Exploring sustainable management in running events: insights from Greek organizers

Purpose There has been a growing criticism of the degree to which sports events are sustainable today and their ability to promote the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This study aimed to explore Greek running event organizers' attitudes towards sustainable management of their events, including the dimensions of environmental, social and economic sustainability, while examining at the same time the challenges that they face in adopting the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach Thirty-one interviews were conducted with organizers of running events in Greece. Thematic analysis was employed to identify, analyse systematically and report patterns within the data, based on the three dimensions of sustainability. Findings The analysis of the interviews showed that the Greek event organizers were aware of the importance of sustainable practices; they tried to develop strategies to limit the negative impacts of the events and maximize the positive ones; however, in most cases, their events were not used as a tool for promoting and provoking sustainable development. This is due to the lack of an integrated strategy at the regional and national levels, and a lack of technical knowledge. Research limitations/implications This study was based on a qualitative design. A snowball sampling method was used, which obviously gives a non-probability sample. Another limitation of the study relates to merging all the different types of running events. Results were not produced separately for city and mountain running events. It will be interesting to conduct more focused studies in the future, considering the specific nature of some of the mountain running events. Practical implications Well-designed and effectively managed running events can make substantial contributions to several SDGs, while reducing their potential negative impacts. The findings of this study highlight several practical implications and demonstrate the need for tailored strategies, depending also on the type of event. An important requirement for sustainable event delivery is the development of comprehensive sustainability plans during the bidding and early design phases. Social implications The results showed the positive influence of running events on individual well-being, which is a prerequisite of social well-being. Sport events can contribute to SD3, as they can be associated with physical, psychological and social benefits. Originality/value While it has been argued that sport events, if organized properly, can promote several of the SDGs, there is limited empirical research around running events. This study contributes to the literature by exploring whether running event organizers have adopted sustainable management practices in their events, under the three pillars of economic, environmental and social sustainability for promoting and delivering sustainable development, as it has been proposed as an ideal model.