Shanghai Daily news

People who can speak Spanish or Arabic were urged yesterday to volunteer for the 2007 Special Olympic Summer Games, Shanghai Daily reported.

The executive committee said it still needs volunteers who can speak either language to communicate with Spanish or Arabic-speaking delegations.

So far, 121 Spanish-speaking volunteers and 119 Arabic speakers have been recruited.

"Not every Spanish or Arabic-speaking delegation will have two to three volunteer interpreters," said Chen Zhenmin, director of the volunteer department. "We still need more to satisfy the athletes' needs."

People who want to volunteer can call the Games' hotline 962-007 to register. The committee will train them before the Games open on October 2.

So far 40,000 volunteers have registered for the Games, with ages ranging from 18 to 85, covering 16 different languages. Sixty-six percent are college students, while the rest come from all walks of life and include 108 expats and 393 Shanghainese living abroad.

The volunteers' work will cover almost all the aspect of the Games, including reception at airport and hotels and security at stadiums and Metro lines.