Olympic Briefs
million people expected to volunteer
Bocog will begin recruiting volunteers worldwide for the games from next month. A survey showed that more than one million people will apply to be volunteers, the Beijing Evening News reported. All applicants will have a chance to receive basic training and more than 100,000 volunteers will use specially designed textbooks and work schedules. Beijing universities and training institutions will offer equipment and space for the training courses.
computer pinpoints flaws in evacuation plan
A simulated emergency evacuation plan using computerised animation has been used to test the safety of Olympic venues. Creating chaotic scenes of a panicking crowd, the computer program showed it would take 10 minutes to disperse a capacity audience at the Bird's Nest Stadium, said Olympic expert Ma Xin. The simulation - which was also used during the Sydney Games - exposed a lack of exits on the stadium's east stand.
