The first 50,000 volunteers have been chosen to work at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with the US, UK, Russia and China the most represented countries outside of Brazil.

The announcement was made at the end of November, and the candidates, who had applied beginning in August 2014 and taken part in a selection process throughout this year, can check the official website for Rio Olympics volunteers to see if their names are among the first selected.

Of the 50,000 approved candidates, 82 percent are Brazilian. For the remaining candidates, the largest group is from the United States, followed by Great Britain, Russia and China, many of whom have been inspired by recent Olympic and Paralympic Games held in their own countries.

Among the Brazilians selected, more than half are from the state of Rio de Janeiro, with Sao Paulo (21 percent) and Minas Gerais (6 percent) accounting for the next highest proportions. Fifty-five percent are women, and 40 percent are 25 or younger, while another 40 percent are between the ages of 25 and 45.

Selected candidates will be sent letters of invitation by e-mail, which will provide details of the roles they have been selected for and which departments and venues they will work in.

They will have 10 days to accept the offer.

"It's going to be great. We're giving our time and attention, and we are going to earn much more, a really valuable experience," said Luci de Barros, who worked as a volunteer at this month’s boccia test event.

There are 70,000 Rio 2016 volunteer positions available — 45,000 for the Olympic Games and 25,000 for the Paralympic Games. Many applications are still being analyzed, and candidates may appear on future lists.

The 70,000 candidates selected will be assigned to nine functional areas: customer care, sports, media and communications, operational support, ceremony production, protocol and languages, healthcare, technology and transport.

With less than a year to go until the Olympics, Chinese representatives have poured into Brazil. Chinese companies such as 361° and Honav will participate. Last October, sportswear company 361° was announced as an official supporter of the Rio Olympics and will provide more than 106,500 uniforms for technical staff, volunteers, torch relay and the test events.

Beijing Huajiang Culture Development Co Ltd (known as Honav), the licensee of lapel pins for the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics, will have the same designation for the official pins for the Rio Olympics. Olympic souvenirs made by Honav have already been unveiled at the official store in Brazil.

At the construction site of the Olympic main stadium area, a variety of heavy machinery from Chinese companies Sany, XCMG and Zoomlion is in use.

The 100 high-speed subway trains produced by Changchun Railway Vehicles Co were all completed in China's Jilin province this August and will be in service for the Rio Olympics. It will mark the first time that a Chinese train maker has taken part in an Olympic transportation system outside of China.