After a year of uncertainty, dreams of the Tokyo Olympic Games took a massive step towards reality on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Australian team unveiled their uniforms for the competition at a launch in The Rocks, using the Opera House as a background.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Titled "Walking Together", the uniforms feature 52 footsteps, one for each Indigenous athlete to represent Australia at a Games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Australian Olympic Committee commissioned Indigenous artist and former Olympic boxer Paul Fleming to develop the artwork, with athletic apparel company ASICS supplying the materials.<\/p>\n
"The centrepiece represents a meeting place because the Olympics bring together people of all colours, religions and backgrounds," said ASICS' Australia boss Mark Brunton.<\/p>\n
"These games take on a great significance … Not only do they represent the pinnacle of sporting competition and performance, but they embrace our heritage as a Japanese brand."\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Australia's Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman said the starting line was in sight after fears these Games would never take place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
"It's an incredibly exciting day for the Australian Olympic Team to have the uniform unveiled after such a hard cast 12 months," he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
"It gives everybody involved in the Tokyo team great hope, and there's obviously great excitement amongst the athletes here today and I'm sure the athletes around the country who have been training so hard for their moment."<\/p>\n
Chesterman praised the resilience of athletes in a 'difficult year', and was confident that the team would be sorted out with vaccines before the trip.<\/p>\n
"Obviously we're working with the health department, and we're very, very aware not to jump the queue," he said.<\/p>\n
"Whether we do or we don't [get vaccinated], that's not going to make much difference. We want to be vaccinated of course, but if we had to go not vaccinated then the Games could go on – but it's clearly an advantage to have that vaccine."<\/p>\n
He said coronavirus case numbers in Japan were not a concern.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
"I think Japan has been one of those countries that's actually been able to control it really well," he said.<\/p>\n
"Every time that's happened over the past 12 months where numbers have increased, they've been able to pull that down again."<\/p>\n
It will be unlike any Games before for the athletes, with regular testing and a strict bubble of the venues and the Olympic village in place.<\/p>\n
The team is yet to find out exact details of what day-to-day life will be like, and details of the opening ceremony are yet to be confirmed, as are Australia's flag bearers.<\/p>\n
Chesterman said the team will be naming both a male and female flagbearer, which has only happened once before, in 1980, when sprinter Denise Robertson-Boyd and swimmer Max Metzker led the delegation.<\/p>\n
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