Volunteers

Caroline Esthéfany Santos is a 23-year-old law student from Rondônia who dreams of being a public defender. Her greatest desire is to help people who cannot afford lawyers’ fees. She knows this year will be an important one in her life, as she will be a Rio 2016 Games volunteer, giving her the pleasure of helping others and achieving things. On the evening of 22 June she had a unique experience. She didn’t just carry the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch, but also lit the pyre at the end of the relay celebration in Porto Velho, her hometown. This was a very special taster of what is to come in Rio de Janeiro, where she will volunteer in the customer service area at Carioca Arena 1, in Barra Olympic Park, supporting the competitions for her favourite sport, basketball. “I would do anything to take part in the Games. They are historic. I will make a lot of friends, find out how things work behind the scenes, meet a lot of people. I may be able to practise my English and it will be good for my CV. I will be helping people, informing them about seats, giving information. It will be very rewarding for me,” she says. Caroline managed to participate in the torch relay in Porto Velho after taking part in a contest

On Monday, 13 June, the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro entered into a partnership with Rio 2016 to support Meu Lugar no Rio (My Place in Rio), a collaborative platform designed to facilitate the search for accommodation by volunteers at South America’s first Olympic and Paralympic Games. Using the expertise demonstrated during 2013 World Youth Day, when more than 80,000 people stayed in families’ homes, the Archdiocese sees Rio 2016 as an opportunity to welcome people coming to the city to play an essential role in organising the world’s largest sports event. “Those coming to Rio will be very important for the Games, and Rio is a welcoming place, as demonstrated during World Youth Day. The events are different, but the same spirit of welcoming people is involved,” said the Cardinal-Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Orani Tempesta, shortly before presiding over mass at the Santo Antônio Convent in Largo da Carioca. My Place in Rio is an online collaborative platform produced by the Rio 2016 Games Organising Committee to help people who have a place to offer to volunteers make contact with volunteers coming to the city to help with the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. It works in a simple way: residents of the metropolitan region of Rio register as host candidates, and volunteers also register, indicating that they are looking for a place to stay during the Games. After registering, you can use the website to look for people, start a conversation via email, and then agree upon the terms for the stay. “Our partnership with the Archdiocese of Rio is very important to help volunteers get in touch with people who already opened up their heart during World Youth Day and who can now once more demonstrate their solidarity towards Rio 2016 volunteers,” said Flávia Fontes, the general manager of Rio 2016’s Volunteer Programme.

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee is announcing its new Meu Lugar no Rio (My Place in Rio) online platform developed to unite volunteers in search of lodging with potential hosts in Rio de Janeiro. Volunteers are vital to the success of Rio 2016, the first Olympic and Paralympic Games in South America. More than fifty thousand people from all over Brazil and from at least 156 countries are expected for the event. They come to Rio de Janeiro in search of a story to tell for the rest of their lives. And now they can count on an exclusive platform created to help them find a place to stay during their experience in the city. “Hosting a volunteer means opening your home to a person who has opened their heart to the Games,” says Flávia Fontes, manager of the Rio 2016 Volunteer Program. “The volunteers will be together with 14,850 athletes from 206 countries and over 32,000 journalists. The whole world will be in Rio, and this is a great opportunity for residents to get involved and participate in the first Olympic and Paralympic Games in South America,” she adds. The way Meu Lugar no Rio works is simple: residents of Rio’s metropolitan area who would like to be hosts, along with volunteers who need a place to stay during the Games, register with the platform. After completing registration, people may navigate through the site, find a person, and start a conversation by email to set up their stay. After that, all that’s left is to count the days until August and September. Meu Lugar no Rio is available in Portuguese and English. Visit at: www.meulugarnorio.com.br.  

