Joann P. S. Lim & Hairunnisa binti Mohamad Ibrahim
Abstract:
The success of the 29th Southeast Asian Games, known also as KL2017, was attributed to the efforts of participating athletes as well as the substantial contributions of 13,000 volunteers behind the scene. Hosted by Malaysia in 2017, the multi-sports event was declared as a “Green Games” with the adoption of an environmental sustainability management programme. This study examines factors that influenced the green volunteers deployed, who were also required to be knowledgeable about environmental sustainability and committed to promote pro-environmental beliefs at the event. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted based on the four factors of Sports Event Volunteer Motivations Scale (SEVMS) — purposive, solidary, external traditions and commitment. The findings from 518 responses to an online questionnaire reveal that green volunteers at KL2017 were highly motivated by solidary (personal growth), followed by purposive reasons (do something worthwhile), whereas external traditions produced the least motivating factors.
Keywords: Green volunteers, motivation, mega-sports event, sustainable volunteer management, pro-environmental event