Sochi 2014 launches volunteer programme in Russia

More than 25,000 volunteers are being trained in Sochi to help out at the next Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. 12 Mar 2013 By IPC

"The Sochi 2014 Volunteer Program, launched in 2009 by the Organsing Committee, has truly changed the attitude to volunteering in Russia. We have succeeded in raising the prestige of volunteering and in taking it to a new level. This is possibly one of our most important achievements and a legacy that will remain after the Games.”

The Sochi 2014 Organising Committee on Monday (11 March) launched a large-scale project for training 25,000 volunteers for the next Winter Games.

It will be the largest volunteer training program in the history of the Games.

The programme consists of three main parts: “My Game,” “Job Specific Training” and “Venue Specific Training,” and a special English language course with an emphasis on an Olympic and Paralympic theme.

Each volunteer can expect at least 36 hours of free training. The programme will be a unique legacy for organisers of future major sporting events, not only in Russia but throughout the world.

For the first time in the history of the Games, volunteers will be trained not only in the host city, but across the whole country, in 17 cities at 26 volunteer centres from Vladivostok to Saint Petersburg.

The organisers of the 2014 Games face the task of giving the volunteers the necessary knowledge and skills within a very tight schedule and of inspiring the volunteers to make the Sochi Games the best in history.

The President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko, said:

"The Sochi 2014 Volunteer Program, launched in 2009 by the Organsing Committee, has truly changed the attitude to volunteering in Russia. We have succeeded in raising the prestige of volunteering and in taking it to a new level. This is possibly one of our most important achievements and a legacy that will remain after the Games.”

The training began on Monday in three cities: Moscow, Krasnodar and Sochi. From March until July, all Sochi 2014 volunteers will pass the first training course "My Games." At the heart of the “My Games” course is a game in which participants go "back to the future" to find out a lot of new things about the Games and Sochi by solving complex logical problems and carrying out team tasks.

Volunteers will learn about the history and values of the Games, the city of Sochi, get a general idea of working at the main sporting event on the planet and the key qualities of their staff. They will also take a virtual 3D tour of the venues in Sochi.

From September to December, the volunteers will have the second training course, “Job Specific Training,” at which point they will learn about the overall role and tasks of their functions, as well as work rules and their specific responsibilities at the Games.

A few days before the Games, the volunteers will undergo the final training course, “Venue Specific Training,” at the venues where they will work. The volunteers will be introduced to the venue's leader and team, and to its features.

In addition to the three basic training stages, all volunteers will improve their English language skills and learn Olympic and Paralympic vocabulary. During 2013, each of the 25,000 volunteers will have access to the unique distance English language learning programme, which includes 36 lessons on Olympic and Paralympic Winter sports.

The volunteers will learn the name of the equipment used in the sports, the rules of the competition, as well as the specifics of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi.