Beijing is to launch its volunteer recruiting program by this June for the 2008 Olympic Games, a top official of the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee (BOCOG) said Tuesday in Beijing.

BOCOG Vice President Jiang Xiaoyu made the remark while meeting with members of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an advisory body.

"The recruitment program is expected to start in the first half of this year," said Jiang.

"We welcome everybody, from home and abroad, who has enthusiasm for and devotion to the cause to join us in hosting a successful Olympics," he added.

According to Jiang, Beijing needs around 80,000 to 100,000 volunteers for the world's premier sporting event. College and secondary school students are expected to constitute the majority of the team.

The success of the Sydney Games in 2000 was largely credited to the efficiency of tens of thousands of good-tempered volunteers.

Jiang also said that BOCOG will continue to recruit its working staff through a test-and-interview process.

BOCOG, which has set up 19 departments, now has 320 employees. Its staff will expand to 4,000 by 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2005)