A three-month long investigation, conducted jointly by the Volunteer Service Department affiliated with the 2008 Paralympics Games Department Beijing Organizing Committee, and the Beijing Disabled Persons Federation, was released in July, and points to too many young volunteers for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games as a possible problem for the event.

The 2008 Beijing Paralympics Games volunteers program has been launched September, 2006.[ben.com]

The First made the special coverage on the issue when the Beijing Olympics Games volunteer program begins this September.

The report points out:

There is a major problem hindering the 2008 Beijing Paralympics: Too many young volunteers

The investigation of the 13th Paralympics revealed that the majority of people who applied for volunteer positions were between 18 and 55 years old, but those between 56 and 60 years old only comprised 5.38 percent of the total.

This shows the volunteer base leans heavily towards younger people. The First newspaper conducted interviews with the following volunteer applicants.

Ms.Chang Zhifu: In order to volunteer, at 65 years old she began to study sign language and English

Living in a traditional Beijing courtyard home (hutong), 65-year-old Chang has been studying English and sign language for two hours a day to reach her goal of volunteering at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Though she has gray hair, Chang always looks young and fresh, especially when she talks about the Beijing Olympics.

"I was too excited to sleep on the night Beijing beat other bids to be awarded the 2008 Olympic Games," Chang told the First.

She then showed the reporter her Olympic scrapbook, filled with press clippings on Beijing and Olympic news, most pieces which had been taken from the First.

"All the special dates and events related to Beijing 2008 would grab my attention such as July 13 of 2001, the day when Beijing bid for 2008 Games; August 8, the day for the upcoming opening ceremony as well as the Olympic construction progress," she said.

She said she knows a lot about many different games, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, and table tennis. "The idea of being a volunteer came to me years ago, and I really hope I can help the foreign disabled through sign language," she said.

Earlier this year, Chang signed up for an English training course held by the community where she lived. Also, through the help of the local media, a teacher from the Beijing Vocational Senior School for the Handicapped is now teaching Chang sign language. A disabled girl Hao Yu, one of the 2005 top ten Beijing Volunteers, has visited Chang.

After one month of studying, Ms. Chang has made good progress and can now sign a complete passage, as well as the lyrics to a song.

"Hao said she will introduce me to more deaf people, and I am willing to negotiate," Chang said. "The Beijing Olympics is a chance. What I want is to help the disabled who need more care from society."

Volunteering is open to people of any age, and there is no doubt that both the middle-aged and seniors

Gu Hongfu:Former front-line sports journalist now throws himself into volunteer program

As the former director of the Indonesian Department of China Radio International, Mr.Gu Hongfu gets excited when he talks about sports events he once attended.

"In 1988, When Yang Wenyi, former National swimmer broke the women's 50m freestyle world record at the 3rd Asian Swimming Championship, you would never know that news of the win moved from the swimming center to the media center by bicycle," Gu said.

Gu loves swimming and is active in games held by the CRI and the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television.

As for the upcoming Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, Gu says he would like to be a volunteer if he got the chance.

Gu thinks that seniors make good volunteers as they have time, patience and many advantages in terms of life experience. Starting in 1975, Gu studied Indonesian for four years at Beijing University and afterwards took an advanced course at Indonesia National University. He has abundant experience in both language and news reporting.

"I learned a minority language, but what I learned is also applicable to learning other languages. As a translator for the China Journalists Federation' delegation, Gu has visited Indonesia many times, and has been active in meeting with the counterpart delegations when they come to Beijing,

"As far as I know, most Beijingers are learning English, while few know languages such as French, Japanese, German, or Spanish. Those who know Arabic or Portuguese are even scarcer," he said. "

Gu said, there are many seniors such as himself with professional skills in language and journalism at CRI, even some with overseas living experience that would benefit the 2008 Olympics.

"There are also people with other skills whose enthusiasm should be harnessed and used as much as possible," Gu said.

1

2