Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has wished Olympic champion Tatjana Smith well after her decision to compete for the Netherlands, while defending the role of government and addressing concerns around Swimming South Africa.
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP
South Africa’s most decorated Olympian, Tatjana Smith, will compete for the Netherlands in future, a decision Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie says he respects and supports.
The 29-year-old, who holds South African and Dutch citizenship, said financial challenges and more opportunities for high-performance support triggered the decision.
Smith won the 200 metres breaststroke at the 2020 Tokyo Games, which were delayed one year by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the 100 metres breaststroke at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She also won two silver medals in the pool, making her the most decorated South African Olympian.
Smith retired after the Paris Games, but changed her mind this year with an eye on competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The department said Smith informed McKenzie of her decision before announcing it publicly.
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In a statement on Monday, McKenzie thanked the swimmer for extending that courtesy and urged people not to politicise what he described as a personal decision.
“It is regrettable that some people have used a deeply personal decision by one of South Africa’s most loved athletes to attack the Minister,” the department said.
Smith retired after the Paris Olympics as South Africa’s most successful Olympian, having won two gold medals and a silver across the Tokyo and Paris Games. Her decision to return to competition, this time representing the Netherlands, has sparked debate on social media.
The department said South Africans should understand that national sports federations operate independently of government and are responsible for their own governance and finances.
While federations that receive public funding must account for how that money is spent, the department said it does not control their day-to-day operations or cover all the costs associated with international competition.
“The people who lead federations are responsible for running their affairs sustainably and for attracting the partners and sponsors who can pay for these costs,” the statement said.
McKenzie’s department also acknowledged concerns raised about Swimming South Africa, saying a reform process is under way with oversight by World Aquatics.
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The minister said Smith’s achievements for South Africa would remain part of the country’s sporting history regardless of which nation she represents in future.
“Nothing can erase what Tatjana has achieved for South Africa,” McKenzie said.
“Every medal, every record and every anthem she gave us belongs to our history forever.”
He added that he believed Smith still had an important role to play in South African sport and wished her success in the next chapter of her career.
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