Winnowing out 2004 volunteers
A year after Athens 2004 officials started accepting applications from people prepared to work on a voluntary basis during the Games, the organizing committee said yesterday it had started the process of winnowing through some 55,000 forms. The total number of applications received by Wednesday stood at 54,981, an Athens 2004 announcement said. Over the remaining 11 months during which applications will be accepted, the organizing committee hopes to attract at least another 95,000 volunteers, to form a pool of 150,000 from which the final 60,000 people who will work during the Summer Games – and a far smaller number for the September Paralympics – will be selected. «The aim of the selection process is to place candidate volunteers in suitable positions to cover the needs of the Games, in combination with the applicants’ preferences, abilities and possible experience,» the committee said. Candidates will be invited to 45-minute interviews with 2004 officials, starting with residents of Attica.
