The aim of the diploma thesis is to analyse the total capacity of sport centres in a selected region of the Czech republic. The capital city of Prague was chosen for this analysis as one of the most important tourist destinations within the Czech republic with a developed sport infrastructure, which offers a potential for the development of active tourism. Not all of the sport centres situated in Prague are included in the research, but the emphasis is put on such centres and services related to sport activities that can be used by tourists within the active and passive sport tourism. The thesis also includes a survey which aims to find out, what are the general trends in the behavior of people in relation to active and passive sport tourism and sport activities in Prague.

Title: Problems of sustainable development in sport Objectives: The main objective is to write a research thesis with a compilation character. The thesis will describe and discuss the issue of sustainable development in sport based on available materials. Methods: To create this theoretical research paper, the method of document analysis and study of secondary data was used. With the help of the compilation method, a synthesis of the available knowledge is formed and with the help of the comparison method is created a comparing of the studied data. Results: The study and analysis of the documents showed a wide involvement of stakeholders in the issue of sustainable development in sport. To a large extent, sustainability strategies are implemented. The reference is made to sustainability principles in the described areas (sports organisations, events, facilities, etc.). The issue of sustainable development is nowadays a widespread topic that permeates the functioning of sport at various levels and thus provides many opportunities for further study. Keywords: sport events, sport tourism, pillars of sustainability, theories of sustainable development

Sport events are known to be strategically utilized to ‘sell’ the identity of its host destination. This since projections of and from the sport event can indirectly reflect elements symbolizing the destination, generating an image transfer process. And oppositely, how visitors project their lived experiences of a sport event on social media, may also have an impact on the destination image. But in research, the issue of branding outcomes from sport events has predominantly been studied from a managerial perspective and was mainly conducted 15 years ago. Since then, digital revolutions have entered the global arena and offered innovative ways to share and create the stories of our lives; causing a change in our perspectives of how we interpret experiences of the world. In the context of sport tourism, existing knowledge on the field would benefit to gain new insights following these new circumstances. And given these circumstances, there is not only a theoretical need but also an implicational need to understand visitors’ subjective experiences when attending a hallmark event and how such are being projected to the world through social media. Answers may provide new, strategical opportunities for practitioners to coordinate their branding activities to align with values that visitors places into their experiences of sport events – which in long-term lead to favorable, shared destination images. This study provides a glimpse of this perspective, by approaching a contemporary case study of the hallmark sport event Svenska Skidspelen 2022 in Falun, Sweden. Focus lies to examine visitors’ subjective experiences judged by their uploaded content on Instagram. A thematic analysis combined with online interviews of users bring light to prominent themes arising from the content; ranging from emotional to spatial experiences of the sport event and the destination of Falun. Moreover, new light is brought upon the previous studied effects of sport event leverages. Results reveal how ‘liminal’ sensations of experiencing the ‘folkfest’ contribute greatly to the overall experience and affect how visitors projects their sense of place on Instagram. This study is to the author’s note being the first one during the last decade seeing these results.

