BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- About 1,600 volunteers for the 2008 Beijing Olympics started a week-long training program on Sunday, the beginning of the Spring Festival, offering information, translation or interpretation services and emergency aid.

    The volunteers took up positions at 50 work stations in key hotels, shopping centers and tourist sites in Beijing and offered tourist information and translation services, according to Qiang Wei, an official in charge of volunteer work for the 2008 Olympics.

    Beijing plans to enlist 100,000 volunteers to work at the Olympics and the Paralympics, and 400,000 others who will work in 2,000 voluntary work stations around the capital.

    The number of applications has exceeded 320,000 since the recruitment program began last August, according to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games.