South Africa at the Olympics by numbers

The 2024 Paris Olympics officially begins with the opening ceremony along the River Seine on Friday night (8pm SA time).

Team SA will be gunning for medals.

TimesLIVE looks at South Africa at the Olympics by numbers:

400,000 — The bonus that will be paid to any South African winning gold in Paris. Silver is worth R200,000 and bronze R75,000.

140 — The total size of the South African team going to Paris 2024, which is the second-highest after Tokyo 2020 (179). They will compete across 19 codes. South Africa had 138 athletes at Rio 2016 and 136 at Beijing 2008.

89 — The total number of medals South Africa has won at the Olympics since London 1908.

51 — South Africans finished fourth at the Olympics, of whom 24 competed in team events.

38 — The number of medals South Africa has won since readmission at Barcelona 1992.

34 — The number of fourth place finishes South Africa has achieved at the Olympics, which tops gold medals (27), silvers (33) and bronze (29).

20 — South Africans who have won multiple Olympic medals. Between them they’ve won 46, more than half the country’s medals.

11 — The number of sporting codes in which South Africa has won medals over the years. Athletics has won 28, swimming 20, boxing 19, cycling eight, tennis six, rowing three and shooting, surfing, canoeing, triathlon and rugby sevens one each. Wrestling has never won a medal, but they’ve achieved three fourth places over the years.

10 — The most medals won by South Africa at a single Olympics, achieved at Rio 2016, Helsinki 1952 and Antwerp 1920.

9 — South Africans who have won Olympic medals across two Games. They are Caster Semenya (London 2012: 800m gold; Rio 2016: 800m gold), Chad Le Clos (London 2012: 200m butterfly gold and 100m butterfly silver; Rio 2016: 200m freestyle silver and 100m butterfly silver); Cameron van der Burgh (London 2012: 100m breaststroke gold; Rio 2016: 100m breaststroke silver), Hestrie Cloete (Sydney 2000: high jump silver; Athens 2004: high jump silver), Penny Heyns (Atlanta 1996: 100m breaststroke gold and 200m breaststroke gold; Sydney 2000: 100m breaststroke bronze), boxer Danie Bekker (Melbourne 1956: heavyweight bronze; Rome 1960: heavyweight silver), cyclist Alfred Swift (Helsinki 1952: 4,000m team pursuit silver; Melbourne 1956: 1km time trial bronze), Sydney Atkinson (Paris 1924: 110m hurdles silver; Amsterdam 1928: 110m hurdles gold), and tennis player Charles Winslow (Stockholm 1912: men’s singles gold and men’s doubles gold; Antwerp 1920: men’s singles bronze).

8 — The longest gap between Olympic medals by a South African, achieved by tennis player Charles Winslow who took the singles and doubles gold medals at Stockholm 1912 and a singles bronze at Antwerp 1920. Wayde van Niekerk, Chad Clos and Henri Schoeman, who last made a Games podium at Rio 2016, could join him in Paris, but there’s one competitor who could break the record. Rower John Smith won gold at London 2012 as a member of the lightweight men’s four. A medal in Paris would give him the South African record for longest gap between two medals, at 12 years.

4 — The most Olympic medals won by a South African — Chad Le Clos, who has a gold and three silvers. He won the 200m butterfly gold and 100m fly silver at London 2012, and four years later took silver in both the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly. Tatjana Smith will join him if she makes the podium in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke races.

4 — This is also the highest number of Games attended by any South African, shared by several competitors, including swimmers Roland Schoeman (2000-2012) and Ryk Neethling (1996-2008), javelin -thrower Sunette Viljoen (2004-2016) and distance runner Hendrick Ramaala (1996-2008). Rower John Smith, Le Clos and marathon runner Irvette van Zyl are set to join them in Paris 2024.

3 — The most medals won by a South African at a single Games, achieved twice. The first was athlete Bevil Rudd, who won the 400m gold, 4x400m silver and 800m bronze at Antwerp 1920. Swimmer Roland Schoeman repeated that at Athens 2004 with gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay, silver in the 100m freestyle and bronze in the 50m freestyle.

2 — The most Olympic gold medals won by a South African, achieved by swimmer Penny Heyns (1996) and tennis player Charles Winslow (1912). Tatjana Smith could join or surpass them in Paris.

1 — Lowest medal haul achieved at a single Olympics, which has occurred twice at Beijing 2008 and Berlin 1936, both with a single silver.