Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the president of the Committee of Rio 2016 Olympic Games, calls for the participation of the world's volunteers at the initiating ceremony of Olympics and Special Olympics Volunteer Recruitment in Rio de Janeiro on Aug 28. [Photo/Xinhua]

It's never too soon to start getting ready for the Olympics, and the rush is already on for one key group of participants - the indispensible army of volunteers.

"I have signed up to be a volunteer at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, who wants to come along with me?" wrote Jiang Sui on her social media on Sept 8.

Jiang, a 25-year-old sales manager from Beijing, also served as a volunteer in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

"It was a great experience to work with people from around the world for the Olympic Games and I want to do it again," said Jiang, "If I can make it to Rio de Janeiro, it will be super cool."

Jiang is not the only Chinese applying for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Official data show that about 3,204 Chinese had applied to be volunteers by Sept 4, one week after the application window opened, ranking at the top of overseas registrations.

The Organizing Committee of Rio 2016 described the fact as "eye-catching" and noted the "inspirational effect that hosting the events has on the local population".

Sports website Insidethegames.biz said such "passion" from China was most impressive, especially following the "success of the Nanjing 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games".

Though the history of volunteers is almost as long as Olympic Games, it was not until the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games that the volunteer system was officially established. Then, 2,191 volunteers took part in the event, working as interpreters, guides and technical assistants. That year the Olympic Committee also for the first time provided training to volunteers.

With years of development, the volunteer has become a core part of the Olympic Games. Sebastian Coe, chair of the London 2012 Olympic Games, praised the contributions made by volunteers who are, he said, "the lifeblood" of the world's largest sports event.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be the first time for the event to be held in South America. The organizers are looking for 70,000 people worldwide to work in five specific areas, including interpreters, reporters and medical professionals, as well as giving general assisting to spectators at the venues.

About 3,500 of the 70,000 volunteers will be selected from overseas applicants, according to the Rio 2016 Olympic Committee. Non-Brazilian volunteers need to speak basic Portuguese.

"I have been learning Portuguese recently because I have applied to be the volunteer in Rio 2016 Olympic Games," said Wang Tian, a postgraduate student from Sichuan province, China. "I spend one hour per day to remember a few words and I can speak some simple sentences now."

A video named TED: how to learn a foreign language in six months produced by Sina Video has also become popular on the Chinese website with about 6,000 shares. "Let's learn Portuguese to be a volunteer in Rio 2016!" reads the official ID of the Committee of Nanjing 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games on Sina Weibo, one of the largest social media websites in China.

Though the Chinese football team did not make it to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, about 8,000 Chinese football fans still came to Brazil to enjoy the games. The 2016 Olympic Games with China's participation is expected to attract even more Chinese tourists and sports fans, meaning there will be a huge demand for Chinese-speaking volunteers.

"I am looking forward to having a special summer holiday in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. My excitement about it is no less than my expectations leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. I will improve my English and Portuguese to compete for the opportunity," said Ma Limei, an 18-year-old student from Tianjin.