Oudenaarde (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Oudenaarde celebrated COS Rope Skippers’ World Championship success, winning 1 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze medals, setting a Double Dutch world record, led by chairman Shana De Jaeger.
As VRT News reported, Oudenaarde, in the province of East Flanders, Belgium, honoured its COS Rope Skippers after their success at the World Championships in Japan. The team won 1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze medals.
Chairman Shana De Jaeger said the results were a reward for hard work, training, and teamwork. 4 athletes also set a new world record in the Double Dutch Speed Relay. In this event, 4 people jump on 2 ropes as fast as they can. The team completed 461 jumps in four 30-second intervals.
“Our city is extremely proud of these brilliant performances, and that’s why we wanted to honour the athletes appropriately,”
the city said.
What did Oudenaarde do to celebrate COS Rope Skippers?
The athletes rode through the city on the back of an open car. Hundreds of residents came to watch. Spectators waved flags and cheered. Local businesses decorated their windows for the occasion. The parade was organised by the club Oudenaarde Winkelstad vzw and the city.
After the parade, the rope skippers gave a live demonstration in Market Square. They also offered a short initiation to show people the basics of rope skipping. Later, the athletes were officially received in the chapel of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwhospitaal.
Chairman Shana De Jaegher said the tribute was for everyone who participated in the World Championships.
“We were a team of 43, and we had a very successful run. This is not the first time we have done well. Our athletes train for many hours, and now they are rewarded,”
she said.
“The skippers had to pay for their own travel and participation in Japan. There were some contributions from the city and the club, but most of it came from initiatives they organised themselves. No, you shouldn’t compete to get rich,”
concludes the chairman.
COS Rope Skippers vzw, founded in 1994 by Anne Van Cauwenberghe as the Recrean Skippers in Oudenaarde, has grown into one of Belgium’s largest rope skipping clubs. The organisation now has around 300 members across Oudenaarde, Kruisem, Ronse, and Maarkedal. In 2024, the club celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special performance titled.
