like to learn more and see it being played live, we have good news: St Patrick’s Day is coming soon and in Brussels the Gaelic sport lovers, as well as their soccer counterparts FC Irlande, are organising an event showcasing the sports and culture next Sunday March 10th at Parc du Cinquantenaire.

The Belgian GAA club is made up of over 100 members from across the world (with over 20 nationalities represented). They play every Monday and Thursday from February to October at the VUB. The teams are also involved in the European Championships, facing teams from the Benelux region as well as Spain, France and Germany. Last year, Belgium GAA brought the trophy back in both hurling and camogie.

 

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Big win for London this weekend in Division 4 👍 #Repost @officiallondongaa (@get_repost) ・・・ 👀👀 some movement from the lads and with the finish from @killbutler6 #LondainAbú 💚⚪️🇳🇬 #exiles #coybig #allianzleagues #GAA

A post shared by GAA • Hurling • Football (@gaafanzone) on Feb 11, 2019 at 11:55am PST

Don’t hesitate to drop in on Sunday from 12pm to get a feel for the Gaelic sports. If you’re not a sports lover, no worries, you can enjoy Irish music, dancing and language courses and of course a lovely pint of the black stuff!

Entrance is free of charge, it’s a great family day out, and as the Irish say, it’ll be great craic (meaning fun!).

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When you move to another country, sports can definitely be a good way to get integrated. But finding the right club or association for you might be a bit of an issue sometimes.

Hêbê is one of the solutions in Brussels. As Jean-Paul Judson, Hêbê’s secretary-general, explained to us last year, the association was created by a former group of interns from the European Commission, and it resulted in a wide project which offers several activities.

The Hêbê League is one of those successful stories. This independent football league was set up in 2008, and involved a couple of teams. The League grew more and more. Today, about 700 players (around 600 men and 100 women) from more than 50 countries are part of 48 teams in 4 divisions. “At the beginning, the idea was about setting up a league to avoid playing football in a park over the weekend,” David Garlot, the founder of the League, explains to us.

The point is quite easy: gathering all those who fancy playing football in championships. Every team should be co-ed, and both genders must be playing anytime in each game. The games, which take place on indoor pitches, involve 6 players in each team, and the goals the women score count as double points.

“The best female-players today oppose this rule, because they find it discriminating,” David added.

He also pointed out the level, which has impressively increased over the past ten years. In the first division, very good players are involved, such as a female-player who plays for the Belgian national team.

There are two seasons a year, which are followed by the Hêbê Cup during two weekends. The competitions work like traditional football competitions. The best teams of the fourth, third and second division get promoted to the higher division, while the less successful teams in the first, second and third division get relegated. During the Hêbê Cup, all the teams take part in a knockout competition.

Although some teams are quite associated with specific nationalities, there’s absolutely no rule with regard to each team’s composition. Among the 48 teams, you can find “Eurotrash FC”, “La Vie est belge”, “Los Patos hermanos”, “the Spartak Zizou” or the “Goalfathers”.

Football is football, but this is not the end of the story. “The social dimension of the league is quite impressive. It resulted in friendships, even in families,” David said.

While the winter season will be over this weekend, Brussels Express will provide you with updates during the next Hêbê Cup. Would the off-season give you an opportunity to join a team?

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Happily, there are a few exceptions including Ice Mountain, situated in Flanders, on the Belgian/French border and only a comfortable one hour drive from Brussels. The facilities here are first class for people in search of some serious pre-skiing holiday prep. The two ski slopes are, of course, also available to all and that includes complete beginners.

Note, though, that if you haven’t skied before you need to have a couple of hours of training with one of the centre’s ski coaches before you are to be left on your own. The slopes are 210m and 85m in length, both on a gradient of 40m from top to bottom.

Unlike some other ski centres, the snow here is real – 40cm deep – and it all takes place in a huge hall where the fluffy white stuff is maintained at a constant temperature of -6 degrees (that’s quite cold so wrap up well).

Equipment can be hired, including ski gloves, or obtained from the on-site shop. There’s also a couple of pleasant restaurants, including one decked out with a typical Alpine-style décor. However, there’s a lot more to this place than just skiing because it also offers indoor ski-diving, snowboarding and other activities such as paint-balling. There is also an impressive outdoor kids playground.

The parking is free and the centre is relatively easy to access from Brussels – the rail station is located 15 minutes away on foot and there are good bus services too.

If you visit on a Sunday, there is a special deal consisting of a pasta dish and two hours on the slopes. This costs just €25 per person and is available from 5pm-10pm. There’s another deal on Tuesdays where you pay for one hour on the slopes and you get the 2nd hour for free. Equipment is included and this costs €25. Every Friday and Saturday night the venue organises a « nocturnal evening », with two hours access to the slopes from 9pm-11pm along with music and a disco.

The centre is open 7/7 from 10am to 10pm apart from Friday and Saturday when it is open ’til 11pm.

Its location in Komen (Comines) is a curiosity in itself – in a French speaking « enclave » in the country’s Flemish region.

Prices are very reasonable, starting from as little as €14.50 for kids and €17 for adults. You can buy a 1 hour, 2 hour or 1-day ski pass. Another option is a season pass for either one month (€109); three months (€235) or a six month pass – the most popular one – which costs €354, or €59 per month.

Located 15km away in Wevelgem is a new aqua adventure park, under the same ownership, which offers water skiing and an aqua park. It all makes for a great day out, whether you are looking to brush on those skiing skills this winter or after another type of fun activity.

Further info is available via

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With an overall Distance 6,226 meters, the Louvain-la-Neuve Golf Course was built by architect Dudock van Heel in 1989, and par 72. The previous editions took place at Royal Golf Club du Bercuit (RGCB), always in September

There is also a famous golf academy : http://www.pro1golf.com/
Well located in the middle of nature, this complex includes a lighted driving range composed of 40 pitches, a play area, a play area. approach, a 4-hole course, a swing analysis studio and club fitting and a store all framed by golf professionals graduates. The golf school has a perfect structure to practice this sport, probably the best in Belgium.

Program for the day:

Breakfast will be served between 8.30 and 10.30.
The first players will tee off from 9.30.
Free introduction reserved for beginners, between 15.00 and 17.00.
The day will close with the prize giving at around 18.00.
For beginners, a free introduction to golf has been planned for the afternoon, between 15.00 and 17.00. Beginners who would like to register for the free introductory session, only your name is required.

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The federation hopes that weekend cyclists, as well as daily bike commuters, will use this tool, which makes it possible to monitor and track the bike. Thanks to a QR Code, it is easy to know who the owner of the bicycle is in case of theft. It is also possible to know its maintenance history.

The cost will be between 10 to 15 euros, borne by the either the bicycle dealer or the cyclist.

Traxio plans to deploy the new identification system from now until the end of March.

Good to know:

https://velo-pass.be/

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