At the Olympics, a country’s position on the medals table is based primarily on gold medals. Silver and bronze are used as tie-breakers.

South Africa has won the most medals in athletics (28), followed by swimming (20) and boxing (19).

South Africa has also won two art medals. These were won in competitions held between 1912 and 1948 to reward artistic works, such as poems or sculptures, that were ‘inspired by sport’.

When measured in golds, South Africa’s two most-successful performances are a century apart. At the 1912 Games in Stockholm, South Africa won four golds and two silvers in tennis, cycling and the marathon. Tennis player Charles Winslow, one of SA’s most successful Olympians, won two of those gold medals.

In London in 2012, Team SA won four golds in rowing, swimming, and athletics. South Africa’s highest medal haul was 10 at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, but only two were gold.