Optus poaches Telstra's Olympic Games deal

Optus has won a 10-year sponsorship deal with the Australian Olympic Committee that will see it replace Telstra as the official telecommunications partner of the Australian Olympic team.

The deal includes sponsorship of the Australian Olympic team for the Rio 2016 Games, the Summer Games in 2020 and 2024, as well as the Winter Olympics teams for 2018, 2022 and 2026.

Other teams organised by the AOC, including the Youth Olympic Games and the 2017 World Beach Games teams, will also be covered as part of the sponsorship.

The contract include Optus' participation in the AOC’s partner recognition program, Olympic themed promotions, branded merchandise, VIP events, Olympic Games tickets and hospitality, and licensed product opportunities.

However, online broadcasting rights have not been included as part of the deal.

Seven holds the rights to stream nearly 5000 hours of HD video content through its 2016 Rio Olympics app.

The announcement marks the end of more than 20 years of AOC sponsorship by Telstra, which began with the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

Telstra’s sponsorship deal had included providing web conferencing services for the AOC’s ‘chat to a champ’ educational program, as well as the long-running ‘HeroMessage’ promotion.

While Optus declined to disclose the value of its deal, which runs until 2026, it has described the partnership as one of the AOC’s biggest ever national sponsorships.