Volunteers:The Hidden Heroes of the Shenzhen Universiade

Some 1.3 million volunteers are now roaming the grounds of University Games being held in Shenzhen.

The volunteers are being tapped to provide services to athletes, team officials, journalists and spectators.

Our reporter Lv Xiaohong has more.

Shenzhen has recruited more than 1.28 million people from home and abroad to provide volunteer services during the Universiade.

Irene Li is a volunteer from the United States.

"I'm working at the external liaison, public relations, polyclinic. So far, I'm very excited to work for this Universiade. I've met so many new people from different countries. It's been such a pleasure, working for everyone, working with all the volunteers, doctors and nurses."

The volunteers are said to be the backbone of the operations at the 63 stadiums scattered across the city.

Huang Yuanbin, Deputy Director of the Beach Volleyball Volunteer's office, says he has heard many touching stories from the volunteers.

"There is a girl in the equipment department. She is responsible for moving all the equipment to the court and then carry it back. We divide all the volunteers into two shifts to avoid the high temperature. However, she agreed to work all the day from 06:30 in the morning to 19:30 in the evening because of the job requirements."

The Universiade Village houses most of the athletes and officials during the games.

There are about 2500 volunteers from universities in Shenzhen who are providing services to the 50,000 people staying in the Village.

Cai Yifang is the deputy director of the Volunteer Center in the Universiade Village.

"Nearly half of the volunteer(s) accompany the delegations to everywhere they go both inside the village and outside the village, for example, the competition venues. They provide language translation and also services like catering, transportation, reservations. Also besides that, we also have volunteers providing services in the flag center, logistics (center) and also religious center(s)."

She says while organizers suggest that volunteers work no more than 8 hours a day, most of them end up staying on the job for much longer.

For CRI, this is Lv Xiaohong.