One of the most symbolic moments for those who will take part in the first Olympic and Paralympic Games in South America has finally arrived. After years of planning and six months in production, the uniforms to be used by volunteers and employees, who proudly make up the Rio 2016 team, have just been launched. “For the volunteers, the uniform is much more than trousers and a shirt, the uniform is a symbol. A symbol of recognition. A symbol of their collaboration so that this great event may take place. It is the material representation of pride to be part of this dream,” said Flávia Fontes, manager of the Rio 2016 Volunteer Programme. The uniforms were revealed at Cidade do Samba, in Rio’s port area, the same place where in the coming days they will start to be distributed to Rio 2016 employees and volunteers, two million items arriving in Brazil in 48,665 boxes, brought from China in 58 containers. This mountain of clothing will be distributed as follows to volunteers: three polo shirts, two pairs of trousers that may be turned into shorts via an adjustable hem, one belt, one jacket, one cap, one backpack and money belt, three pairs of socks, one pair of trainers, one raincoat and one water bottle and a clip for bottles with a 500ml capacity. The uniforms were designed to combine versatility, comfort and to represent the pride of those who have organised an event the size and importance of the Games. For this reason the colours are of vital importance, as they represent the values of Rio 2016 and identify the roles of employees, outsourced employees and volunteers inside over 100 Olympic venues, both sporting and non-sporting. The yellow, in tribute to the sun and representing the energy that involves the organisation and staging of Rio 2016, will stamp the uniforms of employees and volunteers responsible for operational areas, such as Communication and Press, Sport, Technology and Transport. The green, representing the nature of the host-country and a striking element in the decoration of sporting arenas, will identify the teams for event services, responsible for serving the public (EVS team). The red, as a hot colour and easy to identify, will be used by the Medical Services team. Finally, blue will be the colour of Games technical officials. Made by Chinese factory 361º, the 86,300 uniforms contain details that make a difference: exclusive stamps for the linings of coats and pockets guarantee a unique profile for the workforce teams, internal tags on the shirt and jacket allow the owner of the uniform to write their name, and the fabric of the shirts and trousers facilitate breathing of the skin in warm weather and heat up on colder days.

Many people may not know this, but some volunteers have already rolled up their sleeves, bursting with energy for what lies in store at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. A good example is what is happening at Cidade do Samba, in Rio’s zone area, which in the coming days will start operating as the Uniform and Accreditation Centre (UAC), the first Olympic and Paralympic venue to officially begin its work. The venue’s volunteers have already had some surprises regarding this new experience. A series of training courses have been held to prepare all the roughly 600 volunteers assigned to UAC, in order to serve the many other volunteers, employees, contractors and judging officials who will be going to Cidade do Samba to collect a total of 295,000 accreditation passes and 86,300 uniforms. The venue will be running until the end of the Paralympic Games, in September. In the first part of the training, in a tal for all the volunteers and employees involved at the venue, representatives of Rio 2016’s security, sustainability, diversity and inclusion areas gave details about how each area will operate. After this, the attendants took a tour of the accreditation and uniform sectors, and then did specific training in each area. “This was my first Games training and so it was very moving. We had very high hopes because we have invested a lot of effort to plan and put together this jigsaw puzzle. We are left with a sensation of success, and that we have a well-trained and engaged workforce,” said the UAC workforce operations manager, Amanda Almeida, who had a surprise in store to help motivate the roughly 60 volunteers who participated in the first class. Competition manager and volleyball legend Giovane Gávio made a surprise appearance at UAC and made a point of conveying a motivational message to the workforce. “I am taking part in the Olympic Games for the fifth time and this is the hardest one. Before I only had to turn up and play. However, we have many good and committed people on our team, working hard to deliver memorable Games. I’m envious, because for you the Games are starting now,” said the two-time Olympic champion. Giovane is right. The volunteers did not hide their excitement at the fast-approaching Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They look forward to starting their duties, handing out accreditation passes and uniforms, helping to deliver the world’s largest sports event, held for the first time in South America. “I’m very excited to be a volunteer and I can’t wait to begin. It’ll be a good way to spend my time and meet many people. Here in the training I could already tell that this will be a good place to share things. What I liked the most was the diversity of people: there are people of all ages and profiles,” said Ana Lúcia Macedo, a 57-year-old retired bank worker, who is volunteering in the uniform distribution area.

