Even before hopping on a plane to Tokyo, the rigors of training and competition can keep Olympic athletes pretty far away from their support systems. So, Bell is showing how valuable the support they help athletes get through their phones can be on their path to the podium.

The telco’s Olympic campaign is made up of a series of 15-second ads, showing Olympic athletes taking a break to give family updates on their training – though “taking a break” is a bit generous, since trampoliner Rosie MacLennan texts as she bounces, decathlete Pierce LePage’s messages are garbled by the chalk still on his hands and women’s basketball player Kia Nurse and men’s wheelchair basketball player Blaise Mutware both shoot one-handed with their phone in the other.

[iframe_youtube video = “X6___6zImqA”]

The campaign is built on the support Bell provides through its Athletes Connect program, which, in partnership with Samsung, provides athletes with a smartphone and a monthly rate plan at no cost, designed to help keep them connected to friends, family, coaches and fans during busy schedules of training and while competitions. The program has provided mobile services to more than 35,000 athletes since 1997, with 1,300 COC and CPC athletes currently benefiting from the program.

Bell is the latest Canadian Olympic sponsor to tap into the idea of keeping Canadian athletes connected this year. Many sponsors are not just spotlighting athletes in their ads, but finding ways to help fans back home cheer them on.

Creative for the campaign was created by Leo Burnett, Zulu Alpha Kilo and Lg2. The campaign will run during CBC broadcasts of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.