Volunteers in group photo in front of the Olympic Tower.

   (BEIJING, March 2) -- Eighty-five first-stage volunteers spent a total of 10,080 hours in the Olympic preparatory work in 2005, according to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

   The volunteers, scattered in BOCOG's 13 departments, did their part in such services as telephone answering, "Green Olympics" publicity, infringement inspection, file translation, project management consultation and others, making their contributions to the 2008 Games, BOCOG officials said.

   According to BOCOG reckoning, some 100,000 volunteers are needed for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2008. Mass recruitment is expected to start later this year.

Volunteers at a forum.