This paper aims to study the volunteer activities in the modern Olympic movement.

We will discuss the development of the concept of Olympic volunteers from the first modern Olympic Games to today. Although it was not until the 1980s and 1990s that the concept of volunteers was given a clearer definition, in practice, it can be traced back to Pierre? De? The first modern Olympic Games founded by Coubertin.

This paper includes a systematic analysis of the official reports of previous summer and winter Olympic Games, as well as a combing of Olympic literature. We try our best to get first-hand information from people who have personally participated in Olympic volunteer work, but this first-hand information can only be traced back to 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

The first question we ask ourselves is some common questions, such as: What? Who is it? Is the batter out? When? Why? What is the concept of Olympic volunteers according to the specific situation of previous Olympic Games? Who has been an Olympic volunteer in the past few years? When did volunteers work in the Olympic Games? What are their jobs? How did they become volunteers? How are they recruited and trained? What are their plans? Why did some of them decide to become volunteers?

These problems need to be analyzed from a historical perspective, that is, the development process of the Olympic Games itself, the increasing popularity of the Olympic Games, and the public's expectations for the Olympic Games, especially the Olympic Games in the past two decades. These problems need to be examined against the background of 20th century full of political and social changes.

The idea of Olympic volunteers

In some previous articles, other experts have defined what social volunteers are and integrated them into real life. According to social and cultural differences and the nature of volunteer work (religion, politics, sports and health, etc.). ), volunteers will think very differently. Nevertheless, we can still find some similarities between them:

-voluntary behavior: it is a voluntary and non-compulsory behavior of individuals.

-Altruism: Not driven by money or profit.

-Social contribution: in some ways, make a useful contribution to society.

In other words, as a volunteer, his/her actions are based on individual's free decision, which is driven by the principles of collectivism and altruism.

However, although voluntary behavior stems from personal decision, volunteer work is the embodiment of collectivism and needs the guidance of non-profit organizations. These institutions stimulate personal motivation; Eager to participate in social affairs; And strengthen people's sense of responsibility and spirit of cooperation, which is exactly what volunteers need. The behavior of these institutions has promoted the formation of social structure and improved the degree of social civilization.

Overview of Olympic volunteers

1992 An Olympic glossary in the official report of the Barcelona Olympic Games gives a clear definition for the first time: "An Olympic volunteer refers to a person who makes personal and altruistic commitments to the collective in the Olympic Games, and he/she promises to do his/her best to complete the tasks entrusted to him/her and does not accept rewards of similar nature such as money or prizes."

It is clearly stipulated in the Barcelona Olympic Games that the Barcelona Olympic Organizing Committee will assign volunteers to work and enjoy their contributions. 1980 When the Olympic Organizing Committee, the host country of an Olympic Games, first appeared at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics, the Olympic Games set up a volunteer program for the first time and recruited 6,000 volunteers.

In the subsequent Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calgary and Seoul, the volunteer program became a basic part of the Olympic organization. Now, volunteers play a vital role in the sustainable development of the Olympic Games.

Nevertheless, the concept of Olympic volunteers has gone through a process of synchronous development with social volunteers and sports, before it was clearly defined. In fact, sports volunteers are an indispensable part in the list of modern volunteer types.

Just like social volunteers, sports volunteers do beneficial things for the society by their own free will, not for economic or other utilitarian purposes. The goal of their actions is to promote the well-being of the whole society and improve the quality of life of others. Society also needs institutions that can make rational use of the personal contributions of these volunteers. Some sports organizations have stable and permanent volunteer plans, while others temporarily recruit volunteers to perform certain specific goals and complete given tasks. In these two types, namely, stable volunteer organizations and temporary organizations (the Olympic Games belongs to the latter type), we must distinguish whether volunteer activities are carried out inside or outside the organization.

In many national institutions, especially those with fewer members, professional work is done by volunteers. In the early days of the Olympic Movement, related professional work was also done by volunteers. Pierre? De? Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee and the modern Olympic Games through his volunteer-like work with the support of friends and leaders of various sports associations at the same time.

