Volunteering at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics (One of my best life experiences) Last Updated: July 17, 2021

I was 18 when a friend told me about the volunteering opportunities at Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. Since I have never been a sports fanatic, I applied on a whim, thinking that it would be really cool to be a part of one of the largest sports events in the world. 

It was merely the idea of being a part of an international event abroad that lured me into applying for the volunteering position at the Olympics. Also, it was BRAZIL – a colorful country known for carnivals, beaches, and friendly people everywhere. I knew I wanted to be there but the hope of actually going there seemed bleak back in 2014. 

The volunteering process was easy but not necessarily fun, in fact, it was very stressful towards the end. It lasted for 2 years and consisted of several selection rounds. Starting with an online application and followed by a tutorial that led to an online exercise to understand how it is to be a volunteer at the Olympics. The next stage consisted of language tests to see which languages we are proficient in. The last stage was an online group interview with people from different parts of the world.

All the stages took place in a span of 2 years with an average gap of 4-6 months between each stage. 

Based on above stages, our availability, preferred venues, and departments, we were allotted a role with a fixed schedule to volunteer. 

I was first assigned a role at the Rio De Janeiro airport which involved logistical tasks.

For some reason (and thank god for that) I didn’t end up getting the role eventually and instead ended up in the Press Team at the Olympic Stadium! 

The whole volunteering process might seem straightforward and smooth but it really wasn’t. My role wasn’t finalized until a week before my flight to Brazil. I had my flights and accommodation booked but no volunteer opportunity in hand until the last minute. 

There were several emails and chat messages sent to the Olympics Organizing Committee to finally get an official volunteering invite that was a must for visa purposes. 

It was stressful but SO worth the experience. 

I flew with one of my closest friends to Sao Paulo first. My flight was scheduled for the day of my Bachelor’s graduation. I deeply regretted missing it but in hindsight, I wouldn’t trade anything for the Olympics. My parents attended it on my behalf.

We flew into Sao Paulo and stayed at an AirBnB with a local. We spent two days exploring the city before heading to the capital, Rio De Janeiro. 

There were volunteers from every nook and corner of the world. We also had a Whatsapp group with volunteers from India who were much older than me and my friend. Five years later, the group is still active and a couple of them are now volunteering at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics! 

Every volunteer was allotted a different work schedule. Even if my friend and I wanted, we could not pick the same venue of our choice as the allotment was done by the Olympics Committee. This turned out to be a great way to get out of our comfort zone and make international friends. 

We reached Rio about a week before the Olympics. We booked our own room in an apartment with 10 people in total from different nationalities. This was my first time staying with Ukrainainies, Russians, Americans and Kiwis (from New Zealand). 

Our first day was spent exploring Rio on a bike. 

We were given a volunteer kit that consisted of two pairs of uniform, water bottle, rain jacket, a Swatch, Nike shoes and a few other goodies. We had to book a slot to collect the kit from one of the makeshift volunteer centres before the Games began. 

The remaining days before the Games were spent chilling at the beaches, attending parties and making new volunteer friends. The city was buzzing!! 

We stayed at one of the most touristy locations right across the Copacabana beach. Although safety was a concern as we had seen people get pickpocketed in front of us, thankfully we didn’t have any such problems. The police had their guard on, especially in the crowded places.

As volunteers, we also got a chance to attend the opening ceremony rehearsal before the Games at the stadium and literally walk on the field as a part of the Indian contingent. Such a goosebumps moment it was!

Once the Olympic Games commenced, it was a different experience altogether. I was in Brazil for almost one month, out of which I had to volunteer for 7-10 days. The remaining days were spent exploring Rio, enjoying the Games fever throughout the city, hanging out with new friends and attending Olympic events whenever we got a chance. 

One of the other perks of being volunteers at Rio 2016 Summer Olympics was that we were pampered with free event tickets and other souvenirs on and off during our volunteer journey. 

The days we volunteered, we got complimentary meals. Every volunteer had a free transport card to move around the city effortlessly. 

The Press Team that I was a part of had only two Indians – me and one of my Managers who is a well known journalist in India. All others were from different parts of the world. 

My role was to ensure smooth functioning of the press conferences that were held post Olympic events at the Stadium. This gave me an opportunity to be in the same room as some of the biggest Athletes in the world including Usain Bolt (yes, I saw his 100m finals!), PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik. 

I was interviewed by some news channels and publications in India, before and during the Olympics, giving me my tiny moments of fame too. This is one of the articles where I was featured pre-Olympics.

Be it fangirling over some big names in the Sports Industry (like Leander Peas, PV Sindhu and Nadal) to being in the limelight myself as a volunteer representing India, it was quite an experience!

After Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, I became more independent, gained global exposure and broadened my perspectives in more ways than I could think of. 

I would have never imagined flying to another continent and being a part the Olympics at 20 years. Of course I had my downs when I missed my family and wanted them to experience everything with me. I felt lonely and homesick some days. Being pickpocketed while walking alone on the Rio streets at night was scary too. But all of this only made me stronger and more confident. 

I am super grateful to my family for being so supportive throughout. 

It has been 5 years and all the Brazil memories are still fresh in my mind. Thinking about it only makes me happier now. Still hard to believe it happened but super thankful it did.

If you have any questions about volunteering for the Olympics, I am here to help! Shoot them in the comments below 🙂