Olympic Volunteers: the case of 2018 Games

The role of volunteers has become a core component for the overall success of major international sport events. In recent years, the Olympics, considered to be the world’s biggest sporting event could not be hosted without the contribution of a large number of volunteers. From the large number of volunteers, the Olympic organizing committee could not only obtain a huge financial advantage but also create a positive energy and culture. Despite the significance of volunteers in the Olympics, research on Olympic volunteers’ motivations is still limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the motives and future intentions of volunteers at the 2018 Olympics, and investigate the factorial structure of the Motivation Scale adapted for this study. Data were collected from a volunteer sample of 36 individuals who offered their services at the 2018 Olympic Games. The results from the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression show that only the “Volunteer Attachment” variable out of the four factors of volunteer motivation has a significantly positive relationship with volunteers’ future intention. This study will provide information that could enhance effective volunteer recruitment and retention in the Olympics.