Slightly over 13 months after it began, in March 2015, having involved nearly 45,000 candidates at 15 selection centres spread across Brazil, on 30 April the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Volunteer Programme ended its in-person and online interviews for its selection process. In all, more than 80,000 candidates were interviewed, including people who finished the process online and did not go to the centres in Rio (Barra and Avenida Presidente Vargas), Belém, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, João Pessoa, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, São Paulo and Vitória. “The selection process was rich in involving and engaging people from across Brazil, a diverse group aligned with the values of contagious energy and committed to delivering an event like Rio 2016,” says Flávia Fontes, the manager of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Volunteer Programme. Rio 2016’s partner in selecting and training Games candidates and volunteers, Estácio University, continued to receive candidates who had registered with the Volunteer Programme but had not yet had an interview at its Avenida Presidente Vargas campus in the city centre of Rio until Saturday. The process was in fact more detailed than a mere interview, including group discussions, an interactive tour and access to specific content. This experience thrilled Ridan Ramos de Almeida, a 27-year-old goods loader who didn’t find time in his schedule to complete his selection process until the last available day. “I had other commitments and I ended up leaving it until the last few days. But I started to get excited when I saw that the deadline was drawing near. I liked the way the selection people received me. They were really nice people and they passed on a lot of interesting information,” says Almeida, who is also studying for a degree in physical education. He lives in the neighbourhood of Belford Roxo and he has previously acted as a volunteer to help organise the Favela Cup, a major amateur football competition in Rio. The candidate was surprised by the diversity involved in Rio 2016’s selection process. “I thought it was interesting to meet people from many places. There were people from Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Rio. I’m from the Baixada region of Rio, but there were also people from Laranjeiras and Tijuca. It was a mixture of people coming together for the Games.” This diversity is borne out in the numbers. Estácio’s training centre at Avenida Presidente Vargas alone received more than 17,000 people. Of this group, most of the candidates were women (57%) and the largest age group was people aged 26 to 45 (38%). University students accounted for 34% of candidates. The last interviewed candidates still have a chance to become Rio 2016 volunteers. People who completed the selection process before and have already received an email confirming their participation – sent as of November 2015 – will have already received, or are yet to receive, an invitation letter confirming their allocated functional area, position and venue.

Your time has now arrived, volunteer! What you’ve only seen on TV in the past will now become reality for 27 privileged people who will be among the group of 12,000 people to carry the Rio 2016 Olympic torch. After traveling around Greece for 2,235 km and visiting Switzerland, the torch will arrive in Brazil on 3 May, to begin a journey around the country’s 26 states and Federal District, passing through more than 300 municipalities and ending up on 5 August at the Maracanã Stadium, the stage for the Olympic Games opening ceremony. The Rio 2016 Organising Committee has chosen people who make a difference in all parts of Brazil. It’s a select group of people who do good, play sport, make history, produce art, participate, have an impact and make things happen. Naturally, Rio 2016 volunteers are part of this. Twenty seven volunteers gained the right to carry the torch by winning a contest held at the end of 2015, which involved submitting videos to show their enthusiasm and dream of participating actively in the world’s largest sports event. Now, each of them will carry the ultimate symbol of the Olympic Games through a municipality in the state they are from, helping to bring to every corner of Brazil the contagious energy that is part of the spirit of Games volunteers. Watch the video below to find out in which Brazilian municipalities the 27 volunteers will carry the torch.

