South Africa competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] It was the nation's eighth consecutive appearance at the Games in the post-apartheid era, and twentieth overall in Summer Olympic history.
A week before the Games started, two football players and a video analyst were tested positive for COVID-19 while staying at the Olympic Village.[2]
South Africa fielded a squad of two artistic swimmers to compete in the women's duet event, by securing a berth as the highest-ranked pair, not yet qualified, from Africa at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, heralding the country's return to the sport for the first time since Barcelona 1992.
Thirty South African athletes achieved the entry standards, either by qualifying time or by world ranking, in the following track and field events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):[3][4]
Key
Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
Q = Qualified for the next round
q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
South Africa entered a squad of five riders (three men and two women) to compete in their respective Olympic road races, by virtue of their top 50 national finish (for men) and top 22 (for women) in the UCI World Ranking.[5]
Following the completion of the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, South African riders accumulated spots for both men and women in the sprint and keirin, as well as the men's omnium and madison, based on their country's results in the final UCI Olympic rankings.
South Africa entered one rider each to compete in both men's and women's cross-country race, respectively, by virtue of their best individual ranking at the 2019 African Championships.
South African riders qualified for one men's quota place in BMX at the Olympics, by accepting a continental berth for Africa from the Union Cycliste Internationale based on its rankings of June 1, 2021.[6]
South African divers qualified for two individual spots each in the women's springboard, respectively, at the Games through the 2019 African Qualifying Meet in Durban and the 2021 FINA World Cup series in Tokyo.
South Africa entered two riders into the Olympic equestrian competition by the following results: a top two finish each, outside the group selection, of the individual FEI Olympic Rankings for Group F (Africa and Middle East) in both dressage and eventing, respectively.[7]
Dressage
Rio 2016 pair of Seymour and Ramoneur got nominated to compete on June 18, 2021. The Tokyo Olympics are to be the final career international competition for the Oldenburgstallion.[8] Seymour was forced to withdraw while in Tokyo after Ramoneur suffered laminitis.[9]
South Africa entered two artistic gymnast into the Olympic competition. Caitlin Rooskrantz received a spare berth from the women's apparatus events, as one of the twelve highest-ranked gymnasts, neither part of the team nor qualified directly through the all-around, at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. Meanwhile, Naveen Daries claimed an additional place to join Rooskrantz on the South African squad with a bronze-medal finish in the women's individual all-around at the 2021 African Championships in Cairo, Egypt.[20]
South Africa qualified one judoka for the women's extra-lightweight category (48 kg) at the Games. Geronay Whitebooi received a continental berth from Africa as the nation's top-ranked judoka outside of direct qualifying position in the IJF World Ranking List of June 28, 2021.[21]
South Africa qualified one boat in the men's pair by finishing third in the B-final and securing ninth out of eleven berths available at the 2019 FISA World Championships in Ottensheim, Austria.[22] Meanwhile, the men's coxless four rowers were added to the South African roster with their top-two finish at the 2021 FISA Final Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.[23]
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Updated to match(es) played on 26 July 2021. Source: Tokyo 2020 and World Rugby Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head result; 3) Point difference; 4) Points scored.
South African sailors qualified one boat in each of the following classes through the 2018 Sailing World Championships, the class-associated Worlds, and the continental regattas.[26]
South Africa entered four skateboarders (two per gender) to compete across all events at the Games. Dallas Oberholtzer (men's park), Brandon Valjalo (men's street), Melissa Williams (women's park), and Boipelo Awuah (women's street) granted an invitation from the World Skate as the highest-ranked skateboarders from Africa vying for qualification in the street and park events based on their performances in the federation's Olympic Rankings of June 30, 2021.[27]
South Africa entered two sport climbers into the Olympic tournament. Erin Sterkenburg and Christopher Cosser qualified directly for the women's and men's combined events, respectively, by advancing to the final stage and eventually winning the gold medal at the 2020 IFSC African Championships in Cape Town.[28]
South Africa sent two surfers (one per gender) to compete in their respective shortboard races at the Games. Bianca Buitendag secured a qualification slot for her nation in the women's shortboard as the highest-ranked and last remaining surfer from Africa at the 2019 ISA World Surfing Games in Miyazaki, Japan.[29] On the men's side, Jordy Smith finished within the top ten of those eligible for qualification in the World Surf League rankings to join Buitendag on the South African roster for Tokyo 2020.[30]
Seventeen South African swimmers achieved qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of two swimmers in each event at the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and potentially one at the Olympic Selection Time (OST)):[31][32] To assure their selection to the Olympic team, swimmers must attain an Olympic qualifying cut in each individual pool event at the 2021 South African National Championships (April 8 to 12) in Johannesburg.[33]
Seventeen swimmers (eight men and nine women) were officially named to the South African roster for the Games on June 24, 2021, including London 2012 gold medalist Chad Le Clos in the men's butterfly double and 2019 world silver medalist and national record holder Tatjana Schoenmaker in the women's breaststroke double.[34]
South Africa qualified to compete in the men's water polo tournament for the first time since Rome 1960, and in the women's water polo tournament for the first time ever.
Source: Tokyo 2020 and FINA Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference. Notes:
^ abcSpain 2 Pts, +5 GD; Netherlands 2 Pts, −2 GD; Australia 2 Pts, −3 GD. Spain first and after that the head-to head results between Australia and Netherlands (15–12) came into effect.
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^"BADENHORST Nardus". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
^"LAURENSON Cameron Bain". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
^"STONE Ross". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
^"EVEZARD Jason". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
^"RODDA Nicholas". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
^"MARGRO Yaseen". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
^"MAYMAN Mogamad Farouk". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
^"NEILL Liam". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
^"STEWART Donn". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
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