Bombshell as Tatjana Smith switches allegiance to the Netherlands

South Africa’s most decorated Olympian, Tatjana Smith, has switched her international swimming allegiance to the Netherlands and intends to compete under the Dutch flag at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The 29-year-old four-time Olympic medallist confirmed the decision in an emotional social media statement on Tuesday, 10 November, revealing that she holds both South African and Dutch citizenship.

Tatjana Smith won two gold medals and two silver medals across the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, cementing her place among South Africa’s greatest sporting figures.

“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.

“Both South Africa and the Netherlands have always been part of who I am. I am deeply grateful to the South African swimming community, all my coaches and to every South African who cheered me on. That gratitude will never change.”

Smith said the decision to represent the Netherlands gives her the “opportunity to explore another part of my identity and the heritage that I have never experienced through sport.

“When I decided to return to swimming, it wasn’t because I had something left to prove. It was because I had fallen in love with the sport again. I wanted to compete, push my limit and discover what more I was capable of, and for the next chapter my dream looks different,” said Smith.

Smith will continue living and training in South Africa

Despite the change in international allegiance, Tatjana Smith will remain based in South Africa and continue training with the team that has supported her career.

Her statement said she looked forward to joining the Dutch team at international competitions and training camps, where she would have the opportunity to learn from a different high-performance environment.

Her first international assignment for the Netherlands is expected to be the short-course world championships in Beijing, China, from 1 to 6 December 2026.

From retirement to another Olympic challenge

Smith announced her retirement from competitive swimming after the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she won gold in the 100m breaststroke and silver in the 200m breaststroke.

She had achieved the opposite result at the Tokyo 2020 Games, winning gold in the 200m breaststroke and silver in the 100m event.

Her four Olympic medals made her South Africa’s most decorated Olympian, alongside swimmer Chad le Clos, who also has four medals (one gold and three silvers).

Smith recently reversed her retirement decision and returned to competition at the South African Short-Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg in September.

She has now set her sights on another Olympic campaign, this time representing the Netherlands at Los Angeles 2028.