ABSTRACT
International multi-sport events such as the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games rely on significant numbers of volunteers to deliver core event services. Without their efforts, organizations such as the IOC and the CGF could not afford to sustain the scale and scope of these global events (Green and Chalip, 2004). Similarly, national and state/provincial event organizers and VSOs utilize the knowledge and skills of event volunteers to administer competitions, liaise with visiting teams, work with media and security organizations, manage hospitality and catering services, and provide numerous other services for athletes, sponsors, spectators and other organizations associated with sport events. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the importance and significance of sport event volunteers, and the unique management environment of sport events that involve large numbers of volunteers. The chapter comprises four parts: first, sport events, the organizations that manage them and the scope of sport event volunteering; second, the roles of event volunteers; third, the unique aspects of sport event volunteers and the nature of the sport event volunteer experience; and fourth, the implications for working with sport event volunteers.
