Welcome to Antwerp

The city of Antwerp bid you welcome! A fascinating stay awaits you in this pulsating centre of culture and trade... a truly enjoyable stay because here in Antwerp the eighth art is the art of living!

Antwerp is Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, Breugel, Plantijn, but also a thousand years of architecture, five centuries of music and artistic and decorative crafts.
Antwerp has many dazzling facets,just like the diamonds which have made this metropolis the diamond centre of the world.
The city owes its prosperity but also its cosmopolitan character, its colourful and festive atmosphere largely to that port, the second largest in Europe. As you will soon discover, the "Sinjoren" are hospitable cosmopolitans. The native language of the people of Antwerp is Dutch, but most have few problems with French, English and German;

The popularity of sport in Antwerp is growing at a quite spectacular rate. More and more top sports events are taking place here.

Antwerp is art, culture and sport.
Antwerp is fun and festivity and you are the guest of honour!

Straetemans Georges
Chairman EJC 2012



Michel LOUWAGIE

Dear friends of LEN, national federations, athletes, coaches, partners, sponsors, volunteers and spectators, In the year 2012, we are celebrating the 110th anniversary of the Royal Belgian Swimming Federation, founding member of FINA (1908) and LEN (1926) and the beautiful and “brilliant” city of Antwerp will be once more the host of a European Aquatics competition: 39th LEN European Junior Swimming Championships. This means we will be the first national federation to host the European Junior Swimming Championships for the 4th time in the city of Antwerp, European Capital of Sports 2013.

With the London 2012 Olympic Games in close perspective, I am truly convinced that this event will nevertheless be an important swimming competition in our small country, not only for the Antwerp sports community but also for the greater promotion and further development of aquatics in Belgium. This swimming event will hopefully contribute to the general popularization of swimming and give an important impulse to all our clubs and all our athletes, whether on a recreational or on a competitive level. Yet for a long time, Belgium is longing for a successor of Fred DEBURGHGRAEVE and Brigitte BECUE, our Olympic, World and European swimming champions more than 1 decade ago.

I would like to thank in particular Mr. Georges STRAETEMANS, President of the Organising Committee, who has proven during the last fifteen years to be able to deliver a successful LEN European Swimming Event. However, I must also extend my gratitude to the city of Antwerp for their vital support to the overall success of this European Junior Swimming event. I hereby also would like to express my gratitude to LEN for their confidence to allocate these championships to our country.

Finally, on behalf of the Royal Belgian Swimming Federation, I bid you a warm welcome to Belgium in July 2012. I wish all of you the best luck, excitement and enjoyment and I am sincerely proud and honored to see you all in Antwerp.

Michel LOUWAGIE,
President Royal Belgian Swimming Federation