Approximately 10,000 applicants will be notified by email this week that, subject to security checks, they have been chosen for a volunteer role as a London 2012 'games maker'. The offers made this week are the first of thousands of emails, which will be sent to applicants over the coming months.
LOCOG will make offers of roles until the end of April 2012.
LOCOG needs up to 70,000 volunteers for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and will continue to make conditional offers through a rolling programme of monthly offers between now and April 2012. With interviews being conducted until the end of March 2012, those yet to be invited to interview have every opportunity of being selected as a Games Maker and are encouraged to check their emails regularly for further correspondence.
Sebastian Coe, chairman of LOCOG, said: "It has been a privilege for my team to meet and interview so many enthusiastic and dedicated people from right across the UK who would like to volunteer with us and make the Games a success for athletes, media and spectators alike. Beginning to make offers of roles this week marks the next stage of the games maker programme to put the best possible team together to welcome the world next summer.
"Given the numbers of people involved, conditional offers will be made in several stages and with interviews set to continue until the end of March 2012, there is still plenty of time for applications to progress. I wish everyone who offered us their time the best of luck with their application and encourage them to keep checking their email for updates."
Games makers receiving an email this week with details of the conditional offer will be asked to confirm their acceptance of the role within two weeks of receiving the email to allow the required Home Office and CRB checks to be undertaken. They will be asked to log on to Games Maker Zone and accept their role.
Upon successful completion of the checks, games makers will receive further details of the training sessions to take place from February 2012 onwards.
By 31 December 2011, everyone who has applied to be a games maker will hear from London 2012. They will either have been offered a role, been interviewed and yet to be offered a role, received an invitation to interview for a date in 2012 or been told that they have been unsuccessful as an applicant.
LOCOG expects to begin notifying candidates who are not successful with their application to be a games maker from November 2011. The high quality and number of applications means it will not be possible to offer everyone a games maker position.
A quarter of a million people applied to the games maker programme last year and a team of specially trained volunteer interviewers has been carrying out selection interviews since February 2011.
Since the application process closed in October 2010, LOCOG has removed 60,000 incomplete applications having made multiple approaches to candidates to encourage them to complete their application. This means the chances of being called forward for interview has increased for remaining applicants.
Out of the 100,000 interviews, which will be conducted over the course of the programme, over 50,000 interviews have taken place to date in nine selection centres around the UK. Interviews will continue in London's selection centre at ExCel through to the end of March 2012.
Minister for the Olympics, Hugh Robertson, said: "I would like to congratulate all those who have been offered games maker roles. The competition for places has been intense with considerable numbers of high quality candidates putting their names forward. The games makers will be integral to the success of the Games and in particular the impression we make upon the global sports family.'
The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, added: "Games maker volunteers will provide welcoming faces around the venues to athletes, spectators and the world's media when they descend on our great city next year. Combined with the forces of my London Ambassadors, part of our ever growing Team London volunteer army, we will be in great shape to give people coming to the capital in 2012 a truly unforgettable experience."
Worldwide Olympic partner McDonald's is the presenting partner of the games maker volunteer programme. McDonald's has used its nationwide presence to help attract candidates for the diverse team that will be needed to make the London 2012 Games a success. The LOCOG volunteer team held training sessions for many of the volunteers conducting interviews at the world-class training facilities at McDonald's head office in East Finchley, London and the restaurant chain will also be helping to facilitate the training of the volunteers in the run up to Games time.
Jill McDonald, CEO McDonald's UK, said: "Our people are at the heart of our business and we're proud to have been able to share our expertise in customer service and people development with the Organising Committee to help select the very best team of volunteers for the London Games.
"Being able to draw on comparisons between the high energy levels and strength of teamwork required by our staff, day in day out across our 1,200 restaurants in the UK will mean we are well placed to support LOCOG in the training of these games makers. As we enter the next stage of this programme we aim to help provide the volunteers with the skills, knowledge and confidence to deliver an outstanding level of hospitality at the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year."
The games maker idea was created by McCann Worldgroup, the official Marketing Services Provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They are also responsible for developing and executing the fully integrated advertising campaign to attract applicants in 2010.
