The "Aussie Spirit", as the squad are nicknamed, made headlines around the world earlier this week when they became the first foreign team to arrive in Japan for the re-arranged Tokyo 2020.

They have now began preparing for the Games at Ota Sports Park in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

Following a team photo, the players warmed up and took fielding practice, Kyodo News reported.

All members of the team have been vaccinated for the coronavirus and will undergo daily polymerase chain reaction tests during their stay as a precaution.

The team are due to hold their training camp until July 17 - six days before the Games are officially opened in the Japanese capital - and plan to play several warm-up games against university and corporate teams before a final side of 15 is selected.

Due to difficulties with coronavirus infection guidelines, the team is hoping to stage several meet-and-greet activities with Japanese residents online.

Australia have won a medal every time that softball has appeared on the Olympic programme.

They won bronze at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, a silver at Athens 2004 and bronze again at Beijing 2008, after which the sport was dropped from the Olympic programme before being reintroduced for Tokyo 2020.

Australia will be among the favourites to win another medal at this year’s tournament featuring six countries.

Australia will open their campaign with a match against the hosts and defending Olympic champions Japan in a match that will have particular significance as it is being staged in Fukushima, which was at the centre of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

The game is due to take place on July 22, the day before the Opening Ceremony, that means for the first time since 1996, the opening match of the summer Olympiad is not a football match.

Australia is then due to play Italy on July 23, Canada on July 25, the United States on July 26 and Mexico on July 27.

The gold and bronze medal matches are then scheduled to take place in Yokohama on July 28.