BEIJING, Dec 18, 2007 -- Volunteer recruitment for the Olympic Games and the Paralympics is taking place now. Among the volunteers selected from each province (region, and city), 50 percent should be capable of communicating in a foreign language, with French and German in highest demand.

Li Binghua, executive vice-president of BOCOG, said Tuesday that the recruitment of volunteers from outside Beijing has launched. As of recently, nearly 2.4 million volunteers have enrolled, and the age range of the volunteers is from 18 to 70.

According to the requirements, among the volunteers selected from each province (region, and city), 50 percent should be capable of communicating in a foreign language; French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and other less popular languages are in highest demand. Language volunteers for more popular languages should be able to understand, speak, read and write English. The remaining 50 percent of volunteers should be outstanding, and the selection is mainly focused on the applicants' age, sex, occupation, and other factors.

In 2008, services in 55 languages will be provided. According to the plan, examinations and interviews for 80 percent of applicants should complete by the end of this year, and the remaining work will be done before the Chinese Lunar New Year.