Help is always at hand

Exceptional volunteer services cater to diverse needs of Paralympic participants

Beijing 2022 organizers are pulling out all the stops to provide athletes and all participants with exceptional volunteer services at the Winter Paralympic Games.

Given the special needs of the para athletes, the volunteer work at the Paralympics is often a more delicate task than that at the Winter Olympics, and the tailored services and facilities on offer reflect these requirements.

Most of the volunteers also worked at last month's Winter Olympics, but they have still received specific training for the Paralympics.

Those on duty at the National Indoor Stadium, which will host para ice hockey, have been taught basic medical and first-aid skills, training in wheelchair use, and guidance on how best to communicate with the para athletes.

"There are a total of 601 volunteers working at the National Indoor Stadium, and they work in 22 sectors such as sports, medical, transportation and competition services," said Guo Kai, volunteer manager of the National Indoor Stadium during a news conference at the Paralympics' Main Media Center on Friday.

"Among our volunteers, 566 worked for the Beijing Winter Olympics and we have one volunteer with a disability. In terms of the training, we invited experts from different areas to impart their knowledge to the volunteers.

"For example, medical experts from Team China gave the volunteers tips on how to assist the para athletes in emergencies and how to use their sports equipment."

Volunteer Wu Songze is serving with the sports sector at the National Indoor Stadium. One of his jobs has been helping the venue transition from the Winter Olympics to the Paralympics.

"For example, we have changed the logo of the Beijing Winter Olympics to the Paralympics at the venue. We also have made many adjustments at the stadium based on the needs of the para athletes," Wu told the news conference.

"Another example is that we changed some equipment at the gyms. During the Winter Olympics, the athletes mostly used cycling and spinning machines to warm up for competitions. However, we replaced some of these machines with other equipment because certain para athletes need to do upper body exercises to warm up."

Wu stressed that pandemic prevention "remains a priority" of the volunteer work as organizers refuse to let their guard down against COVID-19.

"Throughout the whole process, we aim to do our jobs with the utmost dedication," he added. "We know that the needs of different para athletes from different countries are not the same, and we will try our absolute best to help them."