Discover the harrowing story of Jan Mashiani and Len Tau, the first Africans to compete in the 1904 Olympics, and the racism and white supremacy that tainted their participation.
The question of who the first Africans to compete in the modern Olympic Games were unravels a shocking tale of the 1904 marathon and lays bare the racism and white supremacy that permeated the early days of the Olympics. The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Greece, a time when European colonialism was at its peak, and no African athletes participated. It wasn’t until the late 1940s, as African nations gained independence, that African athletes began joining the Olympic movement in significant numbers.
However, a lesser-known story from the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, USA, features two black South African runners, Jan Mashiani and Len Taunyane (Tau), who competed in the marathon. They appeared alongside a white South African runner, B.W. Harris. A photo of Mashiani and Tau is housed at the Missouri Historical Society museum, although their names were incorrectly switched in the caption for decades. Importantly, Mashiani and Tau did not officially represent South Africa since it was a British colony at the time, two years after the South African War.
During this war, both sides employed black South Africans in various roles, including message runners, which is how Mashiani and Tau became part of the narrative. They also participated in the St. Louis World’s Fair, which was tied to the Olympics and featured racist exhibitions, including so-called “savages” competing in physical displays.
South African sport historian Floris van der Merwe documented the story of Mashiani and Tau. As a sport historian, the reconstruction of such histories is crucial. Colonialism erased many records of African sporting achievements, and African Olympic history remains under-researched compared to US and European histories. Reclaiming these stories is an act of honoring black life and acknowledging the prejudices they endured.
Back in 1904
The 1904 Olympic Games were starkly different from today’s spectacle. One researcher described the early games as a jumble of bizarre events, including swimming obstacle races, tug of war, hot air balloon contests, polo cycling, and American croquet. The games were steeped in racism and reflected the eugenics culture of the era. The St. Louis Olympics coincided with the World’s Fair, which held competitions for indigenous people from various continents under the title Anthropology Days.
The Olympic marathon was scheduled for August 30, but the fair’s “athletic events for savages” took place earlier. Van der Merwe writes that these events included stone-throwing battles, javelin throwing for accuracy, tree climbing, and other track and field sports, in which Mashiani and Tau participated. They were part of the South African War Show at the fair and had likely served as messengers for the Boers during the war.
In the one-mile race, Lentauw set a fast pace but was eventually overtaken by other competitors. Both runners were probably from South Africa’s Tswana ethnic group, though international reports referred to them as Zulu. Van der Merwe believes they had served under Boer General Piet Cronje, which explains their endurance.
The Marathon
The 1904 Olympic marathon was a grueling 40km race held in 32°C heat, worsened by dust from passing automobiles. The runners started in two rows, with Harris in the front and Mashiani and Tau in the back. Harris dropped out, while Tau finished 9th and Mashiani 12th. One of them was reported to have been chased off course by a dog, costing him a better finish.
Mashiani and Tau were the first indigenous Africans to compete in the Olympics. The next South African would be Ron Eland, who qualified for the British weightlifting team in 1948 before emigrating to the US and later Canada.
Aftermath
In 1948, South Africa introduced apartheid, a system of racial segregation imposed by the white minority government. This policy prevented black South Africans from representing their country at the Olympics. Due to apartheid, South Africa was banned from the Games from 1964 until 1992.
The story of Mashiani and Tau is a poignant reminder of the racism that has marred the history of the Olympics. It is also a testament to the resilience of black athletes who, despite facing immense prejudice, made their mark on the world stage. Documenting and sharing these histories is essential in reclaiming the legacy of African athletes and acknowledging the systemic barriers they have overcome.
