The Role of Sport Olympiads in a Province in Developing Sport in Golestan Province from the Viewpoints of Sport Managers and Experts

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sport Olympiads within a province in developing sport in Golestan province from the viewpoints of sport managers and experts. The statistical population consisted of sport Olympiad administrative cadres (N=381) and 190 subjects were selected as the statistical sample by Morgan Table. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was obtained 0.88 using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The factorial analysis was used to analyze data. Seven factors were identified as the consequences of holding sport Olympiads within a province: management development, financial development, spiritual and mental development, social participation development, facilities and infrastructure development, advertisement development and cultural and tourism development. Spiritual and mental development (with mean rank of 5.09) and financial development (with mean rank of 2.37) were the most and least important consequences of sport Olympiads. Among different items, “responsibility of the host community” and “the extended attendance of spectators and fans” had the highest and lowest factor loading respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that holding sport Olympiads in a province can be considered as a main approach to develop various dimensions of sport in Golestan province.