“The 16th Asian Games” and “the 1st Asian Para Games” have respectively gained huge success in Guangzhou at the end of last year. Behind the accomplishment, there were numerous selfless dedications made by hundreds of thousands of volunteers from different parts of China and from different countries and regions. They played their roles with abundant energy and splendid charm. Their impressive performance, laying a solid foundation for the success of the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, was moving and encouraging to the people all around the world.
Prepare well for Challenges
After the Olympic Games in Beijing, Macao had the honor to once again organize its volunteers for the 16th Asian Games and the 1st Asian Para Games. To prepare the volunteers for their duties, the Macao Sport Development Board (MSDB) organized a series of pre-Games trainings which included English training, general training, medical talks, etc. In addition, volunteers were organized to take part in some of the major sport events held by MSDB, from which they gained practical experience and improved related skills. Volunteer Leong Kai Seng said, “I am glad to have passed a series of the assessments in the earlier stage, including the interview, the volunteer training in the International Dragon Boat Race and FIVB World Grand Prix , and the English training and finally become a volunteer for the Asian Games. I am delighted and honored to perform my duty for the country, the Asian Games and Macao.” Another volunteer Huang Pui Ying said, “Through the various training and the related activities, I have made acquaintance with other volunteers of different background and benefited a lot from their thoughts and experiences.”
Macao has selected 21 volunteers for the Asian Games and 4 for the Asian Para Games. The list of volunteers for the Asian Games included Mak Kin Hou, Iao Fu, Ao Wang Pio, Lok Chi Ian, Qiu Hai Mei and Xiong Xin, who were assigned posts at the headquarter hotel of the Games; Huang Pei Ying, Zhang Yu Bin, Guan Lu Wen, Lo Si Hou, Ng Bing Hei, Fok Cheng Wai, Leong Kai Seng, Chio Chon Wai and Chan Ng Lin, who served in the Stadium of the South China Normal University, which is within the Guangzhou University Park; Yuo Conan HoKai, Lai Sheung Mei, Lai Pereira In Wan, Ung Ut Wa, Leong Chi Ian and Lam Sok Wun, who volunteered in the Stadium of the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies . Volunteers Yuo Conan HoKai, Lai Pereira In Wan, Lam Sok Wun and Sin Ut Hou contributed to the Asian Para Games.
Conquering Difficulties and Going Beyond
During the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, the duty posts of Macao’s volunteers covered spectator service, security check assistant, guiding assistant, emergency coordinator, ticket-examining assistant, volunteer assistant, traffic management, stands-service assistant, equipment activation operator, car-parking coordination assistant, sponsor hospitality assistant, etc. Macao’s volunteers mainly consisted of university students, working youths and public servants. Arriving at a place unfamiliar, the volunteers had to make themselves accustomed to the new environment, in addition to overcome many difficulties. Despite this, they were bold enough to go beyond their boundary of ability and succeeded in overcoming all the obstacles.
Volunteer Ng Bing Hei, who was an intern medical student at university; during the Games, he would go to hospital for work every morning and after finishing work at noon, he would travel several miles to his volunteer work at the Stadium of the South China Normal University. In the week of the finals, he even had to catch the last bus carrying him back downtown. Every day was a hard working day. Yet he believed that able to contribute to a major event on this scale made all the hard work worthwhile. Volunteer Lam Sok Wun who lived in the main campus of Sun Yat-Sen University. would start her volunteer work every morning at 7 a.m.,work all day and go to bed at 1 a.m. She said, “The volunteer work didn’t bring me tiredness at all because it was a responsibility and challenge. I was determined to fulfil my duties and never thought of giving up. There was only one aim in everybody’s mind and that was to accomplish the Guangzhou Asian Games. The sense of responsibility and duty was what driven me to persist to the end. I used my small amount of sweat to bring about happiness for other people and my small amount of effort for a great power. So I persevered no matter how tiring, how laborious the tasks were.”
Shedding Sweats for Rich Harvest
Holding the aspiration to contribute in the Asian Games as much as possible and to convey the traditional enthusiasm and hospitality of the Chinese to the foreigners as well as our own compatriots who have come to Guangzhou, Macao’s volunteers have fully devoted themselves to their roles, with the wish of promoting to the world the spirit of China and the image of Macao.
