• Volunteer Programme promotes skill development and social inclusion for 70,000 people who will help the Games to take place
• Registration can be carried out until 15 November 2014 through the website
  www.rio2016.com

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 28 August 2014: The volunteers are the soul of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In 2016, they will also join the category of heroes. On Thursday 28 August, Brazilian National Day of the Volunteer, the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games launches the Rio 2016 Volunteer Programme, the biggest legacy of which will be skills development and social inclusion. Registration is now open and will go on until 15 November 2014 through the website
www.rio2016.com .

A total of 70,000 people, both Brazilians and foreigners, will carry out more than 500 different functions, with 45,000 volunteers involved in the Olympic Games and 25,000 in the Paralympic Games. The programme is wide reaching in the volume and characteristics of the people, but also through the opportunity for personal development that the participants will have at their disposal. The Rio 2016 Committee will offer an on-line English course for everyone who is selected as a volunteer, in addition to specific training according to their function. The volunteers will also receive a uniform, food and transport on the days they work, and a certificate of participation.

To take part you must be at least 18 years old as of February 2016 (there is no maximum age limit) and it is desirable to have completed primary education, in addition to being available to participate in the selection process and the activities themselves during the period of the Games.

"The Volunteer Programme of the Rio 2016 Games will reflect Brazilian diversity; of talents, cultures, ages and interests. All this diversity will be added to the other thousands of people who will come to Brazil for a greater goal, to participate in the realisation of the largest multisport event in the world with excellence, passion and joy, for the first time in Brazil" says Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee.

The volunteers represent 33% of the work force of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Opportunities are available for a diverse range of skills and characteristics, including for people with an impairment. Some functions require knowledge and specific skills, which will be performed by specialist volunteers in the areas of Sport, Medical Services, Technology and Languages.

"Acting as a volunteer in the Games is a unique opportunity to get to know people from all over the world, to live new experiences and leverage your professional CV. The activity is directly connected to the satisfaction and personal achievement of being able to contribute to the success of an event such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games", explains Henrique Gonzalez, Director of Human Resources of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee.

Campaign Launch

To encourage Brazilians to help build the Games, the campaign "BE YOUR HEROES' HERO" goes live today on TV channels and the internet. In videos, Brazilian Olympic and Paralympic athletes such as Giba (voleyball), Daniel Dias, Cesar Cielo and Ricardo Prado (swimming), Daiane dos Santos (artistic gymnastics) and Teresinha Guilhermina (athletics), extol the importance of the work of volunteers. The team worked voluntarily on the campaign, created by Ogilvy, which will also have spots on the internet.

Find out more:

• The four cities that will host football matches outside Rio - São Paulo, Brasília, Belo Horizonte and Salvador - will need at least 1,500 volunteers each.
• The equestrian cross country event alone will require 600 volunteers. It is the competition that involves the largest number of volunteers.
• Sport specialists are the largest group of volunteers, numbering around 7,000. This group is normally made up of athletes, ex-athletes and officials.
• The medical area will need specialists, especially general practioners, ophthalmologists and orthopaedic surgeons, radiologists, nurses, physiotherapists, massage therapists, pharmacists, dentists and first aid responders.
• Specialist volunteers will be needed in more than 40 languages, among them Russian, Arabic and Mandarin. One of the challenges is attracting people who speak Amharic (the language spoken in Ethiopia).
• 500,000 volunteers have worked in the last 10 summer Olympic Games.

More information on the Volunteer Programme can be found on the website:
http://www.rio2016.com
About the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a private, non-profit civil association of sports nature, composed of the Brazilian Olympic Confederations, the Brazilian Olympic Committee and the Brazilian Paralympic Committee. Its mission is to promote, organise and stage the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games, following the guidelines of the Host City Contract, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency, while respecting Brazilian legislation, the Olympic Charter and the IPC Rules Handbook.