PARIS (Reuters) – Paris 2024 will rely on a 30,000-strong team of volunteers for the Olympics, with 15,000 mobilised for the Paralympic Games, the organising committee said on Friday.
Some 20% of the volunteers come from foreign countries after being selected from 300,000 applicants. The vetting process, however, has yet to be completed, Paris 2024 said.
There were 70,000 volunteers at the London Olympics in 2012 while Tokyo had planned on having 110,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The number of volunteers mobilised for the Paris 2024 Games is in line with our needs and our project, with the aim of giving volunteers a real mission and making them feel useful,” Paris 2024 said in a statement to Reuters.
“The size of the volunteers programmes depends on the number of competition venues operated and the number of sports on the Games programme – which can change from one edition to the next.”
The volunteers’ programme kicks off on Saturday with the Volunteers Convention at the Paris La Defense Arena, with a presentation by Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet and the unveiling of the uniforms they will wear during the Games.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
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