The Australian Olympic Team has confirmed a squad of 472 athletes that will be heading to Japan for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Australia's team will feature a record number of female and First Nations athletes in the second-biggest team the AOC has ever sent to an overseas Games.
254 female athletes will compete for Australia in Tokyo, up from 214 in 2016 which was the previous record for an overseas Games. .
It means female athletes will make up 53.5% of the Australian Olympic Team, the highest percentage ever for an Aussie team.
The record number of women in an Australian Olympic Team was 283 in 2000, where the overall team was over 600.
The Tokyo team will feature 16 First Nations athletes, four more than Australia's previous highest of 12 back in 2000.
Australia will compete in 33 sports, including four of the new sports in karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.
The largest team for a single sport is athletics with 63 athletes selected for Australia's track and field team.
Andrew Hoy is set to continue his run as Australia's most decorated Olympian as he prepares to compete in Equestrian at his eighth Olympic games.
His teammate Mary Hanna will be the oldest athlete in the Australian squad at 66.
While swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan will be the youngest athlete in the squad at just 17.
Speaking about the team, Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman says it shows just how important it is that the Tokyo Olympic Games are going ahead.
He highlighted the point that for many athletes, they only get one shot at competing at an Olympic Games. In Tokyo, 294 athletes will be making their Olympic debut.
In total, Australia's delegation to Tokyo is expected to be just below 1000 once support staff are accounted for.
In preparation for the Games, the AOC has had to prepare numerous countermeasures for any COVID-19 breaches within the Olympic bubble.
That includes acquiring over 75,000 faces masks, nearly 550 bottles of hand sanitizer and 40,000 disposable wipes.
Even with all these precautions, chief medical office David Hughes is not being complacent and is essentially preparing for worst-case scenarios including COVID-19 existing in the Olympic Village.
"Despite all the testing, despite all the vaccination, we're not being complacent about the possibility that there may be COVID-19 circulating in the village," Dr Hughes told reporters on Monday.
"Therefore we have to assume that that is the case and maintain our other measures such as mask-wearing, maintain social distance, for some of those key areas in the village like the dining hall, the village gymnasium, Games transport.
"We have put measures in place to ensure that we absolutely minimise any chance of an Australian athlete picking up the virus. I feel confident that we have got the best plan we can possibly have in place."
Hughes confirmed that somewhere between 95 and 98 per cent of the Olympic team will be fully vaccinated before heading to the Games.
Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman paid tribute to the athletes who had qualified for the games after what has been a difficult year not just for the Olympic community but the entire world.
“This has been extremely difficult for every athlete and each has their own individual story to tell," Chesterman said.
"But they have made it. Through their determination and commitment, they are going to Tokyo.
“Even before these Games are declared Open on July 23rd, this Australian Team has made its own history. They are a special Team and Australians can be very proud of them.
“I would also like to pay tribute to those athletes for whom the postponement and global environment prevented them from being a part of this Team.
"Whether that’s through injury and retirement, lack of safe access to qualification events or through difficult personal circumstances, many have been forced to make that tough call.
“I can promise these athletes that this Team carries their legacy and their contributions in their hearts all the way to Tokyo and into the heat of Olympic competition.”
Chesterman will not be alone in helping organise the team. His deputies will include Susie O'Neill, Evelyn Halls and Ken Wallace.
In addition, the AOC has also created the role of Indigenous Liaison Officer which will be carried out by Olympian Kyle Vander Kuyp.
Vander Kuyp to this day remains Australia's greatest ever 110m hurdler and competed at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.
“We have 16 Indigenous Olympians on this Team and Kyle’s experience and understanding will certainly be welcomed, by those athletes and the broader group," Chesterman said on Vander Kuyp's role.
