A massive squad, featuring the famous cyclists Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert as the most visible faces, alongside heptathlon specialist Nafissatou Thiam and the powerful "Red Lions" in field hockey.

This is the lineup for Belgium, which will compete in 21 disciplines with the largest delegation in an Olympic event since the Amsterdam Games in 1928, almost 100 years ago.

In terms of the historical medal tally, Belgium cannot be classified as a powerhouse. It ranks 25th, with 166 medals in its Olympic history, far from its best performance, which was at home in the 1920 Antwerp Games, where they won 36 medals, including 14 golds.

However, Belgium has had two relatively positive consecutive outings compared to the rest of the 21st century. The Belgian team secured thirteen medals (5 golds, 3 silvers, and 5 bronzes) between the Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 Games.

This is a much better performance than the four Games between Sydney 2000 and London 2012, where they only collected the same number (13) of medals as in the last two events mentioned.

A positive trend they undoubtedly aim to continue in the French capital starting 26 July, participating in 21 disciplines: athletics, rowing, basketball, badminton, boxing, sprint canoeing, cycling, equestrian, climbing, fencing, golf, artistic gymnastics, weightlifting, hockey, judo, swimming, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, triathlon, and sailing.

The young athlete Thiam, a double Olympic champion and gold medalist at the last European Championships held in Rome, aspires to a third crown and is one of Belgium's greatest hopes; alongside Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert, key figures in the cycling group led by coach Sven Vanthourenhout. Additionally, the "Red Lions," defending their Olympic title in men's field hockey, hold the greatest collective hope for Belgium.