Volunteers for Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games: We are ready!

As the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games draw near, about 14,000 volunteers from universities in Beijing, each of whom will undertake various tasks stationed at different workplaces, are readying themselves to contribute to the sporting extravaganza with beaming confidence.

Zhang Rui, a volunteer at the Main Media Center (MMC), mainly deals with the application, approval and issuing of visitor cards. Zhang explained that fully-fledged services and epidemic prevention and control measures are in place for all the rooms inside the MCC, including the hall for press conferences, the press workroom and the canteen. “There are some exhibitions themed on traditional Chinese medicine and Beijing culture on the second floor of the MMC, where foreign journalists will have a glimpse of Chinese culture,” Zhang said. Calling his task just a small part of the enormous workload for the winter games, Zhang said he will fulfill his role with a spirit of perseverance.

Volunteers for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games pose for a group photo. (People’s Daily/He Yong)

Zhang’s colleague, Zhao Shijie, said that during a time when he is unable to meet his family, he felt that he and his fellow volunteers were just like a big family. And the young man prides himself on being able to work for such an important international event. “I will show the Chinese people's hospitality to those who come to Beijing,” said Zhao.

Hao Ziliang, head of the Renmin University’s hockey team, is working now at the Yunding Ski Resort at the Zhangjiakou competition zone in north China's Hebei Province. Hao, who participated in test competitions at the National Indoor Stadium and the Beijing Wukesong Ice Hockey Sports Center as a hockey player, said that hosting such a mega-international sporting event amid the pandemic means that there are numerous challenges. But the successful hosting of the testing program has made all the volunteers very confident. “As a winter sports fan, I hope athletes from all countries will do their best, and I hope the Chinese delegation will succeed,” Hao said.

Many of the college students chose to become volunteers during the winter games because of the inspiration garnered from the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games, one of the greatest spectacles in the history of the Olympic Games. Bai Ruochen, a volunteer team leader at the Capital Indoor Stadium, is a good example of this. Bai, who’s responsible for conducting training for volunteers and other related tasks, said that back in 2008, she witnessed the influence of the Olympic Games on the city of Beijing and the country. Now 14 years have passed, and many of her friends are participating in winter sports such as hockey, skiing, and skating. She looks forward to a splendid Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, now the world’s first and only “Double Olympic City,” hoping that more and more young people will fall in love with winter sports.