First volunteers for Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games undergo training
Group of recruitment specialists preparing to help select the 70,000 people who will help stage first Games in South America
The first group of Rio 2016 volunteers has already begun training at the organising committee HQ (Rio 2016/Mathilde Molla)
While thousands of candidates are waiting to find out if they will be hired as volunteers for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a select group has already been taken on and is busy at work – getting ready to help recruit the 70,000 people who will help stage the first Games in South America. About 100 specialists in recruitment were the first group to undergo training last Saturday (7 March), learning about the volunteer programme and its demands at the Rio 2016 headquarters.
“The involvement of these volunteer recruiters is very important for us, since, in addition to being responsible for helping select 70,000 people who will help put on the Games, they represent the values of the Games – they make things happen, they value others and they spread joy,” said Flávia Fontes, Rio 2016’s head of volunteers.
Between March 2015 and May 2016, about 1,000 volunteers will work at training centres in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, and on a ‘road show’ that will visit Brazil’s major cities, helping run group role-play sessions and online interviews. More than 240,000 people applied to be volunteers at the Rio 2016 Games before December’s deadline, with strong interest from the USA, Russia, China and Great Britain.
The first group comprises volunteers qualified in administration, psychology, teaching, human resources and a host of other areas. One of those on board is 63-year-old Maria Inês Aguiar, who previously volunteered at the Rio 2007 Pan-American Games and 2014 FIFA World Cup, and is already signed up for the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto.
“It’s going to be a great experience, but of course I’m a little nervous,” she said. “It’s a big responsibility, there are 70,000 people, but I’m sure it’s going to work out well. The training we have done has been very thorough, we already can see how things will be.”
For those who missed the deadline for applications, there is still hope: you can register on the waiting list (click here). Candidates must be 18 years old by February 2016 and available to work during the Games.
