Patty Mills and Cate Campbell have led a 63-strong Australian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony while hundreds more teammates watched from around the world.
The pair, ahead of their fourth Olympic campaigns, shared the honours on Friday night after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) permitted countries to choose two flagbearers.
Boomers star and NBA title winner Mills became the first Indigenous Australian to carry the flag.
Wearing shorts and short-sleeve button-up shirts with ties, they walked into a near-empty stadium – COVID-19 has reduced the event to a spectator-free occasion – with only several hundred dignitaries and fellow athletes there to acknowledge.
Australia’s chef de mission Ian Chesterman, deputy chef de mission and three-time Olympian Susie O’Neill walked behind them, along with Sam Stosur competing in her fifth Olympics and Melissa Wu and Joe Ingles in their fourth.
They were followed by Olympians in order of their Olympic appearances, with Mills’ Boomers teammates and the Opals forming a bulk of the marching squad.
Athletes who remained at the village performed their own march before watching the ceremony from the stadium on a big screen, like their fellow athletes already based in other event cities throughout the country.
Athletes can only arrive five days before their event, meaning some Australian athletes are yet to touch down in Japan.
“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 was 36th in the running order of 206 countries marching, sliding down the order due to the differences in the Japanese language.
