It is precisely 50 days before the official start of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and the greatest confirmation of this was revealed on Tuesday, when the medals for the Summer Games were revealed to the world.
The launch of the medals was held at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janiero, with Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee in attendance. Every medal design differs with each edition, but the significance of the precious metal alone never diminishes.
"The force of an Olympic hero is a force of nature. It's this connection that our Olympic Medals establish," organisers said on their public release on Facebook.
The Paralympic medals, whose Games follows on shortly after the completion of the Summer Games, have a particularly poignant message attached.
"The Paralympic medals showcase seeds that symbolize the courage, persistence and development of athletes," the statement explained.
The design of the medal cases for Paralympian athletes who make the podium reiterate the element of being a precious seed, as they are in the shape and colour of a pod. As the planning and anticipation for the Games goes into the home straight, the medals will certainly light the fires of those athletes who are still lacking in motivation.
For South Africa, preparations for the various athletes are also at an advanced stage. 800m female star Caster Semenya continues to dominate lead-up races around the world, and she is as close to a certainty for a gold medal as they come, even with over a month to the Games.
Fellow track star Wayde van Niekerk is also on schedule for the August showpiece. Van Niekerk recently competed in the 300m in Jamaica, which is an unusual race in itself. However, the dash did provide an opportunity for the 400m World Champion to strike a psychological blow against one of his big rivals.
Van Niekerk ran the event in 31.03 seconds, which saw him beat American star LaShawn Merritt into second. The time was also the third-fastest in the history of the event, though the company that Van Niekerk is keeping in that regard is rather elevated.
Usain Bolt and Michael Johnson, two of the greatest ever Olympians - never mind sprinters - are just ahead of Van Niekerk in the pecking order, and he would have taken a lot of heart from that.
Both he, Semenya and rising star Anaso Jobodwana (200m) will be expected to feature strongly in the hunt for medals for Team South Africa on the track, and they will also fine-tune their preparations in Durban, at the upcoming African Championships.
The continental Championships will be held from 22-26 June, and will be yet another chance for South Africa's top athletes to display their readiness. Conditions in Durban are not too far removed from those they can expect in Rio in 50 days' time, so the timing is apt.
The preparations on the ground for the Olympic Games has not been without its controversy, with Rio officials having to constantly send out reassurances to athletes and federations, especially in wake of the Zika virus and several unsavoury incidents of crime.
But, this week's release of the medals would have made the Olympic dream for many of the world's best athletes that much more real.
They are now just 50 days away from their hunt for glory. - Independent Media