Sport and sport events contribute a big percentage to the growth of sport tourism in South Africa. South Africa also hosts some of the most significant endurance events such as the Cape Argus, Cape Epic, Midmar Mile, Two Oceans Marathon and the Comrades Marathon. These endurance events have the potential to enhance endurance sport in South Africa and can also be used as a tool for tourism. It is important however, to determine the endurance sport consumption behaviour for participants and spectators who attend these events, since their behaviour and habits will influence their choices pertaining to travelling for sport events and even tourism. Sport tourism literature currently does not provide information and insight on this matter. Due to the lack of literature pertaining to endurance sport consumption behaviour, a description had to be provided to aid with the study. Endurance sport consumption behaviour (ESCB) in this study is therefore described as behaviour revealed by sport consumers who adapt their lifestyles after realising their desire to be self-complete, by testing and developing their bodies through sport activities. Sport consumption becomes the essence when participating in competitive, nature-related and fitness activities for both professional and amateur sport consumers. For spectatorship, these behaviours will differ, since the intentions of fans and supporters as well as the reasons for spectating differ, but sport events give them the opportunity to engage in sport on a different level, whether for the event or for the participant. These behavioural intentions can be influenced by the sport consumers’ attitude and subjective norms. ESCB is influenced by three main factors and includes: the demographic and behavioural profile; the motives and travel behaviour and the commitment towards the sport/event. The goal of the study was therefore to do a critical assessment of sport consumption at endurance sport events. In order to achieve this aim, secondary data of five endurance events (Cape Argus, Cape Epic, Midmar Mile, Two Oceans Marathon and the Comrades Marathon) were pooled. A total of 6453 questionnaires were distributed between the respective events for both participants and spectators attending these sport events and were included in the statistical analysis. From a first point of view, these sport consumers might seem homogenous, but when analysing the results, it became evident that sport participants and spectators (with regards to participation and support of endurance events) were not homogenous pertaining to their sport consumption behaviour at the respective endurance sport events. There are four main aspects that drive ESCB for endurance participants, namely the type of participant who pursues the sport; the age of the participant; the type of sport and the motives to participate. Four travel motives for these endurance sport participants were commitment, intrinsic achievement, escape and socialisation and the challenge these events provide. Endurance participants furthermore see sport events as an opportunity to travel. The spectators’ ESCB were driven by their socio-demographic and behavioural profile and the motives for supporting the respective endurance events. Endurance sport spectators were motivated by the social interaction and the sport novelty of the sport events. Their memorable experiences were influenced by the event’s personnel and provision, amenities, comfort and visibility, infrastructure and marketing. The study made literature contributions pertaining to the description of ESCB, which were lacking from sport tourism literature. Based on the results, recommendations were made, not only based on ESCB, but also on how these types of events can be used to enhance sport tourism in South Africa as well as the participation and support for these types of sport. Spectators’ views on endurance sport events were also lacking. The study indicated that these consumers were personally involved with the participants’ journey to success, compared to supporters who attended for the event in specific. In this study, sport consumer profiles are compared on a large scale, which have not yet been done in current sport literature, providing a holistic overview of endurance sport consumers. Sport consumer profiles are influenced by the sport context and the marketing of these events, but most importantly the ESCB. Practical contributions include the specialisation for endurance sport events, the growth for sport and tourism and insights to consumer behaviour for sport event organisers and marketers. This study is important, especially for sport marketers and organisations, in order to ensure the long term sustainability and competitiveness for the sport industry as well as for expanding sport tourism and tourism in South Africa. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Sport and sport events contribute a big percentage to the growth of sport tourism in South Africa. South Africa also hosts some of the most significant endurance events such as the Cape Argus, Cape Epic, Midmar Mile, Two Oceans Marathon and the Comrades Marathon. These endurance events have the potential to enhance endurance sport in South Africa and can also be used as a tool for tourism. It is important however, to determine the endurance sport consumption behaviour for participants and spectators who attend these events, since their behaviour and habits will influence their choices pertaining to travelling for sport events and even tourism. Sport tourism literature currently does not provide information and insight on this matter. Due to the lack of literature pertaining to endurance sport consumption behaviour, a description had to be provided to aid with the study. Endurance sport consumption behaviour (ESCB) in this study is therefore described as behaviour revealed by sport consumers who adapt their lifestyles after realising their desire to be self-complete, by testing and developing their bodies through sport activities. Sport consumption becomes the essence when participating in competitive, nature-related and fitness activities for both professional and amateur sport consumers. For spectatorship, these behaviours will differ, since the