SA’s Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula (pictured) was over the moon when he said: “This Olympics have definitely been our most successful Olympics ever with the six medals we have won.”
Although Team SA did not achieve the quantitative terms of 12 medals set by SASCOC, the minister said he was satisfied all round with the performance of the South African Olympians. “We are satisfied that the team gave it their all and we want to congratulate SASCOC under the leadership of Gideon Sam on a job well done and for bringing pride to our nation.
“This has been undoubtedly our best Olympics ever and we can only do better at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics (in 2016),” he said.
It’s obvious Mbalula did not take into account SA’s performance before South Africa was forced out of the Olympics between 1964 and 1988 when the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1761 in 1962 in response to South Africa’s policy of Apartheid barred SA from taking part in the games. SA won 10 medals in 1920 in Antwerp and again 10 in 1952 in Helsinki.
Mbalula said the London Olympics had laid the basis for the country’s march towards the next Olympics.
“We are confident that the lessons learnt and the results achieved will propel us to greater heights going forward.”
He said the National Sport and Recreation Plan, with the School Sport Programme, would ensure that more talent was identified and developed. This would make SA more competitive in future.
The team also won six medals in Athens eight years ago but only one of those (the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay) was gold.
South Africa has finished as the leading African nation at the 2012 London Olympic Games in 24th position on the final medals table.
Team SA’s medal tally put the country just ahead of Ethiopia, who ended in 25th position with three gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
