South Africa’s most successful Olympian will represent the Netherlands in future

Four-time Olympic medallist Tatjana Smith has announced that she will represent the Netherlands in the next chapter of her international swimming career.

World Aquatics has confirmed that Smith has changed her sporting nationality from South Africa to the Netherlands.

Smith won gold in the 200m breaststroke in a world-record time and silver in the 100m breaststroke at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

She added gold in the 100m breaststroke and silver in the 200m breaststroke at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

This made her South Africa’s most successful Olympic athlete in history. However, this journey has come to an end.

Smith holds both South African and Dutch citizenship, and her change of sporting nationality explores a new direction in her sporting career.

She explained that the change comes as she sets her sights on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

She retired following her last Olympic Games, but she returned to competition driven by a renewed love of swimming and a desire to discover what more she can achieve.

Representing the Netherlands offers Smith the opportunity to explore her Dutch roots through sport and experience a different approach to high-performance training.

She said the support structure available will allow her to dedicate herself fully to her performance and build a more sustainable swimming career.

The introduction of the 50m breaststroke at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games also provided her with a new competitive goal.

She said that representing South Africa at the Olympic Games was her childhood dream, and that she was grateful to the swimming community who made it happen.

However, she added that both South Africa and the Netherlands have always been part of who she was, and she is now taking a new path.

She said that she looks forward to joining the Dutch team at international competitions and training camps.

“I will bring with me the experience and knowledge gained throughout my career with my South African coaches and teammates,” she said.

“I will also embrace the opportunity to learn from a different high-performance environment.”

She will remain based in South Africa, continuing to train with the team that has been part of her journey.

Smith will also continue her involvement in South African sport through the Lighthouse Sport Foundation.

The foundation supports South African athletes and helps create opportunities for more people to experience what sport can offer.

“My swimming career might be taking a different direction, but my connection to South Africa never will,” she said.

“Choosing a new path doesn’t erase the journey that brought me here. It simply gives me the opportunity to write a new chapter.”

Smith has formally notified Swimming South Africa and the Royal Dutch Swimming Federation of her decision.

Her first competition representing the Netherlands will be the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Beijing, China, from 1 to 6 December 2026.