They had the opportunity to recite the words for the first time when swimmer Cate Campbell, a double Olympic gold medallist, and National Basketball Association star Patty Mills, a three-time Olympian were announced as joint flag bearers for the Australian team.

The oath was formulated by the Australian Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission which began work on the project in 2018.

They had felt that an existing code, known as the Aspire values “felt more like a set of rules than something Olympians could connect with in a personal way”.

They had asked athletes to make suggestions and received responses from athletes spanning seven decades.

"Olympians are very proud of the culture, values and traditions that they uphold, and an Oath is a tangible expression of this pride. It expresses a commitment which has added moral weight because of its collectively binding nature." Beijing 2008 pole vault gold medallist and commission leader Steve Hooker said.

"It’s also an important piece of history that this team going to Tokyo takes with them.

"It’s a tradition that starts with them.

"They are a team that has faced such difficulty, collectively and individually, just to get to these Games let alone compete in them.

"This is a common thread that draws them together."

The Commission had also taken advice from the AOC’s Indigenous Advisory Commission before producing the final wording.

This was agreed in 2020 but has only now been made public.

The words acknowledge Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander histories but also include a reference to Edwin "Teddy" Flack, Australia’s first Olympic champion, who won both the 800 and 1500 metres at the first Olympics of the modern era at Athens in 1896.

"For the honour of representing Australia,

 "With acknowledgment and respect for the ancient Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and their ongoing connection to the continent, water and seas,

 "For the pursuit of excellence in every endeavour,

 "With gratitude to those who make it possible,

 "For the Spirit of sport,

 "For my fellow Olympians whom I respect and support

 "Since Edwin and forever,

 "Once an Olympian, always an Olympian."

A copy of the text has been given to every member of the Tokyo 2020 team.

Olympians from the past were encouraged to wear their old uniforms and recite the oath in a link up with the current generation of Olympians.

Among those who did so was legendary swimmer Dawn Fraser, who won the third successive Olympic 100m freestyle gold medals at Tokyo 1964, and Cathy Freeman who lit the Cauldron and won 400m gold at Sydney 2000.