25 years ago Sydney hosted the 2000 Olympics. I worked as an Olympic volunteer, and it was a particularly memorable experience, one I thought I should document for my family history archive. After all, recent history is just as important as older history.

Becoming an Olympic volunteer

Working in the Olympic Village, in the Library, Music and Video Centre, serving athletes and officials, was the closest I was likely to come to being in the Olympics myself.

It was quite a process to become a volunteer. First was a written application, followed by an interview, and then training. Training was a general session everyone attended, plus venue and job specific training. Volunteers all received an official training manual, passport and venue pocket guide.

Each volunteer had to have official photographic accreditation identification, and as the Olympics got closer I collected my official uniform and accessories, which included: polo shirts, trousers, hat, water bottle, hip bag, and rain jacket. Sadly the Olympic branded band was stolen off my hat one day while I was waiting at the railway station! Volunteers also received a specially branded Swatch watch.

Before the Games started a family day was held so volunteers could bring relatives to see where they would be working. It was part of building excitement for the event, and my grandfather, who was quite the sportsman as a young man, came along with me on the day. We walked around the Village, checking out the various facilities, having lunch in the Village dining hall, and soaking up the atmosphere.

The Olympic Village

Volunteering started when the athletes and official began arriving, before the Olympic Opening Ceremony. I’d been allocated shifts and travelled to the Village from the nearest railway station on a dedicated bus using volunteer transport vouchers. On reaching the Village I’d go through security checkpoints, rather like those at the airport. Then I’d take a shuttle bus within the village to a stop near the library. 

Part of Sydney Olympic Park, the Village itself was quite large and is now a Sydney suburb called Newington, home to about 5,000 people. The library where I spent most of my time was in the Village Plaza, which was home to various facilities including a small casual dining hall. The larger main dining hall was further away, and had more options for eating. Volunteers had an allocated section, separate from the athletes and officials.

The library was about the size of a classroom, with several smaller rooms attached. There was a small selection of recreational material including magazines and newspapers, plus a television. The smaller rooms were used for anyone who wanted to review recordings of events. This service tended to be used by the countries who didn’t have their own recording process at their own accommodation, provided by their team officials.

Watch

• Video tour of the Olympic Village (14:14)
• Sydney Olympic Volunteers training video (1:04:08)

Olympic memorabilia

There’s a bunch of Sydney 2000 Olympic memorabilia available, some of it specific to volunteers, athletes or officials, and some more general. Something that was popular in the Village was swapping souvenir pins, and I have a small collection of pins from a number of different countries. I also have a Games Force 2000 pin, which was given to volunteers at the conclusion of the Olympics, and some of the pins sold publicly throughout the Games. Every day of the Olympics there was also a special newspaper printed and distributed in the Village, with stories for everyone, plus a volunteers’ newsletter.

As well as volunteering, I had the chance to attend some Olympics events as a spectator. I went to the volleyball, and made it to two athletics sessions. I also remember watching one of the big athletics races in the library with some of the athletes who were competing at other times and who had come in to watch on the library’s television.

I’m glad I got to be an Olympic volunteer. Being part of the Sydney 2000 Olympics was a special opportunity, and a once in a lifetime experience.

Select references

A look back at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Museums of History NSW, https://mhnsw.au/stories/general/a-look-back-at-the-sydney-2000-olympics/, accessed 22 December 2025.

History & Heritage, Sydney Olympic Park, https://www.sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au/visiting-park/history-and-heritage, accessed 22 December 2025.

How Newington and Sydney’s Olympic Village became a world-renowned neighbourhood, Domain, https://www.domain.com.au/news/how-newington-and-sydneys-olympic-village-became-a-world-renowned-neighbourhood-990122/, accessed 22 December 2025.

Our Green Olympic Village, ABC, https://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/olympics/default.htm, accessed 22 December 2025.

How Sydney’s Olympic legacy continues to unfold, 25 years on, ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-15/2000-sydney-olympics-25-year-anniversary-legacy-reflections/105764442, accessed 22 December 2025.

The spirit of the Sydney 2000 volunteers lives on, Olympics.com, https://www.olympics.com/en/brisbane-2032/news/the-spirit-of-the-sydney-2000-volunteers-lives-on/, accessed 22 December 2025.

Volunteers hat used at Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, 2000, Powerhouse Collection, https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/377756, accessed 22 December 2025.

Uniform for the Sydney Olympic Games, designed by Wendy Paulucci, 2000, Powerhouse Collection, https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/502433, accessed 22 December 2025.

Trousers for the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games, 2000, Powerhouse Collection, https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/502426, accessed 22 December 2025.

Water bottle for the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games, 2000, Powerhouse Collection, https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/501135,accessed 22 December 2025.

‘Olympic venue pocket guide’ for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, 2000, Powerhouse Collection, https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/343055, accessed 22 December 2025.

Instruction booklet, ‘Your passport to the Sydney 2000 games’, 2000, Powerhouse Collection, https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/343052, accessed 22 December 2025.

Rectangular voucher, yellow and white printing on a blue background. titled “Volunteer Private Bus Voucher”, 2000, Powerhouse Collection, https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/559360, accessed 22 December 2025.

Walker, Max & Gleeson, Gerry, The volunteers : how ordinary Australians brought about the extraordinary success of the Sydney 2000 Games Allen & Unwin, 2001, Crows Nest, NSW.

Smith, Laurie, Living is giving : the volunteer experience, Playright Publishing, 2001, Caringbah, NSW.

Carson, Victor, The Real Village People , Film Buff Productions, 2000, South Strathfield, NSW.