By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Both Brazilians and foreigners can now register as volunteers for the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. Registration opened on the Brazilian National Day of the Volunteer, Thursday August 28th, and will remain open until November 15th.
“The Volunteer Program of the Rio 2016 Games will reflect Brazilian diversity; of talents, cultures, ages and interests,” President of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman said in a prepared statement.
“All of this diversity will be added to the [thousands] of people who will come to Brazil for a greater goal, to participate in the realization of the largest multi-sport event in the world, with excellence, passion and joy, for the first time in Brazil.”
With the tagline, “Be your hero’s hero. Be a Volunteer,” the registration campaign is looking to fill 70,000 volunteer positions. Approximately 45,000 volunteers are needed for the Olympic Games and twenty thousand for the Paralympic Games.
There are positions available volunteers with different skill and educational levels and also positions available for volunteers with special needs. Applicants must be at least eighteen-years-old by February 28, 2016 and there is no maximum age limit.
Additionally, volunteers must be available for up to three days of training sessions and for ten days during the Olympics, which will take place from August 5 to 21, 2016, and/or for the Paralympic Games, which will be held from September 7 to September 18, 2016.
Approximately five hundred different positions are available for volunteers in areas including; customer services, health services, technology, press and communication, operational support, transportation and sports specialists, which will be the largest group of volunteers. Registration to become a volunteer cast member of the opening and closing ceremonies will be open to the public at a later date.
To help ease travels for foreigners working on the planning and staging of Olympics and Paralympics Games, a new rule for temporary work visas was put into place on August 29th. Consular offices abroad may directly issue the work visas and if granted, the visas will be valid for up to two years, until December 31, 2016. They will be good for multiple entries into the country during that time period.
Those who are interested in volunteering can learn more about the available positions and can register at the official Olympic website here.
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