Patty Mills and Cate Campbell will lead a 63-strong Australian contingent at Friday’s Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony while hundreds more teammates watch from around the world.
The pair, ahead of their fourth Olympic campaigns, will share the honours and have been offered the unique opportunity to invite some important to them along for the ride.
Mills, Australia’s first indigenous flag bearer, will be joined by good mate and Boomers team manager Albert Junior Viranatuleo while Campbell – the first Australian female swimmer to have the honour – will have coach Simon Cusack in attendance.
The flag bearers will be followed by chef de mission Ian Chesterman, deputy chef de mission and three- time Olympian Susie O’Neill, along with Sam Stosur competing in her fifth Olympics and Melissa Wu and Joe Ingles in their fourth.
They will be followed by Olympians in order of their Olympic appearances, through to those making their debut.
Athletes who remain at the village will do their own march before watching the action from the stadium on a big screen, while athletes based in other parts of Japan and those still back home will all be tuning in.
“We have always prioritised performance first and the athletes understand that,” Chesterman said.
“For many it is simply not possible to take part in the ceremony (due to competition logistics), but to have so many march is wonderful.
“This is a special team. Each athlete has endured a difficult path to these Games – and they have responded.
“To have so many march and so many others participate in a special ceremony back in our allotment where they will march around the Village as a group, shows how proud they are as Australians to march behind those Australian flags.”
Australia will be 36th in the running order of 206 countries marching.
Greece will be first country into the stadium, followed by the IOC Refugee Team before hosts Japan will take pride of place as the last to enter.
BREAKDOWN OF AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES MARCHING
* Badminton (3), mens’ and women’s basketball (22), beach volleyball (3), boxing (5), canoe slalom (3), diving (6), judo (2), surfing (3), swimming (1), table tennis (2), taekwondo (1), tennis (8), weightlifting (4)
AAP
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