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Hostesses Wow after Grueling Preparation

Stand-and-smile boot camp preceded duty at medal ceremonies

By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 18, 2008 3:50 PM CDT

(Newser) – The hostesses helping to hand out medals at the Beijing Olympics are earning high praise for their glamor and grace. But while they make their jobs look simple, a whopping amount of training and a meticulous selection process brought the women to the world stage. Candidates were chosen using precise physical measurements and had to endure a "charm boot camp," reports Reuters.

"In the standing sessions, we have to stand still and smile for half an hour or more. We also run about a 1,000 meters every day for physical conditioning," one hostess said of her Olympic training.


Young women who were candidates to be Olympic hostesses received etiquette training at a Beijing vocational school in January.
Young women who were candidates to be Olympic hostesses received etiquette training at a Beijing vocational school in January.   (AP Photo)
A Chinese hostess wears Olympic rings in her hair during the opening ceremony for the Athletes village in Beijing, Sunday, July, 27, 2008.
A Chinese hostess wears Olympic rings in her hair during the opening ceremony for the Athletes village in Beijing, Sunday, July, 27, 2008.   (AP Photo/ Elizabeth Dalziel)
Chinese hostesses wear Olympic rings in their hair during the opening ceremony for the Athletes village in Beijing, Sunday, July, 27, 2008.
Chinese hostesses wear Olympic rings in their hair during the opening ceremony for the Athletes village in Beijing, Sunday, July, 27, 2008.   (AP Photo/ Elizabeth Dalziel)
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