Realization of environmentally friendly behaviours in sports from the point of view of managers and organizers

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to realize environmentally friendly behaviors in sports from the point of view of managers and organizers of sports events. Methodology: In order to collect data, a 4-part researcher-made questionnaire including 40 questions was used. The face and content validity was confirmed by a survey of related faculty members, and its reliability was reported using Cronbach's alpha of 0.83. The statistical sample of the research consists of managers and organizers of sports events in ten provinces of the country. After distributing the questionnaires, finally 254 questionnaires were returned. Results: Data analysis was done using Amos and SPSS-19 software. Pearson's correlation coefficient and path analysis were used to test hypotheses, and bootstrap method was used to test indirect relationships (mediation). The proposed model was also tested to investigate the relationships between the factors. The results showed that the three factors of environmental awareness, perception of environmental effects, and the intention to support green sports events affect the actual environmental friendly behavior. Also, the results showed that the variable that intends to support green sports events plays a role as a mediating variable and the extent of the impact of environmental awareness and perception on the actual environmentally friendly behavior is caused by the intention to support green sports events. Conclusions: Based on the proposed research model, the environmentally friendly behaviors of sports event organizers and managers and their intention to protect green sports events are largely influenced by their knowledge and understanding of environmental issues. It seems that understanding the basic factors affecting people's actual and supportive behaviors towards green sports is necessary to promote environmental behavior.