Support Systems Fail Swimmers as Talent Looks Abroad
Weak athlete support structures push swimmers to consider competing for other nations
South Africa’s ability to retain its swimming talent is being tested not at the pool edge but in the systems built, or not built, around the athletes themselves. Ilhaam Groenewald, Chief Director of Maties Sport at Stellenbosch University, argues that the country’s sporting structures are failing to deliver the financial security and long-term support athletes need, and that some swimmers are now weighing a switch of allegiance as a result.
Her central point is one of delivery. Celebrating podium finishes, she said, is not the same as building the machinery that produces and sustains athletes. “The central lesson and the message must be for South Africa that we can’t just celebrate the sporting excellence, because it’s about investing in systems,” she said. In her view, the gap between what the sporting system promises and what it actually provides on the ground is now visible in athletes’ decisions about their futures.
The evidence she points to comes from research conducted at the 2024 African Games in Ghana. Of the more than 440 athletes who took part, 104 were student athletes, and roughly 39% of those student athletes cited financial pressure as a factor that either forced them out of sport or pushed them to seek other opportunities. Groenewald said these findings should serve as a warning about the challenges facing athletes trying to balance sporting ambition with financial security.
University sport, she acknowledged, has been one part of the system that has functioned, offering athletes such as Smith a supportive environment. But she was candid that the broader structure has not always delivered the conditions athletes need to succeed. “I apologise as a sport administrator, not just to her, but to athletes like Matthew and others that have gone through this very sad experience and not having a conducive and a safe environment,” Groenewald said.
Her argument extends beyond funding for competitions and training. Athletes, she said, also need support that accounts for their lives after professional sport. Sustainable structures, in her assessment, must provide financial security, opportunities beyond a sporting career, and overall well-being. Where those structures are absent, she does not believe athletes can be blamed for looking elsewhere. If the local sporting environment does not provide the necessary support, seeking better opportunities abroad becomes a rational choice rather than a betrayal.
The practical implication, as Groenewald frames it, is that retaining South Africa’s sporting talent will require a stronger commitment to building safe, supportive and sustainable high-performance systems. That means shifting the focus from outcomes to operations: the environments athletes train in, the financial scaffolding around them, and the pathways available once competitive careers end.
Meanwhile, VOC News has reached out to the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC) for comment. No response had been received at the time of publication.
The full interview is available to listen to below.
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Q&A
Who is arguing that South Africa's sporting systems are failing swimmers, and what is her role?
Ilhaam Groenewald, Chief Director of Maties Sport at Stellenbosch University, argues that South Africa's sporting structures fail to deliver the financial security and long-term support athletes need, leading some swimmers to consider switching allegiance.
What evidence does she cite about financial pressure on athletes?
Research at the 2024 African Games in Ghana found that of the more than 440 athletes, 104 were student athletes, and roughly 39% of those cited financial pressure as a factor that forced them out of sport or pushed them to seek other opportunities.
What part of the system does she say has worked?
She said university sport has been one part of the system that has functioned, offering athletes such as Smith a supportive environment, while acknowledging the broader structure has not always delivered the conditions athletes need.
Has SASCOC responded to the report?
VOC News reached out to the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC) for comment, but no response had been received at the time of publication.