Prospective tourists’ risk perceptions and intentions to travel to a mega-sporting event host country with apparent risk

ABSTRACT

While the global appeal of the Olympic Games has attracted a massive amount of attention, this increased focus has resulted in heightened risk occurring around the event. Prospective tourists’ growing anxiety related to terrorism and political instability regarding a travel destination could have serious implications on tourism. This article aims to examine the relationship between tourists’ risk perceptions and their intention to travel to an Olympic host country with apparent risks of terrorism and political instability during and around the event period using the case of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games. Terrorism risk was found to have a negative impact on travel intention while political instability did not. The results suggest that potential terrorism risk is a vulnerable point for the host country, and host organisations’ collaborative risk management strategies for minimising potential threats and generating a safe destination image are necessary to attract a higher number of visitors around and during the Olympics. This study contributes to the sport and event tourism literatures by focusing on a specific case. As a result, the findings enable the authors to highlight the impact of terrorism and political instability on travel intentions of prospective tourists to a host country with apparent risks. More specifically, this research discusses the reason(s) for the impact of terrorism and political instability risks on the travel intentions, and calls upon the efforts of future Olympics and mega-sporting event host countries to mitigate the loss of international visitors and to boost global tourism during and after the event.     

Service quality,satisfaction, and behavioral intention in a triathlon event: the different experiences between local and non-local participants

ABSTRACT

Understanding the different experiences between local and non-local participants may help event organizers implement diverse marketing strategies for each segment, which could efficiently improve participants’ experiences of the event. However, little research has compared the experiences between local and non-local participants in sport event settings. This study compares the differences between local and non-local participants in their perceived service quality of a triathlon event, examines the relationships among service quality, satisfaction, and behavioral intention, and explores the role of participants’ residence status in these relationships. Data were collected from participants (N?=?289) in a triathlon event held in Japan. The results indicate that local participants evaluated all service quality dimensions more positively than non-local participants. The course, ambience, achievement, and escape had positive effects on satisfaction, satisfaction had an extensively positive effect on behavioral intention, and the effect of escape on satisfaction differed between local and non-local participants. Our findings identify how local and non-local participants evaluate their event experiences differently and provide practical implications for event organizers.     

Prospective study of sport dropout: A motivational analysis as a function of age and gender

Abstract

Introduction: This paper aimed to analyse the predictive ability of a self-determination theory (SDT) based model describing competitive sport dropout, and variance as a function of age and gender. Variables included in the model were: psychological need satisfaction, self-determined motivation, perceived conflict between sport and study, intention to practise sport, and dropout.

Methods: A prospective study was performed over a period of 19 months. Variables considered as predictors of sport dropout were measured initially, and after 19 months persistence or dropout was assessed. The sample consisted of 857 athletes aged 11–19 (mean value 15.3; standard deviation = 1.77), 680 males and 177 females.

Results: Structural equation modelling illustrated support for an “alternative” model that incorporated a direct relationship between psychological need satisfaction and intention to practise sport. Analysis of invariance showed that the model was consistent as a function of age and gender, i.e. no differences were found in regression weights. MANOVA, however, revealed some group differences with respect to the dependent variables. Specifically, in terms of engagement, although assessed at the start of the study, those athletes who persisted at 19 months demonstrated greater need satisfaction, self-determined motivation and intention to practise sport than those who dropped out. Age related differences were also identified: with increased age self-determined motivation and intention to practise sport decreased, while there were no differences in need satisfaction or perceived conflict between sport and study. There were no differences related to gender.

Discussion: The results support previous studies that had used SDT to predict sport dropout, specifically those that had reported an inverse relationship between self-determined motivation and perceived conflict between activities. Further, it suggests that other variables (emotional) may play a specific role in predicting intention to continue engagement with sport.

Conclusion: The major contribution of the study is in validating a motivational model predicting sport dropout which incorporates perceived conflict and the direct effect of psychological need satisfaction on the intention to practise sport. The invariance of regression weights between age and gender groups suggests that the relationships proposed in the model are universal.     

