Olympics, for instance, has a role in sending a message (5)
I believe the answer is:
games
'olympics' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'in sending a message' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates a hidden word.
'GAMES' is hidden within 'sending a message'.
'for instance has a role' is the link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for games that I've seen before include "Such as football, snap, etc" , "Matches" , "Events collectively" , "Sporting contests" , "Contests or amusements" .)