After working at the beach volleyball ground for a month, I have found that pledging has become an important way to motivate people to serve the Beijing Olympics here. Various pledging ceremonies have been held in the past few months. In June, there was a pledging conference for Chinese media at the Beijing Conference Center. On July 8 just one month before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, there was a pledging gathering at the People's Hall ( renmin da huitang), which was hosted by Liu Qi and attended by Xi Jinping, Vice Chairman of China and representatives from all competition venues. Speakers vowed to make the Beijing Olympics a success on behalf of various segments of the Olympic staff.
Specifically for the beach volleyball venue, we have had various pledging ceremonies. For example, on July 1, the birthday of the Chinese Communist Party, all party members attended a pledging ceremony, with the aim to motivate party members to sacrifice and be a model of pioneers in serving the Games. On July 20, all members of the beach volleyball competition venue went to a tourist resort in Beijing to host a pledging gathering called "Success for the Olympics and the Making of Five-good Team (wu hao tuandui)." This morning, there was another pledging conference for volunteers, with the number being a little over one thousand volunteers , including six volunteers from Queensland, Australia, and a dozen volunteers from Macau. The pledge is as follows,
I voluntarily serve the beach volleyball Games of the Beijing Olympics.
Bring into play the Olympic spirit and implement the idea of voluntary service
Actively move forward (jiji jinqu), serve with passion, unite and work together, and compete and work hard.
I participate, I sacrifice and I feel happy.
Add honor to the ancestor's land and add color to the Olympics.
Let the smile of volunteers become the best card of Beijing.
The hosts then asked volunteers from Hainan and Macau to make their specific vows. Students from a university in Beijing were also asked to stand up and spread a loving message to them. What is interesting is that our Australian volunteers did not understand the pledges and the wording seems to exclude them. Some of the confusing volunteers took the chance to shoot videos or photos. One Chinese volunteer felt happy that the hosts did not mention the name of his school. Several other volunteers stated that such a ceremony is "funny and tiring."
Before the pledging ceremony, there was also the announcement that the beach volleyball ground will establish a temporary branch of the junior party (tuan zhibu) and representatives of the BOCOG tuan zhibu granted the flag to volunteer representatives. Party members and tuan members are asked to play the role of pioneers and be models for others. Beach volleyball babes have also established a branch and performed to entertain volunteers in the morning. Please see the photos and videos about the pledging ceremony.
(pictures: the pledging ceremony on August 4, 2008).
Even for security, there are a lot of pledges and slogans such as "without security, there will be success of the Olympics. Without security, there will be no national image" and " I guard the Olympics. I am loyal to my post. I am happy to sacrifice."
(pictures: taken in the Beach Volleyball Ground at Chaoyang Park by Hongmei Li)