Assessing volunteer satisfaction at the London Olympic Games and its impact on future volunteer behaviour

Abstract

In recent years, volunteering has received strong research attention from both scholars and practitioners. For the most part, involvement in volunteer activities has been identified as an important determinant of future volunteering. Through revalidating an existing instrument, the purpose of this study was to assess the dimensions of volunteer satisfaction at the 2012 London Olympic Games and its impact on future volunteer behaviour. The findings of this study shed light on the identification of volunteer satisfaction factors in the mega sporting event setting, particularly for a unique type of volunteer (i.e. media worker) assigned to a special set of tasks. Unlike Galindo-Kuhn and Guzley’s results that revealed participation efficacy and group integration to be strong predictors of volunteer satisfaction, organizational support was the primary predictor for media centre volunteers’ re-participation intention towards future volunteering programmes.     

Before the Sunshine: Organising and Promoting the Olympic Games in Stockholm 1912

In 1910, two years before the Olympics in Stockholm, The General Secretary of the Swedish Games Mr Kristian Hellström assured that the competitors should expect the most exciting time of their lives. As long as they lived, they would remember the sport event. To make the competitors feeling welcomed, it required a successful organisation. The present article examines the promotional work behind the Stockholm Olympics. The event was the first Olympic Games with a professional advertising campaign and an official poster. Initially, the intention was to establish a solid organisation consisting of a specific Advertising and Reception Section. The General Secretariat was in charge of advertising, for instance contacts with the media in Sweden and worldwide. They also organised a specific ‘Advertising and Information Committee’ that worked with advertisement. Finally, the promotional work did not only focus on the sport event. The tourism of Sweden was also the object of marketing. This article argues that promotional work on different levels made it possible to modernise and internationalise the event. By analysing Hellström's work as General Secretary, it is possible to understand the intensity of promotional activity, which resulted in an innovative campaign.     

An Alumni Oriented Approach to Sport Management Curriculum Design Using Performance Ratings and a Regression Model

Abstract

Current methods employed for curriculum design fail to integrate the work demands placed on graduates of professional preparation programs. This is especially true of curricula which are designed using traditional and expert strategies. As an alternative, this present investigation proposes an alumni-based model to curriculum design. The alumni-based model relies on the assessment of curriculum by alumni. In addition, the alumni model utilizes performance ratings of employers and measures of satisfaction by alumni in a regression model to identify curricula leading to increased work performance and satisfaction. This model was tested with sport management alumni from the major sport management preparation programs. Surveys were sent to sport management alumni to assess their graduate training and work satisfaction. Surveys were also sent to employers of these graduates to assess sport manager performance. The regression analysis revealed that alternative curricular designs relate to manager performance and worker satisfaction. Results of the regression model and implications for sport management curriculum are discussed.     

可持续发展理念下体育旅游多元主体环境保护的协同治理

在当前全球化和城市化背景下,可持续发展理念备受关注,对各行各业产生深远影响。以苏州金鸡湖端午龙舟赛为例,探讨在可持续发展框架下,多元主体（地方政府部门、体育赛事旅游企业、赛事旅游者和当地居民）之间的协同治理问题。引入演化博弈理论、利益相关者理论和协同治理理论,建立了多方利益相关者之间的决策模型。研究发现：政府监管力度和执法水平、企业治理行为、赛事旅游者的环保行为和满意度,以及当地居民的态度和行为都会相互影响,形成复杂的协同治理关系。以此寻求体育旅游可持续发展的最佳选择策略,促进体育赛事旅游产业与环境保护的协同合作,为多元主体环境保护提供有效参考。     

Running in the Sun: The Pyongyang Marathon and its Evolution into a Sport Tourism Event

Abstract

In April 2014, for the first time since the event was established, over 200 foreign recreational runners participated in the Pyongyang Marathon, which is part of Day of the Sun commemorating the birthday of Kim Il-sung. The decision of the North Korean regime to open the event to foreign amateurs was unusual, thus the paper examines this new approach to the marathon, and to tourism in general, by contextualizing them within an historical perspective. It is argued that tourism policy under Kim Jong-un, the third leader of the ‘Kim dynasty’, was unprecedented in terms of its systematic approach to the development of a meaningful tourism industry while also particularly emphasizing Western tourism and sport tourism. With the inclusion of the marathon into its tourism industry, North Korea strengthened its place in the worldwide trend of sport event tourism, yet the Pyongyang Marathon has stood out by being more about branding a country than a city. In this regard, this sport tourism event has offered the visitors a look into a ‘different normality’, which was indicative to the rationale of the regime that benefited from the attention it drew through its image as ‘unexpected’ and ‘mysterious’.     

