Volunteers share stories from the 2018 Paralympics

The extra end of the wheelchair curling final is underway at the Gangneung Curling Centre, where China is competing against Norway in its bid to clinch its first-ever gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Games.

Valeriia Bokhan-Cherepanova is standing with some photographers in the photo area, while Hwang Dong-pil and Wang Jie are sitting in the spectators stand with the Chinese delegation cheering on Team China.

They were just three of the 5,180 volunteers involved in the 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympic Winter Games, who helped to organize the national teams, venues, the media, transportation－and a host of other tasks.

Cherepanova served at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro specializing in engineering work, her major at college. This time, she chose to be a volunteer for Pyeongchang. "I wanted to do something good for society," says the 23-year-old Russian.

Cherepanova missed her first Skype interview after she filled in the online application to become a volunteer last year, because she forgot about the time difference. She had to reschedule the interview for 4 am. "They asked me if I'm afraid of the cold," says Cherepanova. "I said, 'Come on, I'm from Russia'."

Cherepanova helped at the ticket office during the Olympics and Paralympics, before serving as a photo assistant at the curling center with around 20 other volunteers, the most international team of all the volunteers.

At the beginning of the Paralympics, Cherepanova caught a cold, yet she was warmed by the care and support shown to her by fellow volunteers.

During her day off, Cherepanova would visit the seaside or watch the games. "My friend is a Paralympic sportsman for the Norway ice hockey team who I met in Sochi, so I came to watch him and support his game".

She left South Korea the day after the closing ceremony, but says she didn't feel sad about it. "For me, endings are good, because later on you will have these great memories and when I return home, I will share them with all my friends."

Cherepanova has decided to continue her volunteer experience at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, as has Hwang Dong-pil, a Korean volunteer who helped the Chinese delegation during the Paralympics in South Korea.

During the Winter Olympics, Hwang was assigned to help the Lithuanian delegation with arranging their accommodation, transport and other requirements.