A special award named in honour of former International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch was presented to Sochi 2014 President and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko by IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. The award was presented at the International Global Sports Forum at a ceremony to celebrate the most innovative and effective sport projects.
Chernyshenko said, “the program of coaching volunteers for the Games is one of the largest scale and most innovative projects undertaken by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee. The program allows us not only to create the infrastructure for training thousands of volunteers for the Games, but also help to develop the overall volunteering culture in Russia. The system of volunteer training will leave an invaluable legacy for the entire Russian nation for many years to come”.
As part of the Sochi 2014 volunteer’s program, in an open competition 26 educational institutions from all of Russia were successful in their bids to become organization and performance centres for volunteers in the run-up to the 2014 Games. The winners were announced in late 2010.
A mass recruiting of volunteers is planned for the beginning of 2012 and the volunteers will be selected and trained between 2012 and 2013. During their training the teams of volunteers will take part in scheduled tests events.
An estimated 25,000 volunteers will work during the 2014 Games in more than 20 areas, including meeting and greeting delegations at the airport and helping to organize the Closing Ceremony. Also, around 3,000 volunteers, trained by the city of Sochi, will help visitors at the Games travel between the city’s venues and ensure they are given a welcoming and friendly reception.
