International Olympic Committee re-admit South Africa

Following the ban on South Africa by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) prior to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964 for its racial discrimination practices, the same body decided to re-admit South Africa. The government had made five relevant concessions and the country was expected to participate in the Mexico City Olympics late in 1968. However, this decision elicited sharp protests from various Black African states which threatened to stay away from Mexico if South Africa took part. The IOC was therefore obliged to withdraw its invitation to South Africa in April 1968. South Africa suffered heavily in the international sports arena as a result of its apartheid policy. It gradually became clear that the government would have to make further changes to its sport policy if SA was to take part in international competitions.