Hong Kong people who expected their spoken Putonghua to get them a pass to help at the Games have had their hopes dashed - applicants have to take a written exam even to be considered.
Expatriate and overseas volunteers who speak the language but have not mastered characters are finding themselves out in the cold as thousands of Hong Kong residents vie for a place among the handful of volunteers who will be selected to offer their services during the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics.
Yesterday, 1,600 Olympic volunteer hopefuls in Hong Kong sat written examinations in Chinese at eight school venues throughout the city. More than 3,400 are still awaiting assessment.
According to the Home Affairs Bureau, which is responsible for recruitment in Hong Kong, more than 5,000 volunteers have registered in the city.
The Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (Bocog) says 100,000 are needed to work directly at the Games' sites, while 400,000 will be recruited to provide translation, tourist information and emergency services away from the venues.
Hong Kong-based Briton Alison Shaw said she had been misled initially by the organisers into believing that her spoken Putonghua would be sufficient to volunteer, as outlined in Bocog's criteria for volunteer recruitment.
'The Home Affairs Bureau website called for volunteers, with information in English and Chinese. The initial application asked what languages you spoke. Nowhere did it state that you must read Chinese,' Ms Shaw said.
