South Africa at the Olympics

South Africa first participated at the Olympic Games in 1904, and sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games until 1960. After the passage of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1761 in 1962 in response to South Africa's policy of apartheid, the nation was barred from the Games. After the negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa commenced in 1990, the nation re-joined the Olympic movement. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee was created in 1991, and South Africa returned to the Games at the 1992 Summer Olympics (and the 1992 Summer Paralympics). South Africa also participated in the Winter Olympic Games in 1960, and since 1994. South African athletes have won a total of 95 medals, with athletics, boxing, and swimming as the top medal-producing sports.

South Africa at the
Olympics
IOC codeRSA
NOCSouth African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee
Websitewww.sascoc.co.za
Medals
Ranked 37th
Gold
28
Silver
36
Bronze
31
Total
95
Summer appearances
Winter appearances

History

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Mashiani (left) and Tau before the race[1]

South African athletes first participated in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, when few foreign athletes arrived and the organisers invited participants of the adjacent 1904 World's Fair to compete.[2] General Piet Cronjé, Len Taunyane, and Jan Mashiani, all Boer War veterans who had been taken prisoner by the British at St. Helena after the Battle of Paardeberg and had reenacted battle scenes at the fair, participated in the men's marathon.[2] Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani were the first black Africans to participate in the Olympics, and the only black people to represent South Africa in the Olympics until the end of apartheid.[2]

Although the four British colonies of Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange River did not form the Union of South Africa until 1910, they fielded a combined South Africa team at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where Reggie Walker won its first gold medal.[2] The first South African woman in the Olympics was swimmer Barbara Nash in 1920, and the first women to win medals were the 1928 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay quartet, who came third.[2] The South African Olympic and Empire Games Association was awarded the 1934 British Empire Games in Johannesburg but backed out when it became evident that they would have to allow a team from India to compete.[2]

South Africa first entered the Winter Olympics in 1960, and that summer's games in Rome would be its last till the end of apartheid.[2] It was not invited to the 1964 Games, and its 1968 invitation was withdrawn when other teams threatened to withdraw. The South African Olympic and National Games Association was expelled from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1970.

The nonracial Interim National Olympic Committee of South Africa (now South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) was founded in 1991 during the transition to multiracial equality and affiliated to the IOC months later. The country returned at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.[2]

Medal tables

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Medals by sport

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SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
  Athletics915630
  Swimming88622
  Boxing64919
  Tennis3216
  Cycling1449
  Rowing1113
  Shooting0101
  Surfing0101
  Rugby0022
  Canoeing0011
  Triathlon0011
Totals (11 entries)28363195

