The offensive got under way on July 1, 1916. The weather was described as “divine,” but that day would turn out to be the darkest one in the history of the British army. At exactly 7:30, the order was given to the Tommies to “go over the top” or “jump the bags,” as exiting the trenches was called, and move forward through no man’s land as they had been told, the British way: disciplined and dignified, marching slowly, body upright, shoulder to shoulder. In the case of the Surrey Regiment, someone kicked a soccer ball into the direction of the German trenches when the attack began. To the still unexperienced Tommies, all of this created the impression that the situation was under control, that all would be well. Moreover, the officers had assured the men that, after days of shelling, not much would be left of the German positions and their defenders.

We hadn’t even arrived yet in the center, but we could already hear the Irish fans shouting out loudly. Although not really impressed by their draw against Sweden, I have to admit they did make quite an appearance in the streets of Bordeaux. All of us, eleven West-Flemish Belgians from the Westhoek region, tried our best to drown out the pack of boys-and-girls-in-green. Despite our best efforts, we soon realized we weren’t going to succeed on our own. And then there was magic: literally hundreds of Red Devils, Flemings and Walloons united, sharing beers and singing songs, just around the corner. One of my friends lit the fuse and yes indeed, the whole crowd joined us in shouting…

The opening ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 5, 2016. Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Prince Philippe of Belgium were in attendance. Belgium was the 23rd country to enter the spectacular scene at Maracana Stadium. Sprinter Olivia Borlée, a silver medalist from the women’s sprint relay team eight years ago, had the honor of carrying the Belgian flag.