Place attachment and attendees’ experiences of homecoming event

This study explores the complex of attendees’ experiences in the context of homecoming events that overlap sport activities, event, and tourism elements during a weekend. Focusing on alumni attendees who travel to the college town for the event, the present research argues that these attendees have multiple identities such as event attendees, university alumni, and destination tourists. Derived from this notion, this study proposes and examines two dimensions of attendees’ whole event experiences: event program-related experiences and destination tourism experiences. In addition, relationships between the whole event experiences, place attachment, and satisfaction are empirically tested. The results indicate that place attachment and satisfaction are significantly enhanced by attendees’ experiences of Event Programs & Information, Destination Products, and Natural Environment. Alumni attendees tend to evaluate their experiences more positively when they have a unique perception of the college town and a strong emotional bonding with their Alma Mater. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are also discussed.     

Testing Social-Cognitive Theory to Explain Physical Activity Change in Adolescent Girls From Low-Income Communities

Purpose

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesized structural paths in Bandura's social-cognitive theory (SCT) model on adolescent girls' physical activity following a 12-month physical activity and dietary intervention to prevent obesity.

Method

We conducted a 12-month follow-up study of 235 adolescent girls (M _age = 13.2 years, SD = 0.4) from 12 secondary schools located in low-income communities. At baseline, participants completed SCT scales related to physical activity (i.e., self-efficacy, intention, parental support, and outcome expectations). At baseline and 12-month follow-up (postintervention), participants wore accelerometers for 7 days. Structural equation modeling was used to determine if Time 1 measures predicted physical activity at 12-month follow-up after adjusting for baseline activity.

Results

The model explained 28% and 34% of the variance in physical activity and intention, respectively. Model fit indexes indicated the data were a good fit to the model; however, only self-efficacy was associated with physical activity at 12 months. There was no support for intention or outcome expectations as proximal determinants of behavior. Self-efficacy was associated with outcome expectations and parental support; however, only outcome expectations predicted intention.

Conclusions

Current findings indicate a large proportion of the variance for physical activity and intention remains unexplained and that the proposed pathways in the SCT model were not fully supported. Future model testing may need to consider augmentation or integration of theoretical models, which may include ecological components if we are to advance our understanding of physical activity behavior in this subgroup of the adolescent population.     

Self-efficacy theory and the theory of planned behavior: teaching physically active physical education classes

The purpose of our investigation was to examine determinants of teachers' intentions to teach physically active physical education classes (i.e., spend at least 50% of class time with the students engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity). Based on the theory of planned behavior, a model was examined hypothesizing that teachers' intentions were determined by subjective norm, attitude, and perceived behavioral control. Grounded in self-efficacy theory, it was hypothesized that program goal importance and hierarchical and barrier self-efficacy would also predict intention. Using a series of hierarchical regression analyses, the theory of planned behavior was supported by accounting for 59% of the variance in intention due to attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norm. Self-efficacy theory based variables received minimal support.     

The role of task and ego-oriented climate in explaining students’ bright and dark motivational experiences in Physical Education

Background: A distinction is made in Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) between task-oriented (i.e. effort, intra-individual progress, and self-comparison) and ego-oriented (i.e. inter-individual progress and normative comparison) climates. Combining insights from AGT and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), studies in the PE context have shown that a task-oriented climate positively relates to need satisfaction, although the findings regarding the motivating role of an ego-oriented climate are inconsistent. Moreover, little is known about the role of task- or ego-oriented climates in explaining experiences of basic psychological need frustration.

Purpose: Grounded in AGT and SDT, the aim of the present study was to examine if experiences of basic psychological need satisfaction and need frustration can explain why task- and ego-oriented climates elicit positive and negative motivational outcomes in PE, respectively.

Research design: Cross-sectional study.

Method: A sample of 524 secondary school students (51.1% boys, M_age?=?14.51; SD?=?1.81) from five different secondary schools participated in this study. Students reported on their perceptions of task- and ego-oriented climates, motivational regulations, basic psychological need satisfaction, and need frustration, as well as positive and negative outcomes in PE. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate our objective.

