NANJING, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On August 25th, as the final Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Athletics events came to an end, so too did the duties of 800 Athletics volunteers, sometimes called “little limes” for their lime-colored uniforms. Soon after the spectators left, the volunteers were treated to a impromptu “Farewell Night” party to bid them a fond farewell from the Nanjing 2014 YOG. During the Athletics events, the volunteers provided a range of services for 200,000 spectators and 2,550 athletes with passion and dedication and bore witness to the winning of 36 gold medals.
During the party, a special video featuring the volunteers played on the big screen of the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium as awards were presented to the volunteers to commemorate their hard work during the YOG. The atmosphere was bittersweet as the volunteers took “selfies” with each other to record the moment and reluctantly said goodbye to the Nanjing 2014 YOG and each other.
“I did it!” exclaimed one of the volunteers, Wang Weiming. “I am proud of myself. l learned a lot from the Games and it was a life changing experience for me. I will never forget my YOG experiences.”
The 20,000 volunteers are the heart and soul of the Nanjing 2014 YOG. In exchange for their boundless enthusiasm and hard work, the YOG provides them with many opportunities to learn and broaden their horizons.
Perhaps the highest honor for the volunteers is to have the opportunity to serve state leaders and officials from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). One volunteer to get such an opportunity was Sun Ruotian. He said, “I remember on the 16th, I was responsible for giving directions and arranging transport and dining during President Pierre Nkurunziza’s visit. I made nearly 100 telephone calls, and I was so busy that I didn’t even have time to stop for a drink of water. But when President Nkurunziza finished his visit to Nanjing and prepared to leave for Burundi, he shook hands with everyone from the reception team and gave them all a hearty ‘thank you so much’. I will never forget that moment.”
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