Back جنوب إفريقيا في الألعاب الأولمبية الصيفية 2016 Arabic ئەفریقای باشوور لە ئۆڵۆمپیادی ھاوینەی ٢٠١٦ CKB Jihoafrická republika na Letních olympijských hrách 2016 Czech Sydafrika ved sommer-OL 2016 Danish Olympische Sommerspiele 2016/Teilnehmer (Südafrika) German Sud-Afriko en la Somera Olimpiko 2016 Esperanto Sudáfrica en los Juegos Olímpicos de Río de Janeiro 2016 Spanish Afrique du Sud aux Jeux olympiques d'été de 2016 French A Dél-afrikai Köztársaság a 2016. évi nyári olimpiai játékokon Hungarian Sudafrica ai Giochi della XXXI Olimpiade Italian
| South Africa at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | RSA |
| NOC | South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 138 in 15 sports |
| Flag bearers | Wayde van Niekerk (opening)[1] Caster Semenya (closing) |
| Medals Ranked 29th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
South Africa competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Games in the post-apartheid era, and nineteenth overall in Summer Olympic history. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) sent the nation's largest ever delegation to the Olympics, with a total of 138 athletes, 93 men and 45 women, competing across 15 sports.
South Africa left Rio de Janeiro with a total of 10 medals (2 gold, 6 silver, and 2 bronze), marking the nation's most successful Olympics since its readmission in 1992. Moreover, it attained the potential medal target set by SASCOC for the Games.[2][3] Four of these medals were awarded to the track and field athletes, including two golds won respectively by runners Caster Semenya and Wayde van Niekerk, who broke the 16-year-old world record in the men's 400 metres.[4] South Africa also proved particularly successful in team sports, as the rugby sevens squad, popularly known by locals as Blitzboks, scored a historic bronze over Japan in the men's tournament.[5]
Among the medalists were Luvo Manyonga, who overcame drug addiction to achieve a runner-up finish in the men's long jump, cancer survivor Lawrence Brittain, who picked up a silver alongside his veteran partner Shaun Keeling in the men's rowing pair, and Henri Schoeman, who surprised the field by securing South Africa's first ever triathlon medal with a bronze in the men's race.[6] Swimmers Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos contributed three of the country's silver medals in the pool, with le Clos emerging as South Africa's most decorated Olympian of all-time at four medals (one gold and three silver) over two Games.[7] Meanwhile, Sunette Viljoen rebounded from a disappointing 2012 result to ascend the Olympic podium at her fourth Games, earning a silver in the women's javelin throw.[8]
- ^ Etheridge, Mark (22 July 2016). "Wayde, Zanele named as SA flag bearer at Rio send off". SASCOC. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Team SA meets its 10 medals target at Rio Olympic Games". South Africa: Eyewitness News. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ Burnard, Lloyd (21 August 2016). "Caster wins gold, SA reach 10 medals". South Africa: Sport24. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ Prior, Ian (14 August 2016). "Wayde van Niekerk smashes Michael Johnson's record to claim 400m gold". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ "Fiji take rugby sevens Olympic gold, South Africa bring home the bronze". The Times. South Africa. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ Klein, Alyssa (22 August 2016). "South Africa's 10 Biggest Moments of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games". OkayAfrica. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ de Villiers, Ockert (23 December 2016). "Le Clos, Van der Burgh 2016's biggest waves-makers". South Africa: Independent Online. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ Isaacson, David (19 August 2016). "Sunette Viljoen wins silver in women's javelin throw". The Times. South Africa. Retrieved 24 January 2017.