Mat Thompson, part of the broadcast team for the 2026 Australian Swimming Trials, dropped a bomb of a newsbreak during Tuesday’s prelims session in Sydney.
Thompson revealed that South African swimmer Matt Sates is seeking Australian citizenship with the intention of representing the country internationally in the future.
While Thompson’s news was light on details, the move would be big for Sates, who has been a high potential swimmer whose long course career has not yet paned out on the international stage.
The 22-year-old represented South Africa at the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games. In Tokyo, Sates finished 32nd in the 100 fly and 14th in the 200 IM. At the Paris Games, he finished 35th in the 100 fly, 20th in the 200 fly, and 21st in the 200 IM.
A better swimmer in short course, he is the South African Record holder in the 200 free, 400 free, 200 IM, and 400 IM in short course meters. He was the 2022 World Short Course Champion int he 200 IM, and the bronze medalist at that meet in the 400 IM. All of those records and medals were done as a teenager.
Sates is coached in South Africa by Wayne Riddin. He had a brief stint in the United States at the University of Georgia, where he was the 2022 national champion in the 500 yard freestyle.
Sates would not be a given to make the Australian international teams. His best time in the 200 IM in long course is 1:57.43, and his best time in the 200 free is 1:45.91.
That 200 free time might be enough to stake a claim on a leg as part of a young, and rapidly improving, Australian 800 free relay. His best time in the 200 IM, now more than four years old, would just slide under Australia’s Priority 1 Nomination Time for this year’s Commonwealth Games (1:57.49).
In Tuesday’s heats, Sates swam 1:48.03 in the 200 free to rank 15th. He was ineligible to swim in the A-Final as a visitor, so his swim in the B-Final may be more telling of his form at this meet.
A recent update to World Aquatics’ rules only requires a one year absence from representing a prior country to change sporting citizenship.
Sates’ last representation of South Africa came at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. That means he wouldn’t be eligible to represent Australian until after the Commonwealth Games, if otherwise qualified, at the earliest – though Pan Pacs could be theoretically in play.
How entitled do you have to be to think you can live in a country for one year and think you have the right to represent that country when real Australians have worked their entire lives for an opportunity. Train in Australia but compete for the country you’re actually from.
If these “real Australians” you refer to have worked their entire lives for an opportunity but are still swimming slower than Sates, then that’s kinda their problem, no?
I think he’d be a great addition to our 200 fr stocks, and he’d provide some much needed competition for Harry Turner in the 200 fly. Good IMer too… I say let’s take him ☺️
It’s a South African Blessing;
he might not make it at all in Australia.
He is a nice guy. Sincerely hope this doesn’t add to the list of bad decisions he’s made since leaving UGA.
I do not know what the rules are for different sports, but Track and Field has 3 years where you have to sit out, and WA just rejected 4 Jamaican athletes from switching to Turkey (3 Olympic Medalist and 1 WJR record holder). They started the process in June 2025 so they would be eligible before 2028 Olympics, but their requests were rejected in April 2026. It might have been rejected because the Turkey offered large sums of money and bonus to transfer. Money is probably not the driving factor for Sates. I do wonder what the ‘normal’ time frame to sit out is, Aquatics have 1 year, Track have 3 years, what is the most common?
I forgot about him
Ah, Sates. A character for sure.
I always confuse SA for Aus on GeoGuessr, so… he might as well join the other southern warm country with blond people.
We really don’t have a lot of natural blondes lol
He seems pretty indecisive and inconsistent in his swimming career. If I was Swimming Australia I don’t think I’d be falling over myself to get him to switch. They’ve probably got more reliable options for the men’s 4 x 2
He needs to consistently swim 1:45 low to get into AUS 4×200
Who besides Sommerville is swimming 1:45 low?
Sam Short and Kai Taylor
Umm Sam Short literally just did
I sort of agree. If you get him into the right Australian program, he could make a relay impact. And more depth at the national meets is certainly welcome. But he’s not going to change the trajectory of the Dolphins Team.
Sates is a good boy