The modern Olympics began in 1896, having been modelled on the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC.
That is a history spanning 3,000 years.
It might sound impressive to some, but it is nothing when compared to the significance of Australia being led into the Tokyo opening ceremony by a member of the oldest living culture on the planet, a man who walks with 60,000 years of genetic memory coursing through his veins.
Patty Mills. Kokatha, Naghiralgal and Dauareb-Meriam man. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Social justice advocate. Professional basketballer. NBA champion and four-time Olympian.
Along with Cate Campbell, the first female swimmer to be selected for the role, Mills will carry the Australian flag ahead of the squad that will march in the parade of nations in Tokyo.
The Australian Olympic team Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman selected the flag-bearers.
Chesterman rang Mills and said he would be honoured if — as one of Australia's Olympic team leaders — he would accept the role.
There was no hesitation on Mills's part.
"It was an easy decision. I am very proud of who I am. I am very comfortable in my own skin," Mills said.
"I get thrilled and excited about the opportunity to be able to tell people who I am and where I'm from.
"At the end of the day I imagine little girls and little boys, whether they are at home or at school … I can picture them and what they might feel or how they'll react when they see someone like me being a representative of them.
"That's what it's all about, right? Having the next generation come up and be true to themselves, proud of who they are, proud of their identity, and to wear that on their chests … that can help them achieve their dreams."
'This stuff fuels my fire'
Some of the words most frequently attached to being an Olympic flag-bearer include honour, responsibility, inspiration and an enduring symbol.
Mills said the significance would take a lifetime to process.
"I say that because I really do think that for you and for myself to really understand what those words mean in this role, it will take a long time," he said.
"I think it's more about what does it mean to everyone else? What does it mean to the rest of Australia? What does it mean to the expats that live around the world?
"What does it mean to the younger generation coming through, the people that have come before us? What does it mean to them?
"This is the feeling I think really kick-starts the fire inside me to really use it as a driving force to achieve what I want to achieve in the sport.
"This stuff fuels my fire, this is the stuff that helps me get in a place — a mindset of hard work, of grind, to be able to achieve what I want to achieve."
Hard work is hard-wired inside Mills. He represents nations within a nation.
Australia is a country with a complex history. Some still say it was settled by the British in 1788; others now admit it was stolen.
Of all the Commonwealth countries, Australia is the only one without a treaty with its Indigenous population.
Mills's mother and her siblings were victims of the Stolen Generations, having been forcibly removed from their families because of a government policy that believed they would be better off being assimilated into white society.
The Australian flag Mills will carry into Tokyo's Olympic stadium has in the top left corner the Union Jack, representing the history of British settlement. It is surrounded by the Federation Star, representing the states and territories of the country, and a constellation of stars known as the Southern Cross.
While there is nothing on that flag that recognises the country's first peoples, the actual stars of the Southern Cross at least have been witness to every episode in Australia's history.
In every interview Mills has conducted he has the Australian flag as part of his backdrop. To its left is the Aboriginal flag, and to its right is the Torres Strait Islander flag.
All three of them are symbolic of who Mills is and how he sees himself.
"There are benefits in being able to overcome adversities in your life and on your journey," Mills said.
"I think there's benefits in being able to really grind and work hard for something that you desperately want to achieve.
"This was part of my upbringing … understanding who I am, understanding who my family is and what they've gone through from top to bottom.
"The hurdles that I've gone through, and the adversity I've gone through as a young boy, I can say it's nothing like what my mum had gone through, for example.
"But it was adversity, and it did shape me to who I am today.
"That's why when I'm in this position I can sit here or stand here with this confidence … because I know there are young boys and young girls out there watching this and it's a message to them — to stand with confidence and stand with your chest high and deliver your identity, and deliver the proudness of who you are because it starts there and then everything else will fall into place."
Mills's focus on giving back
Mills is recognised for using his voice, his connections and his earnings to ensure those who look to him for inspiration walk away with more than that.
He founded Indigenous Basketball Australia (IBA), aiming to teach sports skills, while also developing better health, education, cultural knowledge and leadership qualities for future generations.
As proof of Mills's stature in the game, the NBA has become a partner of IBA.
"There's many factors that went into the reasons of starting Indigenous Basketball Australia," Mills said.
"We're tackling issues within basketball, first of all, and trying to really get a higher participation of Indigenous young boys and girls, not only in junior level but that next step up in the senior levels, as well, and hopefully into the NBL, the WNBL, the Boomers and the Opals.
"But like I said, there is a huge focus on off-the-court stuff as well … it can help keep culture alive … this can help kids on a daily basis.
"Whether it's with their confidence, whether it's with their living day to day — can we get them off the streets and into a program they feel comfortable in and around people of like mindedness so they can really thrive?"
Tokyo will be Mills's fourth Olympic Games. At his first, in Beijing 2008, he led the Boomers' scoring.
At his second, in London 2012, he led the tournament in points per game, his tally highlighted by a to-die-for three-pointer on the buzzer to defeat Russia for a place in the quarter-finals.
At his most recent Olympics, in Rio 2016, the veteran notched 30 points in the bronze-medal game against Spain.
Being a flag-bearer at his fourth Olympics has already guaranteed Mills will be an enduring symbol, but his main focus remains the challenge of helping the Boomers win an elusive Olympic medal.
This is made even more challenging with the announcement the venue for the basketball competition will be devoid of fans and atmosphere.
"It is going to be tough. It is going to be different," Mills said.
"It is something athletes aren't completely used to but at the end of the day it's just another hurdle, just another bump in the road, an adversity that athletes usually deal with on almost a daily basis.
"Professionals at this level understand that and are able to quickly flick into a mindset of, 'OK, I acknowledge this adversity, how do I get through it, or around it or over it?'
"I think a lot of that kicks in as well when you have the Australian spirit behind you, and I know that's a clichéd thing to say, but it's something I definitely use very strongly, especially at this level, in this environment.
"At the end of the day, this is the Olympic Games. It is the largest sporting event in the world. It's a big stage no matter if there's fans there or not.
"So as much as we would love to have fans and supporters and everyone cheering everyone on, we do have to respect the rules and that part is out of our control.
And is that a medal?
"One hundred per cent," Mills said.
And is that medal gold?
"One hundred per cent."
Patty Mills. Role model. Man on a mission. Australian Olympic flag-bearer.
