In a surprise announcement in London on 8 September the South African Minister of Sport and RecreationFikile Mbalula said that Paralympic medal winners and their coaches would receive the same performance bonuses that their Olympic counterparts were promised. The amounts initially promised were significantly lower. The minister said the original plan was discriminatory.[5]
South African track and field athletes won a combined 17 medals at the Games, four gold, seven silver and six bronze. Sprinter Oscar Pistorius, who carried the nation's flag at the opening ceremony,[6] was the most successful South African athlete winning individual gold in the T44 400 metres, gold in the 4 × 100 metres relay T42–46, setting world records in both,[7][8] and individual silver in the T44 200 metres. In the 200 metres event Pistorius set a new world record in his heat,[9] but he was defeated in the final by Brazilian Alan Oliveira. After the race Pistorius raised an issue about the length of Oliveira's blades, he later apologised for the timing of his remarks, but not the content of his complaint.[10] The IPC confirmed the length of Oliveira's blades were proportional to his body and legal, but expressed willingness to engage with Pistorius about the issue.[11]
Key
Note–Ranks given for preliminary rounds are within the athlete's heat only
Q = Qualified for the next round
q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or by position without achieving the qualifying target
A team of four represented South Africa in the equestrian competition, one man and three women,[2] although Paralympic equestrian competition is not divided by gender. The competition consists of three dressage events, a championship test, a freestyle test and a team test. There are five competitor classes: Ia, Ib, II, III and IV, with Ia being the most and IV the least impaired.
Natalie du Toit, a veteran of three Paralympics and one Olympics, announced her retirement from competitive swimming after this event.[12]
South Africa's first gold medal came from du Toit winning gold in the women's 100 m butterfly S9.[13]
Key
Note–Ranks given for preliminary rounds are within the athlete's heat only
Q = Qualified for the next round
q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or by position without achieving the qualifying target
South Africa's men's wheelchair basketball team were in Group A with Australia, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United States. Competing athletes are given an eight-level-score specific to wheelchair basketball, ranging from 0.5 to 4.5 with lower scores representing a higher degree of disability. The sum score of all players on the court cannot exceed 14.[16]
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