The call for volunteers for the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games has seen an overwhelming response since it kicked off on Monday.

According to the Beijing Olympic organizers, by Wednesday afternoon, more than 43,000 people in Beijing had registered to be volunteers, including more than 24,000 university students applying through the campus recruitment offices. The rest did so through websites and local youth organizations.

At the same time, the Beijing Olympic Call Centre had received more than 22,000 phone inquiries, including 108 from overseas.

The call centre workers said the most frequently asked questions were regarding the basic application requirements of the volunteers, followed by the online registration addresses for the citizens in Beijing.

The call centre, with a floor space of 600 square metres, is running 24 hours a day with 50 telephone booths for 120 call centre workers. English language services are also provided for international callers.

"I have answered many phone calls from foreign friends these days, and they are all interested in the voluntary services for the 2008 Games," said Zhu Guangyao, one of the English telephone operators at the call centre. "I was moved by their enthusiasm and would also be glad to be one of the volunteers in 2008, if possible."

In addition to the hotline centre, 50 information counters have been set up by the Beijing organizers across the city to help answer questions from curious citizens.

These stations have received crowds of people as well, since about 31,160 people have inquired from these stations before Wednesday afternoon.

As to the inquiry stations in the universities and colleges, the 976 consultancy stations have received 149,100 interested people.

"Taking part in the voluntary work while I'm a university student is a great honour," said Xu Xiao from Beijing Technology and Business University. "As an Olympic volunteer, I will be a real participant in the Olympic Games, not merely a spectator in front of a TV set. Being an Olympic volunteer requires not only enthusiasm but also some knowledge of sports."

A total of 70,000 volunteers will be needed for the Olympic Games, and another 30,000 for the Paralympic Games. The majority of the volunteers will be recruited from universities in Beijing, with rest coming from other parts of the country and abroad.

Organizers are reminding those interested to be ready for hard work if they are selected as volunteers.

"Volunteering at the Olympics may not be as good as most people think since the work will be very strenuous," said Li Shixin, deputy director of Volunteers Preparatory Group of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

"According to previous experience, about 90 per cent of them cannot watch the competition, not to mention not meeting the sports stars. Most of them have to work in various positions like VIP reception, transportation, interpretation and first aid."

The rehearsal volunteers at the on-going ISF Women's Softball World Championships in Beijing agree.

"It is tough work," said Fan Ping, a university student volunteer at the Softball Championships. "The work is a little bit dull and tiring, but considering what I have learned, it is worthwhile."

Fan's job is to check accreditation cards and guide the people that enter the venue. She has to work for about six hours a day.

"From my own experience I know that to be a volunteer, enthusiasm is not enough. A strong sense of responsibility and the willingness to bear hardships is also necessary," Fan said. "It is the first time I serve as a volunteer and I believe it will help me a lot to be a real Olympic volunteer in 2008, since now I know what it's like to be a volunteer and how I should work."

For those university and college students, who will be the main force of the Olympic volunteers, education departments have arranged for special training for them to qualify for the jobs, including holding special lectures, organizing voluntary service activities and sending out Olympic knowledge brochures to help them know more about the Olympics.

Besides all these above, a certain series of trainings will be held for all the selected volunteers, including general training, professional training for certain positions, venues training and job training.

The general training will involve basic Olympic knowledge, brief introduction to the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, Chinese history and traditional culture, history and cultural life in Beijing, knowledge and skills necessary to serve the disabled, etiquette norm, medical knowledge and first-aid skills.

The professional training may include some professional knowledge and skills required in voluntary services and the venue training includes venue functions, knowledge concerning the sports held in the venue, internal facilities, organizational structure, rules and regulations.

For different groups of volunteers, there are many ways for training.

Selected volunteers could choose to receive long-distance training through Internet, TV or broadcasting or face-to-face training.

Some practical training may also be held for people to participate in charitable activities, special events and test matches.

Recruitment of volunteers for co-host cities will start soon.

The planning for the recruitment of volunteers in Tianjin, one of the co-host cities of the football preliminary of the Beijing 2008 Games, is underway. Details will be announced soon.

Hundreds of volunteers will be needed in Tianjin, the majority of who will be students from colleges and universities.

In Shenyang, another city co-hosting the football preliminary, volunteer recruitment will start at the end of this year to meet the needs of test event next September.

Nearly a thousand volunteers will be recruited by then.

Basic Requirements for Olympic Volunteers :

Voluntary to serve the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic games;

Abiding by China's laws and regulations;

Born prior to (but including) June 30, 1990, and in good health;

Able to participate in the pre-Games trainings and related activities;

Able to serve for more than seven days running during the Olympic and Paralympic Games;

Native Chinese speakers should be able to communicate in foreign language(s), and applicants whose first language is not Chinese should be able to engage in conversation in Chinese;

Possess professional knowledge and skills necessary for some positions that have special requirement.

(China Daily September 1, 2006)