On August 18, 1964, South Africa was officially banned from the Olympic Games. This decision came after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took a stance against the country’s apartheid policies, which enforced racial segregation and discrimination. The IOC’s decision to exclude South Africa from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics marked the beginning of a long period of exclusion, which continued until the end of apartheid.

The ban was a significant moment in the global fight against apartheid, and it was part of a broader international movement to isolate South Africa diplomatically and economically. South Africa would remain banned from the Olympic Games until 1992, when the country was allowed to return following the end of apartheid and the establishment of a democratic government under Nelson Mandela.