Results: We found that a task-oriented climate had a strong and positive relationship with basic psychological need satisfaction, eliciting a bright pathway to autonomous motivation and affective attitude. An ego-oriented climate was positively related to basic psychological need frustration, eliciting a dark pathway to amotivation and boredom. A negative cross-path from task-oriented climate to basic psychological need frustration was also found, while no significant cross-paths were found from ego-oriented climate to basic psychological need satisfaction.

Conclusions: This study provides a better understanding of the mechanisms that explain why task- and ego-oriented climates shape students’ motivational experiences in PE lessons. It is suggested that a task-oriented climate elicits a bright pathway towards more optimal functioning, because it fosters experiences of need satisfaction and buffers against experiences of need frustration. In contrast, an ego-oriented climate is primarily positively related to feelings of need frustration and negative motivational outcomes. Practical implications for PE teacher training are discussed.     

Athletic goal achievement: A critical antecedent of event satisfaction,re-participation intention,and future exercise intention in participant sport events

The purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive understanding of consumer experiences in participant sport events. The authors explored two traditionally prominent components (i.e., service quality and perceived economic value) and one emerging factor (i.e., athletic goal achievement) of consumer experiences at participant sport events. The authors examined the effects of these three factors on re-participation intention and the effect of athletic goal achievement on future exercise intention. Results of moderated serial mediation analyses based on data from a sample of marathon runners (N = 3186), all three factors exerted significant effects on re-participation intention. In particular, athletic goal achievement was positively associated with re-participation intention and future exercise intention through the serial mediation of performance satisfaction and overall event satisfaction. However, the moderating effects of athletic goal importance on the serial indirect relationship between athletic goal achievement and two outcome variables (i.e., re-participation intention and future exercise intention) were not significant. The findings of this study offer participant sport service providers with insights to manage participants’ athletic performance, service quality, and perceived economic value for better consumer experiences. Such efforts should result in higher participant satisfaction, better retention rates, and a higher post-event physical activity level.     

Motivation Profiles in Sport: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Abstract

The present study examined the link between motivation profiles among adult sports participants and the consequences of enjoyment, effort, positive and negative affect, attitude toward sport participation, intention to continue sport participation, satisfaction, and frequency of attendance in sport. Two samples of participants (n = 590 and n = 555) completed the Sport Motivation Scale and a range of self-report measures to assess the outcome variables. Exploratory cluster analyses applied to Sample I and confirmatory cluster analysis applied to Sample 2 identified two clusters of sport participants. The first comprised participants with high scores on both nonself-determined and self-determined motives. The second comprised participants with high scores on self-determined motives but low scores on nonself-determined motives. Participants in the first cluster scored higher on all outcome variables. The results are discussed with reference to a more in-depth understanding of the motivation dynamics of sport participation based on Self-Determination Theory.     

Understanding cycle tourism experiences at the Tour Down Under

Sport tourism experiences are subjective and emotional, laden with symbolic meaning. This study explores the experiences of participants who adopted the multiple roles of both an active participant and event spectator, within the parameters of one chosen sporting event. A professional cycling race event, the Tour Down Under in South Australia was chosen for this investigation, and 20 face-to-face individual interviews were conducted with cycle tourists. The three main themes emerging from the data were the interaction of people and temporary spaces on a sport tourism ‘stage’; the co-creation of authentic personal experiences and meanings; and identity reinforcement and the development of a sense of belonging. Consequently, a model for understanding sport event tourism experiences is proposed. The findings suggest that providing tourists with authentic and memorable experiences lies at the heart of what constitutes sport tourism. Whilst the results demonstrate that cycling events provide the individual with a sense of belonging or membership to a wider social group, they also illustrate that there is a continued need for more focused and nuanced approaches towards understanding sport tourism experiences that reflect the ever-increasing diversity and complexity of the interaction between sport, events and tourism.     

