South Africa competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Games in the post-apartheid era, and nineteenth overall in Summer Olympic history. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) sent the nation's largest ever delegation to the Olympics, with a total of 138 athletes, 93 men and 45 women, competing across 15 sports.

South Africa left Rio de Janeiro with a total of 10 medals (2 gold, 6 silver, and 2 bronze), making it the nation's most successful Olympics since its readmission in 1992. Moreover, it achieved the medal target set by SASCOC for the Games. Four of these medals were awarded to the track and field athletes, including two golds won by runners Caster Semenya and Wayde van Niekerk, who broke the 16-year-old world record in the men's 400 metres. South Africa also proved successful in team sports, as the rugby sevens squad, popularly known by locals as Blitzboks, scored a historic bronze after beating Japan in the men's tournament.

Among the medalists were Luvo Manyonga, who overcame drug addiction to achieve a runner-up finish in the men's long jump, cancer survivor Lawrence Brittain, who picked up a silver alongside his veteran partner Shaun Keeling in the men's rowing pair, and Henri Schoeman, who surprised the field by securing South Africa's first ever triathlon medal with a bronze in the men's race. Swimmers Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos contributed three of the country's silver medals in the pool, with le Clos emerging as South Africa's most decorated Olympian of all-time at four medals (one gold and three silver) over two Games. Meanwhile, Sunette Viljoen rebounded from a disappointing 2012 result to ascend the Olympic podium at her fourth Games, earning a silver in the women's javelin throw.

Medalists

| style="text-align:left; width:78%; vertical-align:top;"| Medal Name Sport Event Date Wayde van Niekerk Athletics Men's 400 m Caster Semenya Athletics Women's 800 m Cameron van der Burgh Swimming Men's 100 m breaststroke Chad le Clos Swimming Men's 200 m freestyle Lawrence BrittainShaun Keeling Rowing Men's coxless pair Chad le Clos Swimming Men's 100 m butterfly Luvo Manyonga Athletics Men's long jump Sunette Viljoen Athletics Women's javelin throw South Africa national rugby sevens team Rugby sevens Men's tournament Henri Schoeman Triathlon Men's triathlon | style="text-align:left; width:22%; vertical-align:top;"|

Medals by sportSportTotal Athletics2204 Swimming0303 Rowing0101 Rugby sevens0011 Triathlon0011 Total26210

Medals by dateDateTotal 7 August0101 8 August0101 11 August 0 1 12 12 August 0 1 01 13 August 0 1 01 14 August 1 0 01 18 August 0 1 12 20 August 1 0 01 Total26210

Medals by genderGender TotalMale1528Female1102Mixed0000Total 2 6 2 10

Multiple medalistsNameSport Total Chad le Clos Swimming 0 2 0 2

Competitors South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) confirmed a team of 138 athletes, 93 men and 45 women, to compete across 15 sports at the Games. It was the nation's largest ever delegation sent to the Olympics, breaking its previous record of 134 athletes set in Beijing 2008.

By May 2015, SASCOC enforced a stringent selection policy to ensure that only world-class athletes would compete for the Olympic team. Specifically, SASCOC would not accept any Olympic places for teams or individual-based athletes, who qualified through African continental routes. For some sports, however, where continental route was the only available path, additional athletes or teams would be applicable for selection.

As a result of SASCOC's selection policy, South Africa permitted to only send football (for both men and women) and men's rugby sevens teams to the Games. For individual-based sports, South Africa marked its Olympic debut in golf (new to the 2016 Games) and equestrian dressage, as well as its return to diving and artistic gymnastics after a near decade of absence.

Track and field accounted for the largest number of athletes on the South African team, with 39 entries. There was a single competitor each in badminton, diving, equestrian, artistic gymnastics, and judo.

Seven of the past Olympic medalists from individual-based sports returned, including defending swimming champions Cameron van der Burgh (men's 100 m breaststroke) and Chad le Clos (men's 200 m butterfly), triple jumper Godfrey Khotso Mokoena, middle-distance runner Caster Semenya (women's 800 m), and flatwater canoeist Bridgitte Hartley. Rowers John Smith and James Thompson, both of whom won gold as members of the former lightweight four crew at London 2012, paired up to take on the men's lightweight double sculls at the Games. Along with Mokoena, javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen joined the exclusive club of South African athletes who competed in four consecutive Olympics, becoming the first female from her country to do so.

18-year-old football midfielder Linda Motlhalo was South Africa's youngest competitor, with sailor Roger Hudson, who raced alongside his London 2012 partner Asenathi Jim in the men's 470 class, rounding out the field as the oldest competitor (aged 38). Other notable South African athletes included world-ranked triathlete Richard Murray, and cancer survivor Lawrence Brittain, together with his veteran partner Shaun Keeling in the men's rowing pair. Track star Wayde van Niekerk, who entered the Games as the reigning world champion and a potential gold medal favorite in the men's 400 metres, led the South African team as the flag bearer in the opening ceremony, the first by a male after 12 years.

| width=78% align=left valign=top | The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Games. Note that reserves in fencing, field hockey, football, and handball are not counted as athletes: SportMenWomenTotalAthletics 26 13 39Badminton 1 0 1Canoeing 0 1 1Cycling 5 2 7Diving 0 1 1Equestrian 0 1 1Football 18 18 36Golf 2 2 4Gymnastics 1 0 1Judo 1 0 1Rowing 8 4 12Rugby sevens 13 0 13Sailing 3 0 3Swimming 13 1 14Triathlon 2 2 4Total 93 45 138

Athletics (track and field)

South African athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):

On 25 May 2016, six marathon runners (three per gender) were named as part of the initial batch of nominated athletes to the Olympic roster for Rio 2016, including London 2012 Olympians Lusapho April and Irvette van Zyl. Following the end of the qualifying period on 11 July, thirty-nine athletes (26 men and 13 women) rounded out the nation's track and field roster for the Games three days later, with triple jumper and Beijing 2008 silver medalist Godfrey Khotso Mokoena leading the team for his fourth straight Olympics.

