Sports events and the COVID-19 pandemic: assessing runners' intentions for future participation in running events–evidence from Greece

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global health crisis that has spread to almost every country in the world and has affected all aspects of human life. All sporting events - including the Tokyo Olympics, for the first time in the history of the modern Games - have been canceled or postponed without any clear indication of how or when they will be resolved. The present study focused on Greek runners and variables that influence decision-making when deciding which race to compete in during the COVID-19 season. The study used a set of data from 621 Greek respondents who answered the electronic questionnaire of this study. Research hypotheses were tested. The modeling and processing of the data was done by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The results confirmed that there are some issues of the race destination and the conditions, which concern the Greek runners due to the pandemic. The conclusions are useful mainly for the practitioners and the authorities involved in the organization of races to organize safe events that will attract runners and therefore tourists and visitors to their areas.