List of medalists

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Medal Name Games Sport Event
  Gold Reggie Walker 1908 London   Athletics Men's 100m
  Silver Charles Hefferon 1908 London   Athletics Men's Marathon
  Gold Ken McArthur 1912 Stockholm   Athletics Men's Marathon
  Gold Rudolph Lewis 1912 Stockholm   Cycling Men's Individual Time Trial
  Gold Harold Kitson
Charles Winslow
1912 Stockholm   Tennis Men's Doubles Outdoor
  Gold Charles Winslow 1912 Stockholm   Tennis Men's Singles Outdoor
  Silver Christian Gitsham 1912 Stockholm   Athletics Men's Marathon
  Silver Harold Kitson 1912 Stockholm   Tennis Men's Singles Outdoor
  Gold Bevil Rudd 1920 Antwerp   Athletics Men's 400m
  Gold Clarence Walker 1920 Antwerp   Boxing Men's Bantamweight
  Gold Louis Raymond 1920 Antwerp   Tennis Men's Singles
  Silver Henry Dafel
Jack Oosterlak
Clarence Oldfield
Bevil Rudd
1920 Antwerp   Athletics Men's 4 × 400m Relay
  Silver Henry Kaltenbrunn 1920 Antwerp   Cycling Men's Individual Time Trial
  Silver William Smith
James Walker
1920 Antwerp   Cycling Men's Tandem
  Silver David Smith
Robert Bodley
Ferdinand Buchanan
Frederick Morgan
1920 Antwerp   Shooting Men's Team 600m Military Rifle
  Bronze Bevil Rudd 1920 Antwerp   Athletics Men's 800m
  Bronze James Walker
William Smith
Henry Kaltenbrunn
Harry Goosen
1920 Antwerp   Cycling Team Pursuit
  Bronze Charles Winslow 1920 Antwerp   Tennis Men's Singles
  Gold William Smith 1924 Paris   Boxing Men's Bantamweight
  Silver Sydney Atkinson 1924 Paris   Athletics Men's 110m Hurdles
  Bronze Cecil McMaster 1924 Paris   Athletics Men's 10 Km Walk
  Gold Sydney Atkinson 1928 Amsterdam   Athletics Men's 110m Hurdles
  Bronze Harry Isaacs 1928 Amsterdam   Boxing Men's Bantamweight
  Bronze Rhoda Rennie
Frederica van der Goes
Mary Bedford
Kathleen Russell
1928 Amsterdam   Swimming Women's 4 × 100m Freestyle Relay
  Gold Lawrence Stevens 1932 Los Angeles   Boxing Men's lightweight
  Gold David Carstens 1932 Los Angeles   Boxing Men's light-heavyweight
  Bronze Marjorie Clark 1932 Los Angeles   Athletics Women's 80m hurdles
  Bronze Ernest Peirce 1932 Los Angeles   Boxing Men's middleweight
  Bronze Jenny Maakal 1932 Los Angeles   Swimming Women's 400m freestyle
  Silver Charles Catterall 1936 Berlin   Boxing Men's featherweight
  Gold Gerald Dreyer 1948 London   Boxing Men's lightweight
  Gold George Hunter 1948 London   Boxing Men's light-heavyweight
  Silver Dennis Shepherd 1948 London   Boxing Men's featherweight
  Bronze John Arthur 1948 London   Boxing Men's heavyweight
  Gold Esther Brand 1952 Helsinki   Athletics Women's high jump
  Gold Joan Harrison 1952 Helsinki   Swimming Women's 100m backstroke
  Silver Daphne Robb-Hasenjäger 1952 Helsinki   Athletics Women's 100m
  Silver Theunis Van Schalkwyk 1952 Helsinki   Boxing Men's light-middleweight
  Silver Raymond Robinson
Thomas Shardelow
1952 Helsinki   Cycling (Track) Men's 2000m tandem
  Silver George Estman
Robert Fowler
Thomas Shardelow
Alfred Swift
1952 Helsinki   Cycling (Track) Men's team pursuit (4000m)
  Bronze William Toweel 1952 Helsinki   Boxing Men's flyweight
  Bronze Leonard Leisching 1952 Helsinki   Boxing Men's featherweight
  Bronze Andries Nieman 1952 Helsinki   Boxing Men's heavyweight
  Bronze Raymond Robinson 1952 Helsinki   Cycling (Track) Men's 1 km time trial
  Bronze Daniel Bekker 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm   Boxing Men's heavyweight
  Bronze Henry Loubscher 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm   Boxing Men's light-welterweight
  Bronze Alfred Swift 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm   Cycling (Track) Men's 1 km time trial
  Bronze Moira Abernethy
Jeanette Myburgh
Natalie Myburgh
Susan Elizabeth Roberts
1956 Melbourne/Stockholm   Swimming Women's 4 × 100m freestyle relay
  Silver Daniel Bekker 1960 Rome   Boxing Men's heavyweight
  Bronze Malcolm Clive Spence 1960 Rome   Athletics Men's 400m
  Bronze William Meyers 1960 Rome   Boxing Men's featherweight
  Silver Elana Meyer 1992 Barcelona   Athletics Women's 10,000m
  Silver Wayne Ferreira
Piet Norval
