ASICS and the Australian Olympic Team have revealed the clothing to be worn by the 490 members of the team when they head to Tokyo to compete in the COVID-affected Games.

Each item is tailored to each of the sports athletes are competing in, but each aspect of clothing will have an Indigenous artwork, called “the 52 steps”, featured on them.

The title represents winding their way back to a circular meeting place, referencing previous Australian Indigenous athletes who have competed at past Olympic Games.

In an interview with the ABC, Rugby Sevens player, Maurice Longbottom, who dons Dharawal heritage, said to wear this uniform gives him so much pride.

“It’s massive, I can’t believe it,” Longbottom said.

“I was worried about it all week and then I finally saw the design today and I was blown away by it.

“Just to be able to follow in the footsteps of the other athletes and do them proud and then, hopefully, on the flip side of that, to inspire some young kids to come up and one day hopefully be at the Olympics and do the same thing,” he said.

In terms of the design, ASICS product developer, Nissanka Koonetilleke, said the product has been tested to ensure they were at a high standard.

“We got samples out to the athletes and got them tested to ensure they were up to competition standard,” Koonetilleke told the ABC.

 “It’s been a four-year process so there’s been a lot of design development within it.

“We can’t take any credit for the Indigenous artwork, he [former Olympic boxer Paul Fleming] designed the whole print and we applied what he did to our garments.

“It’s nice to pay honour and tribute to the 52 Indigenous athletes from the past,” he said.