The Potential of Non-Mega Sporting Events for the Promotion of Physical Activity Among Inactive Supporters at the Poznan Half Marathon: A Case Study

Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko, Joanna Poczta and Katarzyna Adamczewska
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Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Poznan University of Physical Education, 61-871 Poznan, Poland
Joanna Poczta: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Poznan University of Physical Education, 61-871 Poznan, Poland
Katarzyna Adamczewska: Faculty of Health Sciences, Poznan University of Physical Education, 61-871 Poznan, Poland

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: The impact of sports events on the promotion of physical activity, healthy lifestyles and sports participation is debatable, and most of the literature is on mega-events. This begs the question if more evidence of this type of impact can be found for non-mega events. Research on sports legacy often refers to the tangible effects such as infrastructure that is left after the competition. However, the construction of new facilities does not automatically result in attracting participants. Despite the high expectations of events organizers in terms of their impacts on pro-health behavior of people, few studies provide empirical evidence that events encourage sport fans to become more physically active. The aim of this research was to examine whether a mass run promotes physical activity among spectators, and whether a mass run influences the willingness of spectators to start in half marathon in the future. A written paper–pencil survey was collected from 510 spectators during the 6th Poznan Half Marathon. The results show that observing a mass run event has a positive impact on the willingness to engage in regular physical activity as well as the willingness to take part in this type of sport in the future. Our work provides knowledge about the level of effectiveness in promoting active lifestyles among supporters depending on age, sex and place of residents. This work focuses on mass runs, which have been under-researched when it comes to impact on sport participation.

Keywords: mass run event; sport participation; sport supporters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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