This blog is part of our series on “Leveraging the Olympics and Paralympic Games for Local Development”. By sharing insights, best practices and success stories, this campaign seeks to inspire and guide future host cities and relevant stakeholders in maximising the benefits of such global events.
When we think of the Games, we often imagine athletes from around the globe competing for medals and securing their place in history. However, behind the scenes, there are 45,000 hidden heroes who were chosen from over 300,000 applicants to support the organisation of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games: the Paris 2024 Volunteers.
Volunteers are the backbone of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They ensure smooth operations and create a welcoming atmosphere. These volunteers come from 150 countries and 101 different departments, spanning different professional backgrounds and age groups. From salespeople and professors to OECD policy analysts, recent graduates, and retirees, they all play a key role in the success of the Paris 2024 Games.
© Paris 2024- T.Lefèvre
Defining the legal framework
Often, volunteering roles lack clear legal definition. To address this during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a comprehensive legal framework has been established to define the roles and responsibilities of volunteers. This framework is encapsulated in the Volunteer Charter, which sets out the rights, duties, guarantees, conditions of recourse, categories of work, and conditions applicable to volunteering.
This legal framework is the result of extensive collaboration involving the French government, the stakeholders of the Social Charter of Paris 2024, and the Paris 2024 Ethics Committee. By formalising these guidelines, the Charter not only enhances the protection of and support for volunteers but also ensures that their contributions are recognised and valued. It underscores the importance of volunteers, and sets a precedent that can serve as a lasting legacy for future volunteer programs.
© Paris 2024- T.Lefèvre
Innovating in the assignment of volunteers
Paris 2024 is committed to offering each volunteer a role that corresponds to their aspirations and skills while taking into account the organisation’s needs and the candidate’s availability. To find out more about their motivation, personality, and expectations of their assignment, candidates were invited to complete an online questionnaire during the application process.
The questionnaire is grounded in neuroscience, and by asking questions that might seems trivial, aims to understand the fundamental motivations of each applicant. It seeks to uncover not only why they want to volunteer but also what they aspire to achieve. By assessing whether an individual thrives on overcoming challenges or prefers a stable environment for example, this approach ensures that volunteers are matched with roles that truly align with their core motivations, enhancing both their experience and their contributions to the Games.
By aligning volunteers’ core motivations with their assignments, Paris 2024 enhances the overall effectiveness and satisfaction of the volunteers, contributing to the success of the Games.
© Paris 2024 x Decathlon
The legacy of volunteering: Skills for the future
The volunteer program fosters a sense of community and shared purpose, strengthening social bonds and civic engagement. This heightened awareness of the importance of volunteering is crucial to the wider sports movement as well , as volunteers play an essential role in the operation and development of sporting activities within clubs, sports federations, their leagues, and at sporting events.
The main challenge is shaping 45,000 volunteers, unfamiliar with each other and the tasks they’ll take on, into a team that can deliver an amazing game experience.
Having volunteered myself during the Rio 2016 Games, I understand firsthand how volunteering can significantly boost one’s self-esteem and imbue a sense of accomplishment, making previously daunting tasks seem achievable. The experience of contributing to something larger than oneself not only enhances personal growth but also cultivates a belief in one’s capabilities to overcome challenges.
The true legacy of the Paris 2024 volunteer program lies in the valuable skills and experiences volunteers gain, which will benefit them long after the Games have ended.
Through their involvement in the Games, volunteers are not only supporting a historic event but also building a foundation for their own future success. The Paris 2024 volunteer program aims to showcase the impact that large-scale volunteer initiatives can have on individuals and society, leaving a legacy of empowered, skilled, and connected individuals.
The OECD Programme on global events (cultural, sports and business) helps those involved build a legacy of local development. We work with event hosts from national or local governments, the private sector, and cultural, sports or business associations to reap greater local benefits from such events.
