South Africa at the Olympics

Sporting event delegation

South Africa at the
Olympics

IOC code| RSA
NOC| South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee
Website| www.sascoc.co.za
Medals
Ranked 37th|

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Total

Summer appearances

* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964–1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Winter appearances

* 1960
* 1964–1992
* 1994
* 1998
* 2002
* 2006
* 2010
* 2014
* 2018
* 2022
* 2026

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.

## History

[edit]

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]

Further information: Apartheid-era South Africa and the Olympics

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

[edit]

See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table

### Medals by Summer Games

[edit]

Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank

|
|
|
|
|
|

1904 St. Louis | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
1908 London | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14
1912 Stockholm | 21 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 7
1920 Antwerp | 39 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 11
1924 Paris | 30 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 18
1928 Amsterdam | 24 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 23
1932 Los Angeles | 12 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 15
1936 Berlin | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25
1948 London | 35 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 18
1952 Helsinki | 64 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 12
1956 Melbourne | 50 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 33
1960 Rome | 55 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 28
1964–1988 | excluded
1992 Barcelona | 93 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 41
1996 Atlanta | 84 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 27
2000 Sydney | 127 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 55
2004 Athens | 106 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 43
2008 Beijing | 136 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 70
2012 London | 125 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 20
2016 Rio de Janeiro | 138 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 30
2020 Tokyo | 177 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 52
2024 Paris | 149 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 44
2028 Los Angeles | future event
2032 Brisbane
Total (21/30) | 1,519 | 28 | 36 | 31 | 95 | 37

### Medals by Winter Games

[edit]

Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank

|
|
|
|
|
|

1960 Squaw Valley | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
1964–1988 | excluded
1994 Lillehammer | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
1998 Nagano | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
2002 Salt Lake City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
2006 Turin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
2010 Vancouver | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
2014 Sochi | did not participate
2018 Pyeongchang | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
2022 Beijing | did not participate
2026 Milano Cortina | future event
2030 French Alps
2034 Salt Lake City
Total (7/24) | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –

### Medals by sport

[edit]

Sport| Gold| Silver| Bronze| Total

|
|
|
|

Athletics| 9| 15| 6| 30
Swimming| 8| 8| 6| 22
Boxing| 6| 4| 9| 19
Tennis| 3| 2| 1| 6
Cycling| 1| 4| 4| 9
Rowing| 1| 1| 1| 3
Shooting| 0| 1| 0| 1
Surfing| 0| 1| 0| 1
Rugby| 0| 0| 2| 2
Canoeing| 0| 0| 1| 1
Triathlon| 0| 0| 1| 1
Totals (11 entries)| 28| 36| 31| 95

## List of medalists

[edit]

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

[edit]

* List of flag bearers for South Africa at the Olympics
* Category:Olympic competitors for South Africa
* South Africa at the Paralympics

## References

[edit]

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.

## External links

[edit]

* "South Africa". International Olympic Committee. 27 July 2021.
* "South Africa". Olympedia.com.
* "Olympic Analytics/RSA". olympanalyt.com.

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