A few hundred Olympic volunteers got brushed up this week on the do's and don'ts of how to serve the Beijing Games this summer.
Urban volunteers to man posts outside Olympic venues during the Games received a two-day training course in the Chinese capital.
Three-hundred-and-fifty volunteers hailing from 18 districts in Beijing came to listen to expert lectures on various topics including etiquette, communication, tourist service and Beijing culture.
Apart from the 100,000 volunteers to directly serve the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, 400,000 volunteers will work the streets to serve guests and tourists.
They will offer first aid help as well as interpretation and information consulting services.
"Although the tasks for urban volunteers are not very heavy, we are still very happy that we can do some contribution for the Olympics," said Zhang Haipeng, a student volunteer from Shunyi district.
"There is an Olympic venue in our district, so we have to work hard for better serving those guests."
Because these volunteers are working outside the Olympic venues, they won't get the chance to experience the Games from within. But, volunteers like Shen Jie, don't mind.
"Since we have full-time jobs, it's hard for us to serve as Games-time volunteers. So, to be an urban volunteer is more practical for us," said Shen, an office worker from Xuanwu district.
"Through the training, we got more knowledge on how to communicate with foreigners, which is very useful for us."
Olympic sponsor Visa will help support 55 service stations in Beijing. Visa will also provide its cardholders with services at the stations during the games.
Another 20,000 volunteers will also attend the training workshops, which conclude in mid-June.
According to organizers, approximately 1.6 million people have applied to be urban volunteers.
One million volunteer hopefuls have also applied to help for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Recruitment is currently underway.
