Patty Mills, Cate Campbell named Australia's Tokyo Olympics flag-bearers
Patty Mills is the first Indigenous Australian to be the country's flag-bearer for the opening ceremony. (Getty Images: Mark Kolbe)
Basketball champion Patty Mills will become the first Indigenous Australian to carry the flag into an Olympic Games opening ceremony when he marches alongside swimming star and fellow flag-bearer Cate Campbell in Tokyo.
Key points:
- Cate Campbell is the first female swimmer to carry the flag for Australia at an opening ceremony
- Both athletes are heading to their fourth Olympic Games
- The flag-bearer announcement also included the unveiling of an Australian Olympians' oath
The Tokyo Olympics mark the start of a new tradition, with every nation to be led out by both a female and male flag-bearer.
Both Mills and Campbell are heading to their fourth Olympic Games.
Campbell has won two Olympic gold medals, but she said being tasked with carrying the flag into the stadium was "up there amongst some of the greatest things that has happened to me".
"It's one thing to represent your country in a sport that you love and another thing to represent your fellow Olympians and your Olympic family that you become a part of," she said.
Cate Campbell made her Olympic debut as a 16-year-old at Beijing 2008. (AAP: Dave Hunt)
"That is an honour and privilege that I do not take lightly and I am so, so humbled to be able to do."
Mills struggled to put into words his gratitude as a proud Kokatha, Naghiralgal and Dauareb-Meriam man leading the country's Olympians.
"I'm just thankful for all the support up unto this moment … It's something I won't be able to put into words what I am feeling right now," he said.
"To be selected to carry the flag and lead our team into the Olympic Stadium is the highest recognition of achievement and leadership that can be bestowed on any athlete in any Australian sport or multi-sport team," Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said in a letter to both flag-bearers.
"While you will not be leading a team into a packed Olympic stadium due to COVID-19 countermeasures, you will readily appreciate the significance of your selection from the congratulations and acknowledgement from your peers within the Australian Olympic Team and the wider public."
Mills renowned for on-court Boomers brilliance and off-court activism
Mills is recognised as one of this country's top basketball exports, having been drafted to the NBA in 2009 by the Portland Trailblazers.
He now plays with San Antonio Spurs, with whom he was part of the championship-winning team in 2014.
Mills started playing for Australia's men's basketball team in 2007 and was selected for his first Olympics in Beijing in 2008, when he led the Boomers in scoring.
He led all players in scoring at London 2012 and was a key member of the Boomers' best Olympic finish, when they fell one point short in the bronze-medal match against Spain in Rio.
Patty Mills has been a top contributor to the Boomers for more than a decade. (Reuters/Action Images: Dylan Martinez)
Tokyo will be his fourth Olympic Games but the sharp-shooting guard is as renowned for his work off the court as he is on it.
Early in 2020, he founded Indigenous Basketball Australia, a not-for-profit entity delivering programs at a grassroots level for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths, teaching them skills for both sport and life.
The NBA is an official partner.
Mills is a vocal advocate for social justice and is well known for his commitment to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Mills has contributed to numerous charities and causes. (Supplied: Indigenous Basketball Australia)
He also used the 2019/20 NBA All Star break to return to Australia and visit towns hit hardest by the Black Summer bushfires, donating money and supplies to places like Cobargo and Mogo.
Last year, the 32-year-old also raised more than $100,000 for Family Violence Prevention Services in San Antonio with a Mother's Day appeal.
Campbell in rare air as swimmer at her fourth Olympics
Campbell has five medals — two gold, one silver and two bronze — from Beijing, London and Rio and is the first female swimmer to carry the Australian flag at the opening ceremony.
Cate Campbell is one of just three Australian swimmers to go to four Olympic Games. (Getty Images: Jono Searle)
The 29-year-old has qualified for the 50 and 100 metres freestyle at Tokyo and is also expected to suit up in the freestyle and medley relays.
By qualifying for Tokyo, Campbell became just the third Australian swimmer to make it to four games, alongside 2021 teammate Emily Seebohm, and Leisel Jones.
Along with the announcement of the flag-bearers was the release of the Olympic oath for all current and future athletes selected in the Australian team.
It has been created from submissions made by Australian Olympians dating back decades.