Olympic Champion Tatjana Smith Continues Sounding off on Outrage with Swimming South Africa

Tatjana Smith has been very open about her frustrations with Swimming South Africa (SSA), sending a letter to the group concerning the withholding of prize cash in 2023.

In an interview with BizNews Television, Smith dove deeper into the scenario and talked about that many athletes don’t at all times get up for themselves, although she is taking a distinct method by doing what she feels is true.

“The whole problem in in this situation is I always feel like athletes for myself… don’t know how do I stand up for my rights but it’s always in in cost of my career. So it was like ‘what one do I do, I can’t actually stand up for myself.’” Smith stated within the interview with BizNews TV. “At that time in the constitution, it said if any athlete takes legal representation and they can be suspended from being a member, which means I can’t go and compete for my country if I got lawyers involved or anything to stand up for my rights.”

Smith touched on the fines that she was instructed she would obtain if she didn’t put on the assigned competitors swimsuit from SSA, and the truth that it got here so late in time.

“I can only speak from my like own experience and it’s never about attacking the system. How can athletes be dealing with this situation right before they’re supposed to be performing and representing the country and bringing back medals? I can’t  even imagine what younger athletes would have to go through if this is their prime… we sent out a form for information of the contract between Swimming South Africa and Arena, because unfortunately for athletes, we only rely on sponsorship. So if Swimming South Africa did sign a contract with Arena, we would like to know what that stipulates. At the end of the day, I’m swimming them with the national sponsor Arena but I don’t get paid for it, where if I swim for Speedo I get money.”

Smith touches on the truth that it’s straightforward from an outsiders viewpoint to push an athlete to only communicate up about injustice, although it’s typically essential to have a robust authorized crew to guarantee that the imply by which the message is being delivered is appropriate and is heard.

“Unfortunately I think everyone is always easy to say like just speak up, just bring it up. But it’s very hard and that’s why I made sure, now with the legal side being part of it, to make sure that we do it in the right way because I don’t want my career and especially anyone else’s career to fall under this because we know how it goes to change a system is not easy. It really takes time.” Smith stated within the interview with BizNews TV. ” I believe for the primary time it looks like I can lastly like open up and now, [we can have this] this dialog, and sharing as a result of this has given us that larger image… I believe there’s nonetheless that a part of being tremendous cautious as a result of we don’t know when it’s going to return to the way it was.”

Smith touched on an attention-grabbing matter, that of most of the points that the athletes inside SSA face having their issues and points being in different peoples palms, and making it tougher for athletes to do their sport.

“There’s just so much, no one can actually do something. So they’re all like, ‘Okay, well now it’s in like the members hands.’ And again, here we are. We have no idea. This is not our world. We here to swim, try and obviously train as best as we can to perform and represent our country.” Smith added. “We don’t have the back knowledge of like how to how to take this system on and yet we are the ones expected to do it. We don’t realize a lot of people can’t say things and no one can help us because there’s all these things in place and all these constitutions that restrict people from [doing so]. I just feel that is so unfair because the people that actually have a say and have power can’t help us and now they rely on the athletes to have to fix this whole mess.”

Smith then touches on water polo being moved out of SSA and into their very own entity. A transfer that Smith could be very a lot in favor of, although there’s a new wrestle that comes with that, being formally acknowledged.

“I think for us to see their boldness and for them to step out there, it took a lot, and a lot of people involved to make this big move unfortunately I think their struggle at the moment is they are not a recognized body at World Aquatics. So they can’t make team selections to represent South Africa which is, again, now you’re sitting with members we all want the right thing, they all moved over, or majority feel the athletes move over. But then you see teams being selected and your kid is not part of it because now you’ve stepped away from swimming.” Smith stated within the interview with BizNews TV. “I think everyone in the system wants to change. It’s the parents, it’s the coaches, it’s the athletes. but we’re all just so scared. There’s nothing to protect us.”

Smith additionally touched on the services in South Africa, mentioning whereas they’ve a number of swimming pools which are at the moment empty or vacant, the chances to which South African swimming might develop is true on the fingertips, however not being utilized.

“We understand that it is a super expensive cost to run a swimming pool, but instead of building new pools, we have extremely beautiful facilities that are already there, municipality pools and stuff, but they’re all empty. They all have grass growing out of them. So it would be amazing if we could actually see those facilities come to light.” Smith stated. “We have so much talent in South Africa. If this these are the results that we are producing in the midst of everything that is happening and what we face as athletes, I can’t even imagine what more we could achieve if these systems are actually working and are in place and are actually for athletes. At the end of the day we want it to be athletes first, where it just doesn’t feel like the support is there, it’s not the athletes first at the moment.”

Smith additionally talked about her plan transferring ahead, which incorporates launching a basis as a type of “watchdog for athletes”.

“I think for me moving forward, I’ve decided that I wanted to uh launch, it’s called the Lighthouse Sport Foundation that will be a watchdog for athletes. I just feel like I’ve been very blessed with my platform in terms of being able to have people on my side in terms of the legal side and just guiding me in that. But a lot of athletes don’t have that. They don’t have a safe space to speak out. Obviously that can’t afford someone to go to to speak up and share what they know. So I wanted to create this for all athletes to feel safe and to feel represented and to know that we will always fight a fair and honest thing, not against someone specific but against the system to make sure that the system from now on[the] priority is that the athletes come first. Um, so that’s very exciting.”