The series of important processes for those who will be volunteering at Rio 2016 has just entered a key phase. Following the approval of thousands of candidates and the sending of invitation letters (which we are still continuing to send out gradually), a large share of volunteers have now received their detailed volunteering schedule, enabling them to plan before the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will start in August. The volunteers who accepted the options offered by the Rio 2016 Games Organising Committee in their invitation letter will now know not only their selected functional area, position and venue, but also their exact volunteering days and times. This will help with practical matters like taking time off work and searching for airline tickets and accommodation (in the case of people who do not live in Rio de Janeiro or the cities that will be hosting the Games’ football matches). Volunteers assigned to the Uniform and Accreditation Centre (UAC) were the first to receive their volunteering schedule. Located in Cidade do Samba (“City of Samba”), in Rio’s port zone, this venue will be operating from May until the end of the Paralympic Games, in September. As a result, it is important to already carefully appraise your journey’s dates and times. A series of non-sports venues will start operating well before the Games, in line with a gradual build-up from May to July. They include airports, hotels, equipment warehouses, athletes’ accommodation and spaces for the press, for example. Volunteers allocated to venues that will be operating before the Games are now starting to receive their volunteering schedule. Volunteers who have not yet received their schedules do not need to worry. They are being sent out gradually, in line with the demand of each functional area in the Volunteer Programme (Operational Support, Customer Services, Communication and Press, Sports, Protocol and Languages, Health Services, Technology, and Transport). Candidates who have not yet been approved or who have not received their invitation letter or volunteering schedule should wait. Check whether you have done everything necessary in your selection process. The mandatory interview was held until 30 April.

Health professionals are also dreaming of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and they are preparing to volunteer in line with the expectations that these events awaken in anyone involved in organising and holding them. Accordingly, doctors in a wide range of specialities, physiotherapists and nurses are already doing the specific training needed to volunteer at the Rio 2016 Games. Launched at later March, the Rio 2016 training programme, created by the Organising Committee in partnership with Estácio University, includes both online and in-person activities. In all, more than 1.35 million hours of classes will be provided, covering everything involved in an edition of the Games: from their history to the values of diversity and inclusion underpinning an event that will bring together athletes from 206 countries; from standards of excellence in the services to be delivered to information about the venues to which each volunteer will be assigned. Naturally, the training will provide details about the more than 500 functions to be performed by volunteers during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This includes an important training course offered by the Health Services area, which will have approximately 4,000 employees and volunteers. “Each training area will have specific content, directly related to volunteers’ duties during the competitions,” explains Adriano Valadão Flores, the workforce manager for Rio 2016’s Health Services area, which is counting on dentists, nursing and radiology technicians, massage therapists and pharmacists, among other specialist volunteers. “When I found out about the Olympics, I immediately looked for a way to take part in them. We have done some online training courses about more conceptual things. In fact the materials, in both the language and Games areas, have been of extremely high quality. I’ve been impressed,” says Julio Mário Amaral, who is near the end of his medical school course in Rio de Janeiro. As a volunteer, he wants to gain experience that could be useful to his future career in sports and trauma medicine. His enthusiasm did not diminish when it came to doing practical activities. According to Amaral, these activities gave him a lot of new information. “One example is the rules to be followed to avoid interfering in competitions. These are things we are not used to seeing in our everyday routines in clinics and hospitals.” Gustavo Toledo, a physiotherapist in São Paulo, is assisting athletes in Brazil’s artistic gymnastics team. “I always wanted to participate in the Olympic Games, especially because I have long worked closely with athletes.” Despite his familiarity with everyday sports practices, the volunteer says that the training has been valuable to learn to operate in harmony with professionals from different health specialities and to deal with more serious injuries. “The training has informed me about a number of things that could occur over which we don’t have control, and we have to be prepared to help when necessary.”

