Fritz - Commonwealth squad will form core of 2028 Olympic team

By Liam Maconi
27th June 2026

Swimming South Africa President Alan Fritz says the swimmers selected for this year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will form the nucleus of the country’s 2028 Olympic Games squad.

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC) announced a final team of 112 athletes of whom 21 are swimmers and para-swimmers who will contend for medals at "The Friendly Games" from July 23 to August 2, 2026.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Fritz says the swimmers chosen to represent the green and gold are the countries best at this point in time.

“Yeah, those are most probably our best athletes at this point in time. There is a lot of youth in that team of 21, 22 athletes. We believe that you will see those athletes that are going to Scotland being the nucleus of our 2028 squad,” said Fritz.

“If you follow where we were in terms of our national championships earlier this year, some very good times have been swum. If you look at Pieter Coetze, if you look at Chris Smith, there's a young boy there, Jarden Eaton.”

“And then there are the girls, I think Rebecca Meder is swimming the best she ever has, she’s training out of New Zealand these days. Aimee Canny and Jessica Thompson are also very good medal prospects. You know our breaststroker as well, Kaylene Corbett, she has the potential for a medal at the Olympics.

“We hope that this will be her show in Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, and of course, there's a number of other athletes who will showcase that they have the ability and the talent.”

Glasgow last hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014, where Team South Africa secured 40 medals ,including 13 gold. Swimming contributed to 12 of those. It remains the joint-highest medal haul South Africa has achieved at any Commonwealth Games since returning from Isolation in 1994.