South African athletes first participated in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, when few foreign athletes arrived and the organisers invited participants of the adjacent 1904 World's Fair to compete.
South African athletes entered the Olympic scene for the first time at the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis, when a limited number of foreign participants showed up, prompting the organizers to extend an invitation to those attending the adjacent 1904 World's Fair.