With today marking 365 days until the Tokyo Olympics, excitement is ramping up a gear with some of New Zealand's best athletes gathering at Auckland's Piha beach this morning.
Only a year out until the start of the Tokyo games, early ticket sales have been through the roof, the IOC saying they've never seen a city as well prepared this far out.
A number of Kiwi competitors though are far from assured of their spots in Tokyo with qualification still to be decided.
"We have to prove ourselves and show we're podium potential," sailor Alex Maloney told 1 NEWS.
"There's a lot to still be done."
With the Tokyo games to be held in the height of Japan's summer, sailing crews and the Black Sticks men's and women's sides are taking the chance to head over early, attempting to acclimatise to the conditions they'll be facing.
Chef de Mission Rob Waddell is aware of the need to be prepared.
"Medals are won and lost a lot of the time before you walk into the gates of the Olympic village, so it is a really important 12 months," he said.
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