A recruitment drive for 100,000 Olympic volunteers aimed at helping Chinese people and foreigners get involved in the 2008 Games was officially launched on August 28 in Beijing.
Organizers say that applications are expected to start flooding in from around the city, while mainland applicants from outside Beijing can apply for positions starting in December.
Applicants from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese, students studying abroad and foreigners can apply next March through the organizer's online form.
The volunteers are expected to help with translation, transportation, security, medical services and cultural activities.
"The recruitment will serve as a platform for the general public in China and people abroad to participate in the Games," said Liu Qi, President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).
To be eligible, applicants should be at least 16 years old (born before June 30, 1990) and be able to work for more than seven days during the Games.
Chinese applicants should be able to speak at least one foreign language, and those whose first language is not Chinese should be able to speak some Chinese.
Professional knowledge and skills are required for those applying for certain positions.
"We estimate that we'll need 70,000 volunteers for the Olympic Games, and another 30,000 for the Paralympic Games," said Li Binghua, Executive Vice President of BOCOG.
The majority of volunteers will be recruited from universities in Beijing. Applicants who live in Beijing, including those from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and foreign countries, could submit their applications in the following ways:
Teachers and students can apply to the recruitment offices at their universities. Others can apply through the online registration system. They can also mail an application form to the recruitment office.
Other mainland cities will have their own recruitment procedures. The recruitment in co-host cities (Qingdao, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang, Qinhuangdao, Hong Kong) will be arranged by sub-committees according to BOCOG's general policy.
Fifty consultation stations have been set up by BOCOG throughout Beijing to help answer questions from applicants and promote recruitment. A hotline, 86-10-12308, has also been launched.
Applicants will be interviewed and background checks will be carried out, said Liu Jian, chief of the Beijing Olympic Games Volunteer Work Co-ordination Group Office.
All volunteers must pay for their own travel costs to and from Beijing, as well as for accommodation.
Once recruited, they are expected to promote volunteerism, spread the Olympic spirit, practice the concept of "people's Olympics," enhance service awareness, improve their service abilities, and bear the historical responsibility and mission of making positive contributions to the Beijing Olympic Games.
BOCOG will make a final decision on the first group of recruits in August 2007. According to Liu, the whole process of recruitment will be completed by May 2008.
He added that the first batch of volunteers will start work at the beginning of July 2008.
"Working at the Olympics is one way to show your enthusiasm for the Games, but the number of volunteers we can employ is limited," Liu said.
"The many people who can't become volunteers can still help make the city a better place by being courteous and helpful to visitors."
Besides the Games volunteers, hundreds of thousands of people are needed for other city operations. They will provide a wide range of services such as controlling traffic and helping maintain public order.
The launching ceremony also unveiled the title and slogan of the "Smile Theme Activity."
The song "Smile, Beijing" marked the climax of the ceremony. Children dressed in the costumes of Fu Wa, the five Beijing Olympic mascots, held the balloons in five Olympic colors and painted smiling faces on the balloons along with the spectators.
"In 2008, the volunteers' smiles will be the best name cards for Beijing. We hope everyone will help us make Beijing a 'smiling city,'" Liu said.
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