South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
first participated at the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
in 1904, and sent athletes to compete in every
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
until 1960. After the passage of
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1761
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1761 was passed on 6 November 1962 in response to the racist policies of apartheid established by the South African Government.
Condemnation of apartheid
The resolution deemed apartheid and the polici ...
in 1962 in response to South Africa's policy of
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
, the nation
was barred from the Games.
After the
negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa
The apartheid system in South Africa was ended through a series of bilateral and multi-party negotiations between 1990 and 1993. The negotiations culminated in the passage of a new interim Constitution in 1993, a precursor to the Constitution ...
commenced in 1990, the nation re-joined the Olympic movement. The
South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) ( af, Suid-Afrikaanse Sportkonfederasie en Olimpiese Komitee) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for South Africa, and the respon ...
was created in 1991, and South Africa returned to the Games at the
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
(and the
1992 Summer Paralympics
)( es, Deporte Sin Límites)
, nations = 82 (BCN)75 (MAD)
, athletes = 3,020 (BCN)1,600 (MAD)
, opened_by = Queen Sofía
, opening = 3 September (BCN)15 September (MAD)
, closing = 14 September (BCN)22 September (MAD)
, even ...
). South Africa also participated in the
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were he ...
in 1960, and since 1994.
South African athletes have won a total of 89 medals, with
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...
,
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
, and
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
as the top medal-producing sports.
History
South African athletes first participated in the
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...
in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, when few foreign athletes arrived and the organisers invited participants of the adjacent
1904 World's Fair
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...
to compete.
General
Piet Cronjé
Pieter Arnoldus "Piet" Cronjé (4 October 1836 – 4 February 1911) was a South African Boer general during the Anglo-Boer Wars of 1880–1881 and 1899–1902.
Biography
Born in the Cape Colony but raised in the South African Republic, ...
,
Len Taunyane, and
Jan Mashiani
Jan Mashiani was a South African track and field athlete who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics in the marathon. He finished thirteenth of the fourteen finishers, but moved up to twelfth after Frederick Lorz was disqualified.
See also
* ...
, all
Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
veterans who had been taken prisoner by the British at
St. Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
after the
Battle of Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg ("Horse Mountain") was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near ''Paardeberg Drift'' on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley.
Lord Methuen adv ...
and had reenacted battle scenes at the fair, participated in the
men's marathon.
Len Taunyane and
Jan Mashiani
Jan Mashiani was a South African track and field athlete who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics in the marathon. He finished thirteenth of the fourteen finishers, but moved up to twelfth after Frederick Lorz was disqualified.
See also
* ...
were the first black Africans to participate in the Olympics, and the only blacks to represent South Africa in the Olympics until the end of
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
.
Although the four
British colonies
A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...
of
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
,
Natal
NATAL or Natal may refer to:
Places
* Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil
* Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa
** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843)
** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...
,
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
, and
Orange River
The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north ...
did not form the
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Trans ...
until 1910, they fielded a combined South Africa team at the
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, where
Reggie Walker won its first
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
.
The first South African woman in the Olympics was swimmer
Barbara Nash in
1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
, and the first women to win medals were the
1928 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay quartet, who came third.
The South African Olympic and Empire Games Association was awarded the
1934 British Empire Games
The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...
in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
but backed out when it became evident that they would have to allow
a team from India to compete.
South Africa first entered the
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
in
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Ja ...
, and
that summer's games in Rome would be its last till the end of apartheid.
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
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC) in 1970.
The nonracial Interim National Olympic Committee of South Africa (now
South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) ( af, Suid-Afrikaanse Sportkonfederasie en Olimpiese Komitee) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for South Africa, and the respon ...
) 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.
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games
Medals by Winter Games
Medals by sport
List of medalists
See also
*
List of flag bearers for South Africa at the Olympics
This is a list of flag bearers who have represented South Africa at the Olympics.
Flag bearers carry the national flag of their country at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
See also
*South Africa at the Olympics
Notes
References
...
*
:Olympic competitors for South Africa
*
South Africa at the Paralympics
South Africa has competed at both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games.
The country made its Paralympic début at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan, where it sent nine athletes to compete in archery, athletics, swimming and weightlifting. ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{National sports teams of South Africa