intentions of fans and supporters as well as the reasons for spectating differ, but sport events give them the opportunity to engage in sport on a different level, whether for the event or for the participant. These behavioural intentions can be influenced by the sport consumers’ attitude and subjective norms. ESCB is influenced by three main factors and includes: the demographic and behavioural profile; the motives and travel behaviour and the commitment towards the sport/event. The goal of the study was therefore to do a critical assessment of sport consumption at endurance sport events. In order to achieve this aim, secondary data of five endurance events (Cape Argus, Cape Epic, Midmar Mile, Two Oceans Marathon and the Comrades Marathon) were pooled. A total of 6453 questionnaires were distributed between the respective events for both participants and spectators attending these sport events and were included in the statistical analysis. From a first point of view, these sport consumers might seem homogenous, but when analysing the results, it became evident that sport participants and spectators (with regards to participation and support of endurance events) were not homogenous pertaining to their sport consumption behaviour at the respective endurance sport events. There are four main aspects that drive ESCB for endurance participants, namely the type of participant who pursues the sport; the age of the participant; the type of sport and the motives to participate. Four travel motives for these endurance sport participants were commitment, intrinsic achievement, escape and socialisation and the challenge these events provide. Endurance participants furthermore see sport events as an opportunity to travel. The spectators’ ESCB were driven by their socio-demographic and behavioural profile and the motives for supporting the respective endurance events. Endurance sport spectators were motivated by the social interaction and the sport novelty of the sport events. Their memorable experiences were influenced by the event’s personnel and provision, amenities, comfort and visibility, infrastructure and marketing. The study made literature contributions pertaining to the description of ESCB, which were lacking from sport tourism literature. Based on the results, recommendations were made, not only based on ESCB, but also on how these types of events can be used to enhance sport tourism in South Africa as well as the participation and support for these types of sport. Spectators’ views on endurance sport events were also lacking. The study indicated that these consumers were personally involved with the participants’ journey to success, compared to supporters who attended for the event in specific. In this study, sport consumer profiles are compared on a large scale, which have not yet been done in current sport literature, providing a holistic overview of endurance sport consumers. Sport consumer profiles are influenced by the sport context and the marketing of these events, but most importantly the ESCB. Practical contributions include the specialisation for endurance sport events, the growth for sport and tourism and insights to consumer behaviour for sport event organisers and marketers. This study is important, especially for sport marketers and organisations, in order to ensure the long term sustainability and competitiveness for the sport industry as well as for expanding sport tourism and tourism in South Africa. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The economy of The Bahamas relies heavily on leisure visitor tourism (cruise ships, resorts, holiday trips) which leaves the country vulnerable to changes in visitor travel habits. Because the country is so reliant on investments in resorts, casinos and cruise ships, it leaves a wide capacity of other touristic opportunities. One opportunity is sports tourism. The purpose of this study is to analyze the strategic board capability of the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event’s (RK3DE) board governance using the Ferkins and Shilbury (2012) model as the theoretical construct and make recommendations regarding the application of these successful aspects to the governance of world-class annual sport championships in The Bahamas. Members of the RK3DE board were interviewed using specific questions developed from the Ferkins and Shilbury (2012) model. Findings showed the Ferkins and Shilbury (2012) model concepts hold true however remained very broad in its prescriptions. On the other hand, a revised model provides a more specific guide to the necessary attributes and capabilities that need to be in place to run an effective and strategically capable board for world-class annual sport championships.

Small-scale sport events have been argued to be sustainable form of tourism development for communities (Gibson, 1999). The purpose of this study was to analyze four small-scale sport events all operated by NIGSA (Nómadas International Group SA) in the Magallanes region of Chile. The four events at the core of this study were: Patagonian Expedition Race, Patagonian International Marathon, Ultra Trail Torres del Paine, and the Ultra Fiord which operate partially or completely inside the Torres del Paine National Park. As a biosphere reserve established by the United Nations, Torres del Paine National Park requires a sustainable perspective of event sport tourism. A 2011 alteration of biosphere reserve qualification criteria from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has heightened the need for protection, preservation, and responsible management of Torres del Paine National Park and the small-scale sport events being studied. This document includes sustainability and event sport tourism literature, a detailed methodology, findings and discussion from the data collected, and a few suggestions for the industry and event organizers. This study aimed to reveal development potential or lack thereof as a result of small-scale event sport tourism in the Torres del Paine National Park. Thus, this report addressed the main question: are the annual small-scale sport events hosted by the NIGSA a sustainable form of sport event tourism in a biosphere reserve and its extended host community?