Some recent studies on sports volunteers show that the current volunteer activities are on the decline, but the volunteer activities related to large-scale activities either maintain the status quo or increase. Other research viewpoints mainly related to social volunteer work are trying to define a new concept of volunteers, which can be applied to the present situation and foreseeable future of 10 to 15.

The concept of Olympic volunteers has passed its most glorious period. The Sydney Olympic Games in 1990s and 2000 are undoubtedly extremely important Olympic Games for redefining the concept of Olympic volunteers and applying this new concept in the future.

The Development Course of the Concept of Olympic Volunteers

General introduction

The development process of Olympic volunteers can be analyzed from the internal structure and external social changes of the Olympic Games itself. We can divide it into four stages:

From 1896 Athens Olympic Games to 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, the first stage was characterized by anonymous volunteer work, which was mainly carried out in state institutions, clubs and Olympic organizing committees, which was consistent with the social and educational nature of sports at that time. Volunteers are mainly composed of boy scouts and troops.

From 1948 London Olympic Games to 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, this stage was characterized by the social and political situation at that time. Most of the Olympic Games are hosted by industrialized countries, which play the role of defenders of the new political, social and economic order after World War II. Due to the different host countries and their respective traditions of volunteers and social work, all previous Olympic Games have shown different characteristics. The overall significance of volunteer work continues to increase, boy scouts and the army are still important, but personal contributions have also begun to appear.

From 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games to 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, the Olympic volunteer model has appeared at this stage. During the Lake Placid Olympic Games, volunteers became part of the whole Olympic project of the local Olympic Organizing Committee, and by the time of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, volunteers had become an indispensable part. Despite different organizational concepts, there are also volunteer projects in Sarajevo, Calgary and Seoul Olympic Games.

From 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics/Barcelona Summer Olympics to Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, today's volunteer model has become an integral part of the local Olympic Organizing Committee and human resources planning. With the continuous expansion of the scale of the Olympic Games (which has been considered as a super-large event), volunteers are becoming more and more important. They not only ensured the competition, but also played an important role in TV broadcast and cultural exchange.

1. The earliest Olympic volunteers

abstract

Because many people work like volunteers, the basic structure of the Olympic movement was established at an early stage. This process is synchronized with the development of many sports organizations, which benefit from the voluntary work of many sports amateurs. These amateurs set up the first sports club.

In 1896, 1900, 1908 Athens, Paris, St. Louis and London Olympic Games, the word volunteer was not explicitly mentioned in official reports. However, there is no doubt that some people with altruistic beliefs are committed to the organization of the Olympic Games. At that time, the Olympic Games was small, and family and friends played an important role in its success.

boy scouts

During the early Olympic Games, in addition to the military performing today's volunteer functions, Baden? 1907 The Boy Scout Movement initiated by Powell in Britain also played an important role.

The contribution of Boy Scouts began in 19 12 Stockholm Olympic Games. They are mainly responsible for transmitting information, maintaining security and order, and doing all kinds of manual labor, such as raising flags and removing obstacles.

The relationship between Boy Scouts and the Olympic Games is not only in organizational work. Just like the Olympic model, the Scout International Conference is held every four years. Until the 1920s, there were sports competitions and parades in all previous international scout conferences.

Before World War II, the boy scouts' contributions to the Olympic Games were increasing, such as Antwerp in 1920, Paris in 1924, and especially the Amsterdam Olympic Games in 1928.

Boy Scouts are divided into different battalions to provide services to the public and ensure safety. In his memoirs, Coubertin praised the spirit of the boy scouts who participated in the Antwerp Olympic Games. 1924 At the Paris Olympic Games, the Boy Scouts gave a military salute at the official ceremony. At the Schamoni Olympic Games, Boy Scouts participated in the opening and closing ceremonies as flag bearers.

