Beijing 2008 – Special Volunteers And Smiles

Beijing 2008 organizers want to involve more volunteers with special skills as well as those coming from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and foreign countries.

Since it was launched August 28 the Olympic volunteer program has had more than 220,000 applicants and 600,000 people looking for information, according to Beijing 2008.

Recruitment of volunteers will be open to everyone starting in March, said Liu Jian, head of the Volunteers Department of BOCOG. Liu said recruiting and training specialized volunteers would be one of their most important tasks as the Games get closer. He said, “compared with non-specialized volunteers, specialized volunteers need to deal with more complicated situations and are of more importance to the overall service level”.

The enlistment of specialized volunteers will be kicked off this month and will focus on eight service sectors, including VIP escort and interpretation, vehicle driving, media operations, event organization, medical service, reception and accommodation, and security checks.

Liu said those meeting the requirements for specialized volunteers and have already applied online or on paper will be included in the ranks for selection.

He said, “we have been really touched by the enthusiasm of the people. I’m sure we will have no problem in being able to find enough people with the right skills”.

Meanwhile Olympic organizers want Beijing residents to smile to make the city more attractive to the hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors expected in Beijing between now and August 2008.

Liu said, “we hope Beijing residents will join in the smile campaign to turn the city into a city of smiles. For many people who will not be volunteers, they are expected to show their good manners and do what they can to make the city a better place”.

Last month the “Smiling Beijing” campaign was launched. The smile wristbands to be given to volunteers are a series of soft plastic bands in the five Olympic colours. They are printed with the Olympic volunteer logo and the slogan “A smile is the best calling card for Beijing”. The final version of the bracelet will be issued on January 1. Write or read comments about this article