Water Polo Australia marks 100 days to go until Tokyo Olympics

As the clock ticked over to 100 days to go until the Tokyo Olympic Games, Aussie Sharks and Aussie Stingers took a moment to reflect on all that it’s taken to get to this point.

Rio Olympian Zoe Arancini knows the feeling well, having made her Olympic debut in 2016.

With the Olympics postponed in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Arancini said the milestone has fast approached.

“It really has snuck up on us and I’m getting really excited now,” Arancini said.

“The uniform has been unveiled, that looks really good and was another exciting milestone.

“The feeling among the group is that we’re excited - we’re excited that it’s going ahead, excited to see what it’s going to be like and excited to play together on the world stage,” she said.

Tokyo Olympic hopeful Locky Hollis echoed Arancini’s comments, adding how eager the men’s team is to get underway.

“All the boys are really excited, the goal is so close we can almost touch it, which is reassuring. Everyone has been working so hard or the past four and a half years to get to this point,” Hollis said.

“We’ve all been training so hard, and everyone is in good form - we’re all just looking forward to putting on the green and gold uniform and getting on that plane to Tokyo,” he said.

Not only will our men’s and women’s teams be representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, but Australia’s first female referee Nicola Johnson will also be boarding the flight to Japan.

“I received my plane ticket this week so that was super exciting, and made it all seem so real,” Johnson said.

“Being the first female referee for Australia is super exciting, it’s sort of broken the glass ceiling and shown that it can be done.

“I’ve had people tell me that they see this as a milestone for other Australian female referees to see that it is possible.

“From that point of view, being an inspiration for the other female referees that want to get there is fantastic and anything I can do to help inspire the next generation is fantastic,” she said.

Johnson said one of the things she is most looking forward to is reconnecting with the international referees network.

“That’s one of the most important things that keeps you going in the sport - apart from helping the athletes to achieve their dream,” Johnson said.

“It’s all about the connections you make with other referees and sharing experiences - it will be good to catch up with them again,” she said.

On 100 days to go, the Australian Olympic Committee confirmed a national series of live sites will go ahead during the Games.

Olympics Live presented by Westpac includes live sites in Sydney (The Rocks & Sydney Olympic Park), Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth which will operate during the Olympic Games from 23 July to 8 August 2021.

Find out more - click here