Trini volunteer in Rio
By Charles Kong Soo, T&T Guardian.
When Trinidadian Jon Mahabir saw the request online for volunteers for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games not long after he returned from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, he was determined to be part of the drama and spectacle.
After passing all the tests to be a volunteer, the T&TEC employee from Port-of-Spain left Trinidad on August 2 to embark on the once-in-a-lifetime experience and arrived in Rio on August 3 where he hit the ground running, working at the Beach Volleyball Arena in Copacabana, on August 6.
Speaking with the Sunday Guardian on Wednesday via Skype, Mahabir said, “In all, it’s about 50 to 60,000 volunteers and I’m extremely proud to probably be the only volunteer here from T&T.
“I haven’t met anyone else from the Caribbean actually.
“About half of the volunteers are Brazilian and the others are from various countries in the world.
“At the hostel where I’m staying, which is about 40 minutes walk from the volleyball arena, there are people from Holland, Indonesia, England, France, and there are others I work with from Germany and the USA as well. Very exciting stuff.”
Mahabir, who speaks English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, is working as part of the press operations mixed zone at the beach volleyball arena. He said as soon as a game is finished, there was a corridor where the athletes must pass to give interviews with various media houses.
Mahabir said what he was tasked with was ensuring that the large media houses stayed in their assigned zones and the other press such as local country press and newspaper houses and websites do not enter the zone for the high-profile press. He said the volunteers also had to ensure that no filming or photos were taken in areas where it was not allowed.
Mahabir said the volunteers themselves were not allowed to interact with the athletes, ask for autographs, pictures or to photograph them. He said, however, the volunteers were extremely close to the athletes and it was a really wonderful experience seeing the athletes from the various countries interact and give interviews with members of the media.
Most memorable experiences of Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Mahabir said so far his most memorable experience was checking in for his first day of work on August 6. He said the Rio 2016 Olympic games committee gave the volunteers a welcome present of a Swatch watch designed especially for them.
Mahabir said his other memorable moment was being able to sit in the press tribune and watch the game live. He said his favourite experience was being able to be so close to the athletes when they finished their games.
Mahabir said the first night he worked, the US women’s volleyball team, defending champion Kerri Walsh Jennings and her new partner, April Ross, played the last game beating Australia, maintaining their legendary status. He said Walsh Jennings and Ross stayed behind to thank the crowd and then gave interviews to all the media at 2 am.
Mahabir said the Americans were the last out and the volunteers were also able to leave at the same time as them. He said he was able to congratulate them and tell them what a fantastic job they did. He said Walsh Jennings and Ross were very appreciative and gracious of his well wishes.
Mahabir said another big moment was on August 8, his birthday. He said he was scheduled to work from 8 am to 5 pm and the organisers told him to take the day off, go change and return, and he could see the games as a spectator and stay however long he wanted.
Mahabir said he was able to catch some great games and it was fantastic.
Mahabir, who loves football, said he actually started learning Portuguese to attend the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil and he never stopped; he studied it right here in Trinidad at the UWI Centre For Language Learning. He said it was a three-year programme and he completed it in April 2016. He said at the World Cup he was purely a spectator and fan.
Mahabir said this time he was part of the inner workings of the Olympic games and he got to see the background and how much work went into putting on these kind of events. He said there were a lot of logistics planning and organising that took place and it was fun to be able to be backstage at the show as much as it was a lot of work.
Mahabir, who purchased his own ticket to Brazil and paid for his stay at the hostel, said they were provided with uniforms, training, food, and the opportunity to be part of the experience.
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games organisers treated the volunteers as well as they would treat anyone else, Mahabir said. He said there were about six or seven volunteers at the hostel so it was a fun community.
Mahabir said some of the volunteers were assigned to the beach volleyball venue, same title but different shifts while others were based in different locations and stadia, sports and tasks. Mahabir said he booked his return ticket to Trinidad for August 16.
The organisers wanted to give him shifts on August 16 and 18 for the semis and finals in the press tribune, but unfortunately he could not accept otherwise he would have to sleep in the street he said in jest.