Olympic Champion Refuses National Sports Role Shortly After Fellow Athlete’s Financial Complaints Emergeol

South African sports are facing a tough time as some of the country’s biggest Olympic stars raise concerns about how athletes are treated. Tatjana Smith recently announced that she would switch her sporting allegiance from South Africa to the Netherlands, citing the financial and practical difficulties she faced during her swimming career. The four-time Olympic medallist said, “Our athletes deserve a system that gives them an opportunity to thrive, not just survive.” Now, another Olympic champion has made it clear that she wants nothing to do with the country’s sporting administration.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya has made it clear that she has no interest in taking up a leadership role with Athletics South Africa. She has ruled out becoming an ambassador for the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) or getting involved in the country’s Olympic hosting bid. Speaking to SABC Sport on November 11, Semenya explained that her past experiences with sporting authorities had left her unwilling to work with them again.

“I have been betrayed so many times by the very same people. I don’t see myself sitting at a table with an enemy. I am going to be honest; I am speaking just for myself. I have no interest in any position or any organization at this moment,” Semenya said.

She also explained why she did not want to become part of any sporting organisation, adding, “Because they use you as bait, so I don’t want to be in a space where I need to answer to someone.” She made her feelings even clearer with another blunt remark: “I don’t see myself working with snakes.”

Her frustration comes after years of disagreements with athletics authorities over the eligibility rules that affected her career. In 2018, World Athletics introduced regulations requiring certain female athletes with differences in s*x development, including Semenya, to lower their naturally elevated testosterone levels to compete in certain women’s events. The South African runner refused to take medication to reduce her levels and challenged the rules through several legal proceedings.

Although Semenya lost her initial appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2019, she continued her fight through the European Court of Human Rights. In 2023, the court ruled in her favour, finding that Switzerland had failed to provide sufficient legal safeguards when she challenged World Athletics’ eligibility regulations. However, in 2025, the Grand Chamber overturned that judgment and found that Switzerland had violated her right to a fair hearing. The ruling did not overturn World Athletics’ eligibility regulations.

Rather than getting involved in sports administration, Semenya now wants to give her attention to her own work and the athletes she coaches. She runs the Masai Athletics Club and the Caster Semenya Foundation, which she described as her main priorities. “I want to fix my own ship, which is Masai Athletics Club, the Caster Semenya Foundation, which is my priority, and my athletes,” she explained.

For now, Semenya has no plans to take on a leadership role at either the national or international level. Her comments also come at a difficult time for South African sport, with Smith’s departure raising fresh questions about the support available to the country’s top athletes.

Financial disputes fuel Smith’s decision to leave South African swimming

Tatjana Smith’s decision to switch her sporting allegiance from South Africa to the Netherlands came after years of financial difficulties and disagreements with Swimming South Africa.  The four-time Olympic medalist announced her decision on November 10, 2026, explaining that she wanted a better support system as she prepared for the next stage of her swimming career. Although her Dutch heritage played a part in the decision, she also pointed to the difficulties she had faced while representing South Africa.

Explaining her reasons, Smith said that the financial and practical challenges of swimming had made her previous career difficult to sustain. She also felt that athletes needed better support from their sporting organisations.

One of the biggest disputes involved $35,000 in prize money she earned at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Smith won gold in the 200m breaststroke and silver in the 100m breaststroke, but Swimming South Africa withheld her prize money after she competed in a Speedo racing suit despite the federation’s sponsorship agreement with Arena. The payment was eventually released after a lengthy dispute, with further intervention from her lawyers over the interest owed.

Smith also described her relationship with Swimming South Africa as “absent” and revealed that around R10 million had been invested in her swimming career over 16 years. Much of that financial support came from her parents, personal network and private sponsors rather than the federation. 

The federation later acknowledged that it made a mistake in withholding her prize money. On November 12, acting president Zikie Molusi admitted that the decision should not have happened, saying, “Yes, it shouldn’t have happened.” However, the dispute had already added to Smith’s frustration with the organisation.

Despite her decision, Smith made it clear that she would always value her years representing South Africa. “Representing South Africa at the Olympic Games was my biggest childhood dream. To have lived that dream and won four Olympic medals is something I will always treasure,” she said. She also stressed that both countries remained part of her identity and expressed gratitude to the South African swimming community.

Smith’s decision does not mean she is abandoning South Africa completely. She is expected to continue living and training there while representing the Netherlands at international competitions. With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics in her sights, she hopes the change will give her the support needed to continue her swimming career.

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