A select group of volunteers will have the important task of taking care of athletes, spectators and staff during the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Of the 70,000 places up for grabs, about 5,000 are for healthcare professionals, providing opportunities for doctors, physiotherapists, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and technicians in various fields. The registration phase is entering the final straight, so don’t miss out if you want to play your part in the world’s biggest sporting event, register right now!

​“The relationship between doctor and athlete is very special, based as it is on trust and mutual respect. If you are proud of your profession and would like to test your limits, the volunteer programme is a great opportunity,” said Emma Painter, Rio 2016’s head of medical services.

In addition to providing healthcare services for athletes and delegations from more than 200 countries at the Olympic and Paralympic Village’s polyclinic, healthcare volunteers will also staff medical stations inside and outside the competition facilities, attending spectators, the workforce and all those involved in the event.

To work in this area, candidates must have graduated or qualified in their profession by January 2016 – it is not necessary to have had a great deal of experience in the work place. This is a unique opportunity to enrich your CV, meet people from different cultural backgrounds and make new friends. Selected candidates will receive exclusive training for the position, food and travel in the city on work days and a certificate of participation.

“In addition to forming a valuable relations network with professionals from all over the world, the practical lessons learned from close involvement in this kind of really complex undertaking represents a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth,” said Adriano Valadão, who is responsible for recruitment in the Rio 2016 Medical Services department.

Eager to take part in the first Olympic Games in South America, orthopaedic practitioner Alexandre de Paiva Luciano highlights the professional career benefits of his experience as a volunteer at the Guadalajara 2011 Pan American Games. “The experience I had was a watershed in my personal and professional life,” he said. “After Guadalajara, I made it my goal to participate more actively in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”

To volunteer at the Rio 2016 Games, you must be 18 years old by February 2016 and available to work during the events (5 to 21 August  for the Olympic Games, 7 to 18 September for the Paralympic Games). To be a member of the medical services team, you must have graduated or passed your professional qualifications by January 2016 for one of following roles:

·         Nurse or nursing technician

·         Professional first-aid worker (or a healthcare academic interested in working in first aid)

·         Physiotherapist (specialists in sports, chiropractic, osteopathy or recently qualified)

·         Massage therapist

·         Pharmacist

·         Dentist (surgery and facial trauma, dentistry, endodontics, dental radiology and imaging, periodontics and prostheses)

·         Dental hygienist

·         Dental prosthesis auxiliary

·         Radiologist

·         Orthopaedic immobilisation technician

·         Optometrist and optometric technician

·         Medical doctor/practitioner (recently qualified with no specialisation, or specialists in all areas, particularly in sports medicine, emergencies, orthopaedics and traumatology, cardiology, ophthalmology, radiology and acupuncture)

If you want to join this team, check out the details on the Rio 2016 Volunteer Programme webpage.