Volunteers at the global event to be known as 'gems', with more than 1000 people having applied to help out at the four-day Championships

The official name for volunteers at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018 has been unveiled as 'gems', with organisers announcing that more than 1000 people have already applied to help out at the four-day Championships.

The name 'gems' has been chosen to reflect the value of volunteers to the organisers of major sports events. The name is also a nod to Birmingham’s world renowned Jewellery Quarter, a unique area located just a stone’s throw from Arena Birmingham which dates back 250 years and is home to more than 500 jewellery businesses.

The gems identity was appropriately unveiled by world 4x400m silver medallist Emily Diamond, who said: "Volunteers really are gems as they are so valuable to major sports, many of which just couldn’t be staged without them.

"As an athlete, I’m always delighted and amazed that lots of wonderful people are willing to give up their time to come and help out at a major event like the IAAF World Indoor Championships and it is great news that so many people have already applied to be a volunteer at this event in March."

Anyone interested in volunteering at the event, which will be held at Arena Birmingham from March 1 to 4, can apply at www.wicbirmingham2018.com and this website also has lots more information about the Championships. The application deadline is 5pm on September 29.

You can find out more about volunteering at Birmingham 2018 here.

Tickets for the four-day event have been selling fast and all the tickets made available for four of the six sessions sold out in just a few hours when they went on sale last month. There are still tickets currently available for the Thursday evening and Friday morning sessions.