More than 7,000 people volunteered to become one of 24 life-size Bandabi mascots at the opening ceremony of the upcoming Winter Paralympics, the PyeongChang Organizing Committee said Wednesday.

Bandabi is the mascot for the Paralympic Games set to begin Friday.

Forty-eight volunteers were chosen for the 24 mascots. They signed up in pairs, with one person to don a life-size costume, and the other to accompany the mascot.

Among those selected were a person rehabilitating from a former disability and his family member; twin sisters born in the PyeongChang region on National Disabled Persons Day; and a father who volunteered in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and his daughter.

 

There will be a second round of recruiting between March 7 and 9 to select 12 pairs for the closing ceremony of the games slated for March 18.

The main role of the Bandabi mascots will be to work in the nighttime in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, where the games are being held.

Eligible candidates have to be between 165 and 175 centimeters in height. Those selected are required to take part in a rehearsal on March 17 and in the main event on March 18.

The Paralympic Games run from Friday to March 18.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)