Cycling and football are the nation's top sports, though Belgians also have an ongoing love affair with motorsports, be it motorcross (in which the country has had a number of successes on the international scene), hill climbing or amateur rallying.

Perhaps the most common sports in Brussels, however, are the extremely strenuous " baby-foot " (table football), as well as the many versions of bar billiards . There's also the traditional sport of tir à l'arc en hauteur , found in big parks like the Parc Josaphat, in which contestants shoot down feathers from the top of a very tall pole with a bow and arrow.

Athletics
Two major events dominate the athletics calendar of Brussels. The Ivo van Damme Memorial IAHF Grand Prix is one of the International Athletic Federation meetings that is held yearly (last fortnight in August) in the Stade Roi...
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Football
Brussels' position in European football went down several notches following the 1985 Heysel disaster. Not only was the city's reputation in tatters, but Heysel was banned from staging European matches. Even the home club who played in the...
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Cycling
Cycling is immensely popular in Belgium, both as a sport and a hobby. The country has a great cycling terrain and Brussels plays host to the many national cycling meets, having also been a stop-off point for the Tour de France. In honour of the...
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Go-karting
Given the Belgians' infatuation with motorsports, it comes as no surprise that go-karting is a popular pastime. There's a track at City Kart, square des Grées du Lou 59 (?12 per hour; tel 02 332 36 96, www.citykart.com ), or you can...
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Golf
Most golf courses are outside Brussels and the Fédération Royale Belge de Golf (tel 02 672 23 89) can provide information on full-size golf courses in Belgium. The best 18-hole course in Brussels itself is the Royal Amicale Anderlecht Golf...
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Skating
Ice-skaters will be delighted at the whimsical faerie-atmosphere surrounding the rink on the Grand-Place in December and January. Other public rinks include the Patinoire de Forest, avenue du Globe 36 (tel 02 345 16 11), which is open all year...
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Sports centres and gyms
Winner's at rue Bonneel 13 (tel 02 280 02 70) has an inside climbing - wall, as well as squash courts and a gym . The Golden Club at place du Châtelain 33 (Mon-Fri noon-10pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; tel 02 538 19 06) has...
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Swimming pools
The city has a number of pools in local sports centres, including an Olympic-sized one at the Centre Sportif de Woluwe St Pierre (Mon-Thurs 8am-7pm, Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-7pm). The Ixelles pool at rue de la Natation 10 is open on Sundays from...
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Tenpin bowling
The city has a number of bowling alleys, the biggest, and most centrally located, being the Crosly Super Bowling at boulevard de l'Empereur 36 (daily 2pm-2am; tel 02 512 08 74). It has twenty lanes and a late bar
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