Paris 2024 Olympics: a “varied” and “open to all” volunteer program – Le Monde

The Olympic rings on the forecourt of Paris City Hall, September 2, 2022. BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP Alexandre Morenon assures him: the 45,000 volunteers of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will “live the experience of a lifetime” . The deputy director of volunteers for the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee (Cojop) presented, on Monday, October 17, a program “which is intended to be open to all”. Only three conditions are necessary to apply: to be at least 18 years old on January 1, 2024, to speak either French or English, and to be mobilized for at least ten days during the Olympic Games or the Paralympics. “The objective is to have a representativeness of the French territory, even if we will also welcome international volunteers, he explains. We therefore want to have as many men as women, as well as people with disabilities. “Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Thomas Jolly on the Paris 2024 Olympics: “We can be sober and spectacular” All those who wish to become volunteers will be able to apply on a platform from March 2023, for six weeks . They will then have to fill out a questionnaire on their motivations and their personality, which will indicate to them the missions that best suit them according to their answers. “Most of the missions do not require skills,” says Alexandre Morenon. Above all, there will be something for everyone since 60% of these missions will be at the service of “the quality of the experience lived”, a third at the service of sports performance and 5% will consist of supporting and facilitating the organization. To this team of 45,000 volunteers (30,000 for the Olympic Games and 15,000 for the Paralympics), will be added 5,000 volunteers selected by the City of Paris, which will run its own volunteer program. Potential candidates already identified The partners of Paris 2024, the French sports federations, the host communities and the communities labeled Terre de Jeux 2024 have already identified a certain number of potential candidates, who will be able to apply from January 2023. C This is the case of Seine-Saint-Denis, which created the “All and all volunteers” platform, in particular to encourage young people to embark on the adventure. “Fifteen percent of the candidates are students, 40% are between 16 and 30 years old and around fifty people with disabilities have been identified by the reception structures, rejoices Mélanie Morgeau, deputy director of the Olympic Games delegation and Paralympic Games at the county council. The platform offers them training, volunteer missions so that they prepare and get into the dynamics. ” Read also Paris 2024: Emmanuel Macron wants to build 5,000 local sports fields before the Olympics Another example from the side of the French Table Tennis Federation (FFTT). Emphasis was placed on people from the sports movement: “We involved all of our local structures to mobilize the licensees who would like to be volunteers, explains Mickaël Mevellec, national technical adviser to the FFTT. We want to encourage those who are very involved in their sports practice. When they have been selected – in principle by the fall of 2023 – the 45,000 volunteers – including nearly 3,000 people with disabilities, the Cojop hopes – will follow online and face-to-face training. Although Paris 2024 has taken out accident insurance to cover those who are not insured, the organization will not cover accommodation and transport for those coming from remote areas. Faced with criticism of the fact of using volunteers rather than hiring employees for the missions requested, Alexandre Morenon also explained that he had established “a charter”, in consultation with the State services concerned. “We worked together for months to define the missions which were salaried work and those which were voluntary, and which could therefore be entrusted to volunteers”, he justified himself. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Olympic Games: Paris 2024 faced with the risk of budgetary slippage Laura Pottier