In a preview event held today at the Games Maker selection centre at ExCeL London, LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe revealed that the 100,000 people best suited to the 70,000 volunteer roles on offer will be invited over 14 months to take part in an interview.  
 
It is estimated that over the next 14 months, over 300 people a day will attend a selection event comprising of an informative and engaging exhibition about Olympic and Paralympic volunteering and a 30 minute interview. Where possible, applicants will be invited to attend the selection event nearest to them.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG commented: ‘The Games Maker volunteers will be the faces of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and it is crucial that we recruit the best team players in the UK.  More than half of the applicants selected for interview have a chance of being offered a volunteer role.

‘Our team will be finding out if the applicants have got what it takes to be a Games Maker and that they are willing to go beyond their personal best to help us stage a great Olympic and Paralympic Games. The interview process is a huge undertaking, but vitally important to find the right people for the success of the London 2012 Games.’

Given the numbers involved in the UK’s biggest peace-time recruitment drive, no two applications will proceed at the same pace. LOCOG will take most of 2011 to contact applicants and arrange interviews via email and the Games Maker online portal.

With 40% of applicants telling LOCOG they would be volunteering for the first time, LOCOG is working with the UK Life-time Alliance to encourage these people to get active in their local communities through the website www.ukvolunteering.org

Don’t forget that there are a wide range of volunteering opportunities currently available here in Buckinghamshire, to find out about the latest local volunteering opportunities visit www.communityimpactbucks.org.uk
 
Games Maker selection events

London: 1 February 2011 – 31 March 2012 at ExCeL London

Games Maker timeline
January 2011 onwards: short-listed applicants begin to be invited to a selection event
February 2011 – March 2012: selection events take place
Late 2011 onwards: offers made to successful applicants
February 2012: orientation training begins
February 2012: role-specific training begins
March 2012: event leadership training begins
April 2012: distribution of uniforms and accreditation passes begin
April 2012: venue training begins.