Marknadsföringsstrategier är ett redskap som kan användas i flera syften av flera olika aktörer, bland annat företag, föreningar och andra verksamheter. I denna studie undersöks evenemanget Stockholm Marathon och vilka marknadsföringsstrategier deras aktörer använder i syfte att attrahera besökare till deras event för att därefter kunna sammanställa vilka marknadsföringsstrategier som är lämpliga för evenemang inom maratonlopp. Studiens syfte är att öka förståelsen för hur Stockholm Marathon arbetar med dessa strategier för att locka besökare men även att skapa förståelse för vilka marknadsföringsstrategier som är lämpliga för evenemang inom maratonlopp. Genom en intervju med Marathongruppen, som ansvarar för eventet Stockholm Marathon, en litteraturstudie, samt en netnografisk analys, har undersökningen kunnat sammanställa en slutsats som besvarar studiens frågeställning. Datainsamlingen visar att flera marknadsföringsstrategier är lämpliga men att olika strategier passar olika bra beroende på exempelvis målgrupp. Eftersomolika målgrupper bland annat föredrar olika marknadsföringskanaler så lyckas inte alla kanaler nå ut till det specifika evenemangets målgrupp. Dessutom har det visat sig att olika målgrupper har olika preferenser gällande evenemanget, exempelvis visade sig helhetsupplevelser och destinationen som evenemanget träder plats på vara av vikt för Stockholm Marathons besökare likväl som besökare vid andra maratonlopp. Digitaliserad marknadsföring i form av exempelvis egenskapat innehåll i sociala medier visade sig även vara en strategi som når ut till flera målgrupper beroende på kanalval. Den digitala marknadsföringen har även uppenbarat sig som en källa till engagemang, involvering och djupare relationer mellan besökare och aktörer vilket visade sig påverka beteenden i form av ökat intresse att besöka evenemanget. / Marketing strategies is a tool that can be used for several purposes by several different actors, including companies, associations and other businesses. In this study, the event Stockholm Marathon is examined as well as which marketing strategies their actors use to attract visitors to their event in order to then compile which marketing strategies are suitable for marathon events. The aim of this study is to increase the understanding of how Stockholm Marathon works with these strategies to attract visitors but also to create an understanding of which marketing strategies that are suitable for events within marathons. Through an interview with Marathongruppen, who are responsible for the event Stockholm Marathon, a literature study, and a netnographic analysis, the study has been able to compile a conclusion that answers the study's question. The collection of data shows that several marketing strategies are suitable, but that different strategies will fit differently depending on, for example, the target group. Because different target groups, among other things, prefer different marketing channels, not all channels succeed in reaching the specific event's target group. In addition to this, it has been shown that different target groups have different preferences regarding the event, for example the overall experience and the destination where the event takes place proved to be important for the visitors of Stockholm Marathon as well as visitors at other marathons. Digitized marketing in the form of, for example, self-created content in social media also proved to be a strategy that manages to reach several target groups depending on the choice of channel. Digital marketing has also revealed itself to be a source of commitment, involvement and deeper relationships between visitors and actors, which proved to influence behavior in the form of increased interest in visiting the event.

