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Sports Special: Asiad signs first foreign volunteer and seeks more
By Qiu Quanlin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-13 07:08
 GUANGZHOU: Alberto de Valle has been learning Chinese ever since he came to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou some three and a half years ago. The 32-year-old Latin dance instructor is continually seeking new ways to refine his language skills, especially now he has signed up as the first foreign-born volunteer for the forthcoming Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games - also known as the Asiad - in May next year.
Speaking of the reasons behind his decision, da Valle said: "Being involved in volunteer work for the sports event allows me to show foreign guests all of the best aspects of Guangzhou's development. Talking to participants from across Asia will also help me improve my language skills." As part of his responsibilities during the games, he will be in charge of looking after many of the foreign visitors and ensuring their well-being. The Cuban-born American honed his hospitality skills as a manager at a five-star hotel in Guangzhou. His language skills were also acknowledged at the Guangzhou Asian Games English Star Contest earlier this year. He is adamant that many other non-Chinese should follow his example: "Many foreigners in Guangzhou have made great contributions to the city's development. I think more foreigners should now be selected as volunteers for the Games." Sources with the volunteers department of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC) seem to be in agreement with him, with one indicating that more foreign volunteers would be recruited ahead of the Games. Xie Tianwen, an official of GAGOC's volunteers department, said: "The way is now open for volunteers from a number of different nationalities. A detailed outline of our plans to recruit more volunteers will soon be released." According to Xie, as of June 5, more than 130,000 applicants had registered at the GAGOC's official website and other street administrative offices stretching across the city - including one foreign applicant who claims to be able to speak Spanish, English, Chinese, Portuguese and Italian. GAGOC launched a large-scale recruitment drive for volunteers for the Games and the 10th Asian Games for the Disabled in April this year. The department is now seeking 90,000 volunteers to work across events at both the Asiad and the disabled games. It is also looking for an additional 500,000 volunteers to work as guides and ensure the smooth running of the city whilst it has to cope with a massive influx of spectators, athletes and the media. Xie said: "So far, only 0.4 percent of applicants are foreigners and 0.3 percent are overseas Chinese from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. As a result, we are planning a series of events aimed at recruiting foreign volunteers." One of the first of these initiatives has been the signing of a cooperation agreement with a youth association in the South Korean city of Gwangju. Under the terms of the agreement, the Gwangju Youth Association (GYAS) will call on as many of its members as possible to enlist as volunteers for the 2010 event. The move has made Gwangju the first overseas city authorized by GAGOC to recruit volunteers for the upcoming Games. Officials from the GYAS said that its members were ideally suited to act as guides and assistant to the thousands of South Korean athletes and spectators expected to travel to Guangzhou for the period of the games.
(China Daily 06/13/2009 page11) |