There’s still time to be a part of history at the first Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Latin America. But not that much time: the obligatory interview - in portuguese - for registered candidates in the Volunteer Programme must have been conducted by 30 April. Held between August and December 2014, sign up remains available through the waiting list - the deadline for the interview for english-speaking candidates has finished in 29 February. Or rather: those who did not take part in the selective process can still enter the race to perform some of over 500 available roles for Rio 2016 volunteers. But hurry: sign-up and interview must be finalised by the end of the month. The interview may be conducted in two ways: face-to-face or online. Those available in Rio de Janeiro may go directly to the Estácio campus in the city centre, at Avenida Presidente Vargas, 642, 4th floor. Sessions last two hours and take place between Wednesday and Saturday – on week days, the first sessions start at 8.00am and continue until 7.00pm, and at the weekend, the start time is the same with the last session beginning at 4.00pm. It is not necessary to book in advance. As did Sérgio Rocha, a 69-year-old retired economist. After a chat with a friend, he discovered that it was still possible to sign up to be a Games volunteer. “She said that she could not continue taking part, but asked me if I wanted to be a volunteer. I joined the waiting list and afterwards went to do the interview.” The carioca, who spent years living outside the city that will host the Games in August and September, did not waste time and rushed to the training centre at Estácio. After the interview and group dynamic session, he left in good spirits. “I liked the immersion we were submitted to, and the presentation of the competition venues. I have experience with volunteer work and now I’m excited.” The countdown has also started to concern Thainá Barbosa de Oliveira, a 19-year-old university student who had signed up back in 2014 but still hadn’t managed to have an interview. “I was with my young child when the time came to do the interview, and I was very busy, I didn’t have time. Now that there’s someone to stay with the baby when I need to go out I managed it,” the international relations student said. “Nothing is more related to international relations than the Games.” The interpersonal relationship was what kept Thainá attentive to the need to complete the process and not miss out on the historic opportunity to be part of the organisation and staging of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. A feeling that she had in the experience alongside the other candidates that took part in the group dynamic at Estácio. “It’s very dynamic training, with completely different people. It’s a start to understand what working as a team will be like.”

We have just launched the training programme for volunteers, employees and service providers who will be working at the first edition of the Games ever held in South America. The exercises are very different from those athletes are used to, but the spirit is the same: to be ready to give a first-class performance at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is a huge and pioneering programme: more than 140,000 people will be trained by 120 instructors, in more than 1,100 training sessions in 105 different locations, generating over 1.35 million hours of information on topics ranging from the history of the Games to the services to be performed in each position and at each venue. In addition to the whole schedule of in-person activities, Rio 2016 is the first edition of the Games to have developed an online training platform to prepare those who will be working at the world’s largest sports event. The online classes are presented by actors Bernardo Dugin and Luana Genot (photo above). The programme’s first training module, called The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is now available to volunteers, who can already access the training portal. The in-person activities will begin on 2 April. The Games’ history and the values that involve an Olympiad are also part of guidance to serve as a foundation for the other modules to follow. Service excellence, leadership and details about different positions and venues (sports or non-sports) will complete the training volunteers and employees will undergo between now and the end of the Paralympic Games, in September. All the functional areas that are part of the Rio 2016 Volunteer Programme (Operational Support, Customer Services, Sports, Protocol & Languages, Press & Communications, Health Services, Technology and Transport) will have their own specific training courses for volunteers, including online and practical classes. Each functional area’s calendar will be sent out to its respective volunteers in line with its own schedule. The same will happen for almost hundred sports and non-sports venues involved in holding the Games. All of them will be examined in detail through in-person training courses. This is an innovative project, designed to give athletes, spectators, journalists and everybody else coming to the Rio 2016 Games the best possible experience, by making the most of the energy, efficiency and dedication of everyone involved in holding them. 

