Thursday marks International Volunteer Day, making it the ideal time to a launch global recruitment drive for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The launch ceremony was held at the Beijing Winter Olympics new venue, Shougang Big Air. Both International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons recorded videos for the ceremony.

Beijing plans to recruit 27,000 volunteers for the Winter Olympics and 12,000 for the Winter Paralympics. The volunteers will be assigned to the Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhang Jiakou competition zones, offering 12 categories of services including competition operations, venue operations and international relations. People who will be over 18 years old on January 1st, 2022, and physically fit can submit their applications to become volunteers online at vol.beijing2022.cn. Beijing welcomes friends from all walks of life. Applications opened right after the launch ceremony and end at midnight on June 30th, 2021, Beijing time.

Shougang Big Air, a new outdoor stadium officially completed last week, was the venue where the launch ceremony for volunteer recruitment was held. The venue is composed of three parts, the jumps, the judges tower and the audience area.

Shougang Big Air is located in the northern district of the Shougang Industrial Park. The open air stadium follows the concept of sustainable development. Its design took into account sunshine and wind direction. The main structure of the big air jump is 164 meters and its highest point is 60 meters. Shougang Big Air will be the world's first competition zone to be used and kept forever. The construction company overcame many difficulties but only needed about 300 days to make the design a reality. Shougang Big Air will not only meet the demands for competitions, but will also become part of Beijing's Olympic culture.

Guo Peng, Shougang Big Air Electromechanical Charger, said, "We now have a leaning elevator, which is our own feature as most other elevators are vertical. The leaning elevator fits the demand for the architectural aesthetic. There is lighting in accordance with the exterior color of the Big Air, which is really beautiful in the dark."

The main structures of the Athletes Village for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics have been finished 28 days ahead of time. The project was expected to be completed by the end of 2020, including the construction of the external curtain wall, mechanical and electrical engineering, and internal decorations.

The Beijing Winter Olympics Athletes Village is one of the main projects for the Games. The Village will provide services including accommodation, food and drink and medical care. The design of the Village is in keeping with the theory of focusing on athletes, meeting the demands of the competitions, and for long time usage after the Olympics. It also embodies the ideas of environmental protection, energy saving and sustainable development. It will be completed by the end of 2020 and during the Games the Village will be covered by 5G service.

Chen Jianxiong, Beijing Major Projects Construction Deputy Director, said: "After the games, the Village will be changed into a living community with features for the new era, leading the trend for a healthy life. It will be available for rental to select members of the general public."