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Tatjana Smith celebrates her gold medal in the women’s 100m breaststroke event at the Paris Olympics on July 29, 2024. Photo by Reuters |
In an emotional video released on Tuesday, Smith wiped away tears multiple times while reading an open letter to the people of South Africa. The 29-year-old shared that representing her homeland had been a childhood dream come true, but she now wishes to pursue a different path as she returns to competition.
“The people, the memories, and everything we achieved together will always be a part of me. But dreams can change as we grow,” Smith said.
Smith, formerly known by her maiden surname Schoenmaker, holds dual citizenship. Her mother is South African, and her Dutch father moved to South Africa in 1989. Since 2021, her parents have resided in the Netherlands.
The Olympic champion affirmed that both nations are a part of her identity, but stated that competing for the Netherlands will provide better support, helping her build a more sustainable career. Financial difficulties and the challenges of pursuing professional swimming contributed to her retirement after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The conflict between Smith and Swimming South Africa centered on a $35,000 prize from the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. The national federation withheld the funds, alleging that she had worn a competition suit that did not comply with official regulations.
The bonus was finally paid out more than a year later, but the interest accrued was only settled after Smith’s lawyer intervened and the matter made its way to the press, according to Daily Maverick.
Smith returned to competition in September, setting her sights on the 50m breaststroke, an event scheduled to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. After sweeping the breaststroke events at the Dutch Qualifiers in Rotterdam, she is expected to make her official debut for the Netherlands at the World Short Course Championships in Beijing this December.
While she acknowledged her national team switch might upset some South African fans, she hopes they will continue with her in this new chapter.
South Africa’s Department of Sport, Arts and Culture urged the public to respect Smith’s personal choice, acknowledging the government was aware of the issues within the national swimming federation.
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Tatjana Smith competes for South Africa at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo by Team SA |
South African Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie firmly affirmed that Smith’s monumental contributions will always be celebrated.
“Tatjana’s choice belongs to her and it should not be turned into a political weapon,” McKenzie said, as quoted by Cape Times. “Where the Department funds a federation, the federation must account for that money, but the Department does not run federations, and it cannot take on all of their costs.”
Smith’s allegiance switch has already been approved by World Aquatics. Under the governing body’s current regulations, an athlete wishing to change their sporting nationality must hold citizenship in the new country, have spent at least 12 months since last representing their previous nation, and complete a formal application process. They can only make one switch.
For the Olympic Games, it normally requires a three-year waiting period between appearances for different nations, but the International Olympic Committee board retains the power to shorten this time with mutual agreement from the relevant National Olympic Committees and World Aquatics.
Smith will continue to live and train at her base in South Africa, while frequently participating in training camps with the Netherlands national team.
Across the Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 Games, Smith secured two gold medals and two silver medals. Her 200m victory in Tokyo also cemented her place in aquatic history, as she became the first female swimmer to finish under 2 minutes and 19 seconds barrier, with a world record time of 2 minutes and 18.95 seconds.
Smith also won four gold medals at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games between 2018 and 2023.