Two-time Olympian Matthew Sates is preparing to follow four-time Olympic medallist Tatjana Smith out of South Africa by seeking to switch his sporting allegiance to Australia ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, reportedly driven by severe financial strain and a lack of local high-performance support.

The 23-year-old swimmer from Pietermaritzburg is currently awaiting permanent residency Down Under, having relocated to Queensland’s Gold Coast to train under former British swimmer Melanie Marshall.

Sates’ mother, Taryn Sates, reportedly said the family had been “financially drained” trying to fund his career independently, noting that Australia provided the professional funding and structured system necessary for athletes to swim professionally.

Why is an Olympic swimmer eyeing Australia?

Before moving abroad, Sates dominated junior ranks and captured the 2022 World Short Course title, but his career stalled amid stints in the United States and Europe before returning to train in Pretoria.

Since settling in Australia – a popular country for South African expats – the multi-event African record holder has rebounded, clocking 1:42.91 in the 200m freestyle at the Australian short-course championships in September.

Under revised World Aquatics regulations, athletes now require only a one-year absence from representing a prior country to change sporting citizenship.

Swimming South Africa faces deepening talent crisis

The impending switch comes days after Johannesburg-born Smith confirmed her move to the Netherlands, citing institutional neglect and a bitter sponsorship dispute with Swimming South Africa, which withheld $35 000 in competition prize money for over a year.

While federation officials pushed back and claimed Smith “sabotaged herself”, administrative turmoil continues to mount following the provisional suspensions of the governing body’s president and chief executive by the Aquatics Integrity Unit.

Speaking to Voice of the Cape, Maties Sport chief director Ilhaam Groenewald apologised to athletes such as Sates and Smith for the lack of a conducive environment, pointing to research showing that 39% of student athletes at the 2024 African Games cited financial hardship forcing them to quit or seek opportunities elsewhere.