Volunteers are the backbone of TWG 2017

The organisation of any sporting event is a team effort. And in that team effort, volunteers play a particularly important role. Thanks to recruiting efforts made by the organisers of TWG 2017, almost 2700 persons (from 52 countries) answered the call to help out. Of that number, 1500 will be invited to participate. Training is currently underway for those who will be leaders among the corps of volunteers.

Project participants

Registration for potential TWG volunteers closed on 28 February 2017 and concluded with a total of approximately 2700 entries. “Such a high level of interest from prospective volunteers only proves again how popular The World Games are in Poland and around the world”, commented Marcin Przychodny, President of the Wrocław Organising Committee.

High school and university students make up the largest part of those interested in being volunteers. A significant portion of these will come from the Wrocław Academy of Physical Education, the largest institution of higher education in sport in Lowe Silesia. The number is rounded out by adults, including many senior citizens. Volunteers come not only from Wrocław but also many other Polish cities and more than 50 countries world-wide.

Volunteering offers development opportunities

Such a large number (2700) of people interested in serving during TWG comes as no surprise. “Volunteering is a chance for participants to join in one of the largest sporting events in the world and see what goes on behind the scenes. It’s also an opportunity to gain valuable experience and develop one’s skills”, explains Lech Guzowski, Volunteer Coordinator. Work in the team of TWG volunteers allows young people, both school-aged and students, to test their ability to work in a team and perfect their communication skills, their ability to handle crisis situations while working under pressure. All of these skills are sure to come in handy during their future careers.

The volunteers’ work

TWG volunteers will assist the event’s organisers in areas such as venue preparation, serving members of the media and fans. They will be present not only around the various competition venues, but also at the Wrocław airport, in the Media and Accreditation Centres, as well as throughout the various athlete accommodations. Their work will begin several days before the beginning of the Games as athletes are training and final preparations are being made.

Services for volunteers

Volunteers will be looked after throughout the Games and will be provided with meals, volunteer uniforms and insurance. For those coming from outside the Wrocław area there will also be accommodation. During the Games volunteers will also be permitted to use Wrocław’s public transport system free of charge.

Training for volunteers

The first training session for TWG volunteers was held on 25 March for a group of 100 persons, identified as the most experienced, competent and involved and who are qualified to serve as leaders in the corps of volunteers. Further training will be conducted for individual positions as well as online.

Volunteers by the numbers

The WOC will need more than 1500 volunteers to work TWG 2017. From among the more than 2700 candidates, the Games’ organisers will select 1000 persons, while the remaining number (500) will be chosen by the individual sport federations and associations in cooperation with the WOC.

The World Games 2017 - the largest celebration of sport ever to be held in Poland - will begin on 20 July and will last until 30 July. Competitions will be held in Wrocław, Świdnica, Trzebnica, and Jelcz-Jaskowice.

Both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of The World Games 2017 which feature competitions in 31 sports will be held in the capital of Lower Silesia, Wroclaw.

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