The sun in Guangzhou’s late autumn was still blazing hot. Difference in temperature between day and night differed sharply. The posts of guiding assistants were set up outdoor and this made the volunteering work even harder. They could not neither escape from the burning sun in day nor the bleak wind at night. Moreover, the duties were all simple and monotonous, repetitively mopping the floors, collecting balls or checking tickets. All of these duties not only required that the volunteers could endure hardship but could also deal with difficult situations and possess excellent communication skills. And whenever the spectators were uncooperative, the volunteers would need to approach the spectators and explain the rules to them in a polite manner, without causing any scenes on the spot. That was a difficult task especially for the volunteers as they were relatively young and lacked much social experiences before. However, our volunteers managed to overcome all the challenges and succeeded in all aspects of their duties. Just as what Huang Pei Ying told us, “On the last day of the Games, I helped several foreign spectators to get the tickets from their friends, so that they could enter the venue and watch the competitions. They thanked me in English then. Although there were only a few words, the sense of satisfaction I felt as a volunteer was so strong and it was among the most marvelous feelings that one can experience. Simply a brief ‘thank you’ or ‘good job’ was very encouraging and affirmative.” Guan Lu Wen, whose duty was to organize the spectators, said, “The post was very challenging. One spectator-organizer had to excite thousands of spectator and to help to encourage and to create an exciting atmosphere in the venue. We helped the spectators by cheering on the athletes or their respective teams. The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction was just beyond words. Chio Chon Wai, whose functional area was security screening, commented “When I worked as a volunteer, I made acquaintance with people who shared same ideals with me. Moreover, I’ve learned many things not covered in textbooks. Being a volunteer is a very good social experience. Sometimes getting paid is not that important. The key is that when you help others, you benefit too.” Lam Sok Wun, who volunteered in the human resources department, said, “During the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, although much of my private time was devoted to the volunteering services, I felt satisfied of absorbing the knowledge not covered in any book. I learned how to behave properly, how to communicate with others and how to solve issues. All these provided me in advance a lesson about our society. The returns have exceeded my expectations so much. And more importantly, I’ve developed deep friendships with other volunteers and an unforgettable time of working together.” Lai Pereira In Wan, who has joined the service team in Asian Para Games, said, “Witnessing the disabled athletes’ determined effort on the competition field made me feel ashamed of ourselves. For those of us who are blessed with a healthy body even sometime we are reluctant to carry out physical exercises. I have learnt to appreciate their strong minds and their positive attitude towards life has taught me to cherish my life and what I am blessed with.”
Many people might think volunteer work is a tough task and they would rather watch the competitions at home. Ung Ut Wa, a volunteer at the audience stands commented , “People have asked me for several times, ‘Why do you volunteer even if it’s an unpaid work?’ My answer to them was: ‘What I get from this experience is actually much more than money.’ Indeed, the value of being a volunteer cannot be weighed in the scale of dollars and cents. It is to realize the values of life and to prepare for the future. It is also an essential experience for growing up, a choice to challenge myself and go beyond.”
Self-challenging and Taking Responsibilities
Lai Pereira In Wan served in the spectator stands during the Asian Games. Her dedication to her volunteer work meant that even she was recovering from an old leg injury she was still determined to contribute to the effort of the Games and completed her daily 10am to 10pm shift at her post.
Yuo Conan HoKai worked as a volunteer assistant. Since his report for duty at the beginning of the Games, every day he arrived at the venue at 9 a.m. and worked until midnight or even later. Apart from his duties related to human resources, he also shared his ideas with his team leader and made suggestions on a wide rage of matters including classification of recyclable materials, scale and flexibility of security examination, scale of running barrier-free passageways, ways to handle the opinions collected from volunteers, etc. and working together with this team until resolutions were reached. Although the volunteering work started from early morning and had longer working hours than his normal job, and although it was full of complicated issues, he always faced them in best spirit, with a smile on this face and with passion for his work.
Wholehearted Involvement Winning Public Recognition
During the Asian and Asian Para Games, the volunteers of Macao devoted themselves entirely to their roles and their diligent works and dedications won them praises and recognitions from the organizers and the respective venue operation team where they served.
Awards from the Asian Games:
The Outstanding Volunteer: Yuo Conan Hokai
The Excellent Volunteer: Yuo Conan Hokai, Lam Sok Wun, Lai Sheung Mei, Lai Pereira In Wan, Ung Ut Wa, Leong Chi Ian
The Sunny Star: Huang Pei Ying, Guan Lu Wen, Fok Cheng Wai, Leong Kai Seng
The Smiling Star: Chio Chon Wai, Lo Si Hou, Chan Ng Lin, Mak Kin Hou
Awards from the Asian Para Games:
The Excellent Volunteer: Yuo Conan HoKai, Lam Sok Wun
Under the guidance of the spirit of the Asian Games, Macao’s volunteers have grown and become more determined and resilient. They learned gratefulness through helping other people, listening and understanding through interaction with other people, patience and cooperation through teamwork, happiness and motivation through hard work. Through their actions, they fully demonstrated the volunteer spirit of “dedication, amity, cooperation and progress” and they are all worthy of our recognition and praises.
Their selfless devotion and unremitting efforts deserved our utmost respect and appreciation and may the volunteer spirit last forever!
