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🇧🇪 Belgian Chemistry Olympiad

Overview

Belgium operates two parallel national chemistry olympiads, reflecting its linguistic division. The Flemish (Dutch-speaking) community runs the Vlaamse Chemie Olympiade (VCO) through the Vlaamse Olympiades voor Natuurwetenschappen (VONW) at KU Leuven. The French-speaking (Walloon/Brussels) community runs the Olympiades de Chimie through the ACLg (Association des Chimistes sortis de l'Université de Liège). The two communities independently select their best students, who together form the Belgian IChO delegation.

Key Website

Additional Resources

Competition Format

Flemish Community (VCO) — Five Stages

  • Round 1

    • Open theoretical examination at participating schools
    • Typically 2,000–3,200 students from over 250 schools participate

  • Round 2

    • Held at host universities, typically in late February
    • Approximately 300–325 students are invited
    • Multiple-choice and open-ended questions

  • Doe-Chemie

    • A half-day practical laboratory experience at a university for students who passed Round 1 but did not qualify for Round 2

  • Training Camp

    • A multi-day residential camp during the Easter break
    • Approximately 17 finalists attend

  • Final

    • Theoretical and practical examinations at a host university
    • The top 2 students are selected for the IChO team

French-speaking Community (Olympiades de Chimie) — Three Stages

  • Round 1 (Qualifications)

    • Written examination held at schools, typically in January–February
    • Over 1,000 students from over 100 schools participate
    • Split by level: Level I (4th–5th year) and Level II (6th–7th year)

  • Round 2

    • Held at 5 regional centres (Arlon, Brussels, Liège, Mons, Namur)
    • Approximately 100 students per level

  • Training Camp and Selection

    • A 5-day intensive camp at the University of Liège for the top ~10 Level II students
    • The top 2 students are selected for the IChO team

Eligibility

Flanders: open to all students in the final years of Flemish secondary education, including technical and vocational programmes. French-speaking: open to students in 4th–7th year of recognized Belgian secondary schools.

Student Outcomes

Belgium does not have a centralized system of university admission waivers tied to olympiad results. Both communities reward top finishers with prizes and public recognition as national laureates. All travel, accommodation, and participation costs for IChO are fully covered by the organizing bodies.

IChO Performance

The official IChO results database lists Belgium with 0 gold, 3 silver, and 17 bronze medals, and 25 honorable mentions.

History

  • 1975: Belgium first participated in the IChO.
  • 1983–84: The first Vlaamse Chemie Olympiade was held, with 89 students from 24 schools.
  • 1985: Belgium earned its first IChO medal (bronze).
  • 2000s–present: The Flemish competition grew from 89 to over 3,000 participants in roughly 35 years, making it one of the larger national chemistry olympiads in Europe. The peak participation was over 3,200 students from 262 schools.
  • 2007–08: VCO management transitioned to the science olympiad secretariat at KU Leuven's Chemistry Department.