Swimmer Tatjana Smith switches allegiance from South Africa to Netherlands

South African swimmer Tatjana Smith has announced that she is changing her international sporting allegiance to compete for the Netherlands, BBC News, TimesLIVE, and Business Day reported. The news desk notes that multiple outlets, including SAPeople, Cape Town ETC, and The Straits Times, also confirmed the switch. [1][2][3][4][5][8][9][10][11]

According to BBC News, the 29-year-old swimmer was in tears during the announcement as she read a letter addressed to South Africa. She noted in her statement that dreams can change as people grow. [1]

BBC News reported that Smith, whose maiden name was Schoenmaker, is South Africa's most decorated Olympian. She previously retired after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after winning four Olympic breaststroke medals, including two gold medals. [1]

Smith chose to come out of retirement in September, BBC News reported. She aims to compete in the 50m breaststroke event, which will make its debut at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. [1]