Lord Coe: army of Olympic volunteers ‘make the difference’
They have endured long days with no pay in a garish uniform but the Olympic volunteers are proving to be among the top performers of London 2012.
There are some 70,000 “Games Makers” volunteering in London and close to venues outside the capital drawn from all over the world.
They include a doctor who treated victims of the 7/7 terrorist attacks and a woman warming up the crowds outside the opening ceremony whose dry wit brought a smile to passers by.
The volunteers, whose tasks have included helping competitors with equipment, and performing in the opening ceremony, have been praised by competitors in interviews.
Volunteering benefits
Locog chairman Lord Coe has emphasised the importance of the volunteers in allowing the athletes to concentrate on getting their best performance.
He told Channel 4 News’s Paraic O’Brien that the volunteers “make the difference” when bidding for or delivering an event, and tell the story of the games.
“Ultimately the best stories and the emotional appeal that is captured is captured by these guys,” he said.
But volunteers themselves have highlighted the benefits that they have gained from the games.
Volunteering benefits
Locog chairman Lord Coe has emphasised the importance of the volunteers in allowing the athletes to concentrate on getting their best performance.
“Everything we’ve done has been aimed at giving the athletes the best shot at that moment in their lives,” he said.
But volunteers themselves have highlighted the benefits that they have gained from the games.
Dr Andrew Hartle, a doctor who treated victims of the 7/7 attacks, which took place the day after London won the games in 2005, said that volunteering at the Olympics had given him closure on the tragic event seven years later.
Dr Hartle, an intensive care consultant at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, said the attacks – in which 52 died and hundreds more were injured – had always been inextricably linked to the London 2012 games.
He said: “We had just won the Games and the only thing people were talking about during the first hour of work that day was the Olympics.
He added: “Then, as you all know, the day turned out to be about something completely different, with the terrorist attack on London.
“For most of the last seven years those two events – the award of the Games and the July bombings – have been pretty inextricably linked.
“I found the opening ceremony really quite cathartic. It really gave me closure.
Insurance policy
“London is now known for something else – it is known for hosting the Games.”
Dr Hartle, who is part of emergency medical services at London 2012, said he hoped his skills would not need to be put to use.
“I am the insurance policy no-one wants to use, and I am praying for the next week I sit on my bottom watching fantastic sport,” he added.
London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe described hearing Dr Hartle’s story as a “seismic moment”.
The pair met by chance on the Tube last week, and Dr Hartle thanked him for the opportunity to volunteer.
With the games now into their final week, the challenge is now to ensure that the enthusiasm for volunteering continues after the closing ceremony.
From the start of the programme, London 2012 organisers have been working with volunteering organisations to ensure that there is a real legacy after the Games.
“Throughout the volunteering process, we’ve also encouraged people to look into volunteering in their local areas both in the run-up and after the Games,” a London 2012 spokesperson said.
As London 2012 Olympics gains momentum, Newham-based volunteer Dini Patel writes about her hopes for the event.
This is a personal journey, growing up as a teenager in Stratford in the 1980’s you experience everything. I rocked against racism and attended all those famous marches.
What a contrast now. Looking at the transformation fills me with untold pride and immense optimism for the future of the citizens of Newham.
Newham is special place for me. A place of light and shade. Scratch beneath the surface and there are a myriad of complex lives, a multitude of smiles, sentiment, colour and unconditional generosity of spirit. I know the next few days are going to be the most demanding I have experienced living here.
How will I juggle to keep everything flowing, my full-time paid job and my volunteer role? I know that I have to balance each day as it comes, it will be adapting as I go.
Hopefully I will manage to give my max on each day and I will be in-sync with the physical demands. Of course, the the logistics of getting from A-to-B daily will be a bit of merry circus.
Why did I volunteer when I live so close and have a full time job? It’s hard to explain but maybe it would be to get an insight, be part of history and show visitors what a great place Newham is. I don’t know anyone locally who has chosen to volunteer so I feel like an oddity.
Since the initial interview, we have had security checks, theory and practical assessments, orientation, role and venue familiarisation, swotting up the folders, books and map books full of useful information we will need.
It seemed endless and even now I am not sure if I have digested it all. Have I swotted enough, have they made a mistake in selecting me as the person who will make a difference to how the Games are perceived in my role? I don’t know. But my uniform is ironed and umbrella primed for a 6.00am shift this week.
