Baron Edouard de Laveleye was the first chairman of the Belgian Football Association

Belgian Football Association

The Royal Belgian Football Association is the governing body of football in Belgium...

 (1895–1924), and the president of the Belgian Olympic Committee

Belgian Olympic Committee

The Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee , abbreviated to COIB or BOIC, is the National Olympic Committee for Belgium. It was founded in 1906 and the administrative seat is located in Brussels.-List of presidents:...

. For his services, he was made the first honorary member of FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

. This honor was given to him after convincing representatives of The Football Association

The Football Association

The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...

, the association that included members of the British Home Nations

Home Nations

Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...

, to join FIFA rather than remain independent. On April 14, 1905 The Football Association recognized the authority of FIFA. This allowed FIFA to hold its first international football competition. In allying the Football Association in the French FIFA, each of the home nations joined as equal members, a legacy maintained today.

On February 18, 1906, in the Hotel Ravenstein in Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, Laveleye formed the Belgian Olympic Committee, and was elected the group's first president. In this role he posted a bid for Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 on March 27, 1912 to host the 1920 Olympics

1920 Summer Olympics

The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....

. The games were successfully awarded to Antwerp, much because of his influence and the effect World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

had on the nation. This was the only time they have been held in Belgium.