IT was not a paid job, I accepted it without any hesitation at all, and I am happy I did.

For one, when it is about sports and will help sports, I would definitely volunteer for it, and this time, I found myself volunteering to do a two day orientation for the nine Filipino volunteers bound for the Paris Olympics and beyond.

Mylene Leyva, a long time staff at the Philippine Sports Commission( PSC) requested if I could help her out in this project that that PSC was asked to do and that was how it all began.

These nine young volunteers remained from the 112 applications received by France Volontaires Philippines last August 2022, there were 11 chosen actually but two backed out.

The volunteers come from a mixed background but most have sports inclinations, from being athletes to being a coach, with two para athletes who are both into dragon boat racing, coming all the way from Cebu.

For the record, they are Daisy Jane Onega and Brylle Arombo, the two para athletes, Daisy is also into golf while Brylle is a free diver too.To them belong the honor of being the country’s first para athletes to be Olympic volunteers for both the regular and the Paralympics.

I was impressed by Brylle who had a vehicular accident seven years ago that resulted to the amputation of his right leg just below the knee, and he used sports as his therapy.

In fact his plan when he gets back from his volunteering stint in France is to set up his own NGO that would help people with disabilities to take the same rehab pathway through sports.

The other volunteers, mostly are not working as they gave up on possible employment opportunities or current jobs, are Romina Manahan, a basketball player and currently a coach, Ezra Balingit, a former junior taekwondo champion with Milo, youth leaderJohn Vincent Balawen, , entrepreneur Isaac Jefferson Coloma, table tennis coach Monica Laura Chavez, multi media specialist Marie Gabrielle Faro, and youth leader Ma. Jeneca Rombaon, the only one who can speak French because she studied it.

Basically, the training was designed to prepare them for what to expect once they are in France, and all have been assigned to the different National Olympic Committee( NOC) officials, and aside from the theoretical side of it, I invited former Olympians to share their personal experiences in previous Olympics.

My personal thanks to taekwondo athletes Stephen Fernandez who was both in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, even winning a bronze in 1992, and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympiian Kirstie Alora, and swimmer Jenny Guerrero, who was in Sydney in 2000.

.All three joined me on the first day to the delight of the participants, interacting practically for the first time with real Olympians, the athletes’ advices were very practical, particularly on being punctual and the readiness to help anyone who approaches the volunteers.

. But the best in terms of experience shared was three time Olympian Akiko Thomson Guevara , 1988, 1992, and 1996 in Atlanta, who had the advantage of having been an actual Olympic volunteer in Athens in 2004.

Akiko came on the second day and the participants were unabashed in their happiness in being with a legendary sports figure, Akiko in turn was very enthusiastic about her desire to help the volunteers.

.When she was in Athens, Akiko remembers vividly her primary duty as a volunteer, to stand in one intersection and direct tourists to the places they were looking for, the swimming venue in particular.

All four expressed the same excited feelings upon seeing personally many athletes they idolize, read about or see on TV, even approaching them for a shot at the Olympic Village, with the caveat that they should respect the private space of some athletes, partucularly those who are about to compete in their events and are totally focused even while walking around.

Exchanging and collecting different pins from different countries should be fun for the volunteers, according to the Olympians and they were advised to bring a lot ready for exchange.

Lucky for them, with language translation apps in cellphones, these volunteers will not have the same communication difficulties the Olympians had during their time, though sign and body language with the the apt facial expressions will do, they said.

PSC Commissioners Bong Coo and Wawit Torres also dropped by on the first day while Comm. Fritz Gaston was there the following day and even attended the presscon later in the afternoon.

I prepped the volunteers for their encounter with sports media people, their first time ever, and an hour later, they went through the interview sessions, including one on ones for some, like seasoned veterans .

.And I called it right with a lot of questions that I told them will probably be thrown at them because they were indeed asked those questions, and having been prepped, carried themselves well.

Now it should be the same when these people start their volunteer duties , but as my last words of advice to them, same as with the Olympians, they should be prepared for the unexpected and never forget that like athletes, they will also be carrying tne country’s name with them.

My special thanks to Nanette from the France Volontaires and the French Embassy, with the PSC for putting this event together.

And by the way, I am sending this puece ftom Laoag City where I will watch the opening of the Luzon leg of sepak takraw’s national championships , in fact I was with Karen Tanchanco-Caballero last night on the plane and toda, will have dinner with her and Mayor Mike Keon at his house.