ZCZC
BSP-24
FOOTBALL-WC-VOLUNTEERS
Chinese volunteers enjoy, contribute to World Cup in Russia
MOSCOW, July 6, 2018, (BSS/XINHUA) – With Chinese brands having caught
the eye at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a number of Chinese volunteers are also
making their contribution to football’s showpiece event in Russia, and are
managing to enjoy it at the same time.
The 24-year-old Wang Hui is a “veteran” volunteer who also helped at the
2014 World Cup in Brazil, and she is the only volunteer from the Chinese
mainland stationed in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod.
Having backpacked through 40 different countries, Wang is now enjoying
the opportunity to help out at the World Cup in Russia, both as a football
fan, and as a lover of cross-cultural experiences.
“The greatest feeling that the World Cup has given me is that no matter
your age, your career or where you come from, football is a common language.
This is a good opportunity to communicate with people from all over the
world,” Wang said.
The Chinese national said she fell in love with football in 2002, and
later became a fan of Italian outfit Inter Milan. It was because of her
appreciation of the Serie A team that she decided to apply to university in
Italy.
She had expected to watch the Italian national team at the World Cup this
year, but the Azzurri failed to reach the tournament, so Wang turned her
affections to Croatia instead, as Luka Modric – who is fondly nicknamed
“Magic Flute” in China, thanks to the pronunciation of his name – is also one
of her favorites.
Just like Wang, 27-year-old Yu Xinjun also fell in love with football in
2002, as it was the first and so far only time that China qualified for the
World Cup.
“I have followed every World Cup since then, and after that tournament I
started to read sports newspapers and support football stars,” Yu told
Xinhua.
Currently a graduate student of journalism at Moscow State University, Yu
helps as a volunteer at Fan Fest at Sparrow Hills in Moscow.
“As a World Cup volunteer, you will meet a large number of fans every
day. Their enthusiasm infects the entire city of Moscow and even the whole of
Russia,” he said.
Yu is also proud of the contribution that Chinese brands have made to the
World Cup. “When I entered the sports venue, I could see a Chinese-made TV
screen on the grass and Chinese brands appearing on the huge screen. I feel
proud that Chinese brands are being represented here.”
He hopes that the Chinese national football team will also appear in the
World Cup again one day.
“As a Chinese fan, everyone has a high expectation for the national
football team. It is like a seed deeply rooted in our hearts. I hope that one
day this seed will eventually break ground and become a towering tree,” he
said.
According to FIFA, a total of 17,040 Local Organizing Committee (LOC)
volunteers helped at the 2018 World Cup, having been selected from a record
176,870 applicants.
Of the volunteers, 93 percent come from Russia, and the remaining seven
percent are volunteers from 112 different countries and regions that traveled
to Russia specifically for the tournament.
BSS/XINHUA/SG/ARS/1901 hrs