Source: CCTV.com

05-02-2007 15:34

Special Report:   Olympic Torch

Many young Chinese have set their sights on becoming an Olympic volunteer, especially those in Beijing. Even though volunteers won't be selected until next March, hopeful applicants are getting in some practice.

One of the organizers of the Tsinghua University volunteer team, Zhong Sheng seemed a little nervous before his short speech at a ceremony kicking off the University's Olympic Volunteers service.

But, Zhong says he enjoys volunteering for such activities even though it uses up most of his spare time.

With two years of volunteer experience, Zhong is very confident of being chosen as an Olympic volunteer.

"I have no idea what I will do during the Games, but we are trying to do as much as we can of those little things to help visitors, such as cleaning the campus. I believe it will be useful," says Volunteer applicant Zhong Sheng.

Zhong and his fellow students have the opportunity to carry out this plan during the May holiday.

They act as campus tour guides for people from around the country coming to see what a first class university in China looks like.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of other volunteers are working around the the city.

Over the past few months, nearly three-hundred thousand people have applied to be Olympic volunteers.

One of the applicants' slogans is: give me 16 days, I will show the world an amazing five thousand years of civilization.

However, simple enthusiasm is not enough for the Games.

Olympic volunteers have to work together with sports professionals. They need to be familiar with the general rules of international sports events. They also have to cope with people of other cultures, and be able to communicate in other languages.

"So many young people being involved in such a huge events. there is much for them to learn, like the Olympic knowledge and the techniques of providing service, and they have to be mentally strong enough to fulfill their task, which, sometimes may be a little tedious and boring," says psychologist Zhang Jing.

As the application process proceeds, Games Organizers are also providing training programmes for young people at large.

"We hope the programme can cover every student, so the Olympic spirit can be spread as far as possible," says president of Tsinghua UNIV.Youth League Xiong Zhou.

There are more than four hundred days before the Games. But Zhong and his colleagues understand they still have a lot to learn to be qualified.

 

Editor:Chen Ge