Australian Olympic Team Flag Bearers Cate Campbell and Patrick Mills will lead a Team of 63 athletes into tonight’s Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Both Flag Bearers have been given the option of selecting someone important to them to join them in the march. Cate has selected her coach Simon Cusack while Patrick has chosen Team Manager, Mareeba boy and close friend Albert Junior Viranatuleo.
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 5th Olympic Games and Melissa Wu and Joe Ingles competing in their 4th.
They will be followed by Olympians in order of their Olympic appearances, through to those making their debut.
Mills will be supported by his entire Boomers basketball teammates, ahead of their opening game against Nigeria on Sunday July 25th.
Ian Chesterman says he’s delighted at the number of athletes who have expressed a desire to march.
“We have always prioritised performance first and the athletes understand that. To march is a wonderful experience and that needs to be balanced against the realities of preparation for competition.
“For many it is simply not possible to take part in the Ceremony, 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.
“Those who get to march behind Cate and Patty will certainly have a night to remember. Everyone in the whole team is very proud of our Flag Bearers as great ambassadors for our country,” said Mr Chesterman.
Australia will be 36th in the running order of 206 countries marching. The Team from Greece will be first country into the Stadium, followed by the IOC Refugee Team. Host nation Japan will take pride of place as the last Team to enter.
Back at the Olympic Village, the Australian Team not marching into the Stadium will be celebrating the Opening Ceremony in their own way.
Deputy Chef de Mission Ken Wallace has organised a gathering with outdoor TV screens to view the ceremony.
Dressed in their Sportscraft Opening Ceremony uniforms, the Village-based Team will also do their own march along the Boulevard adjacent to the Australian Team allotment.
They will return to recite the newly unveiled Australian Olympians’ Oath, led by two-time Indigenous Olympian Kyle Vander Kuyp, before taking in the excitement of the Opening Ceremony from the Stadium.
Other members of the Australian Olympic Team will be viewing from sub-sites and pre-Games camps.
- Athletics - Cairns
- Artistic swimming – AIS Canberra
- Canoe Sprint – Sydney
- Cycling Track - Brisbane
- Cycling Road and Mountain bike – Izu, Japan
- Football (Men) - Sapporo
- Golf – US & Australia
- Gymnastics (Rhythmic) AIS Canberra and Trampoline – Inashiki, Japan
- Karate – Sydney
- Modern Pentathlon – Canberra and Sydney
- Sailing – Enoshima, Japan
- Sport Climbing - Sydney and Melbourne
A breakdown of the athletes marching by sport follows:
- Badminton – 3
- Basketball (Womens) – 10
- Basketball (Mens) -12
- 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
