Commonwealth Games: More than 120 athletes join chaplains for Easter Sunday service

More than 120 Commonwealth Games athletes, plus coaches and support staff, attended an Easter Sunday service in the Gold Coast village.

The event was hosted by a team of 12 international Christian chaplains who are supporting the teams across the 11 days of competition on Australia's eastern coast.

A diver in practice at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Australia's Gold Coast.Reuters

Graham Daniels, one of two chaplains from the UK-based Christians in Sport (CiS), said that on top of two services each day in the athletes' village, he and Jules Wilkinson, also from CiS, would be meeting with athletes, coaches and support staff one-on-one for Bible studies and pastoral sessions.

'We are working with people here who are young, under pressure, nervous, anxious and excited but have an awful lot of attention on them from their home town, city neighbourhood, region, country,' he said in an interview with Christian Today.

'So the great thing is to take the Christian truths and apply it to their lives as young athletes or coaches or officials.'

He said the athletes found it helpful to 'think theologically about their sport'.

'It is helping athletes navigate the instructive applications of Scripture in the world they live in.'

He went on: 'It feels like there is a distinctive culture in sport and the world of sport. The gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to reach every culture.

'All we are concerned about is helping people who are in the multicultural world of sport to actually understand what being a Christian means in their own day to day lives as sports people.'

The Commonwealth Games is taking place on Australia's Gold Coast. More than 4,500 athletes from 71 nations and territories will gather on Australia's Gold Coast to compete for 275 gold medals over the next 11 days.Reuters

Both Daniels and Wilkinson have built up relationships with athletes through the Diamond League circuit as well as previous Commonwealth and Olympics Games and World Championships.

'On one level they are no more special than anyone else but on another level they are away from home and need someone who is there for them.'

But he added at events 'the nature of the beast is that the coach is king'.

He told Christian Today: 'The athletes train when they need to train.'

The 30-minute to an hour long Bible studies are fitted around their training, warm down, stretches and recovery routine, he said, meaning they are often done on the go between events.

The Games were opened on Wednesday by the Prince of Wales and over the next 10 days more than 4,500 athletes from 71 nations will compete for 275 gold medals.