By Baek Byung-yeul
Organizers of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics said they narrowed the number of potential volunteers for the Winter Games down to about 40,000 after completing the initial screening process.
The PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) said Sunday that they have chosen 43,918 out of 91,656 who applied for the volunteer positions. The POCOG received online applications from July 1 through the end of September, hoping to recruit about 22,400 volunteers for the Winter Games and the Paralympic Games.
The organizing committee required that the applicants be at least 18 years or older at the opening of the PyeongChang Olympics on Feb. 9, 2018, and to be available for at least three weeks for the Winter Olympics or two weeks for the Paralympics.
The POCOG will conduct interviews and language tests with those who pass the initial screening starting from December. The interviews will be held at the volunteer centers at metropolitan cites, provinces and the hosting cities, including PyeongChang, Gangneung and Jeongseon.
Applicants who pass the interview and language test are required to participate in the POCOG’s educational sessions starting March, next year.
Volunteers at the Winter Olympics and the Paralympic Games will be assigned to different venues to provide services in eight sectors
games information, operational support, media support, technology, protocol/language service, sport and medical service.
POCOG President Lee Hee-beom thanked all the applicants and asked them to support and take interest in the PyeongChang Olympics.
“Though we are unable to accept every applicant, we are planning to invite them to the tests through April of next year and to the various events related to the PyeongChang Games,” Lee said in a statement.