Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has wished Olympic swimming champion Tatjana Smith all the best following her announcement that she will no longer represent South Africa and will instead compete for the Netherlands.
Smith took to social media on Tuesday to announce the news.
Said Smith in her statement: “At the beginning of my career, I chose South Africa, a decision I will always treasure. Now, I’ve made the decision to represent the Netherlands in the next chapter of my swimming career.”
Smith cited the reasons for her switch as a desire to explore another part of her identity, financial pressures, and the need for greater high-performance support.
“This gives me the opportunity to explore another part of my identity and the heritage that I’ve never experienced through sport. I chose South Africa at the beginning of my career because I wanted to prove what was possible, even when the system didn’t make it easy, and I did.”
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McKenzie has since described the decision as regrettable and wished Smith all the best in a new swimming journey with the Dutch.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the minister said:
“Nothing can erase what Tatjana has achieved for South Africa”.
“Every medal, every record and every anthem she gave us belongs to our history forever. We now must share her with the Netherlands, but I do not doubt that her love for South Africa is as strong as ever.
“I believe she still has a great role to play in our country in the future. We wish her only the very best, much love and even more success.”
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Swimming South Africa (SSA) president Alan Fritz is currently provisionally suspended after years of mismanagement and scandals within the federation.
McKenzie emphasised that financial challenges faced by national federations have nothing to do with the government, as they are independent and answer to international bodies.
“The public needs to understand how sport is run in South Africa. National federations are deliberately independent of government. They are governed by their own boards and answer to their international bodies.
“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.
“That includes the high cost of competing internationally. The people who lead federations are responsible for running their affairs sustainably and for attracting the partners and sponsors who can pay for these costs,” added McKenzie.
- Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has wished Olympic swimming champion Tatjana Smith all the best following her announcement that she will no longer represent South Africa and will instead compete for the Netherlands.
- Smith took to social media on Tuesday to announce the news.
- Said Smith in her statement: “At the beginning of my career, I chose South Africa, a decision I will always treasure.
- Now, I’ve made the decision to represent the Netherlands in the next chapter of my swimming career.” Smith cited the reasons for her switch as a desire to explore another part of her identity, financial pressures, and the need for greater high-performance support.
