Volunteers ensure success of Games

During the closing ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held on Feb 20, a video about the work of volunteers was broadcast, and representatives of the volunteers were honored for their contributions to the Games.

According to Teng Shengping, director-general of the volunteer department of the Beijing organizing committee, there were more than 18,000 volunteers at the Games, providing services related to venue management, language and media to ensure the event was completed successfully. Among them were students from the City University of Zhengzhou, who, after helping at the Olympics, worked to ensure the success of the Paralympics.

On Jan 7, 34 students from the university, led by their 25-year-old supervisor Li Xinping, embarked on the journey from Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, to Beijing. It was the first time some of them had visited China's capital, and all of them felt excited.

"It may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work as a volunteer for the Winter Olympics, so I signed up for it," says 20-year-old Gao Ruikai, one of the students.

They arrived in Beijing on Jan 8, and were appointed to work as security in Chaoyang district, checking the trucks and people transporting goods and materials to the Winter Olympics.

They received strict training for eight days. Sometimes when they found what they learned too difficult to remember, Li would give them extra tutoring at night to help them memorize the knowledge so that they could pass both the theory and practical exams, and begin work, which started on Jan 21.

They were separated into two groups, responsible for checking people and trucks respectively, according to Chen Mengjiao, 21, who was appointed to check for forbidden objects. The volunteers worked in teams, each consisting of four people. In one team, two people cooperated to work for two hours, before swapping places with the other two. Each day, the whole group checked about 300 people, on average.

"I used to think security checking was an easy job, but I learned that many things were not as easy as I imagined. The requirement was strict, and we had to master enough knowledge of the procedures to be able to work," says Chen.

In the truck-checking area, Gao worked in a team with three of his schoolmates. "One of us led the truck driver to a security check, another checked the outside of the truck, including the roof and the underside, and the other two checked the cabin for any prohibited objects," says Gao.

"Although the work seemed to be repetitive, it was interesting. For example, some drivers wanted to smoke, so they would hide their lighters, and we had to find them," he adds.

Each of them had to work eight hours a day, but they didn't feel tired.

"They cherished the opportunity very much, so they worked hard and actively, dedicating themselves to completing their tasks," says Li.

He was responsible for taking care of the students during this period. Before the journey, he worried whether the students would get accustomed to life in Beijing, if they would feel tired of their work, or if they would get ill.

So he accompanied the students, helped them work and cared about their feelings. It turns out the students did a good job there without feeling uncomfortable.

Since the period covered Spring Festival, the traditional festival for family reunions, many students had to spend the time without family members for the first time in their lives.

"I missed home very much during the festival," says Chen.

They were still on duty on Lunar New Year's Eve, which fell on Jan 31, just a few days before the start of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb 4. After work, they organized a meal together, and celebrated a different type of Spring Festival.

They worked until the end of the Paralympics, which closed on Sunday.

The students have found the experience valuable. "This is not the first job I have tried, but it has taught me a lot, especially that one should not underestimate any work that seems easy and simple," says Chen.

"This experience has prepared me for more such work in the future. It has made me realize that working is not easy. It requires continuous learning and exploration," says Gao.