South Africa’s most profitable Olympian Tatjana Smith reveals she’s switching to the Netherlands

Sports

By Linda Ikeji
11 November 2026, 11:46 am

South Africa’s most adorned Olympic athlete, Tatjana Smith, has introduced her swap to compete for the Netherlands.

Two-time Olympic swimming champion Smith stated in a typically tearful video message posted on Instagram: “I’ve decided to swim for the Netherlands.”

“I know that not everyone will understand or agree with my decision,” she stated, citing “financial and practical challenges” that may make a swimming profession tough to maintain.

Smith gained the 100 breaststroke title on the 2024 Paris Olympics and, as Tatjana Schoenmaker, the 200 breaststroke on the Tokyo Games held in 2021.

She additionally took two silvers, within the 100 at Tokyo and the 200 in Paris, to turn into South Africa’s most profitable Olympic athlete.

Swimmer Chad le Clos additionally has 4 medals, together with one gold.

“Both countries are a part of who I am,” the 29-year-old Smith stated. “But dreams can change as you grow.”

“This gives me the opportunity to explore another part of my identity and the heritage that I’ve never experienced through sport.

“The opportunity also offers greater high performance support and the potential to build a more sustainable career.”

Smith added that athletes want a system during which they’ll thrive and never simply survive, suggesting she would have “greater high performance support” in future. She stated she would proceed coaching in South Africa.

She retired from aggressive swimming after Paris and introduced a comeback two months in the past, focusing on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, now in Dutch orange as an alternative of South African inexperienced and gold.

Smith added that athletes want a system the place they’ll thrive and never simply survive, suggesting she would have “greater high performance support” sooner or later.