They are busy in the event venues, stick to different fields, warm service and youthful. They are the “blue sky” who serve both inside and outside the Beijing Winter Olympics. They use their professionalism and patience to witness the bloom of glory and interpret the spirit of volunteerism.
Tens of thousands of seemingly ordinary volunteers radiated extraordinary light in their respective positions. A few days ago, the reporter contacted a number of Beijing Winter Olympic volunteers by phone and listened to their stories. Among them, there is joy, but also tears; there is pride, but also moved. A volunteer of the famous competitions warms every corner of the arena; the bright smiles of youth interpret the responsibility of “strong country I” and become a beautiful landscape at the ice and snow event.
In the 2008 Olympic Games, the smile of volunteers was Beijing’s best business card; in 2022, Beijing will become the first “city of double Olympics”, and volunteers’ warm and thoughtful service has once again become the most beautiful business card in Beijing and the Olympic Games.
Dreaming in winter, burning love and snow
Our reporter Anna
On the evening of February 6, the Beijing Winter Olympics men’s single bobsleigh competition came to an end at the National Snowmobile Center. Volunteer Qi Juanli officially participated in the services of the Winter Olympics as the award ceremony staff. At this moment, she looked forward to more than 780 days.
The 22-year-old Qi Juanli is a fourth-year student majoring in costume performance at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. In 2019, after seeing the information on the recruitment of volunteers for the Winter Olympics released by the school’s Youth League Committee, she signed up as soon as possible. This is how her story with the Winter Olympics began.
With anticipation for the Winter Olympics, Qi Juanli has been waiting for more than a year. In May 2021, the volunteers of the competition will start the preliminary screening. “I’m applying for etiquette volunteers in the field of award ceremony etiquette, and I have high standards for height, weight, appearance, and even basic skills in etiquette services.” Qi Juanli said, “Because of my professional expertise, I also assisted the school in conducting training for students. Initial on-campus training. In the end, 15 students officially became volunteers for the Winter Olympics.”
It can be seen in the event broadcast that the etiquette volunteers have standard standing postures and standard gestures, but how much hard work is required behind each seemingly simple action? This question can be closed from the Winter Olympics etiquette service staff Find the answer in the training camp.
According to Qi Juanli’s recollection, during the closed training period of more than one month, the volunteers successively carried out a number of targeted trainings, detailing the speed and distance of each stride, the point positions of different gestures, etc., as well as manners, arm strength, etc. special practice. The hardest part is the stance training, which requires you to stand still for hours. At the beginning, many volunteers completed the training with tears.
The dedication with sweat and tears paid off in service. Since the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the volunteers have successfully completed the etiquette service guarantee for each game. On February 13th and 14th, it snowed heavily in Beijing for two consecutive days. As a “medal tray member”, Qi Juanli kept cheering on the slippery road behind the snow, focusing on the core strength of the body, smiling and fulfilling Mission accomplished.
The ceremonial clothes she was wearing made Qi Juanli feel warm. It is understood that the series of uniforms and award ceremony clothes for the Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics were designed by a team of teachers from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. The National Snowmobile Sledging Center is built on the mountain, and the temperature is relatively low. Whenever relatives and friends asked Qi Juanli if she felt cold at the scene, she always smiled and said, “There are a lot of black technologies in the clothes, which were designed by our school’s teacher team, so I don’t feel cold at all!”
On New Year’s Eve, the National Snowmobile Center held a pre-competition simulation exercise and invited three Chinese team members to complete the whole process of awarding awards. Seeing the five-star red flag rising and listening to the national anthem resounding throughout the audience, Qi Juanli’s eyes turned red and red.
On the evening of February 11, the men’s steel frame snowmobile competition was staged with passion. Qi Juanli, who was on the bench, cheered for the Chinese team on the sidelines of the arena. In the end, Yan Wengang won the bronze medal, achieving China’s breakthrough of zero medals in this project. At that moment, Qi Juanli couldn’t hide his excitement any longer, clapping and cheering while shedding tears.
Before participating in the Winter Olympics, Qi Juanli had very little knowledge about snowmobiles, sleds and steel sleds. Through in-depth study, she can now talk about these sports in a clear-cut way. She has a small wish. When she gets home, she will accompany her parents to watch the sled race again. This time, she will be a commentator.
