Have you dreamed of being part of the biggest sporting event on the planet? Well, now your chance is approaching… one month from today, on 28 August 2014, the application process for the Rio 2016 Volunteers Programme will open. This will fire the starting pistol for a process that will end with 70,000 people – from all over the world – being selected to help stage the first Olympic and Paralympic Games in South America.  

Volunteers will perform more than 500 roles during the Games, such as interpreters, receptionists, drivers, assistants, reporters and medical professionals.

“The volunteers are indispensable for the success of the Games, they are the soul of the event,” said Flávia Fontes, head of the Rio 2016 Volunteers Programme. “A person in the city could go through the Games without seeing an athlete with their own eyes, but it would be impossible not to meet a volunteer. They play a part in everything, helping and providing information to spectators, assisting heads of state and providing operational support at the ceremonies.”

The first stage of the selection process will begin with online registration, which opens on 28 August, followed by aptitude testing and then, in 2015, interviews. The package of benefits that will be offered includes a language course, meals and local transport. Each volunteer will receive a certificate of participation at the end of the Games.

To take part, applicants must be at least 18 years old in May 2016, have completed basic education (middle/secondary school) and be available for the selection process and to work during the Games. Find out more about the Rio 2016 Volunteers Programme by clicking here.