First 50,000 volunteers for Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games selected
Candidates can check if they have been successful online; USA, Great Britain, Russia and China lead non-Brazilians selected
These volunteers helped present the medals at the table tennis test event (Rio 2016/Mathilde Molla)
The wait is over. The first 50,000 volunteers have been chosen to work at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The successful candidates, who come from 151 countries, will help make history at the first edition of the events to be staged in South America.
The announcement was made on Thursday (26 November) evening and the candidates, who applied from August 2014 and have taken part in the selection process throughout this year, can check to see if their names are among the first selected by inputting their details on this web page.
Successful candidates will be sent letters of invitation by email, which will provide details of the roles they have been selected for, and which departments and venues they will work in. Upon receiving the letter of confirmation by email, they will have 10 days to accept the offer. Once they have accepted the offer, they will officially become Rio 2016 volunteers.
The letters of invitation will be sent by email over the next few months, with the first ones being sent on Monday (30 November).
Of the 50,000 approved candidates, 82 per cent are Brazilians. Among the 18 per cent of non-Brazilians, the largest group is from the USA, followed by Great Britain, Russia and China. Among the Brazilians selected, more than half are from the state of Rio de Janeiro, with São Paulo (21 per cent) and Minas Gerais (six per cent) accounting for the next highest proportions. Among the Brazilians chosen, 55 per cent are women and 40 per cent are 25 or younger, while another 40 per cent are between 25 and 45.
“It’s going to be great. We’re giving our time and attention and we are going to earn much more, a really valuable experience,” said Luci de Barros, who worked as a volunteer at this month’s boccia test event.
This experience will not be limited to this first 50,000 people, however. Many applications are still being analysed and could appear on future lists that will be published. And there is also still hope for people who have not yet applied – they can put their name on the waiting list: click here to do so.
