Of course, the Olympians we hear about in the news are all professionals. But many of the 10,000 athletes taking part don't earn enough to make a living out of their sport. As a result, the US Olympic Committee runs a job opportunities programme that gives jobs to athletes that allow them to earn money while continuing to train for the Olympics and Paralympics.

The Home Depot is one company that is part of the scheme. It offers athletes full-time pay to work a 20-hour work and time off to attend competitions. It's not quite as altruistic as it sounds - in return, the employees are expected to carry out promotional work for the company.

Meanwhile the Government of British Columbia, where Vancouver is hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, has taken an unusual step to encourage public sector workers to become volunteers during the Games. Government workers will be able to volunteer for up to 15 days, being paid for 7.5 of them with the other 7.5 days counted as holiday. It's estimated that 70,000 volunteers will be needed to help put on London 2012.

It's all a far cry from the last time London hosted the Olympics, in 1948. The strict amateur code meant that every competitor had to earn a living separately. The best that they could hope for was a sympathetic employer that supported them by, for example, letting them change their working hours to fit in training and take their holidays during competition time.

XpertHR provides model policies on accruing holiday for a special trip [subscription required] and supporting employees doing volunteer work [subscription required].