This thesis analyses how elite athletes travel to/from sport events and which barriers prevent them from engaging in a more sustainable travel behaviour. For this purpose, unstructured interviews with elite athletes were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding about travel experiences and decision-making from elite athletes’ perspective. The sport of biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting, was used as a case study. The analysis revealed that biathletes engage in frequent and extensive travelling, and that their most-used modes of transportation are road and air transportation. Travel arrangements were found to be usually taken care of by national federations and not by biathletes themselves. Moreover, the analysis demonstrated that while biathletes generally seem to be concerned about the environment, their environmental concern does not seem to translate into pro-environmental travel behaviour, which can be explained by the fact that sustainable transportation represents a high-cost situation. Furthermore, some barriers were found to prevent elite athletes from travelling more sustainably. The barriers are related to individuality (other priorities – performance), responsibility (not athletes’ responsibility) and practicality (national regulations regarding rifle transport in public transportation (PT)). However, many barriers were found to lie on a continuum between individuality and practicality. The most important of these barriers include travel time, equipment, exposure to other people or inconvenient PT system. Based on the findings, it was recommended to optimize schedules, which was found to be to be overall highly appreciated by biathletes. Some other recommendations include, for example, reservation of train compartments and/or special buses for biathletes and teams, communal equipment transportation between competition venues, vehicle provision at venues, or clear and updated information about regulations regarding rifle transport. These and other recommendations are believed to help biathletes to overcome some of their barriers and, thereby, encourage a more sustainable travel behaviour. Thereby, it is hoped that the knowledge gained in this thesis can help sport organizations and athletes to reduce the emissions from travelling to/from sport events. / <p>2024-01-19</p>

The Tour De France (TDF) is the third largest sporting event in the world and the biggest cycling race in terms of popularity and prestige. The event generates global media exposure and attracts millions of short- and long-term visitors each year, thus, TDF is extremely appealing for communities in search of profits. Using Linear Directional Mean (LDM) and semi-structured interviews (community and organization sides), this paper analyzes how TDF has spatially evolved through time by comparing the 2021 racetrack to other time intervals. Additionally, reasons of the potential shift in terms of spatial distribution are investigated considering current issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has severely affected the tourism sector and therefore, the benefits that communities were expecting to perceive by hosting TDF. Findings showed that the 2021 route deviated from previous editions time of the TDF history including 10 new stage cities that never hosted the event before. The respondent from the organization indicated the pandemic only indirectly affected the TDF route and that the location of the Grand Départ as well as the main internal constraints imposed to the organizers are key elements in the spatial distribution of the event. Interviewed communities acknowledged that there was risk while hosting TDF this year due to potential restrictive measures. However, they recognized that benefits brought by the race largely overweight potential negative impacts from the epidemic. Indeed, TDF remains a way to bring economic benefits, social cohesion, happiness, pride and satisfaction to hosting cities at a time when the tourism industry is at a standstill. / Le Tour de France (TDF) est le troisième événement sportif au monde et la plus grande course cycliste en termes de popularité et de prestige. L’événement génère une exposition médiatique mondiale et attire chaque année des millions de visiteurs à court et à long terme. Le TDF est donc extrêmement attrayant pour les communautés à la recherche de profits. À l’aide de la Direction Moyenne Linéaire (MLD) et d’interviews semi-structurées (côté communauté et organisation), ce mémoire analyse l’évolution spatiale du TDF au fil du temps en comparant le parcours de 2021 à d’autres intervalles temporelles de la course. En outre, les raisons du changement potentiel en termes de distribution spatiale sont étudiées en tenant compte des problèmes actuels dus à la pandémie de COVID-19 ayant gravement affecté le secteur du tourisme et, par conséquent, les avantages que les communautés espéraient percevoir en accueillant le TDF. Les résultats ont montré que l’itinéraire de 2021 s’écarte des éditions précédentes de l’histoire du TDF en incluant 10 nouvelles villes étapes qui n’ont jamais accueilli l’événement auparavant. Le répondant de l’organisation a indiqué que la pandémie n’a affecté qu’indirectement le parcours du TDF et que l’emplacement du Grand Départ ainsi que les principales contraintes internes imposées aux organisateurs sont des éléments clés dans la répartition spatiale de l’événement. Les communautés interrogées ont reconnu qu’il y avait un risque à accueillir le TDF cette année en raison des mesures restrictives potentielles. Cependant, elles ont admis que les bénéfices apportés par la course surpassaient largement les impacts négatifs potentiels dus à l’épidémie. En effet, le TDF reste un moyen d’apporter des effets économiques positifs, de la cohésion sociale, du bonheur, de la fierté et de la satisfaction aux villes hôtes à un moment où l’industrie du tourisme est au point mort.