WC volunteers start arriving

2010 SOCCER WORLD CUP VOLUNTEERS

From Dispatch On Line 2010/05/18 By MONWABISI JIMLONGO

VOLUNTEERS who will be involved at various stadiums during June’s soccer World Cup tournament are raring to go just less than a month before the finals begin.  Already Diego Juan from Argentina has arrived in South Africa as a volunteer from abroad.  “I’m happy to be here. This is a beautiful country and I want to be part of the World Cup, that’s why I applied to be a volunteer,” the Argentine said.  According to Onke Mjo, the 2010 World Cup volunteer programme manager, Juan is one of 20 volunteers from Argentina and 50 more from Mexico arrive soon.  Mjo says other volunteers from overseas are expected to arrive from this coming Saturday. “It took us two days to do stadium induction with the volunteers during the Confederations Cup last year, but it will take longer this time around ,” she said.  Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, will have 350 volunteers.  The LOC received more than 67999 applications from 170 countries.  An eventual 15000 were selected to comprise the Organising Committee and 3000 the Host City volunteers.  Mjo told the Daily Dispatch three months ago that the volunteers came from different economic backgrounds, ranging from unemployed youth and students at tertiary institutions to employed professionals and retired citizens.   … The volunteers will be involved in areas like marketing, protocol, accreditation and transportation and will be at their posts at different stadiums from the end of May until July .

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