It was first put together in 1977 by a group of journalists in honour of Ivo van Damme. Damme was a Belgian double medal winner at the Montreal Olympics who was killed in a car accident at the age of 22. A former footballer, he turned to athletics and in particular the 1500 m and 3000 m. Later on, he ran in the 800 m. In 1976, he took part in the Montreal Olympic Games, where he won silver medals in both the 800 m and 1500 m.