Athletes at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will be able to share their once in a lifetime experiences with friends and family around the world, thanks to the help of the Yes Optus store in the athlete’s village.

Optus State Manager for QLD, Mark O’Shea said Optus was glad to be connecting the Games athletes with their loved ones, while they are staying in the Games Village.

“As the Official Support Network of the GC2018 Commonwealth Games, Optus is committed to providing a great experience for all our athletes, support staff and fans throughout the games,” Mr O’Shea said.

“The Yes Optus store in the Games Village, will provide every athlete the opportunity to speak to their friends and family free of charge via our Wi-Fi and instore tablets, whilst charging their phone and watching all the action of the games in a stadium style atmosphere.”

“We will also be providing free Wi-Fi access to the 6,600 athletes and team officials in the Games Village, with boosted coverage in the most populated areas,” O’Shea added.

The Yes Optus store in the Games Village is one of three pop-up stores on the Gold Coast during the Commonwealth Games, giving visitors the opportunity to connect to the Optus network while at the games.

Stores at the Gold Coast Airport and Main Media Centre will also be offering a range of mobile accessories, pre and post-paid plans and a variety of mobile phones including the new iPhone X and Samsung S9.

“The media won’t miss out on these wonderful facilities, with the Main Media Centre offering free Wi-Fi, mobile phone charging stations, outdoor tables and chairs and beanbags to relax.”

More than 30 countries including Canada, England and New Zealand have partnered with Optus to help their athletes stay connected across Queensland, by signing up to Optus’ Prepaid SIM plans.

“Athletes, support staff and media from every country will have access to these pre-paid plans, offering a heap of data and unlimited talk and text options, while being connected to Optus’ super-fast network,” said O’Shea.

Optus will provide the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games communications infrastructure and managed services.