Belgium's biggest participative sporting event – the Brussels 20 km run – is returning at the end of May. Registration for the 44th edition of the event opens today (Wednesday 13 March).
For many sports enthusiasts in Belgium, Sunday 26 May has long been marked out on their calendars – the date of this year's Brussels 20 km. Registration for the event opens at 09:00 on Wednesday. After raising the sign-up fee by €3 in 2023, organiser S.I. Brussels Promotion (SIBP) is now keeping it at €28 (the same as last year).
Anyone who wants to participate in the famous "20 km through Brussels", which brings together tens of thousands of runners in the Belgian capital, can register from Wednesday on the organisation's website, or at 17 Rue de la Chapelle in Brussels, where the organisation's offices are located.
The 20 km of Brussels. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
The number of participants will once again be capped at 40,000 people. As has been the case in previous editions, the sporting challenge has been divided into three categories, allowing runners, walkers and people with disabilities to compete.
The starting shot will be given at 10:00 on Sunday 26 May, and the run will begin from Parc Cinquantenaire as usual. The route, considered one of the most scenic in the region, will take participants all around the capital, passing by scenic areas, monuments, such as the Royal Palace, and parks including Parc Royal and Bois de la Cambre.
For the first time in 20 years, the sporting event will not be sponsored by the French petroleum group TotalEnergies. It has been a major partner of the run since 2004 but Carine Verstraeten, Secretary General of SIBP, announced the partnership had been terminated. The organisation had been criticised repeatedly in the past for its continued involvement in fossil fuels.
