Fostering youth sport: motivation and perceived event image at the children and youth olympics

Objectives: This study examines how a national multi‑sport youth event, the Czech Children and Youth Olympics (CYOG), influences athletes’ motivation to continue sport participation beyond the recreational level and how participants and non‑participants perceive the event’s image. Methods: A questionnaire survey was used for the research. Two respondent groups were surveyed using questionnaires based on established sport‑motivation and event‑image scales. The first sample included former CYOG participants (n = 567; 2005–2019), while the second consisted of athletes from three sport federations who had not participated in the CYOG (n = 234). Results: Participants rated intrinsic motivators, such as fun, unique experience, and social aspects, higher than achievement‑oriented motives. Both groups evaluated the event image positively, although participants expressed significantly higher ratings across all dimensions. The CYOG appears to reinforce youth motivation for further sport involvement and generates a strong positive event image. These insights may guide organisers and policy makers in designing youth‑oriented sport events.