Antwerp diamond industry awards diamond trophy to Tour de France yellow jersey holder

The 102nd edition of the Tour de France is being held from 4 to 26 July 2015. Again this year, the Tour caravan will travel through Belgium for a few days. The Tour de France is not only the biggest cycling race, but is also the third largest sporting event in the world. On July 6th, the third stage will take the cyclists from Antwerp to Huy. At the departure of this stage, the yellow jersey holder will receive a unique diamond trophy donated by the Antwerp diamond industry.

Each year, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) supports several sporting events in and around Antwerp in order to bring its various cultural communities closer together and to promote the diamond trade. Naturally, the diamond industry could not miss out on such a major event in the City of Antwerp.

At the start of the stage in Antwerp, Ludo Van Campenhout, Antwerp’s Alderman for Diamonds and Sports, and Marc Wauters, stage winner and holder of the yellow jersey at the arrival of the Tour in Antwerp in 2001, will present a unique diamond trophy to the yellow jersey holder that day. Especially for this occasion, Willy Heneuse has designed an 11 by 12 cm silver “A” set with no less than 120 brilliant-cut diamonds.

“As one of the most important industries in Antwerp, we consider it important to support what is happening in our city. Sport unifies people across cultural and national boundaries. More than 70 different nationalities work together in our diamond industry every day. This is one of the most valuable elements of our industry. The connectedness that sport creates and the international nature of professional sports are two significant connections that sport has with our industry”, according to Ari Epstein, CEO of AWDC.