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Up to 70,000 volunteers to be recruited for the London 2012 Games

With almost two years to go until the London 2012 Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has announced plans to recruit up to 70,000 volunteers for the London 2012 Games.

Sebastian Coe, chair of LOCOG, said: "London 2012 needs brilliant volunteers to help us deliver a great Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our volunteers will be called Games Makers to reflect the important role they will play in staging the 2012 Games.

"The programme to find our Games Makers will launch on 27 July 2010 and I urge anyone that is interested to come to our website from the day onwards to find out everything they need to know about volunteering in 2012."

There are two types of Games Maker roles, specialists in areas such as medical services, sport or press operations, and generalists, with roles ranging from spectator assistants, uniform distributors and ticket checking.

LOCOG also confirmed that up to 1,500 of the Games Maker roles will be made available for those under the age of 18 through the 'Young Games Maker' programme that will be unveiled in July 2011.

Worldwide Olympic Partner McDonald's has been appointed as the Presenting Partner for the Volunteer Programme. The company will help attract, select and train the volunteers.

Steve Easterbrook, chief executive of McDonald's UK, said: "We value our people above everything else in our business and it is our ambition to ensure that the 2012 Games volunteers are also highly valued, recognised and celebrated for their efforts and achievements.

"While nothing quite compares to the bustle and excitement of an action-packed Olympic and Paralympic Games, our employees know a fair bit about working in a fast-paced, busy environment - providing quick and consistent customer service to over two million people each day. We are proud to use this experience to help prepare the volunteers for the unique experience of London 2012 that leaves an enduring volunteering legacy for years to come."

In addition to these volunteer roles being recruited by LOCOG, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, will shortly announce plans for the recruitment of London Volunteers, stationed at key transport hubs, at visitor attractions, and on the streets of the capital.

Boris Johnson, said: "Volunteering for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, on home soil, is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is the great people of this country, with their warm welcome and 'can-do' attitude, on whom the success of our Games will depend.

"So my message is simple: whether you have a specific skill to offer or simply bags of enthusiasm to get stuck in and lend a hand, be it volunteering in one of the fantastic 2012 Games venues or helping us on the streets of our city - your Games need you!"

With recruitment starting exactly two years before the London 2012 Games, key dates for the application process are:

• 27 July 2010: applications open for pre-identified applicants for specialist sport, press operations, anti-doping and medical roles and members of a wide range of disability specialist organisations. LOCOG says this is also an opportunity for those interested in the generalist roles to find out if they have what it takes to be a Games Maker via a dedicated section on the London 2012 website. Recruitment also starts on this date for the Mayor's London Volunteers scheme.
• 15 September 2010: applications open to the public for generalist roles and continue for specialist roles.

Hugh Robertson, sport and Olympics minister, said: "As I have seen in Turin, Beijing, Vancouver and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, volunteers are the public face of every major sports event, playing a vital role in the spectator and athlete experience. If London is to be a friendly and successful Games, we will need volunteers of all ages to welcome the world to London and give London 2012 our own distinctive British imprint."

External links

For information on volunteering roles and the application process, please visit www.london2012.com/volunteering

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