At the Berlin Olympics, Boy Scouts were replaced by members of the Nazi youth movement. This organization is extremely opposed to Baden? Powell advocated pacifism, naturalism and fraternity. In fact, before 1939, there were activities to disband the boy scout movement in Italy and Germany. Boy Scouts participated in the resistance movements of many countries (such as France) against totalitarianism and Nazi occupation during World War II.

After World War II, Boy Scouts continued to participate in the Olympic Games. Boy Scouts and other youth organizations played an important role in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games. Their main job is to pass on information and do other work. "2 19 1 members (16 17 boys, 574 girls) are engaged in this unpaid work. Among them, 59 squad leaders and 434 ordinary team members are responsible for propaganda work, 130 is the guide, and 1568 is the information courier. " This 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games statistical report explicitly mentions female volunteers for the first time. Although there were Girl Scouts as early as 19 12 Paris Olympic Games. With the improvement of women's status in social and political affairs, the role of female volunteers has become increasingly prominent.

1956 during the Melbourne Olympic games, boy scouts played the biggest role. Youth organizations are composed of Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and members of the Air Force Training Corps. Since 1 1 month 1955, more than 3,500 boy scouts have participated in the Olympic Games, and their return is only three meals a day. They appeared in 90% of the venues, and the organizers were very satisfied with their work. They help the public and children, assist the police, receive distinguished guests and act as tour guides for delegations of various sports organizations.

During the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, the spontaneous and indirect help provided by boy scouts and other organizations attracted great attention. They were appointed as standard bearers for most Olympic Games. 1998 During the Winter Olympics in Nagano, the Boy Scouts were re-appointed as the flag bearer of the Olympic Village.

Personal donation

We must also mention personal donations. These donations ensure the normal operation of the Olympic Games. Coubertin described in his memoirs that during the 1896 Athens Olympic Games, Greek expatriates from all over the world generously donated money to host the Olympic Games.

1920 during the Antwerp Olympic games, there was a saying called "charity", which indicated that some people were willing to donate money for the Olympic games. 1924 During the Paris Olympic Games, families donated a lot of money. These donations were named "national donations" and amounted to 332,309 francs, accounting for 2.5% of the total income at that time. In addition, 80% of the total income consists of state subsidies and ticket income.

2. After World War II, Olympic volunteers have been in the new international order.

During this period, the work that volunteers need to do has become diversified and some new jobs have been developed. Such as helping the public, preparing for the competition, providing information for spectators and athletes, guiding staff, removing obstacles after the track and field competition, assisting the police and providing translation services. Therefore, volunteer work is more closely related to the whole Olympic Games. In addition, volunteers began to work with paid employees at the Summer and Winter Olympics.

1952 during the Oslo Olympic games, new progress was made in volunteer work. For example, in order to better prepare for the competition, volunteers carried out research work. In addition, volunteers also participated in ticket collection, audience supervision and technical work in many fields for the first time.

Relatively speaking, the first great development of volunteer work took place in 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. Under the leadership of Miss Braud Hurst, 250 Girl Scouts provide services for female athletes in the Olympic Village, act as guides for athletes and officials, and help with shopping or other activities. Volunteers also engage in: messenger, official car in charge of parking lot, machine operator, canoe preparation and maintenance, VIP reception, helping lost children, medal distribution, camera assistant, etc.

During the 1960 Rome Summer Olympic Games and Squaw Valley Winter Olympic Games, volunteers continued to work as guides, translators and assistants in various fields of the Olympic Games. During the squaw valley Winter Olympics, volunteers engaged in transportation services: "There are a group of female volunteers working in San Francisco and Reno airports. They help all the people who come to participate in the Olympic Games to solve the problems encountered in customs clearance and provide translation and transportation services. "

In addition, volunteers in California, like some volunteers in previous Olympic Games, also do the work of guiding and maintaining sports facilities. At the Rome Olympic Games, volunteers became broadcasters for the first time and continued to work as translators. The choice of translation is very strict. Only young people who are very good at French, English and other languages are selected to ensure smooth communication with participants. 155 volunteers also helped the media staff.