Track & road events Men AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankAntonio Alkana110 m hurdles13.645 qcolspan=2 13.557Did not advanceLusapho AprilMarathoncolspan=6 2:15:2424Henricho Bruintjies100 mcolspan=2 10.336Did not advanceElroy Gelant5000 m13:22.007 qcolspan=4 13:17.4714Lungile GongqaMarathoncolspan=6 Le Roux Hamman400 m hurdles49.727colspan=2 Did not advanceLindsay Hanekom50.227colspan=2 Did not advanceTlotliso Leotlela200 m20.594colspan=2 Did not advanceAnaso Jobodwana200 m20.534colspan=2 Did not advanceStephen Mokoka10000 mcolspan=6 27:54.5718Marc Mundell50 km walkcolspan=6 4:11:0338Clarence Munyai200 m20.663colspan=2 Did not advanceSibusiso NzimaMarathoncolspan=6 2:25:3397Jacob Rozani800 m1:49.795colspan=2 Did not advanceLebogang Shange20 km walkcolspan=6 1:25:0744Akani Simbine100 mcolspan=2 10.141 Q9.983 q9.945Wayne Snyman20 km walkcolspan=6 1:29:2058Wayde van Niekerk400 m45.261 Qcolspan=2 44.452 Q43.03 WRReinhardt van Rensburg800 m1:45.672 Qcolspan=2 1:45.335Did not advanceLouis van Zyl400 m hurdles49.122 Qcolspan=2 49.005Did not advance

Women AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankAlyssa Conley100 mcolspan=2 11.576Did not advance200 m23.174colspan=2 Did not advanceCarina Horn100 mcolspan=2 11.322 Q11.206Did not advanceChristine KalmerMarathoncolspan=6 2:48:2496Wenda Nel400 m hurdles55.552 Qcolspan=2 55.836Did not advanceJustine Palframan200 m23.335colspan=2 Did not advance400 m53.967colspan=2 Did not advanceAnél Oosthuizen20 km walkcolspan=6 1:45:0663Dina Lebo PhalulaMarathoncolspan=6 2:41:4663Dominique Scott10000 mcolspan=6 31:51.4721Caster Semenya800 m1:59.311 Qcolspan=2 1:58.151 Q1:55.28 NRTsholofelo Thipe400 m52.804colspan=2 Did not advanceIrvette van ZylMarathoncolspan=6

Field events Men AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionStefan BritsLong jump7.7122Did not advanceLuvo Manyonga8.124 q8.37Godfrey Khotso MokoenaTriple jump16.5121Did not advanceRushwahl SamaaiLong jump8.035 q7.979Rocco van RooyenJavelin throw78.4824Did not advance

Women AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionLynique PrinslooLong jump6.1033Did not advanceSunette ViljoenJavelin throw63.546 Q64.92

Combined events – Men's decathlon AthleteEventFinalRankWillem Coertzen Result11.126.9814.00——————Points8348097280——————

Badminton

Jacob Maliekal qualified for the men's singles into the Olympic tournament. He picked up a continental berth as Africa's top shuttler based on his performance in the BWF World Rankings as of 5 May 2016.

AthleteEventGroup StageEliminationQuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / OppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankJacob MaliekalMen's singlesL (10–21, 10–21)W (21–18, 21–19)2Did not advance

Canoeing

Sprint Bridgitte Hartley qualified for the Women's K-1 500 metres through the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

AthleteEventHeatsSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankBridgitte HartleyWomen's K-1 200 m41.6983 Q41.4783 FB42.06613Women's K-1 500 m1:55.7373 Q1:58.3975 FB2:01.89016 Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)

Cycling

Road Four South African riders qualified for the following places in the men's and women's Olympic road race by virtue of their top 4 national ranking in the 2015 UCI Africa Tour (for men) and top 22 in the UCI World Ranking (for women). The men's road cycling team, Daryl Impey and Louis Meintjes, were named as part of the initial batch of nominated athletes to the Olympic roster on 25 May 2016, with the women, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and An-Li Kachelhoffer joining them on 14 July. Moolman-Pasio also qualified for the time trial.

AthleteEventTimeRankDaryl ImpeyMen's road race6:19:4328Louis Meintjes6:10:277An-Li KachelhofferWomen's road race4:01:2939Ashleigh Moolman-PasioWomen's road race3:52:4110Women's time trial46:29.1112

Mountain biking South African mountain bikers, Alan Hatherly and James Reid qualified for the Olympic cross-country race, as a result of the nation's twelfth-place finish in the UCI Olympic Ranking List of 25 May 2016.

AthleteEventTimeRankAlan HatherlyMen's cross-country1:42:0326James Reid (3 laps)42

BMX Kyle Dodd qualified for one men's quota place in BMX at the Olympics, as a result of his top three placement for men, not yet qualified, at the 2016 UCI BMX World Championships.

AthleteEventSeedingQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankPointsRankPointsRankResultRankKyle DoddMen's BMX36.4526146Did not advance

Diving

Julia Vincent qualified by virtue of her top national finish from Africa at the 2015 FINA World Championships.

AthleteEventPreliminariesSemifinalsFinalPointsRankPointsRankPointsRankJulia VincentWomen's 3 m springboard220.3029Did not advance

Equestrian

Dressage rider, Tanya Seymour, qualified for the equestrian competition by virtue of her top national finish from Africa and the Middle East at the FEI qualification event in Perl, Germany.

Dressage