Of marginally more importance for Tasmanian and indeed global sport, it's also the opening day of an Olympics that will see the former Tamar Churinga player joined by 14 others to form a record representation from the state.

No doubt Dana Faletic will be hoping she is as ecstatic on her 35th birthday, which coincides with her rowing quad scull final, as Deavin is on his 28th.

But even for those 13 Tasmanian Olympians without birthdays, the next fortnight looms as a celebration of their life's journey.

Whether attending a first Games as a teenager, like Amy Cure and Jackson Woods, or a fifth with 20 more years on the clock, like Anthony Edwards, they are all chasing the same prize.

With just three days to go before the opening ceremony (and Deavo's party), it is an opportune time to take stock of how impressive this contribution is.

My last job as a journalist in England before transportation for the term of my natural life to Van Diemens Land was as sports editor of the West Sussex County Times.

West Sussex is a county on the south coast with a population, not to mention climate, similar to Tasmania. Mr Google has just informed me it is now around 800,000 but for the decade or so that I worked there it was closer to the half a million Tasmania now has.

In that decade I reported on one Olympian from the county - Mark Rowland, a lithe middle distance runner who won a bronze medal in the 1988 steeplechase in what remains a British record time.

There was also shooter Richard Faulds, who beat Russell Mark to the double trap title in Sydney and gave us the headline ``The man with the golden gun'' (we thought it was original), but he didn't actually start shooting until he moved to Hampshire as a nipper.

So that's one Olympian. In a decade. There may have been more - I may not have been as thorough back then - but certainly not many more.

Contrast that to 15 (plus three selected Paralympians) from a smaller population at this Games alone. And that on the back of double figures at each of the previous five summer Olympics.

When the likes of Scott Brennan and Matt Goss talk about never feeling disadvantaged by coming from Tasmania, it is worth the next generation of elite athletes listening.

Olympics and world championships can be both reached, and won, from here.

And there is no reason why the St Leonards hockey centre, Hobart's Domain athletics track, the Silverdome, the Huon River, Rosevears cycle loop, Latrobe Boxing Club and many other similar venues cannot continue the production line.

Those 15 Tasmanians are now confronted with the task of converting selection into success.

That won't be easy, not least against a buoyant home nation that exceeded expectations at soccer's Euro 2012, finally produced a Wimbledon male finalist, whitewashed the cricket series against Australia, finished a dominant Tour de France yesterday with first place, second place and a fourth straight win on the Champs Elysees and is still celebrating the Queen's jubilee.

Massive financial input and a developmental program unashamedly based on Australia's has doubtless increased the number of Mark Rowlands.

But my money's staying on Tasmania finishing above West Sussex in the medal table.