As Australia marked one year until the Paris Olympics, two things were made abundantly clear; you don't want to miss breaking's debut and the opening ceremony will be one for the ages.
The two elements of Paris 2024 were on show as political heavyweights and Australian Olympic Committee top brass marked the milestone day at Qantas' Sydney headquarters, where 'AllezAus' was officially launched as the team's rallying cry.
Chef de Mission Anna Meares isn't convinced the French twist will totally drown out the old 'Aussie, Aussie Aussie - oi, oi, oi', but having just returned from two weeks in Paris, she could not be more impressed by the drive, passion and readiness of the Games organisers.
And she said plans for the opening ceremony parade of athletes down the Seine river will be a highlight.
"It's historical, it's the first time it's going to be presented outside the stadium," said Meares, who captured two golds amongst her six Olympic medals in the velodrome.
"I was in Paris to get some insight into how they're going to put that together and I think it's going to be one for the ages.
"There'll be over 180 boats ... it sets up the Games for an incredible experience for the athletes."
Taking part in the opening ceremony has always been somewhat of a contentious topic for athletes given the energy expended spending hours on their feet so close to competition.
But the unique experience could convince a few more to take part, with Meares leaving the call up to the athletes.
"The decision really does come down to a high performance decision by the athletes, their coach and their supports," Meares said.
"Especially if you're on day one of the competition or week one of the competition, you don't want to compromise anything in terms of performance."
For Tokyo Games gold medallist Jess Fox, a trip down the Seine could be too much to pass up, despite her canoe slalom event being part of the day one program.
"I always love going to the opening ceremony," Fox said.
"If I can go and leave early that would be a great option - not sure that's logistically possible to get off a boat, but I'd love to be part of that experience."
Fox was one of a handful of athletes present at Wednesday's event, which had a heavy focus on the new wave of Olympians.
No Australian individual has qualified for Paris as yet, but while Fox is aiming for her fourth Games, breaker Rachael Gunn and pint-sized 13-year-old skateboarder Chloe Covell are looking to get there for the first time.
Gunn and her breaking crew put on a show to open the event, and while even she isn't quite sure of her endeavour's credentials as a sport, it was hard not to be amazed at the athletic display.
The performance sparked a frenzied reach for the phone with onlookers keen to capture a snippet of a sport Paris Games organisers hope will build on the generational change kick-started in Tokyo, when skateboarding, freestyle BMX and surfing were added to the program.
"This is pretty amazing to be here on the brink of something like this," Gunn said.
