THE IMPACT OF THE IAȘI INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SPORTS FESTIVAL ON THE LIFESTYLE AND SATISFACTION OF CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS, AND YOUTH

The article aims to provide an overall overview of sports festivals and to analyze the impact of a sports festival held in Iași over two consecutive editions on its participants. The study is based on data collected through a questionnaire administered to participants, which addressed their satisfaction level, intention to participate in future editions, willingness to recommend the event, preferred sports, and suggestions for improving the organization. We have administered questionnaires to 1,200 participants to the Iași International Youth Sports Festival in the period of the two editions (2024 and 2025). The results were comparatively analyzed across age and gender groups. The collected data reveal high levels of satisfaction, a general desire to participate again, and a significant interest in diversifying sports disciplines, as well as statistically significant gender differences. The conclusions highlight how important multi-sport events are in promoting youth participation in physical activity and potential directions for future editions.