Grandpa Shang Muzhou knows better than anyone the benefits of morning exercise.

"I use dumbbells to build up my arms and harden my belly. Being chosen as an Olympic volunteer is heaven's reward for my consistent lifestyle," the 84-year-old, who is among the large pool of volunteers that will be Beijing's post-Olympics legacy, said.

"The 1.12 million Olympic volunteer applicants and 2.07 million city volunteer applicants are an inestimable asset to Beijing," Olympic volunteers chief Liu Jian told reporters yesterday at a press conference at the Main Press Center on the Olympic Green.

In December, the city enforced its first volunteer service law, at the same time founding a designated post-Olympics volunteer support fund, Liu, who also chairs the city's youth league, said.

A total of 74,615 volunteers will work in Beijing and another 7,600 will be based at the six co-host cities.

Owing to candidates' enthusiastic response, the Games' organizers went through several rounds of reviews before selecting one volunteer from every 10 applicants. Even university students, who constitute the majority of the 100,000 Olympics and Paralympics volunteers, had to forgo their dreams due to fierce competition, Liu said.

"My granddaughter helped me to register the day after applications opened on Aug 28, 2006," Shang, whose strong vocal chords built up over years of opera singing qualify him for the post of public address volunteer at the judo competition venue next month, said.

About 60,000 expatriates and foreigners also applied to be volunteers, of whom 935 were chosen, the Games' organizers said.

"All domestic and foreign applicants went through the same screening, interview and final review procedures," Li Shixin, deputy director of BOCOG's volunteers department, said.

BOCOG organized a 150-day training program for volunteers working in spectator services, media operations, transport and security.

(China Daily July 17, 2008)