The act of collaborating drives volunteers. Dedication towards others, endless energy and a smiling face are the characteristics of people who do good for a personal cause, without receiving anything in return. Well before the start of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, such actions have already been demonstrated by those coming to Rio for the Games. A lot of people, for example, are already working hard to help those coming from outside the city to work in August and September. A silent battalion is looking for accessible and cheaper accommodation for their fellow volunteers. This is because finding a place to spend the days needed to work as a volunteer in Rio de Janeiro is not such a simple mission. And this is where people like Bruno Lima come in – a 31-year-old from the city of Natal in northeastern Brazil, who already has a place guaranteed as a volunteer in the Protocol and Languages area. One of the most active members of Rio 2016’s volunteers group on Facebook, this electrical engineer, who occasionally comes to Rio on business, realised that it would be necessary to join forces to give those coming for the Games a place to stay. As a result, he started to engage his Facebook friends in the search for apartments, bedrooms and hostels. “Our concern became more urgent when the confirmation emails for the 50,000 successful candidates arrived. Reality hit home. We know that Rio is an expensive city, and from my experience of going to Rio, I already had an idea of the cost of hotels. Then I came across the option to rent a home via Airbnb, to share the cost among lots of people. I got together a group, around 15, 20 people, and we began to form new groups,” he explains. Lima’s hunt was soon successful. Searching on the Airbnb website, he found an apartment in Copacabana, available to share with another five volunteers. The daily cost per person will be no higher than R$60. “The later you look, the fewer apartments with good prices will be left. That’s what I did and it went well.” There is no shortage of cheap options, as shown by Antônio Luis Rio Apa. This 63-year-old retired accountant, who has also been approved by the Volunteer Programme, owns a two-bedroom apartment in Niterói. To facilitate things for other volunteers, he has rented out a bedroom for a price that merely covers the cost of bed and bath linen, meals, cleaning and electricity. “If people bring their own sheets and towels, don’t eat in the apartment and don’t turn on the air conditioning, they won’t spend anything,” he jokes. Apa has previous experience in sharing accommodation. A sailor, he has often stayed at the homes of fellow competitors, and he knows it isn’t easy to find a good and cheap place. “I’ve seen the problems faced by volunteers in finding an apartment, because Rio is very expensive, so that’s why I decided to provide my apartment for people who will be working nearby. But most volunteers are looking for a place to stay in Barra. My location is only suitable for those who will be working in Copacabana or Maracanã,” warns Apa. Indeed, it is essential for volunteers who have not yet found accommodation during the Games to know the distance to their competition zone (Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro or Maracanã) and the best way to get there. Understanding the transport network around the venues assigned by the Volunteer Programme is another tip given by Bruno Lima within his group of volunteers on Facebook. “We give advice about venues, and look for places near Metrô stations and connections with the BRT express bus system.” Volunteers who will be working in Barra Olympic Park, for example, could consider searching in neighbourhoods in the city’s West Zone, such as Jacarépaguá and Campo Grande. If they will be staying in the South Zone, they should find out how to get to Barra, by taking the Metrô to the future Jardim Oceânico station, or by using the BRT system and regular buses that leave Alvorada Terminal. Those assigned to Deodoro – which can be accessed on Supervia trains – should not discard the surroundings of Bangu and neighbourhoods in the North Zone, like Madureira. This region may also be suitable for volunteers who will be working at the Olympic Stadium. Located between Metrô and train stations, Maracanã is linked to the North Zone and is near neighbourhoods such as São Cristóvão, Méier, Tijuca and Vila Isabel. Copacabana is served by three Metrô stations (Cardeal Arcoverde, Siqueira Campos and Cantagalo) and many bus lines. “People are first concerned about the price, and then by location, so we pass on information to aid their search, highlighting other points that should be considered before deciding on a place,” explains Lima.​

Volunteers approved to work on the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games can now begin the second phase of the language course offered by the Organising Committee in partnership with language school EF. In the first phase, candidates who did the selection process mandatory interview and expressed the desire to do the EF English course received a 4-month online module. Now, people who have made it onto the list of approved volunteers have been given a new 12-month licence. “We studied English at school and then we spent a long time without studying. We now decided to do the online course to the end, as we have been making good progress and speaking better,” says Marcella Costa Soares, a 27-year-old student, who together with her twin sister Mariana took the first phase of the English course. Non-Brazilians who enrolled in the Volunteer Programme can also study Portuguese, besides having access to the English course. Successful Volunteer Programme candidates should only start the new 12-month period of study after they have completed the first 4-month module. This will give them access to a complete 16-month course, including tests and different stages. If you activate the second module before completing the first one, you will lose access to the first one. Approved volunteers who did not exercise their right to do the first module of the English course can do the second one normally, taking an initial online test to verify their current level of knowledge. ​ The Olympic and Paralympic Games will involve 14,850 athletes from 206 countries.    

Non-Brazilian candidates who have not yet completed the Rio 2016 Volunteer Programme’s selection process only have until 29 February to do their online interview in English. This is a mandatory procedure for those wanting to continue to have a chance to be authorised to work in the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Doing the interview ensures that candidates are up to speed with the Volunteer Programme’s selection process. If you still need to do yours, simply book it through this link. Brazilian candidates have slightly longer: interviews in Portuguese can be had until 30 April. In addition to the online option, Brazilians may also go to Estácio University’s campus at Avenida Presidente Vargas, 642, in the city of centre of Rio de Janeiro. In-person interviews may be done from Wednesdays to Sundays until 28 February, and from Wednesdays to Saturdays after 2 March. Once they have done their interview, candidates need to wait for their details to be verified and keep their fingers crossed that they will receive an approval email. After this, the Rio 2016 Committee will send out an invitation letter, specifying which functional area, position and venue the candidate in question has been assigned to.

