Team South Africa - Profile

Highlights:

At the Rio 2016 Games, South Africa's track athletes produced some of the highlights of the Games. Caster Semenya won the women's 800m and Wayde van Niekerk claimed gold in the men's 400m. Semenya defended her gold won at the London 2012 Games and van Niekerk broke US sprinter Michael Johnson's 17-year-old world record by 0.15 seconds to take the gold in 43.03 seconds.

South Africa made its Olympic debut at the 1904 Games in St. Louis where an all-male eight-member team represented the NOC in athletics events and the tug-of-war. Those first Games remain the only edition in which a competing South African team failed to win at least one medal.

In addition to Semenya, only two other South African athletes have won multiple Olympic gold medals, Charles Winslow and Penelope Heyns. Winslow won both his gold medals at the 1912 Games in Stockholm, taking both the men's singles and doubles tennis titles. He won his third and final medal, a bronze, at his only other Olympic Games in 1920. Winslow's 1912 doubles partner Harold Kitson won a singles silver medal at the same Games, losing to Winslow, to make him the NOC's second-most successful tennis player.

Swimmer Heyns won her two gold medals at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, doing the 100m-200m breaststroke double. She added a 100m breaststroke bronze medal to her collection at the next Games in Sydney, her third and final Games.

Athletics, boxing and swimming are the sports in which South African athletes have had the most success - the NOC has won six gold medals in boxing and swimming and nine in athletics.

South Africa's first Olympic gold medal was won by sprinter Reggie Walker in the 100m at the 1908 Games. The most successful South African male athletics competitor is Bevil Rudd who has three total medals, one of each type, all won at the 1920 Games in Antwerp. Rudd won the 400m, took silver in the 4x400m relay and bronze in the 800m. High jumper Esther Brand was the first South African woman to win gold when she triumphed at the Helsinki 1952 Games.

Swimmer Chad le Clos is the NOC's most successful Olympic athlete in any sport in terms of total medals won. Le Clos won four medals across the 2012 and 2016 Games, winning two medals at each edition, including gold in the men's 200m butterfly at the 2012 Games in London.

Additional Information: Website
http://www.sascoc.co.za

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sascoc/

Anthem Title: National Anthem of South Africa

Anthem Inducted: 1997

Official NOC Name: South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee

Founding Date: 1991

IOC Recognition Date: 1991

Delegation President: Barry Hendricks

Delegation Secretary General: Ravi Govender

IOC Members: Anant Singh [entry in the IOC: 2016], Sam Ramsamy [entry in the IOC: 1995]

First OG/PG Appearance: 1904

Number OG/PG Appearances: 20 [Tokyo 2020 included]

Summary: