And the day has came, my first day in Olympic Village on 22 July. I attended “just-in-time” face-to-face training to refresh what I have read from +Rio 2016 Training Site. The training mostly attended by international volunteers.
I was assigned to NOC Chinese Taipei (TPE) and they arrived to the village on 24 July. Upon the completion of the DRM (Delegation Registration Meeting), together with my team-mates, we welcomed them to the village. Thereafter we assisted them to perform I&I meeting (Inspection and Inventory). We checked all the furniture and rooms and we listed all the missing items and reported any damages.
Technically as NOC Assistant, we facilitated communication between Rio 2016 and NOC and provide administrative, language and organisational support, including finding out information, anticipating NOC needs and problem solving. That what my team-mates and I did mostly during the games. We walked a lot from one place to another place between the different village area: NOC Chinese Taipei Office, Residence Center which was situated in next building of the office, NOC Service Center, the Village Plaza, the Welcome Center, the Sports Information Center, and NOC Vehicle Parking Area.
3 August was Team Chinese Taipei turned for Team Welcome Ceremony. We gathered all the delegation members in the building lobby and thereafter we directed them to go to the Village Plaza which the Team Welcome Ceremony was happened. It’s about 30 minutes ceremony with some cultural performances, national flag raising and gift exchange between the delegation and the mayor of the village, Janeth Arcain. Janeth is a Brazilian basketball star and two Olympic medalist. I also attended Team Welcome Ceremony for Team Singapore and Team Indonesia at previous day and next day respectively.
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony took place on 5 August. We assisted to transfer the delegations from their building to the allocated shuttle bus at specific time slot that will bring them to Maracanã Stadium for the Opening Ceremony. It’s a massive and huge operation job as we needed to move around 11.000 athletes, coaches and officials in the village.
I had a chance to catch the dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony, a week prior to the Opening Ceremony as the Rio 2016 offered some tickets to the volunteers. Furthermore, the Rio 2016 also offered competition tickets to us, the volunteers.
Team Chinese Taipei hosted us an appreciation dinner at Rialto Restaurante on 20 August. It’s an “all-you-can-eat” buffet restaurant that served local cuisine, barbecued, pasta and Japanese shushi.
The perk was not stop there, they also gave us a meal voucher to have our lunch at main dining hall at the Olympic Village on 22 August. The main dining hall is a dining area for the delegations. They offered local Brazilian cuisine, Halal, Asian and World cuisine. NOC could buy extra voucher and each voucher would cost them BRL 110.
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony was on 21 August. Similar as the opening ceremony, we assisted to transfer the delegations from their building to the allocated shuttle bus at specific time slot. However this time, I helped out for Team Brunei as they only left with 1 assistant and she needed to help the flag bearer to carry bag. Team Brunei would head to the airport right after the athletes marching and flag bearer had separate shuttle bus from the rest of delegation.
NOC Chinese Taipei left the village on 23 August. I assisted them to perform vehicle check out and my team-mates assisted them to perform room check out. And we received another token of appreciation from them. My male team-mates and I each received a necktie and my female team-mates each received a scarf. It’s very sad moment to say goodbye to them after more than 2 weeks we worked together. I really hope I could meet them again next time, perhaps in future edition of Olympic Games.
Road to Olympics 