Mills, Campbell named Australian Olympic flag-bearers

CANBERRA -- Basketball and swimming stars Patty Mills and Cate Campbell have been announced as Australia's flag-bearers for the Tokyo Olympics.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) on Wednesday night revealed that Mills and Campbell, both four-time Olympians, will lead the Australian team into the opening ceremony in Tokyo on July 23.

Mills, an NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, will become the first Indigenous Australian to carry the flag at the Olympics, and Campbell the first female swimmer to do so.

"A very passionate moment I can feel in my bones. But what does it actually mean to me to be a flag bearer?" Mills said in a media release.

"My answer comes from how this particular person in past years, in this role, has impacted me. It's leadership, representation and it's insanely meaningful. It's inspiring. It's symbolic. It's emblematic.

"As the first Aboriginal &Torres Strait Islander flag bearer my connection between our country - the land, the sky, the sea, our culture, our history and this particular moment runs extremely deep."

Mills - the third basketballer to bear the Australian flag - will be hoping to lead the Boomers to their first-ever Olympic medal.

Campbell, 29, is aiming to claim her first individual Olympic gold medal in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle events.

She said she was humbled to be chosen as the first swimmer to carry the flag since 1980.

"It's always an honor to represent Australia at the Olympics, but this year is even more special," Campbell said.

"Twelve months ago, I wasn't even sure if there would be an Olympics. The postponement threw up so many challenges for everyone. More than ever, the Olympics feels like a celebration of the human spirit; a reminder of what we can achieve if we work together."