These are the last few days for those interested in becoming a Turin 2006 volunteer to sign up. The deadline for applications to join the Noi2006 programme is July 31. In a year and a half 40,000 people have signed up to the programme. "It's an extraordinary success," said Toroc Volunteer Director Antonio Romani. "Men and women of all ages - from Italy and abroad, but mostly from the Olympic region - have responded to our appeal with enthusiasm and a desire to participate in a unique, unrepeatable event."

Of those 40,000 people, 22,000 are from Turin and its nearby mountain areas. Of the rest, 60% are from the rest of Italy, 40% from abroad, above all other Alpine countries, Canada and the US. Men make up 56% of Olympic volunteers, and 41% are students; almost 60% are between 18 and 34 and have a high-school diploma; while 22% are graduates, 37% have a job and 16% are unemployed. Romani stressed that their contribution "will be fundamentally important for the success of the Games and, as a consequence, for the country that hosts them". Of the people who have signed up as volunteers, 27,000 have done the first phase of general training. The specific training for the duties they will carry out will take place at the Olympic sites. In the meantime, however, Toroc continues to seek volunteers who speak foreign languages, especially English.