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games has just released a new list of successful Volunteer Programme candidates for the world’s largest sports event. Candidates can look here to see if they are already part of South America’s first ever edition of the Games or whether they will have to wait for a further update. In November, the Rio 2016 Committee presented the first list of approved candidates and it is continuing to evaluate candidates. Successful applicants should wait for the arrival of their invitation letter – an email to be sent out gradually to volunteers, informing them of their chosen functional area, position and venue. Having accepted their offer, approved candidates will be officially confirmed as Rio 2016 Games volunteers. If they refuse the options given to them, they can request other opportunities, which will be assessed by the committee. Acceptance of the invitation letter will come before other phases of the Rio 2016 Volunteer Program’s process. Information about the training schedule, roster during the Games, accreditation and the distribution of uniforms will be disclosed in the coming months. The total number of volunteers was recently revised to ensure that the Organising Committee meets the challenge of delivering the Games with a balanced budget. However, the selection process will continue to take place until all the places have been filled. Any approved volunteers who do not accept their invitation letters will be replaced. The interview stage is fundamental for all candidates and it can be done at Estácio University’s Centro Campus (Avenida Presidente Vargas, 642) or online. To schedule yours, call our helpline on 3004 2016, or click here. Foto: Mathilde Molla

Equipment unknown to many people, special precautions in transporting athletes, attention to detail in a game that demands silence to maintain the concentration of all those involved: there are many specific elements involved in holding a competition in a sport like Paralympic boccia. This sport, which will be part of the Paralympic Games, has already been presented to Rio 2016 test event volunteers. See what volunteers gained in terms of experience and learning, which they can put to use next year: Photo by: Mathilde Molla

Expectations have been met and the party can finally begin!  Candidates who, in August 2014, initiated their journey toward becoming part of South America’s first Olympic and Paralympic Games will now receive their answer, with the announcement of the first 50,000 candidates approved to serve as volunteers in 2016. It is now possible for candidates to check if they have been selected:  they just fill in their information on this page to verify if they have been approved in the selection process. Based on this first list, the Rio 2016 Organising Committee will gradually start sending invitation letters by e-mail, officially informing approved candidates to which functional area they will report, and for which position and facility they have been selected.  In order for a candidate to confirm their participation as a volunteer, they must send their reply (called Acceptance) within 10 days. After the candidate has accepted the invitation, he or she then becomes an official volunteer.  The volunteer then goes on to fulfil what the Rio 2016 Organising Committee calls the "next steps", which will be decisive in preparing the volunteer to fulfil their duties in Rio de Janeiro or in one of the football cities (Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Manaus, Salvador and São Paulo).   Information on airline tickets and accommodations, to assist those who will come to Rio de Janeiro in 2016, will be provided to the candidates who accept the invitation.  The volunteer work roster will only be announced in April 2016. REALLOCATION AND THE NEXT LISTS An approved candidate who does not accept the options provided by the Rio 2016 Committee in its letter of invitation may ask to be assigned to a different functional area, office or facility from the one for which he or she has been selected. The request will be analysed according to the availability of each area. Many applications are still being reviewed, and those whose names have not yet appeared on the list of approved candidates may still dream of the Games, as many vacancies have yet to be announced on future lists. To continue to be eligible, however, the candidate must verify that he or she has conducted the interview, which is an essential step in the selection process.  The training centre located at the Estacio Presidente Vargas Unit (Avenida Presidente Vargas, 642 - Centro) is still operating - from Wednesday to Sunday – so that candidates can complete the process and still have a chance to be invited by the Committee. If you haven’t yet registered for a chance to be a volunteer at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, you can still get on the Rio 2016 Organising Committee’s waiting list .