Missing the Olympics: Opportunities for volunteer involvement?
March 1, 2018 5:46 AM Subscribe
I really love the Olympics. (They're a problematic thing to love these days for lots of reasons, but I can't help it.) What are some ways that I could be involved in the Olympics, ideally on an ongoing basis and not just briefly every two years? Are there Olympic-adjacent organizations looking for help that I might not know about?
These are massive productions, so surely many, many people are working on them all the time...right?
I'm not looking for a new career, so talking specifically about an unpaid or volunteer effort. The closest answer I've found in my internet searching is to apply to volunteer at the games themselves, which I'm also very strongly considering, but that's still a biannually limited thing.
Thank you! :)
These are massive productions, so surely many, many people are working on them all the time...right?
I'm not looking for a new career, so talking specifically about an unpaid or volunteer effort. The closest answer I've found in my internet searching is to apply to volunteer at the games themselves, which I'm also very strongly considering, but that's still a biannually limited thing.
Thank you! :)
Pretty much every sport you see in the Olympics has world championships every year and those are pretty big events too. In some countries, the national championships are also big deals.
posted by advicepig at 6:22 AM on March 1, 2018
posted by advicepig at 6:22 AM on March 1, 2018
You could volunteer with the individual sports' governing bodies (e.g. US Speedskating, USA Track & Field). The USOC also has volunteer opportunities.
And of course, you can always play Olympic sports! NBC has a site to find local clubs.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:16 AM on March 1, 2018
And of course, you can always play Olympic sports! NBC has a site to find local clubs.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:16 AM on March 1, 2018
Depending on where you're located, you might also volunteer with the LA 2028 organizing committee, or for bids for the 2026 Winter Games.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:23 AM on March 1, 2018
posted by kevinbelt at 7:23 AM on March 1, 2018
If you are in the US, many states have an annual "State Games" that are essentially local Olympics.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:36 AM on March 1, 2018
posted by Rock Steady at 7:36 AM on March 1, 2018
I work for an athletics national governing body, so am involved with athletics all year, every year. I guess the key question is whether you're only interested in the razzmatazz of the Olympics as an event, or if you're interested enough in one of the constituent sports to contribute to it even in the fallow years. Our sport is totally dependent on volunteer coaches and officials, but 99% of their work is standing trackside at their local athletics club on a rainy weekday evening with 30 schoolkids (coaches) or measuring/timing/organising at local/district/national events (officials). Getting to enjoy being a part of something like the Olympics when it's in your 'hood is often kind of the periodic reward for all those years of quietly contributing to your sports at grassroots level. We have officials who one week will be raking the long jump pit for some 8-year-olds, and the next will be on the team running the World Champs, and then back to a local track meet.
In terms of what organisation goes on between Olympics - are you near any forthcoming Olympics? You'd obviously need to be if you want to be involved in any organisational sense throughout the cycle.
If not, you'd need to be involved with your national team, but I can't think of any voluntary roles that go on throughout the four years that are specifically geared towards the Olympics rather being geared towards the running of an individual sport. I guess each country will vary, but my experience is: Each individual sport has paid staff in its governing body (and volunteers as mentioned above), working with sportswo/men from school kids up to elites. Team [Country] as an umbrella organisation has a small dedicated staff between times, and as international competitions approach, staff from the governing bodies of each sport will be kind of seconded to work for/with Team [Country]. I've got two colleagues who usually work with athletes and clubs at a grassroots level, but have had six months in a change of role, working specifically towards organising the athletics team heading to the Commonwealth Games in April as part of Team [Country].
posted by penguin pie at 9:21 AM on March 1, 2018
In terms of what organisation goes on between Olympics - are you near any forthcoming Olympics? You'd obviously need to be if you want to be involved in any organisational sense throughout the cycle.
If not, you'd need to be involved with your national team, but I can't think of any voluntary roles that go on throughout the four years that are specifically geared towards the Olympics rather being geared towards the running of an individual sport. I guess each country will vary, but my experience is: Each individual sport has paid staff in its governing body (and volunteers as mentioned above), working with sportswo/men from school kids up to elites. Team [Country] as an umbrella organisation has a small dedicated staff between times, and as international competitions approach, staff from the governing bodies of each sport will be kind of seconded to work for/with Team [Country]. I've got two colleagues who usually work with athletes and clubs at a grassroots level, but have had six months in a change of role, working specifically towards organising the athletics team heading to the Commonwealth Games in April as part of Team [Country].
posted by penguin pie at 9:21 AM on March 1, 2018
In Canada there are all sorts of feeder events for the Olympics. EG: BC Summer Games, Canada Summer Games, BC Senior Games.
Also each sport is having qualifying rounds at the Olympic and feeder level. My Daughter is involved in Paddling and they have a handful of competitions every year.
The major sport may vary by region but here in Canada there is always a need for volunteers in Hockey competition.
posted by Mitheral at 2:29 AM on March 2, 2018
Also each sport is having qualifying rounds at the Olympic and feeder level. My Daughter is involved in Paddling and they have a handful of competitions every year.
The major sport may vary by region but here in Canada there is always a need for volunteers in Hockey competition.
posted by Mitheral at 2:29 AM on March 2, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:08 AM on March 1, 2018 [8 favorites]