Paris Olympics 2024: How can I become a volunteer?

Almost 45,000 volunteers are set to work at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024, with recruitment opening in March 2023. People who speak English and French are particularly encouraged to apply.

People aged 18 or over who want to take part can sign up to be considered online, for a chance to be one of the ‘faces of the Games’. There will be 30,000 volunteers for the Olympics and 15,000 at the Paralympics.

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The online portal had previously been anticipated in February but this has now been moved to a month later. It will be open for six weeks.

How can I apply to volunteer at Paris 2024?

To apply, you must meet the following criteria:

• Aged 18 or over
  Any nationality
• Must speak French or English at a minimum
• Must be free for at least 10 days to volunteer at the event in summer 2024
• People who speak good French and English will be particularly sought after

See here for more details on the official Paris 2024 website.

Sporting federations have already started to select candidates. Some teenagers under 18 will be allowed to take part – for roles such as table tennis ‘ball boys and girls’ – as long as they have been pre-approved by their federation.

Alexandre Morenon-Condé, director in charge of volunteers at the Olympic Committee, who was himself a volunteer for the Athens Games in 2004, said at a press conference: “There will be no quota, but a significant number selected from the sporting world, because a third of volunteers will be helping with the sports events.”

Read more: Paris 2024 Olympics to seek English-speaking volunteers

Volunteer’s charter: Responsibilities and boundaries

Each volunteer will be required to sign up for a ‘volunteer’s charter’. This will outline their responsibilities as well as the tasks that they should not do, mainly relating to security or health emergencies.

The charter will:

• Forbid tasks such as “handling valuables” (money, handbags etc.)
• Forbid tasks involving significant responsibility, safety, or a risk of exposure to a potentially sensitive or dangerous situation, requiring the wearing of special physical protection (such as a protective helmet)
• Show that volunteers are not there to drive ambulances, administer care, or carry out any kind of security work (or any responsibilities that require training or payment).

It will also stipulate:

• Maximum working hours for volunteers (10 hours per day, and 48 hours per week)
• Volunteers may not wear their uniforms outside of their working activities
• Volunteers will be provided with one meal a day and local transport costs will be covered.

The majority of the Olympic and Paralympic events will take place in Paris and the Ile-de-France region, except for sailing (Marseille), shooting (Châteauroux), basketball in Lille (to be confirmed), football in several French cities, and surfing in Tahiti.

Paris is set to recruit 5,000 volunteers for the capital host city alone, and this number will be in addition to the 45,000 total, said Julien Combret, head of the organising committee. Last February, Seine-Saint-Denis launched a programme to encourage residents of the department to apply for this.

Last week, Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra told the Senate that the ‘volunteer’s charter’ would be “an important tool that will be left as a legacy for all major international sports events".

She emphasised that there was a "need for a very high level of organisation, to enable these volunteers to carry out their activities and responsibilities".

She also added that the benefits office Ursaff would ensure that any "benefits in kind given to volunteers (food and uniforms)" would "not be subject to tax”.

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