1968 during the Mexican Olympic games, volunteers not only did routine work such as reception and information transmission, but also did work in two fields:

(1) Provide one-on-one personal service for IOC members, Mexican Olympic Committee leaders, members of international sports organizations, heads of sports and cultural delegations and special guests.

(2) Provide comprehensive services for media representatives and some members of sports delegations.

This distinction reflects the refinement of volunteer work.

The reports about the Olympic Games in 1970s didn't provide much information for volunteers and their work. 1972 The official report of Munich Olympic Games did not record the work of volunteers in particular detail, but only emphasized the relay of the Olympic torch by volunteers. In the same year, the Sapporo Winter Olympics reported that there were 265,438+028 volunteers serving as interpreters in shops, bus stops and stadiums. 1976 The Montreal Olympic Organizing Committee plans to turn the Olympic Games into another study subject for students, so many young people devote themselves to organizing the Olympic Games and provide accommodation and help for Olympic guests.

The era of great development of Olympic volunteers is coming. Due to the rising oil price and the tension in the Middle East, the world economy is depressed. The welfare state developed after World War II needs to be redefined at this time. Some industrialized countries have also begun to take active measures to improve the disadvantages of government behavior.

When Juan was at 1980? Antonio? When Samaranch was elected president of the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Games also entered her crisis era. The IOC began to consider introducing ratings, TV broadcasting rights and entertainment elements.

3. The initial stage of the current Olympic volunteer model

1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics is a crucial period for the historical development of Olympic volunteers. In the official report, their role is properly summarized as: "Without these 6,700 powerful volunteers, the 13 Winter Olympics could not have become a reality." These volunteers didn't come from any specific organization, and they didn't accept any reward or reward, so they are more in line with today's volunteer concept. In addition, their recruitment and training also take into account everyone's ability level in different sports.

Volunteers come from all walks of life: "businessmen, students, teachers, housewives, doctors, lawyers, professors, the elderly and teenagers, skiers, ice hockey, sledding and skating enthusiasts, in short, men, women and children from all over the world, the United States and all walks of life."

They work in various fields: "sports officials and organizers, messengers and postmen, clerks, proofreaders, mass organizers, typists, timekeepers and referees."

They work long hours. They received uniforms. Provide them with room and board. Finally, they were awarded certificates. But for them, the most important thing is that they feel that they are an indispensable part of the Olympic Games. In addition, volunteers with good foreign language skills have played an important role in many jobs.

The volunteer model of Lake Placid Winter Olympics was adopted by later Olympic Games, especially after 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics.

Most documents about Olympic volunteers did not regard Lake Placid Winter Olympics as the starting point of modern Olympic volunteer model, but awarded this honor to the Los Angeles Olympic Games. During the Los Angeles Olympic Games, nearly 30,000 volunteers engaged in various tasks through unified and organized arrangements: venue security, medical and health care, media, accompanying delegations and individuals, public relations, evaluation services, technology and communication, transportation, venue entrance control, catering, finance, administration and so on. At the same time, a special volunteer works in 25 sub-committees of the Olympic Games. The reason why the London Olympic Organizing Committee relies so much on volunteers is mainly due to economic reasons. As far as the number and types of volunteers are concerned, the Los Angeles Olympic Games is an important stage in the development of Olympic volunteers. In addition, compared with the Sarajevo Olympic Games and Lake Placid Olympic Games, this Olympic Games also pays more attention to the operation from the economic point of view, which is why there are such a large number of volunteers.

After that, the functions of volunteers were determined and remained basically unchanged in the subsequent Olympic Games. New developments include: volunteers attending art festivals; Attend the Opening and Closing Ceremonies to commemorate the contribution of 1924 St Moritz Olympic Games teenagers.

Public participation in volunteer work was consolidated in 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. The spirit of unity and dedication has been fully reflected in the public's support for this Olympic Games. These spirits are the inspiration for future volunteers. Volunteers come from various social groups, including students, retirees and the elderly, which inherits Canada's fine national traditions.

