Razan Baker Saudi Gazette London — It takes years of hard work to participate at the Olympics and deliver a commendable performance; and it also takes a great team of dedicated and enthusiastic peoples to make the life of the athletes and spectators easier and enjoyable. In addition to the 22 Saudi athletes who participated at the London 2012 Olympic Games, five Saudi students participated as volunteers at the Games under the supervision of the London 2012 organizing committee. The students — Taghreed Alsaraj, 30, research fellow at Birkbeck Univeristy of London; Lulwah Shalhoub, 28, PhD student in media at the University of Westminster; Salah Natto, 40, PhD student in marketing at the University of Southampton; Abdulrahman Alfahal, 25, undergraduate student in mechanical engineering at University of Liverpool; and Osama Alfahal, 22, an undergraduate student in business and marketing management at Oxford Brookes University — came from different backgrounds but shared the same passion — sports. The journey to be a mere volunteer at the London 2012 Games is not easy, as most of us might think. The former candidates had to apply as early as 2010, after which they were short listed based on an interview before they became one of the 70,000 volunteers out of the whopping 200,000 who applied. Alsaraj, who was one of the London Ambassadors at London Hyde park, said that she is extremely happy for the experience she has gained, and for her children for whom she was able to set a good example of being a helpful and generous role model. “It was a good chance to repay London now and show the city to the world in the best possible way, as I have been living and studying here,” said Alsaraj. “We were also really happy to know that at the end of the Games there will be trees planted with our names on them to mark the volunteers contribution in London,” she added. The Games fell during the holy month of Ramadan, but it did not stop the volunteers from participating or fasting. “Fasting was never a problem. It's all about work and every bit of it was rewarding. We even got the chance to see the opening ceremony before everyone else,” Alsaraj said proudly who also thanks the Games as it allowed her to obtain a certificate in tourism and management. Shalhoub works as broadcast journalist at the BBC Arabic Radio channel in London. Master of two languages, Arabic and English, Shalhoub had applied to volunteer in the media section of the Games. On being granted approval, she interviewed Arabic weightlifters, among many other athletes. Shalhoub was also one of the two Saudi female journalists who covered the Asian Games in Qatar in 2006. As an ardent fan of the Games, she always wanted to be an integral part of it. Thus, she applied, got interviewed and selected, and was then offered to cover the Olympics as well as the Paralympics for five days each. Ramadan also did not deter Shalhoub's undying spirit and love for sports, she said: “Everyone was very understanding and respectful when they knew it was our fasting period. They even switched my shift and allowed me to work from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM to to make things easier for me.” She added, “I've never seen such a great emotional support extended to the some of the athletes who lost at the Games. This is very inspiring and I'm glad I'm here to witness this.” When asked about her opinion regarding the participation of the first two Saudi female athletes, Shalhoub said: “It's very motivating, meaning that sports is now being seriously taken in the Kingdom by Saudi females who are determined to reach the Olympics. It is a good sign of development and is creating awareness among our youth about the importance of sports in our lives.” Saudi male volunteer Natto volunteered with the Saudi National Olympic Committee after being encouraged by his university. Natto said the youth of the Kingdom should also be encouraged to volunteers. Although, Natto further said that there are youths who want to act as volunteers but they don't know where to go. Since 2005, Osama has been taking up part time jobs in various organizations in London. However, this was the first time he participated as a volunteer. “I definitely learned a lot after being at the Games, exposed to thousands of people everyday from all around the globe.” Osama said it was a good opportunity to know about his country's sportsmen and at the sports they excelled. “I never knew them before until I met them in person at the Games. They are very modest and determined and from now onwards I will definitely follow them.” Osama had volunteered with the SNOC, as he spoke Arabic, English, and French. He also extended his services to Canada and Banglasdesh's NOC at the end of the Games. Many people in the west have a stereotype image of Saudis being rich and spoilt, who own oil wells and do not lift a finger to do a thing. The five resolute volunteers were successful in breaking the stereotype image of Saudis and proved to the world that they are no less than them, in fact, are better than most. “As soon as people came to know that I'm from Saudi Arabia, they immediately asked me that why I was doing this as I didn't need to do something simple as volunteering,” said Abdulrahman, adding, “I was happy I had the chance to prove them wrong and show them what Saudi youth are capable of doing even if it's volunteering.” Abdulrahman also said that he would like to encourage sports enthusiasts to apply as volunteers for the Rio Games 2016. The dynamic five volunteers will now be seen at the Paralympics that kick off from August 29 to last till September 9, giving them more enriching experience on how to deal with people with special needs.
