Behind Every Competition are the Volunteers

 Around 70 volunteers are working at the Archery World Cup stage 4 in Shanghai. Most of them were chosen from University students or members of the local community through a selection process that included several rounds of interviews.   ZHAO Yi Lin is a 22-year-old student majoring in marketing at the Shanghai Ocean University. “I chose to volunteer at the Shanghai World Cup because I want to practice my English and meet nice, handsome archers (smile). I was assigned to be the interpreter for the World Archery Events Director Juan Carlos HOLGADO.”   ZHOU Jie is majoring in English at University and was already a volunteer last year after one of his relatives, who works for the local organising committee, informed him about the event. “Last year I worked as an interpreter for the coordination and communication between the local organising committee and the FITA officials. This time I help the accreditation officers and will work for the doping control office when we reach the last days of the competition.” ZHOU Jie adds that, “the best part of my experience is the cooperation with people. The staff working here is very professional. It also gave me an opportunity to try archery last year.”   Among the volunteers are (of course!) archery lovers that spread from beginners to former international athletes. LIU Ao Jun is a University student who applied to volunteer because of his love for archery. “I am an occasional archer and I took this opportunity because it’s the summer break from University and I have a lot of free time. I discovered the sport through the story of Robin Hood, and I’ve been very interested in archery since. I always follow the Olympic Games and the Chinese National Championships on television.”  A familiar face stands out in the crowd of volunteers. SUN Jian is the archer that you can see alongside Elena TONETTA (ITA) on the promotional video shot at the Great Wall of China for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. A former international archer, SUN Jian spent 6 months at the FITA Office in Lausanne in 2005 for an internship as assistant to Juan Carlos HOLGADO. After that, he returned to China and worked for FITA at the 2007 Beijing Test Event and the 2008 Beijing Olympics as coordinator between FITA and the local organising committee. SUN Jian was already a volunteer during the 2006 and 2009 editions of the Shanghai World Cup. “I work here because I like archery and I have experience in this sport. I have many friends among the FITA officers and the members of the local organising committee. Volunteering here gives me a good opportunity to reunite with them.”   Asked what the Shanghai World Cup has brought him, SUN Jian answers that “every competition is different and is a great memory”, before adding that, “I hope to stay involved if China organises more archery events in the future.”   Last but not least, most volunteers expressed their hope that the experience will be an asset in their future professional career. As says ZHAO Yi, “English is a universal language and I would like to gain new experience that might help me get a job in the future. It is hard for everybody to hunt for a job now because of the economic situation, and I want to increase my chances.”    “Everyone needs help and if I have free time, I’m glad to give it to others, but it’s also a good opportunity for me,” begins LIU Jia Qi, a University student who works on the field of play, handing the scoring devices to the archers. “My volunteer service at the Archery World Cup allows me to extend my field of experience,” she continues. “I worked as a volunteer at the World Expo before and I’m now acquiring knowledge about the sports world. A volunteer service is something that can increase my life experience, which is obviously good for my future professional career,” concludes the determined LIU Jia Qi.   Vanahé ANTILLE World Archery Communication