Experience the beauty of sports up close
Our reporter Lei Yao
On February 12, in the Beijing Winter Olympics speed skating men’s 500-meter final held at the National Speed Skating Stadium “Ice Ribbon”, Chinese athlete Gao Tingyu won the championship with a time of 34.32 seconds, setting a new Olympic record. Zhang Jiachen, who was serving in the stands at that time, jumped up from her seat with excitement. The athletes and coaches of the Dutch team next to her also stood up and applauded, and congratulated her in Dutch, congratulating the Chinese player for winning the championship.
Zhang Jiachen is a professional teacher in the Dutch Language Teaching and Research Section of the School of European Languages and Cultures, Beijing Foreign Studies University. During the Beijing Winter Olympics, he became a language service volunteer of the “Ice Ribbon”, responsible for the liaison work of the four teams of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Estonia.
“I feel very lucky to be able to participate in the volunteer service of the Beijing Winter Olympics this time, and to have close contact with the athletes and coaches and provide them with services within my ability.” Zhang Jiachen told reporters happily, “In October last year, I I was fortunate to participate in the volunteer service of the ‘Meet in Beijing’ test competition. The Dutch team also participated in the competition at that time. I also agreed with the team leader of the Dutch team to see you in the Beijing Winter Olympics. I didn’t expect that I would actually come to the appointment. To me, it is very kind, like an old friend reunited after a long absence.”
Come to the venue 3 hours before the start of the competition, carefully check the daily detailed competition schedule, and understand the training and competition time of the athletes; take the initiative to go to the training places and rest places for athletes such as the strength room to ask them if they need help, so as to prepare the athletes for adaptation training. Provide necessary translation and communication services; after the game, guide the winning athletes to the area where the souvenirs are awarded, and remind them of the things they need to pay attention to. These are the contents of Zhang Jiachen’s daily work.
“For me, the most challenging job is to identify and match the names and numbers of these foreign athletes. There are 30 or 40 players in the Dutch team alone, and the pressure is still quite high. They all wear The same sportswear, wearing a mask. After getting on the ice, from the head to the feet, it is even more difficult to identify. It feels like opening a blind box.” Zhang Jiachen said, “I have to check the official release of the athletes’ competition over and over again. photos, videos, and remember as much as possible their looks and shapes, as well as some of their distinctive features.”
Zhang Jiachen, born in 1991, is a native of Beijing. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she was still a sophomore in high school and felt a little regretful that she was not able to participate due to academic stress. “This year, I am fortunate to be able to participate in the Winter Olympics at my doorstep. This is a dream come true for me.” Zhang Jiachen said, “This time, as a language service volunteer, I directly provide foreign athletes and coaches with Service. I went to the Netherlands as an exchange student when I was in college, and now I teach Dutch at school; Belgians speak Dutch, which is where I went to study abroad; Estonia has only one competitor, and his coach is still the Netherlands People; my father works in Siemens in Germany and can speak German. Under his influence, I also learned simple German. It was a coincidence that I just happened to serve for these four teams.”
“Every time I serve at the information desk, an athlete always recognizes me and takes the initiative to come over to say hello, either by my Dutch name ‘Esmee’ or ‘Zhang’, I feel very cordial, and this is also my work. A kind of recognition.” Zhang Jiachen said, “A couple of days ago, an athlete from the Dutch team accidentally lost his hairband while adapting to training. After consultation, several of our volunteers worked together and quickly helped her find it. When she sent it back, she was surprised. It seemed like a small thing, but it made me realize the importance of the details of volunteering. At the Winter Olympics, our service is not on behalf of individuals, not on behalf of the school, but on behalf of the whole the image of the country.”
“I cherish this learning opportunity very much. Through exchanges and communication with athletes and coaches, I have learned a lot of professional terms and vocabulary in sports, which is also a kind of growth and progress.” Zhang Jiachen said bluntly, “These days, in service At the same time, I have seen many veterans fighting hard on the field. Although some of them did not achieve ideal results, I learned from them the connotation of the Olympic spirit and the beauty of sports. I will never forget this experience. “
Glowing on the ice and snow stage
Our reporter Lei Yao
At around 18:00 on February 12, at the ticket gate of the Beijing Awards Plaza with a semi-circular “snow house” on the landscape avenue between the “Bird’s Nest” of the National Stadium and the “Ice Cube” of the National Aquatics Center, a large number of people were welcomed. audience.
