Tearful Smith switches allegiance to Netherlands

What the report says

South African swimmer Tatjana Smith has announced that she will compete for the Netherlands, the BBC reports, ending her international representation for South Africa after a career that made her the country’s most decorated Olympian. Smith, 29, has dual citizenship through her Dutch father and said the move reflects both her heritage and a desire to pursue a more sustainable high-performance pathway.

Smith, formerly known as Tatjana Schoenmaker, was emotional as she spoke about the decision and wrote that “dreams can change as we grow.” She said she has always felt both South African and Dutch, and that switching teams gives her a chance to explore a side of her identity she has not experienced through sport. She also pointed to the financial and practical pressures that made her previous career difficult to maintain.

Her sporting record includes four Olympic breaststroke medals across Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024, with two golds and two silvers, along with world and Commonwealth titles between 2018 and 2023. She had retired after the Paris Games, but returned to training in September and hopes to race the 50m breaststroke at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where the event will make its debut.

Smith says she will continue living and training in South Africa and is expected to debut for the Netherlands at the short course World Championships in December. South African officials said the decision is hers, while acknowledging wider problems in the sport’s administration.