The Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games
(BOCOG) is seeking to recruit Chinese-speaking volunteers from
across the globe, an official announced in Beijing on
Wednesday.
BOCOG will press ahead with its international recruitment drive
later this month, with Chinese embassies worldwide fielding and
sorting the applications, said BOCOG Executive Vice President Li
Binghua.
Between 80,000 and 100,000 volunteers will be recruited ahead of
the Olympics opening ceremony on August 8th
2008.
Li revealed that since domestic recruitment began last August,
over 350,000 applications have so far been received as well as
those coming in from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and
internationally.
"We welcome overseas volunteers who wish to join us, but they
should at least be able to communicate in Chinese," said Li, who is
also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People' s
Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top
advisory body.
Li's remarks came on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the
10th CPPCC National Committee.
Furthermore, Li underscored the need for 5,000 further
"professional volunteers" who will provide exclusive interpretation
services for VIPs during the Games.
(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2007)