Nov 22 (NHK) - Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics say applications for volunteers for the Games have surpassed the needed number of 80,000.
The organizing committee began accepting applications on September 26th. They are seeking 80,000 volunteers for event venues and the athletes' village, and another 30,000 "city volunteers" to serve as transportation and tour guides at airports and train stations.
The committee said on Wednesday that as of Tuesday morning it had received 81,035 applications for the first category. 40 percent of the applicants were men, and 60 percent women. 56 percent of the applicants were Japanese, and 44 percent were of other nationalities.
The committee decided to push back the application deadline to December 21st from early December, because there seems to be a shortage of applications to volunteer at the athletes' sub-village in Shizuoka Prefecture.