Among the crowd, a volunteer with a height of only 1.45 meters, with a high ponytail and a little bumpy walking, attracted everyone’s attention with a sweet smile. I saw her handing out hand-waving flags and light sticks printed with “Bingdundun” to everyone, while saying: “Everyone go inside” “Everyone go inside”… She also raised her right leg from time to time, relying only on one Support the left leg and dance a cheerful welcome dance with other volunteers. The audience gave her thumbs up.
The volunteer’s name is Wang Menghao, from the 2018 marketing major of the Business School of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. She is one of the 19 volunteers recruited for the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games with disabilities, and the only disabled volunteer in the award plaza.
“I’m so lucky to be able to volunteer at the Winter Olympics. There are more than 2,400 disabled people who have signed up. I didn’t expect to be selected.” Wang Menghao told reporters happily, “In November 2021, I will still be selected. ‘Ice Cube’ participated in the ‘100-day countdown to the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games’ themed event. As a volunteer representative, I am honored and proud to stand on the stage to receive the flag and inherit the Olympic spirit. It can be seen that, Society has more and more respect for disabled people, and in major international events, it has provided us with a stage to show our value and show ourselves.”
As a general volunteer in the event service field of the Awards Plaza, Wang Menghao works in ticket booths, consultation booths, maternity and child rooms, lost and found offices, wheelchair and stroller loan and storage offices, and photo check-in points. He can rotate a position every 20 minutes. . In her opinion, the most lively thing is the photo booth. Spectators can take photos with props and perform warm-up dances with volunteers. And she likes to guide the audience into the ticket booth, so that she can give everyone warm service and bright smiles.
“Volunteering at the Games is very professional.” Wang Menghao told reporters that they not only had to learn basic Olympic knowledge through 23 online compulsory courses, but also participated in personalized courses such as English communication and etiquette practice.
Due to congenital underdevelopment, Wang Menghao’s lower limbs are of unequal length. Standing and walking for a long time is a big challenge for her. “Compared with other volunteers, my actions will be slower, but this will not affect my enthusiasm for serving everyone.” Wang Menghao said confidently, “I also have my advantages, because I understand the needs of disabled audiences better, my The service will also be more accurate.”
In 1999, Wang Menghao was born in a small village in Jiaozuo City, Henan Province. Because her parents were busy with work, she started going to and from school alone since elementary school. At the beginning, she walked for a while and rested for a while, often for more than 20 minutes per kilometer, and always kept her head down and walked on her own. Once after school, the class teacher offered to take her for a ride with a bicycle, but she did not expect that the area would last for 3 years. Gradually, she also found that the classmates who dropped by would slow down and wait for her, and everyone’s eyes changed from curiosity to friendliness.
“This experience not only opened my closed heart, but also planted a seed in my heart.” Wang Menghao recalled, “I have received help from many people, and I want to do my best to help others.”
During college, Wang Menghao actively organized volunteer service activities. “Organizing first aid training, planning blood donation activities, and promoting AIDS prevention knowledge… Volunteering not only made me optimistic and cheerful, but also met many like-minded friends, which enriched my life experience.” Wang Menghao said, “These rich volunteer services My experience and knowledge reserve make me fortunate to be a volunteer for the Beijing Winter Olympics.”
In the award plaza, whenever the national anthem was played and the five-star red flag was raised, Wang Menghao was moved to tears. “Although I have a physical disability, I also have the opportunity to go to school and participate in social practice. I am proud to live in China.” Wang Menghao said that participating in volunteer service is a matter of “giving roses and leaving fragrance in your hands”. The person is happy, she will continue to do it, so that more people can see that the disabled can also shine.
