Motivational factors of triathletes from Serbia and the United Arab Emirates

Triathlon is a multisport discipline that combines three sports: swimming, cycling, and running, and is considered a physically demanding sport. The mass participation in triathlons has been on the rise in recent years, especially among recreational athletes. The aim of this research is to identify and determine whether there are differences in the motivational factors of amateur triathletes from different countries, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The sample included 128 amateur triathletes: 70 from Serbia and 58 from the UAE. For the purposes of the research, a questionnaire was used, consisting of two parts: the first part provided insight into basic sociodemographic data of the participants (age, gender, education, sports experience, and income), while the second part used a modified marathoners motivation scale, consisting of 24 items. For data analysis, appropriate statistical methods were applied to process the results. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to quantify and describe the examined variables across the total sample of participant as well as within specific groups. To determine group differences in motivational factors–achievement motives, social motives, and overall motivation (OM)–an independent samples t-test was used, while the Mann-Whitney U test was applied for physical health motives and psychological motives. Analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between the compared groups in any category of motivational factors, nor in OM.