Training Centre for Paralympic Volunteers in Beijing

Yesterday, the Beijing Sports Vocational Training Center for the Disabled, a 10-hectare multifunctional complex with facilities and services for athltes with a disability, was officialy unveiled during a ceremony in Beijing, China. 05 Sep 2007 By IPC

President of the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG) Liu Qi, BOCOG Executive President and President of the China Disabled Persons Federation Deng Pufang, as well as International Paralympic Committee (IPC) CEO Xavier Gonzalez and several volunteers attended the ceremony.

More than 620,000 people have registered so far as Games-time volunteers for the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games since the recruitment kicked off on 28 August 2006. The number of applicants has far surpassed demand. Around 30,000 Games-time volunteers will be needed for the 2008 Paralympic Games.

Volunteers will help in everything from sport to transport, communication to telecommunications, and medical to medals. The Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG) will start to involve volunteers in this years’ 2007 Good Luck Beijing sport test events, in order to train volunteers and accumulate experiences for the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics.

The Training Centre will be used to train the personnel working with persons with a disability, and as a venue for national and international cultural and sport events, vocational and skill exchanges and exhibitions for people with a disability.