The announcement also marked the official opening of the Anna Meares Velodrome, the venue for all of the track cycling events.

The Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist joins hurdles champion Sally Pearson and swimming star Cameron McEvoy as ambassadors.

Meares announced herself to the world as an 18-year-old with sprint bronze at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

She went on to compete at four editions of the event, winning five golds, two silvers and a bronze overall.

Meares also won six Olympic medals from four Games, including two golds in an illustrious career.

This year she retired on a high after captaining the Australian Olympic team, carrying the Australian flag and winning keirin bronze at Rio 2016.

"I am excited to play a role beyond competing," said Meares.

"I will be encouraging everyone to experience the greatness of these Games.

"This will be the largest sporting event in Australia this decade and the ticket pricing announced last week makes it affordable to see it live in person."

It was announced last week that more than half of the tickets will be priced below AUD$40 (£24/$30/€27) after organisers revealed their pricing strategy.

In her role, Meares will assist the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) with promotion of the Games, which are scheduled to be held between April 4 and 15 in 2018.

"Her reputation and ability to connect with all of Australia and globally will be a real benefit promoting the Commonwealth Games," added GOLDOC chief executive officer, Mark Peters.

"The passion and sheer determination she showed when competing is a compelling quality.

"She will be a great ambassador for these Games and, along with Sally Pearson and Cameron McEvoy, will tell our story wonderfully."