One of the facets of this Olympics is the reliance on a huge volunteer army of students that has been working at the stadium venues, information booths and elsewhere.
They have been roped in to do an immense variety of jobs and are often on the frontlines of action, like infantry troops.
During Taiwan’s baseball game against the Netherlands, for instance, three or four male volunteers challenged a group of Taiwan supporters who unfurled a large Chinese Taipei flag. It is against International Olympic Committee regulations to carry a banner that exceeds 2m in length and 1m in width or does not represent a participating country.
The Chinese Taipei banner was precisely these dimensions, so the case was moot, but the point is how important volunteers are. They are the face of the Beijing Games for most athletes, visitors and officials.
More than 100,000 volunteers were chosen from 450,000 applicants, which is more than twice the number in Athens four years previously.
In addition to speaking foreign languages they have been trained to smile and be courteous. But as anyone who has come into contact with them will attest, this does not always mean they can do the job. The phrase “getting a child to do a man’s work” springs to mind.
For example, simply requesting information on how to get into a venue will often cause confusion and mixed messages. I have been sent on a dozen goose chases in this manner.
Even funnier was the sight of Roger Federer and Kobe Bryant being mobbed by volunteers during the opening ceremony, when they were supposed to be looking after them. According to local media reports, these volunteers were summarily “relieved of their duties.”
In the media center the volunteers are generally well informed and savvy, but elsewhere there can be difficulties for journalists.
According to an article by the independent Beijing-based magazine Caijing, this is because volunteers have been trained to “prevent drugs, prevent bombs, and prevent journalists.”
In reply to probing questions about the Olympics, according to Caijing, volunteers have been directed to say: “I do not know the specific circumstances.”
Having seen a CNN broadcast about designated areas for protests in parks that set up a volunteer to say something dumb, this advice merely seems like good sense.
Generally, the students do their best and are quick to say they are doing their unpaid jobs for the glory of the motherland. It’s hard to doubt their sincerity.
Sure, some of them get access to glamorous events and mix with the world’s best athletes and famous people, but others are far away from the action, or take on thankless tasks like cleaning the media center lavatories with amazing dedication.
Overall they more than deserve their medals of honor, the T-shirts they are given and the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games passes they wear around their necks with such pride.
“John Hancock” is the Taipei Times’ correspondent for the Beijing Olympics.
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