The first athletes have been named to represent New Zealand at this year's Commonwealth Games, with the weightlifting and para-bowls teams revealed for Birmingham.
Just a year after the Tokyo Olympics was hampered by strict COVID-19 protocols, athletes and fans will enjoy a lot more freedom in the UK this time around.
That includes weightlifter David Liti.
Just seven months on from finishing fifth at Tokyo, Liti is well-zoned-in on his next challenge - defending his 2018 Commonwealth Games title.
"I wasn't expecting to fly back to New Zealand, get out of MIQ and it literally feels like the week after we're here," Liti says.
But Birmingham will look a lot different to Tokyo, with less restrictions for athletes and full crowds expected - and over a million tickets already sold.
It should be a far cry from the empty venues and strict protocols of last year - and Liti is relishing the chance to shine in front of a packed house.
"They get excited, they start to cheer, it makes you excited and want to lift better," he says.
"So I'm excited to see what it's like over there."
But with COVID still posing risks - ensuring athletes' safety remains the top priority for New Zealand officials.
"The New Zealand team standards are very high around mask-wearing, self-protection, vaccinations," says ex-NZOC chief executive Kereyn Smith. "All of those things we've been very careful about."
The New Zealand team will have their own countermeasures in place - as well as those set by games organisers, as major sporting events start to return to normal.
"We're seeing over there now people are living a relatively normal life, and you're seeing spectators in venues, and you're seeing that just a few months, or six months ahead of New Zealand," adds Smith.
"It's exciting," adds Liti.
"I can't wait to get out there and build a bigger base and hopefully get stronger and better for Commonwealth Games."
A Games that, hopefully, isn't strangled by COVID.
