Cyril Ramaphosa to belatedly celebrate SA’s 2024 Paris Olympics, Paralympics medallists
Athletes who represented South Africa at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games will be celebrated at an event hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, 29 November at a ceremony at the Union Buildings.
RELATED | Gayton McKenzie’s trip to 2024 Paris Olympics cost SA taxpayers R800 000
“The ceremony will recognise the excellence demonstrated by top athletes as well as the organisational effort by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee to prepare Team South Africa for the Games.
“Team South Africa featured 147 athletes at the Paris Olympics Games, which took place from 26 July to 11 August 2024, and 32 athletes at the Paris Summer Paralympics Games from 28 August to 8 September 2024,” said the Presidency.
A total of 12 medals were achieved for the respective games.
Six each for the Olympics – one gold, three silver and two bronze – and Paralympics – two gold and four bronze.
The appreciation ceremony will include the conferring of awards to deserving athletes and their coaches as well as the Shield of Jove, which is the highest South African recognition in sports achievement following the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
It’s still unclear whether South Africa’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes have been paid.
To the best of The South African website’s knowledge, there has been no handing over of cheques to those who walked away with gold, silver or bronze medals in Paris.
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, had said that a ‘big surprise’ awaits South Africa’s medal winners at the Paris Olympics 2024.
It remains unclear what that ‘big surprise’ was.
As a reminder, these were the promised incentives for medal winners:
Individuals
Gold medallists R400 000, coach R100 000
Silver medallists R200 000, coach R50 000
Bronze medallists R75 000, coach R25 000
Relays and team sports
Gold medal: R100 000 per player/athlete, coach R100 000
Silver medal: R75 000 per player/athlete, coach R75 000
Bronze medal: R50 000 per player/athlete, coach R50 000
Boats (2 athletes)
Gold medal: R200 000, coach R100 000
Silver medal: R100 000, coach R50 000
Bronze medal: R40 000, coach R20 000
South Africa’s six Olympics medals were won by:
GOLD (1) – Tatjana Smith (women’s 100m breaststroke)
SILVERS (3) – Tatjana Smith (women’s 200m breaststroke), men’s 4x100m relay team, Jo-Ane van Dyk (women’s javelin)
BRONZES (2) – Alan Hatherly (men’s mountain bike cross country), rugby sevens team
South Africa’s six Paralympics medals were won by:
GOLD (2) – Mpumelelo Mhlongo (men’s 100m – T44), Simone Kruger (women’s Discus Throw – F38)
SILVERS (0) –
BRONZES (4) – Mpumelelo Mhlongo (men’s 200m – T64), Louzanne Coetzee (women’s 1 500m – T11), Pieter du Preez (men’s H1 Individual Time Trial), Donald Ramphadi and Lucas Sihole (men’s tennis quad doubles)
Do you recall a cheque handover ceremony for South Africa’s Paris 2024 medal winners?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing info@thesouthafrican.com or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
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