The Olympic medals South Africans have won over the years
South Africa has won 89 medals in 11 different sports in the 20 Olympic Games the country has attended since 1904 in St. Louis.
South Africa first participated at the Olympic Games in 1904 in St. Louis and sent athletes to compete in every Olympics Games until 1960 in Rome.
At that time, in response to South Africa’s policy of apartheid, Mzansi was then barred from the Games.
After negotiations to end apartheid in the country commenced in 1990, South Africa re-joined the Olympic movement.
SOUTH AFRICA HAS COMPETED AT 20 OLYMPIC GAMES
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) was created in 1991 and South Africa returned to the Games at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
In total, South Africa was excluded from seven Olympic Games’ in that period.
South Africa has competed at a total of 20 Olympic Games to date.
South African athletes have won a total of 89 medals.
Those 89 medals comprise 27 golds, 33 silvers and 29 bronzes.
Those medals have come in 11 different sports, with athletics (28), swimming (20) and boxing (19) making the podium.
South Africa has struck gold in six of those 11 sports.
South Africa’s athletes will be looking to add to that tally at this year’s Paris Olympics from 26 July to 11 August.
On Wednesday, Sascoc announced the first batch of South African athletes for Paris, including the athletics and swimming squads.
ATHLETICS (17)
Men: Luxolo Adams (200m), Stephen Mokoka (marathon), Zakhiti Nene (400m), Lythe Pillay (400m), Benjamin Richardson (200m), Akani Simbine (100m), Tshepo Tshite (1 500m), Wayde van Niekerk (400m), Jovan van Vuuren (long jump), Adriaan Wildschutt (5 000m, 10 000m)
Women: Marione Fourie (100mH), Zeney Geldenhuys (400mH), Rogail Joseph (400mH), Cian Oldknow (marathon), Prudence Sekgodiso (800m), Gerda Steyn (marathon), Irvette van Zyl (marathon)
AQUATICS (8)
Men: Pieter Coetze (100m, 200m backstroke), Chad le Clos (100m butterfly), Matthew Sates (100m, 200m butterfly and 200m IM)
Women: Aimee Canny (200m freestyle), Kaylene Corbett (200m breaststroke), Erin Gallagher (100m butterfly), Rebecca Meder (200m IM), Tatjana Smith (100m, 200m breaststroke)
MEDALS WON BY SPORT
Ranked by gold medals won, then silver in the event of a tie
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 9 | 13 | 6 | 28 |
| Swimming | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| Boxing | 6 | 4 | 9 | 19 |
| Tennis | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Cycling | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| Rowing | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Surfing | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Canoeing | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rugby | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Triathlon | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 27 | 33 | 29 | 89 |
SOUTH AFRICA MEDALS AT EVERY OLYMPIC GAMES
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 St. Louis | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1908 London | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1912 Stockholm | 21 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| 1920 Antwerp | 39 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | |
| 1924 Paris | 30 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 1928 Amsterdam | 24 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1932 Los Angeles | 12 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | |
| 1936 Berlin | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1948 London | 35 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 1952 Helsinki | 64 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | |
| 1956 Melbourne | 50 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| 1960 Rome | 55 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1964 Tokyo | Excluded | |||||
| 1968 Mexico City | ||||||
| 1972 Munich | ||||||
| 1976 Montreal | ||||||
| 1980 Moscow | ||||||
| 1984 Los Angeles | ||||||
| 1988 Seoul | ||||||
| 1992 Barcelona | 93 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1996 Atlanta | 84 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 2000 Sydney | 127 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| 2004 Athens | 106 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2008 Beijing | 136 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2012 London | 125 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 138 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 | |
| 2020 Tokyo | 177 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| Total | 27 | 33 | 29 | 89 | ||