Beijing 2022 volunteer applications top 960,000, say organizers

BEIJING -- More than 960,000 people have applied to be volunteers for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games a year after the global recruitment began, according to the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee BOCOG.

The BOCOG launched the global appeal for Games volunteers on December 5, 2019 in the newly completed Shougang Big Air competition venue.

One year later, on the 35th International Volunteer Day on Saturday, the online Beijing 2022 Volunteer Application Portal has been viewed more than 33 million times with 1.22 million users registered.

According to Teng Shengping, director of the BOCOG's Volunteer Department, more than 960,000 applications from 168 countries and regions have been received, which represents the common aspiration worldwide for a successful Beijing 2022 and provides personnel support for the hosting of the Games.

27,000 volunteers will be needed for the Olympic Winter Games and 12,000 for the Paralympic Winter Games, with the latter mainly selected from the 27,000 ones for the Olympic Games. Qualified volunteers will undergo general, speciality, venue and post-specific trainings before performing their duties, while those who are not chosen still have the chance to be city volunteers, said BOCOG deputy secretary general Xu Zhijun.

The application period will close at 24:00 Beijing time on June 30, 2021.