4. Today's Olympic volunteers: the vigorous development of Olympic volunteers.

abstract

The current Olympic volunteer model based on individual initiative and voluntariness has been further consolidated after 1992. The Olympic Games held in Albertville, Barcelona, Lillehammer, Atlanta and Nagano witnessed the outstanding contribution of individual-based volunteers to the success of the Olympic Games. These volunteers don't want any money.

It must also be pointed out that the Olympic Games has become a super-large-scale activity and the most important activity in the international sports world. The number of athletes and media personnel is now rising sharply. In this new situation, the number of volunteers has also greatly increased and has been integrated into the organizational structure of the entire Olympic Games.

abstract

Many different personal circumstances urge individuals to make a decision to become Olympic volunteers, and this decision will also be affected by certain social conditions. The research on the recruitment forms of volunteers in previous Olympic Games shows that there are three different modes:

National promotion

This form began with 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and was also adopted by 1980 Moscow, 1988 Seoul, 1948 London and other Olympic Games.

In these Olympic Games, the challenges and difficulties of organizational work are borne by the whole country, and state institutions are used to ensure success and enhance people's national pride. 1936 Berlin Olympic Games became a tool of Nazi political propaganda, and the organization of the Olympic Games was closely related to the political situation in Germany under Hitler's rule. 1948 London Olympic Games became a favorable opportunity for the British people to show their national strength after World War II.

B based on various organizations.

This model is common in the history of the Olympic Games. We can even say that this form was adopted in the early days of the Olympic Movement. The goal of this form is to make use of existing local and national organization networks, even at the family level. Of course, at the Olympic Games in the early 20th century, these networks were much smaller than they are now.

1In April, 1992, the Atlanta Olympic Organizing Committee announced that they would set up an "Olympic Force" composed of Georgia civil servants, community residents and businessmen. These people voluntarily make contributions to society beyond their professional scope. The press officer of Atlanta Olympic Games praised the public's positive response and declared that this response had no precedent in Olympic history: "The four-year recruitment plan for Olympic volunteers has promoted public participation in the Olympic Games. More than 65,438+0,600 groups-from mountaineering clubs and professional associations to cultural organizations and gardening clubs-have joined the "Olympic Power" led by the Atlanta Olympic Organizing Committee. This unit carries out the annual service plan. This is the first time to use the Olympic Games to encourage the spread of volunteerism, and it is also the first time for different groups in Georgia to cooperate with each other. "

Individual citizen

This model was widely used in the Olympic Games in 1990s, and "based on various organizations" became the choice model for the upcoming Sydney and Salt Lake City Olympic Games.

1992 the recruitment of volunteers for the Barcelona Olympic games is different from the past. This started before Barcelona was officially confirmed as the host city. For this reason, when Barcelona was declared as the host city, people cheered and ended the unremitting support of the public for five years. Barcelona is one of the few cities that set up their own volunteer organizations to host the Olympic Games.

The enthusiasm and devotion of Barcelona citizens to participate in the Olympic Games made her stand out among several candidate cities. As of1986,65438+February, the volunteer project * * has recruited 102000 volunteers, which shows the enthusiasm of local residents, because it took longer to recruit volunteers in previous Olympic Games, but the final result is far less than this figure.

1992 for the first time, the data of volunteers for the Albertville Winter Olympics showed that most of them were local residents. The following Barcelona Olympic Games, Lillehammer Olympic Games, Atlanta Olympic Games and Nagano Olympic Games were also the same results.

On June 5th last year, 10, the Salt Lake Tribune published an article about the volunteers of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City: "Under the leadership of the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee, volunteers will organize various parties during the Winter Olympics, so that local residents in Utah and people who come to participate in the Olympic Games can feel the Olympic Games more personally. ..... this is the "Our town is also your town" plan. Through this project, volunteers can not only have a good memory of their own lives, but also learn the technical skills they need in the future. "

These three models are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the Olympic Games held in the past 20 years have adopted different combinations of these three modes. Although sometimes one mode is dominant, it is hard to say whether it is intentional or unintentional.