The best “little popsicles”
Our reporter Lei Yao
“Chen Qiushui, a volunteer of the event service publicity group, ran around various positions with a camera early in the morning, busy recording the pictures of the volunteers’ services. Her head, body, and camera were covered with snow, and she had a new one. Nicknamed ‘Autumn Ice Reporter’. Our ‘Little Popsicle’ is awesome.”
The above is the event service volunteer of China Agricultural University, Hao Qiwei, who forwarded the “Little Popsicle” diary on her WeChat Moments on February 13, “In the blizzard and cold wind, our school’s Winter Olympics “Little Popsicle” sticks to the volunteer position and provides warm-hearted services “The testimonials written at the time.
China Agricultural University is the source university of volunteers serving the National Snowmobile and Sledging Center of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The volunteers of the competition mainly provide volunteer services in more than 40 jobs in 19 business fields such as event service and traffic guidance. Hao Qiwei is a member of the school’s Winter Olympics volunteer service class, and is also the event service director of the National Snowmobile Center. He is also responsible for the collection and arrangement of promotional materials.
On February 13, the temperature in Yanqing District of Beijing plummeted and snowstorms were flying. The National Snowmobile and Sled Center has become a veritable “Snow Dragon”. The “Little Popsicles” from China Agricultural University set off to the venue one after another from 6 in the morning, sticking to their respective positions to ensure the event service and venue operation. Many volunteers also spontaneously became snow shovelers, picking up snow shovels and shovels and starting to clean the road, experiencing value and fun in labor, and showing the youthful demeanor of “little popsicles”.
“Little Popsicle”, a name that is both loud and pleasant. Hao Qiwei deciphered the origin to the reporter. “The prototype is the youth cartoon mascot of China Agricultural University, the corn ‘Cobs’, which incorporates the ice and snow elements of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which also means that our volunteers are the best. Everyone is doing service and guarantee work in the cold outdoors every day, not only Kind and figurative, lovely and expressive.”
After working outside for an hour or two, I rushed into the volunteer home, and the most common sentence was: “I really became a ‘little popsicle’!” In an instant, he burst into laughter. Some handed hand warmers, and some handed cups of hot water… A warm current rushed to the face and warmed the whole room.
Collecting and editing pictures, videos, texts and other promotional materials throughout the process is a task that Hao Qiwei and her team must complete every day. In order to do this job well, everyone runs to various volunteer service positions every day, with more than 20,000 steps, taking photos, taking videos, and arranging news report materials. When there is a game at night, they often work until the early morning.
Hao Qiwei also told reporters the story of “Panshan Express, the mission must be fulfilled”. On the evening of February 7, “Snow Dragon” ushered in the third competition day. Volunteers in the event service field guided the audience to enter the venue in an orderly manner according to the established work points. At the same time, there was another scene “on the stage”: 29 volunteers from the China Agricultural University turned into “couriers”, and ran one bat after another on the winding mountain road in a post-to-point relay. The tickets left by the audience on the bus at the bottom of the mountain were passed to the mountain and handed over to them to ensure that they successfully completed the ticket check and entered the stadium to watch the game.
In Hao Qiwei’s view, this efficient response to emergencies can be said to be a test of their volunteer service work in the competition. Because of the cold weather and long running, the volunteers’ protective masks all seeped fine water droplets, but everyone had no time to take it into consideration. There is only one thought in their minds, and they cannot delay the audience watching the game. “Our ‘little popsicles’ are the best when it matters.”
“Where there are volunteers, there are our staff. We will use the camera to leave them with the best memories. Among them, there are laughter, moving, and tears, but they are all the color of ‘happiness’.” Hao Qiwei He said bluntly, “All our volunteers participated in the service of the Winter Olympics with pride and excitement. They will show the world the style and responsibility of Chinese youth with smiling service.”
“I cherish the opportunity of volunteering at the Winter Olympics very much. Although I work behind the scenes most of the time, it is still a very rare and precious learning and practice. I am often touched by volunteers, and it also gives me a sense of volunteerism. A new understanding.” Hao Qiwei said frankly, “Volunteering has become an indispensable part of my life. I will not only stick to it for a long time, but also influence and drive more people to participate in volunteer service.”
