[3] A third of the medal tally was distributed to the Belgian cyclists, including the first ever gold of the Games won by Greg Van Avermaet in the men's road race.

[4] These Games also marked a historic first for the Belgians on the podium in collective sports after nearly a century, bringing them home a silver medal in the men's field hockey tournament.

[3] Apart from Van Avermaet and the men's field hockey team, other medals were distributed to the following athletes on the Belgian roster: a gold to Nafissatou Thiam, who edged out the defending champion Jessica Ennis-Hill of Great Britain in the women's heptathlon; a silver to Pieter Timmers, who became the first Belgian swimmer to ascend the Olympic podium, since Frédérik Deburghgraeve captured the gold in Atlanta two decades earlier; and two bronzes to judoka and three-time Olympian Dirk Van Tichelt (men's lightweight) and track cyclist Jolien D'Hoore (women's omnium).

[8] Track and field accounted for the largest number of athletes on the Belgian team, with 26 entries, while there was a single competitor each in archery, sprint canoeing, fencing, rowing, shooting, and weightlifting.

The Belgian roster featured London 2012 bronze medalists Charline Van Snick (women's extra-lightweight judo) and sailing veteran Evi Van Acker (Laser Radial), taekwondo fighter and former Iranian refugee Raheleh Asemani (women's 57 kg),[9] world-ranked tennis player David Goffin, rising heptathlon star Nafissatou Thiam, badminton siblings Yuhan and Lianne Tan, and the prominent Borlée track and field quartet of twins and three-time Olympians Kévin and Jonathan, their younger brother Dylan, and their lone sister and 2008 relay champion Olivia, who eventually served as the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.

Vanspringel's teammate Karin Donckers topped the list of most experienced athletes on the Belgian roster, by becoming the country's first female to participate in her record six Olympics.

London 2012 siblings Yuhan and Lianne Tan were selected among the top 34 individual shuttlers each in the men's and women's singles based on the BWF World Rankings as of 5 May 2016.

[15] Belgium has received an unused host quota place in the men's K-1 1000 m to the Olympics, as the next highest-ranked eligible nation, not yet qualified, at the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

Seppe van Holsbeke had claimed his Olympic spot in the men's sabre by finishing among the top four individuals at the European Zonal Qualifier in Prague, Czech Republic.

[32][33] Belgium has qualified one boat in the men's single sculls for the Olympics by virtue of his top three finish at the 2016 European & Final Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.

[35] They also picked up a spare Olympic berth freed by Africa as the next highest-ranked eligible crew in the 49er class based on the results at the 2015 World Championships.

Si Mohamed Ketbi and Jaouad Achab qualified automatically for their respective weight classes by finishing in the top 6 WTF Olympic rankings.

Jelle Geens, Marten van Riel, Claire Michel, and Katrien Verstuyft were ranked among the top 40 eligible triathletes each in the men's and women's event, respectively, based on the ITU Olympic Qualification List as of May 15, 2016.