Heritage sporting events: theoretical development and configurations

ABSTRACT

Although sports heritage is increasingly recognized as a potential catalyst of tourism, heritage sporting events (HSEs) are still an emerging concept in the academic literature. Notions that associate sports events and heritage remain rare, and are usually analysed through the scope of nostalgia sport tourism. This can be partly explained by an inclination to associate the notion of heritage with conventional ideas about folklore and traditional culture. Through a constructivist approach of heritage, this contribution argues that contemporary sports events, which would generally have competition as their primary focus, might also be perceived as HSEs. A comprehensive framework, built on a multi-disciplinary literature review, is presented to show the process that transforms an initial resource (a sports event) into an accomplished resource (a HSE), which might represent a competitive advantage for the territory. A qualitative–comparative analysis is conducted among 24 sports events in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, to observe the configurations of HSEs and understand which characteristics are necessary for the perceptions of a sports event as a heritage good. Interestingly, this contribution shows that if the event needs to be sustainable in the territory to be perceived as a HSE, it is not sufficient. Indeed, a differentiation strategy should be set up to distinguish the event from other more or less similar events, to be perceived as an authentic feature of the territory by the local population.     

The motivating role of positive feedback in sport and physical education: evidence for a motivational model

Based on self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), an experimental study with middle school students participating in a physical education task and a correlational study with highly talented sport students investigated the motivating role of positive competence feedback on participants' well-being, performance, and intention to participate. In Study 1, structural equation modeling favored the hypothesized motivational model, in which, after controlling for pretask perceived competence and competence valuation, feedback positively predicted competence satisfaction, which in turn predicted higher levels of vitality and greater intentions to participate, through the mediation of autonomous motivation. No effects on performance were found. Study 2 further showed that autonomous motivation mediated the relation between competence satisfaction and well-being, whereas a motivation mediated the negative relation between competence satisfaction and ill-being and rated performance. The discussion focuses on the motivational role of competence feedback in sports and physical education settings.     

赛事认同对标志性体育赛事发展影响的实证研究——基于多中介的调节模型

赛事认同关乎标志性体育赛事的长期稳定发展。基于认同理论,运用Bootstrap、线性回归方法展开赛事认同对标志性体育赛事发展影响机理的实证研究。结果显示:赛事认同对标志性体育赛事中赛事质量、赛事环境、赛事营销和赛事管理服务均具有显著的影响;赛事品牌形象在赛事认同与赛事环境和赛事管理服务的影响关系间具有部分中介作用;举办地意向在赛事认同与赛事质量、赛事环境和赛事营销的影响关系间具有部分中介作用;参与意愿在赛事认同与赛事质量、赛事环境、赛事营销和赛事管理服务的影响关系间具有部分中介作用;感知价值在赛事认同与赛事管理服务的影响关系间具有部分中介作用;感知综合实力分别对赛事认同与赛事质量、赛事环境、赛事营销、赛事管理服务的影响关系起调节作用。研究证明了赛事认同与标志性体育赛事发展的关系路径,为促进我国标志性体育赛事高质量发展提供理论参考与实践支撑。     

Similarities and differences in constraints and constraint negotiation among Japanese sport tourists: a case of masters games participants*

ABSTRACT

The purposes of this study were to examine (a) similarities and differences in constraints to and constraint negotiation for masters games (MG) participation, and (b) the relationships among constraints, constraint negotiation, and intention to participate in the World Masters Games 2021 Kansai, across international sport tourists, domestic sport tourists, and sport excursionists. An online survey was conducted with 449 Japanese people who participated in MGs within the last three years. Our results indicated that international sport tourists experienced higher levels of psychological, physiological, interpersonal, financial, tourism, commitment, MG-specific constraints than domestic sport tourists and sport excursionists, although physiological constraints did not differ between international and domestic sport tourists. Conversely, international and domestic sport tourists utilized tourism and MG-self-adaptation negotiation strategies more than sport excursionists. Lastly, constraints to and constraint negotiation for the past MG were not related to the intention of participation in the World Masters Games 2021 Kansai across the three groups. These results suggest that this typology of sport tourists – international, domestic, and excursionist – is an effective framework to understand constraints and negotiation as well as other behaviors and experiences of Japanese sport tourists.     

Understanding sport event volunteers’ continuance intention: An environmental psychology approach

The purpose of this study was to investigate influences of environmental and personal factors on volunteers’ behavioral intention. More specifically, the authors examined the relationships among work climate, intrinsic motivation, attitude, emotional exhaustion, and continuance intention through the lens of environmental psychology model. Survey forms tapping the interested outcomes were collected from 924 volunteers of a national sporting event in China. Results of structural equational modeling supported all hypothesized relationships, except the negative relationship between emotional exhaustion and continuance intention. This study expanded the understanding and application of the environmental psychology model in the context of volunteerism in sport.