Unique Experience of the Volunteers for Badminton Games

Tired, but rewarding

From November 13th to the 21st, volunteers got up at 6am every day only to return about midnight. during those days, we hardly saw the sunlight .We set off before the dawn but returned at midnight and dropped ourselves into bed upon entering the dorm.?Wang Yu Shan described their voluntary life.

The challenges of the volunteer work were more than just sleep-deprivation. They came more from the Flash Quote work itself. As professional volunteers, the standard of quoting and the intensity of work was high. Flash Quote volunteers had to interview the athletes immediately after their game in their native languages. Usually, they wrote down the comments of the player's performance and the stadium, and how to prepare for the next game. Then, they translated the notes into Chinese, and the volunteers who specialized in English translated the Chinese version into English. After being revised by foreign experts, the quotes from the athletes were sent to many major media outlets. The quotes were the main source of all news reports.

There were 20 badminton games a day on average, thus each volunteer had little time to rest. In order to cope with emergency situations, they kept a high level of concentration. For example, one athlete from the Chinese Taipei team stood out in a competition as a "dark horse." Not anticipating the result, major media were not ready to interview him. At this point, the volunteer immediately captured the news points to interview athletets feelings, which highlighted the importance of Flash Quotes volunteers. "Although difficult, our efforts were meaningful." One volunteer said.

Close contact with Badminton superstars

As Flash Quotes volunteers, they had access to contact the athletes directly after each game. They shuttled in the mixed zone, interviewed the athletes, and then ran back to the office to write down the interview.

In this close contact, volunteers cultivated a deep affection for all the athletes. The volunteers said that this experience not only enhanced their knowledge of interviewing but also made them super fans of the badminton players. But as a volunteer, even if the interviewee was their favorite athlete, they had to remind themselves to complete the task in a professional manner, not showing too much emotion.

Volunteer Wu Jintao said that when hearing her favorite athlete Cai Yun say, "Winning or losing is normal, but there are some regrets  ...", after the game. She wanted to cheer him up, but having the identity of a volunteer required that she not take up valuable interview time. I have no regret because I've already seen his face at the last moment in the game and heard his voice." volunteer Jin-Tao said happily.

Efficient and energetic team

 "Our team is very united. And we have good cooperation.Whoever faces difficulties, we resolve them together." Team leader Gao Wanting said. It is inevitable that during the first few days volunteers encountered some cold responses. Some athletes didn抰 respond actively when interviewed. The volunteers couldn't find good locations. But often during those times, the volunteers would cheer each other up. They discussed it in the office, then found solutions: to cold responses from the athletes, volunteers gave the first quote, "We come from the Xinhua News Agency,?When interviewing popular players, volunteers recorded the information from athletes with recording gadgets.

During the interviews, we felt the lively atmosphere of the volunteer team. They said that when the work didn't go smoothly due to exhaustion or a complaint, the communication between members and even some jokes would help them regain full power for next interview.

       Time for the volunteers to say goodbye  

"Now, I miss the volunteering days so much that I want to live like that forever." One volunteer said.For them, this volunteering experience will be more about cherished friendships than just self- development. Though the Asia Games have ended, the spirit of volunteers will last forever.

Michelle Wang & Catherine Zhang & Blanca Su & Aurora Liu.

This stands original.