Passing on the seeds of volunteerism
Our reporter Anna
On January 29, Su Chaoli, a teacher from Beijing University of Technology, left Beijing for Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, which is nearly 200 kilometers away. The purpose of her trip is to go to Zhangjiakou Unregistered VIP News Media Center to participate in the city volunteer service of the Winter Olympics. That day, her daughter just turned 7 months.
Su Chaoli’s fate with the Olympic Games began as early as 2008. At that time, she was a freshman in college and honored to be an Olympic torch relay volunteer. Watching the torch pass, Su Chaoli burst into tears with excitement, and a seed of volunteering was planted in her heart.
Since then, Su Chaoli has participated in a lot of volunteer services. She has served as a volunteer in large-scale events such as the China Open and APEC Summit. The total volunteer service time exceeds 3,000 hours. At the master and doctoral level, she also specialized in theoretical research on volunteer service. At the same time, Su Chaoli also served as a volunteer training lecturer for large-scale events such as the 9th World (China) Garden Expo, the 10th National Ethnic Minority Traditional Sports Games, and the 14th National Winter Games. “I hope to pass the seeds of volunteer service to more many people”.
Hearing that the Zhangjiakou Division of the Beijing Winter Olympics is recruiting urban volunteers, Su Chaoli confided to her family that she wanted to sign up, and received strong support from the whole family. “City volunteers are very important, they can inject the blood of volunteer service into the whole city. I also want to take this opportunity to see if my experience and ideas can be put to use and contribute to the development of volunteer service in Zhangjiakou City. .”
After arriving in Zhangjiakou, Zhangjiakou Non-registered VIP News Media Center organized pre-job intensive training for resident volunteers. In this training session, Su Chaoli and other volunteers learned about the etiquette of volunteer service and the precautions for serving foreign media. At the same time, as a lecturer, she talked about volunteer service with the title of “Volunteer Service and Volunteer Spirit”. The relevant knowledge and historical origins of the book are deeply analyzed, and the question of “what is volunteerism” is deeply analyzed.
It is understood that there are 41 volunteers in Zhangjiakou Non-registered VIP News Media Center, and each volunteer has his own story. “There is a retired college student volunteer who defended his family and the country in the past two years and did not go home for the Spring Festival. This year, his hometown is close at hand, and he did not have time to go home to see it. He devoted himself to the volunteer service of the Winter Olympics city at the first time; There is also a volunteer who is fighting on the front line of the Olympic Games, and his wife is fighting on the front line of fighting the epidemic… Volunteers have gained warmth and strength from each other’s stories when they have a leisurely chat.” Su Chaoli said.
In order to further enhance the cohesion and centripetal force of the volunteer team, Su Chaoli proposed to set up a “Volunteer Home”. Red lanterns, blessing characters, photo walls, and heart-to-heart walls are all heart-warming and caring little objects, which made the volunteers who could not go home to celebrate the New Year feel warm. “We chose five colors for the big characters on the logo of ‘Volunteer Home’, which are designed according to the colors of the five Olympic rings. Volunteers come from other places to serve the Olympic Games together, which symbolizes everyone Hand in hand, heart to heart.” Su Chaoli said.
Volunteers not only talk about dedication, but also carry forward and pass on the volunteer spirit while making dedication, so that it will continue to shine. This is something that Su Chaoli has in mind and deeply understands. On February 4, the countdown to the Beijing Winter Olympics changed from 1 to 0. Su Chaoli and several other volunteers came to Zhangjiakou Civic Square to record this unforgettable moment in front of the countdown sign. After seeing them dressed in sky blue volunteer clothes, the citizens present expressed their gratitude to them and lined up to take pictures with them. “Uncles and aunts, I also want to be a volunteer in the future.” The words of a primary school student moved the volunteers present to tears.
During this voluntary trip to Zhangjiakou, what Su Chaoli misses most is her 7-month-old daughter. The first Spring Festival in the child’s life, but he was not by his side. “The period from 2008 to 2022 is 14 years, and what remains unchanged is the original intention of volunteering. I believe that when my child grows up, knowing that her mother has served two Olympic Games as a volunteer, She will definitely be proud and proud. In the future, I also hope that my daughter can become a volunteer and contribute to the development of society.” Su Chaoli said.
(Source: China Social News, February 18, 2022)