A month on from the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, the spat surrounding Belgian heptathlete Nafi Thiam’s withdrawal midway through the competition refuses to die down.
The Minister of Sports for the French Community (FWB), Jacqueline Galant, has this week moved to suspend funding for the LBFA, the athletics body for Belgium's Francophones.
Her decision was made in the wake of a report by Het Laatste Nieuws on Sunday that Belgian Athletics, the national-level athletics federation, had offered a €500 ‘loyalty bonus’ to athletes for signing a much-disputed code of conduct before last month's World Athletics Championships.
Belgian Athletics comprises both the LBFA and Atletiek Vlaanderen, and represents Belgium in international competitions.
In a press release, the MR politician expressed her “shock” at the reports as well as her “growing concern” regarding the governance of Belgian Athletics.
The statement goes on to explain that she held a meeting on Monday with the LBFA president, Jessica Mayon, who confirmed that the bonuses had been agreed upon by the board of Belgian Athletics.
Federation Wallonia - Brussels Minister Jacqueline Galant pictured during a press conference on the budget discussions of the French Community Government (Federation Wallonia-Brussels - Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles - Federatie Wallonie-Brussel) in Brussels on Friday 10 October 2025. BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
Subsidies will be withheld pending checks to "rigorously verify that public funds were not used in any way to pay these bonuses", which Galant says "set a dangerous precedent".
The minister also called for Belgian Athletics to carry out a "self-assessment on the handling of recent controversies", as well as a wider reflection on the "governance and transparency of decisions within the national federation".
The country's athletics governing body has been embroiled in a dispute since this summer with Nafi Thiam, the country's three-time heptathlon Olympic gold medallist. The 31-year-old refused to sign the code of conduct, notably over the sponsorship restrictions it imposes on athletes.
While Thiam was allowed to take part in the championships, she was denied access to the team's training camp as well as accreditation for her physiotherapist. These decisions, according to the athlete, were Belgian Athletics' way of "getting back" at her.
One Belgian athlete, who chose to remain anonymous while speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws, spoke of a last-minute meeting to announce the bonus to athletes as a "stab in the back" against Nafi Thiam. They also described the 'loyalty bonus' as a "sum to keep us quiet", and that "we felt obliged to comply".
Another athlete told the Flemish outlet that they would be launching legal proceedings if Belgian Athletics did not revise the code of conduct, claiming that they were made to concede their image rights "with no room for negotiation".
The LBFA was contacted by The Brussels Times but was not available for comment.