1992 Barcelona   Tennis Men's Doubles
  Gold Josia Thugwane 1996 Atlanta   Athletics Men's marathon
  Gold Penelope Heyns 1996 Atlanta   Swimming Women's 100m breaststroke
  Gold Penelope Heyns 1996 Atlanta   Swimming Women's 200m breaststroke
  Silver Hezekiel Sepeng 1996 Atlanta   Athletics Men's 800m
  Bronze Marianne Kriel 1996 Atlanta   Swimming Women's 100m backstroke
  Silver Hestrie Cloete 2000 Sydney   Athletics Women's high jump
  Silver Terence Parkin 2000 Sydney   Swimming Men's 200m breaststroke
  Bronze Llewellyn Herbert 2000 Sydney   Athletics Men's 400m hurdles
  Bronze Frantz Kruger 2000 Sydney   Athletics Men's discus throw
  Bronze Penelope Heyns 2000 Sydney   Swimming Women's 100m breaststroke
  Gold Lyndon Ferns
Ryk Neethling
Roland Mark Schoeman
Darian Townsend
2004 Athens   Swimming Men's 4 × 100m freestyle relay
  Silver Mbulaeni Mulaudzi 2004 Athens   Athletics Men's 800m
  Silver Hestrie Cloete 2004 Athens   Athletics Women's high jump
  Silver Roland Mark Schoeman 2004 Athens   Swimming Men's 100m freestyle
  Bronze Donovan Cech
Ramon di Clemente
2004 Athens   Rowing Men's coxless pair
  Bronze Roland Mark Schoeman 2004 Athens   Swimming Men's 50m freestyle
  Silver Khotso Mokoena 2008 Beijing   Athletics Men's long jump
  Gold Sizwe Ndlovu
Matthew Brittain
John Smith
James Thompson
2012 London   Rowing Men's Lightweight Four
  Gold Cameron van der Burgh 2012 London   Swimming Men's 100m breaststroke
  Gold Chad le Clos 2012 London   Swimming Men's 200m butterfly
  Gold Caster Semenya 2012 London   Athletics Women's 800m
  Silver Chad le Clos 2012 London   Swimming Men's 100m butterfly
  Bronze Bridgitte Hartley 2012 London   Canoeing Women's K-1 500m
  Gold Wayde Van Niekerk 2016 Rio de Janeiro  Athletics Men's 400m
  Gold Caster Semenya 2016 Rio de Janeiro  Athletics Women's 800m
  Silver Chad le Clos 2016 Rio de Janeiro  Swimming Men's 200m freestyle
  Silver Shaun Keeling
Lawrence Brittain
2016 Rio de Janeiro  Rowing Men's coxless pair
  Silver Chad le Clos 2016 Rio de Janeiro  Swimming Men's 100m butterfly
  Silver Cameron van der Burgh 2016 Rio de Janeiro  Swimming Men's 100m breaststroke
  Silver Luvo Manyonga 2016 Rio de Janeiro  Athletics Men's long jump
  Silver Sunette Viljoen 2016 Rio de Janeiro  Athletics Women's javelin throw
  Bronze Cheslin Kolbe
Juan de Jongh
Seabelo Senatla
Justin Geduld
Kyle Brown
Cecil Afrika
Kwagga Smith
Werner Kok
Rosko Specman
Philip Snyman
Dylan Sage
Francois Hougaard
Tim Agaba
2016 Rio de Janeiro  Rugby Sevens Men's tournament
  Bronze Henri Schoeman 2016 Rio de Janeiro  Triathlon Men's Triathlon
  Gold Tatjana Schoenmaker 2020 Tokyo  Swimming Women's 200m breaststroke
  Silver Tatjana Schoenmaker 2020 Tokyo  Swimming Women's 100m breaststroke
  Silver Bianca Buitendag 2020 Tokyo  Surfing Women's Shortboard
  Gold Tatjana Smith 2024 Paris  Swimming Women's 100m breaststroke
  Silver Tatjana Smith 2024 Paris  Swimming Women's 200m breaststroke
  Silver Jo-Ann Van Dyk 2024 Paris  Athletics Women's javelin throw
  Silver Bayanda Walaza
Shaun Maswanganyi
Bradley Nkoana
Akani Simbine
2024 Paris  Athletics Men's 4 × 100m relay
  Bronze Alan Hatherly 2024 Paris   Cycling Men's cross-country
  Bronze Christie Grobbelaar
Ryan Oosthuizen
Impi Visser
Zain Davids
Quewin Nortje
Tiaan Pretorius
Tristan Leyds
Selvyn Davids
Shaun Williams
Rosko Specman
Siviwe Soyizwapi
Shilton van Wyk
Ronald Brown
2024 Paris  Rugby sevens Men's tournament

See also

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References

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  1. ^ van der Merwe, Floris J.G. (1999). "Africa's First Encounter with the Olympic Games In....1904" (PDF). Journal of Olympic History. September 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021 – via International Society of Olympic Historians – ISOH.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Laubscher, Lappe (23 August 2017). "South Africa and the Olympic Games". South African History Online. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
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